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The Stone Road (The Forbidden List Book 1) Kindle Edition

by G R Matthews (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
After thirty years of war there is a promise of peace. Zhou is the diplomat sent to negotiate the treaty and Huang the soldier who will stop him. On either side of the conflict, they will face their demons and risk everything for the good of their city.

8/10 from Fantasy-Faction.com
"Emotionally stirring scenes that flourished with dark and powerful action, to deep political intrigue, there wasn’t a dull moment throughout."

4/5 Stars From www.bookwormblues.net
"The Stone Road is an interesting personal journey, as well as a rather surprising political one... Matthews does a great job really delving into the psychology of his characters. He keeps the cast small enough for them to be memorable and intimate, yet large enough to allow readers to really explore this world he’s created, as well as the intricacies of it. There are a lot of surprising twists and turns."

Fantasy-Faction Book Club - Book of the Month, June 2016
"G.R. Matthews has taken two of the best things ever created: fantasy novels & Kung Fu movies, thrown them together into a blender and left us with something wonderful."
Marc Aplin (Fantasy-Faction.com)

The Stone Road
Everyone knows a family who lost a son to the war. It has to end. But on both sides of the conflict, there are those who value revenge more highly than peace.

Zhou of Wubei is assigned to negotiate the peace. At last, the recognition he's craved will be his. There are obstacles in the way and the offer of an end to thirty years of war may not be as genuine as it first seemed.

Huang, a soldier of Yaart, is trained to be a Jiin-Wei; a spy, warrior, magician. His orders are clear; ensure the diplomats of Wubei sign the treaty and, by doing so, seal their own destruction. War presents the chance for honour and glory, but the reality is nothing like the stories he's been told.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Forbidden List
  2. Print length
    346 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    7 Nov. 2013
  6. File size
    1.6 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

About the Author

G R Matthews began reading in the cot. His mother, at her wits end with the constant noise and unceasing activity, would plop him down on the soft mattress with an encyclopaedia full of pictures then quietly slip from the room. His father, ever the pragmatist, declared, that they should, “throw the noisy bugger out of the window.” Happily this event never came to pass (or if it did he bounced well). Growing up, he spent Sunday afternoons on the sofa watching westerns and Bond movies with the self-same parent who had once wished to defenestrate him. When not watching the six-gun heroes or spies being out-acted by their own eyebrows he devoured books like a hungry wolf in the dead of winter. Beginning with Patrick Moore and Arthur C Clarke he soon moved on to Isaac Asimov. However, one wet afternoon in a book shop in his home town, not far from the standing stones of Avebury, he came across a book by David Eddings – and soon Sci-Fi gave way to Fantasy. Many years later, he finally realised a dream and published his own fantasy novel, The Stone Road, in the hopes that other hungry wolves out there would find a hearty meal. You can follow him on twitter @G_R_Matthews or visit his website at www.grmatthews.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GHNPY28
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 7 Nov. 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.6 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 346 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ The Forbidden List
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 62 ratings

About the author

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G R Matthews

G R Matthews

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Seven Deaths of an Empire from Solaris Books due out June 2021.

Rep'd by Jamie Cowen.

After studying for a Diploma in Creative Writing, G R Matthews taught the subject at A Level and holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography. Currently working in education with a focus on Child Protection and Safeguarding, he finds time to write in the evenings between battles to get his children to go to bed and the desire to binge watch Eureka on Netflix. He has also studied (been hit a lot) Judo, Kung fu, Wing Chun and Kickboxing - and is not particularly skilled in any of them (hence the being hit a lot).

A D&D enthusiast, G R Matthews prefers the rogue (stabby stabby… who me?) as it suits his imagination and allows him to hide from all the things that go (accidentally) wrong during a dungeon crawl… (and no one can prove I set fire to that town… it was only a little fire, honest!). As a self-taught guitarist the best that can be said is that at least he doesn’t sing along to the songs (all the time) and the few thousand, over the years, who’ve heard him play (and sing) are mostly fine (some, to be fair, are still in recovery, but we wish them well).

At night, he sits and dreams that Spielberg, Lucas, Keanu Reeves, someone, anyone, reads his books thinks they’d make a great movie series (they would, that much is definitely true). With two children (where did they come from?), a wife (long suffering, caring, strong) and two hamsters (who actually show him the respect he deserves), G R Matthews is known for his self-deprecating sense of humour (true), his chiselled jawline (false), and his long career as a heart-throb film star (utterly false).

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
62 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's intrigue, with one review highlighting its action-packed sequences and magical wonderment. Moreover, the fast-paced narrative and well-developed characters receive positive feedback, and customers find it an exciting read. Additionally, they appreciate the emotional depth, with one customer noting how it resonates with human emotions.

