Stone & Sky

The Stone & Sky Series, Book 1

By: Z.S. Diamanti

Narrated by: Peter Leppard

From across the sea, a shadow rises. A lone survivor may be the kingdom’s only hope against annihilation.

Orin is a sworn protector. As a stalwart member of the Griffin Guard, he’s proud to protect the kingdom against a dreaded nation of orcs. But when the fires of war burn bright from the north, his entire squadron falls to deadly wyvern riders, leaving the devastated Orin bloody and alone.

With his squad dead, Orin has his mind set on saving others from the same fate.

Teaming up with a local huntsman’s family, Orin and his new friends must push themselves past their limits to face mysterious dangers and ancient magics. Shocked to discover the orcs’ secret weapon, the lone guardian’s last chance to save his home could require the ultimate sacrifice.

Come fly away on griffin-back!

Fly off to the world of Finlestia in this epic fantasy story for listeners looking for adventure, magic, and just plain fun; a tale where friendships must overcome insurmountable odds and remind listeners to never lose hope.
Buy Stone & Sky to join the battle today!

©2023 Z.S. Diamanti (P)2024 Z.S. Diamanti

Excellent!

Old school fantasy with a dungeons and dragons vibe. Great work ZS! I’m excited for the next one. Plus, the narrator was excellent!

Wow, what a classic!

The narration is fantastic. The story is like a hybrid between lord of the rings, D&D, and Warcraft. There is a rich plot that unfolds, and I can tell it’s just getting deeper.

perfect for any fantasy fan

Alongside the Hobbit, this is one of the books I want to read with my future children when they are ready for epic fantasy. This is not to say that this is a juvenile book, but one perfect for any age or stage of life. Diamanti presents a lively word that doesn't shy away from cozy goblin tavern or giant beasts worthy of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Fans of animal companions should be sure to check this out not only for griffin riders, but wyvern riders, dragon riders, any plenty more.

With a loveable cast and joyous plots, I am ready to follow Diamanti in all that he does.

Fantastic Book

This was a fantastic read. The story was a fast paced tale of epic and fun adventures, cozy family moments, heart-wrenching character moments, and just so much hope.

There were a ton of fantasy tropes throughout that I simply loved and were integrated with so much love and care by the author.

The characters were well developed and you could feel the love and companionship between the relationships formed throughout the story.

The worldbuilding was fantastic for it being a debut novel. I loved learning about the lore and different areas of Finlestia.

The plot was truly incredible. Diamanti had so many plot threads going on throughout the book and was able to coalesce them into a truly epic adventure. You could feel the heavy influence of ttrpg's such as D&D and I loved it. It almost felt like a group of friends sitting at a table living out these different characters as they traveled along all for them to meet up at the ultima climax of the story and gather for a truly remarkable battle.

My only complaint was there were some instances I would have liked to see more emotional impact from some of the characters. At certain points, I felt like the story was moving along too quickly to truly sit and deal with the turmoil going on around the characters.

Fantastic story and amazing narration

This review was originally posted on SFF Insiders.

What a fun ride! To start, this review is for both Stone & Sky and the accompanying Preludes Collection. I think reading these two books concurrently is 100% the correct way to start off this epic series. Diamanti has written the Preludes Collection as a way to expand the character arcs for multiple different characters, some minor and some major, and really delve into their backstories and motivations. Before each of the 7 short stories in the Collection, Diamanti tells you where in relation to Stone & Sky the story should be read, ie read this story before Chapter 5 or 23 of Stone & Sky. They’re completely interconnected, and I don’t think it’s possible to review one without the other. I LOVE how Diamanti structured these two books to work together, feed off each other, and ultimately enrich the reading experience.

Stone & Sky is an epic, classic fantasy story with multiple POVs telling the story of two main factions in the land of Finlestia: a loose alliance of orcs, trolls, and goblins versus humans, dwarfs, elves, and gnomes. However, as you quickly learn, these are not the orcs and goblins of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, but rather a highly sophisticated, intelligent people who are fighting a war against the humans with motivations that parallel their human foes. Diamanti is able to expertly craft both sides of the conflict so the reader is able to understand and empathize with both groups.