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13 customers mention ‘Intrigue’13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the intrigue in the book, with one customer highlighting its action-packed sequences and another noting its magical wonderment.

"...Good characters set within a well constructed world loosely based on ancient China but with a magical aspect...." Read more

"...In this cleverly crafted book you'll come across moments both funny and heart wrenching but beware nothing is what it seems either...." Read more

"...which is good, I don't like rollercoasters, what it is, is an intriguing journey that pulls and charms you in, and before you know it, you're..." Read more

"...The magic feels far eastern, and where there felt (to me) a lack of it to start with (after prologue), it is more than made up for later on...." Read more

12 customers mention ‘Readability’12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an exciting and fantastical ride, with one mentioning how the author immerses the reader in the story.

"...science fiction novella "Silent City" and while it is an enjoyable read it shows the development of the authors skills when compared to the..." Read more

"...to predict what was going to happen next which made it an exciting read...." Read more

"...explored; sometimes explicitly, but most impressively, with great subtext and subtlety that evolves throughout and allows space to imagine, consider..." Read more

"Well what a fantastical ride... The Stone Road isn't set in your usual medieval Europe style world...." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Character development’4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly noting the intriguing contrast between the central characters.

"...Good characters set within a well constructed world loosely based on ancient China but with a magical aspect...." Read more

"...The story develops effortlessly and you find yourself carried along with the characters...." Read more

"...The two central characters are an intriguing contrast, in their personalities, their challenges and the changes they experience as a bigger picture..." Read more

"...out plot tackling two sides of a war with skill and introducing characters that you get to know and with whom you empathise...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pace’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's fast pace, with one noting how the story develops effortlessly.

"...The story is well written with fast pace which I enjoyed. Battles are described but not in minute detail...." Read more

"...All in all this is a very fast paced book where fate keeps the characters spinning wildly out of control." Read more

"The Stone Road is pacey and an infectious page turner. The story develops effortlessly and you find yourself carried along with the characters...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Touch of emotion’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's emotional depth, with one noting how it resonates with human feelings and another mentioning how it kept them engaged.

"...rollercoasters, what it is, is an intriguing journey that pulls and charms you in, and before you know it, you're flipping pages with relish and I'm..." Read more

"...As a fantasy novel, it is also deeply in touch with human emotions, and it made me want to cry, laugh, and, I sat "on the edge of my seat"..." Read more

"...Kept me up as I had to read just one more chapter again and again...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • A. Mcghee
    5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable new talent in the Fantasy genre.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 October 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Read this a while ago and have already bought the second in the series.
    Good characters set within a well constructed world loosely based on ancient China but with a magical aspect.
    The main characters Zhou and Haung are on opposite sides of an ongoing war between two dukedoms, overseen by an emperor who's ultimate intentions are as yet unclear.
    The story is well written with fast pace which I enjoyed. Battles are described but not in minute detail.
    Some authors feel they have to describe every footstep of every exchange and this becomes tedious and difficult to maintain interest in the overall story. G R Matthews avoids this pitfall and allows the reader to imagine the fights without slogging through hundreds of pages of descriptive text.
    I tend to read a few novels at a time split between the kindle, real books and audio books while I am travelling. I found myself going to the kindle at every opportunity to find out what was happening to our two main protagonists.
    This surely is the sign of an accomplished storyteller.
    On finishing this book I immediately sought out the authors debut science fiction novella "Silent City" and while it is an enjoyable read it shows the development of the authors skills when compared to the Stone Road.
    I have already purchased The Blue Mountain, the second in the series and I can't wait to slot it into my reading schedule in the coming weeks.

    G R Matthews may be a relatively new author but with The Stone Road he has proved himself as one of the top Fantasy Fiction writers working today.
    One person found this helpful
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  • S.J.Budd
    4.0 out of 5 stars There's no boring info dumping in this book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This tale is set in a world with a strong oriental flavour which is quite unusual as most fantasy stories tend to have a medieval setting. If I'm being completely honest that did put me off a bit but when I began to read it worked really well. There's no boring info dumping in this book, it's pure story and action.

    The premise is that there are two provinces, Yaart and Wubei, who have been at war for thirty long years. Both sides are exhausted and when the Duke of Yaart calls for a peace treaty both sides are eager to achieve peace.

    We watch these events unfolding through Zhou a junior diplomat from Wubei trying to secure peace and Haung a secretive member of the Jiin-Wei in Yaart. Both these characters face many problems which test their loyalties and strengths to breaking point and what's really intersting is how they both deal with their difficulties.