This is a fast-paced story that is exploding with adventure, magic, dragons, wyverns, griffins, magical artifacts, and evil advisors. From the first pages, we’re thrown into the bloody aftermath of an unusual conflict between the human’s elite griffin mounted Griffin Guard and the orc’s wyvern riders. The pace never lets up as we follow a sprawling cast of characters all around Finlestia as we explore the continent, all while the threat of a mysterious land called Kelvur looms ominously in the background.

Again, this is where I think the inclusion of the Prelude Collection really shines. Stone & Sky on its own isn’t a huge book in terms of page count, but Diamanti throws a lot of characters at us as he fleshes out this rich world. But with the Prelude Collection, you’re able to take a brief breather from the main action while you learn about different characters in detail, allowing the world to feel so full and detailed. While all of the short stories are good and provide great context for the main story, one of the standouts for me was Smarlo’s story. So action-packed and fun. Diamanti has so many fantastic, terrifying magical creatures scattered throughout his world, and that’s all I’ll say about that short story.

The prose snaps along and the dialogue is fantastic, especially for a debut novel. We have witty banter and the creation of deep friendships among the characters that feels natural. I’ll also mention here for those who are trying to determine if this is something that they should introduce to their fantasy loving teenager. While this story 100% works for an adult audience (I loved it and I unfortunately fall very firmly in the adult category), the language is clean, there is no explicit sexual content, and the battle scenes are action packed but not gratuitously violent.

As a side note, I listened to these books as audiobooks, and the voice actor—Peter Leppard—is absolutely phenomenal. He has voices for each different character and does a stellar job. For me, narrators often play a fairly neutral role in my enjoyment of a book. But Peter completely kills it with his performance, and I would highly recommend the audiobook!

Ultimately, Stone & Sky is the perfect start to a lighthearted, epic fantasy series that is brimming with wholesome fellowships, fun adventures, and hopeful heroes. The villains are diabolical and evil. The heroes, on both sides of the initial divide, are heroic people/orcs you can get behind and cheer for. This is a modern take on classic fantasy that leaves you cheering for more.

Not just another Fantasy

So, let's start by saying that I'm not much of a Lord of the Rings fan. (I know, please put down your pitchforks.) The slow pace and general walking and talking don't excite me for books. I prefer a much faster-paced story. But that's not to say that Lord of the Rings is bad or anything; it's just not my cup of tea; with all that said, I found this story enjoyable.
The characters were great to be around. The world felt interesting, and the Orcs felt more human than the humans.
I thought this would be another Orc bad and dumb, and humans are good and great, and elves and dwarfs are sprinkled in there somewhere. That's not here; there is much more going on. And the way it comes together feels earned.
I will admit, the action is excellent! It is fast and well-choreographed. And whenever there is a dragon, oh boy, it's amazing. (I am not dissing another book, but I'm just saying that this dragon felt like an actual DRAGON(and no, I'm not saying which book that was).)
Overall, the best part of the story is the Orc by far. And how battles are great, how the conflict is started, and how unions are built and destroyed are amazing. I hope the second book keeps up this kind of momentum.

Bringing the fantasy to life

This story is an easy 10/10 for me. All the classic high fantasy you love but in a fresh and modern way. The audiobook was a second read-through for me and this narrator is PERFECT. Really brought the fantasy into reality and his voice is just lovely. I think this would be a great audiobook to listen to at bedtime or to have going as a tandem read with the physical book because it just brings it all to life. Outstanding!

A Nostalgic Epic Fantasy

This story felt like a cup of cozy fantasy tea. With Tolkien Style writing, multiple point of view, griffin's, orks, magic, high-stakes, and good versus evil. This was just a really great read. And the narration was some of the best I've ever heard. I loved the performance!

Epic Start to the Series!

I'm so excited to listen to the rest of the books in this series! Loved the narration style. If you enjoy captivating adventures, awesome worldbuilding, and multiple POVs, this fantasy is for you!

I can’t believe I’m pausing between Book 1 and Book 2, to leave a review.

I didn’t dislike a single thing. The characters are so much fun, and the adventures multiplied so smoothly, I was completely hooked.
The narrator was as good if not better than the story. If I won the lottery I would hire him to read my favorite books.
My husband often says that for any story to be worthwhile it must make you experience all of your senses. This story does that, over and over again.