    Initially there is a slow build up as we are introduced to the characters but soon it all kicks off.
    The plot was really interested and was impossible to predict what was going to happen next which made it an exciting read.

    In this cleverly crafted book you'll come across moments both funny and heart wrenching but beware nothing is what it seems either. There's no obvious good guy/bad guy and you'll find yourself sympathising with ll the characters through their good and bad actions.

    All in all this is a very fast paced book where fate keeps the characters spinning wildly out of control.
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  • Jonathan Buckett
    5.0 out of 5 stars A pacey page turner.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 June 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The Stone Road is pacey and an infectious page turner. The story develops effortlessly and you find yourself carried along with the characters. The characterisation and the layered relationships of the characters is the strength of the novel for me. Woven around a story of cultural conflict, set against an oriental back drop, emotions and relationships are very cleverly explored; sometimes explicitly, but most impressively, with great subtext and subtlety that evolves throughout and allows space to imagine, consider and engage. Love, hate, friendship, suspicion, tension, parenthood, and much more, are dealt with by an author with great sensitivity and a talent for a precisely aimed turn of phrase.

    There is clearly a hugely active imagination at work here with a great ability to seamlessly weave stories of the personal and the epic together. It's not a rollercoaster, which is good, I don't like rollercoasters, what it is, is an intriguing journey that pulls and charms you in, and before you know it, you're flipping pages with relish and I'm very much looking forward to book 2 in the series.

    A very impressive debut novel.
    One person found this helpful
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  • JPA
    4.0 out of 5 stars What a fantastical ride...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Well what a fantastical ride...

    The Stone Road isn't set in your usual medieval Europe style world. Instead, it's set in an ancient China inspired land. The author has clearly done his research, because this comes across throughout the book, whether through dress, buildings, culture or magic, yes magic!

    The books starts well with an intriguing prologue. Magic is apparent here, but not in any way I've seen before.

    From there the story takes on a political feel of intrigue and mystery, but little action... until all hell breaks loose. Once it starts, the two main characters, whose paths intertwine very well, are dragged and pushed along, follow and pursue, paths that you would not expect.

    The magic feels far eastern, and where there felt (to me) a lack of it to start with (after prologue), it is more than made up for later on. Very cinematic, the magic takes you on a colourful tour away from the 'norm' and into realms of magical wonderment.

    There is tragedy and love, brutally swift combat and raging battles. Everything wanted In a fantasy novel. All of that comes with the refreshing far eastern setting GR has created.

    The ending leaves you wanting more (in a good way), and I'm pleased to say there's more to come! I can't wait to get stuck into the following novel, to see where the build up and coming war will take me.

    Try something different, take a step away from the 'norm' and check this out! 
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Anindita Choudhury
    4.0 out of 5 stars Epic journey of two heroes through war and more
    Reviewed in India on 14 May 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Two rival provinces Wubei and Yaart in a kingdom far far away at war. Peace talks have continued for a long time but diplomatic loopholes have stalled that until the current time.

    Zhou is pushed by his influential father-in-law to join the diplomats in the peace talks on behalf of Wubei.
    Haung is a young trainee freshly recruited into the legendary group of spies who infiltrated and watched every move of their own kingdoms and more. They are the Jiin-Wei; master swordsmen, magicians, and spies.

    Both the young men show promise, though in different ways, pretty early in the book. Through the course of the narrative, they deal with greedy, shrewd, and manipulative superiors, loss or fear of loss of loving family, and horrors of war before they meet a mysterious new master.

    We experience the chain of events through eyes of the two leads, Zhou and Haung's. The chapters are well constructed with a smooth transition of POV.

    The scenes are done with precision and care. A particular one where Huang finds a woman in the village they have just plundered is one of the most haunting and memorable ones. Did he do the right thing? I can't say. I haven't been there. But he decided he would rather accept the burden of guilt than let the young mother who has just lost her children suffer from further pain and suffering by becoming the spoils of war. Such is the strength in that man.

    A tender scene where Huang finds out his wife is pregnant is so simple in emotion yet so touching.

    Mr. Matthews has taken two central characters, Haung and Zhou, men from different backgrounds taking two different journeys and finally converging into an intersection. Will their life be connected in the future? Will they play a bigger role in the political drama directed by the mysterious Dragon Emperor? I have to read the next two books to be able to tell you. Why don't you do that too?

    The Stone Road doesn't glorify Huang and Zhou. We see them suffer as much as any common people. Haung and Zhou's daily struggle with the decisions they have to take or orders they have to follow show us that neither of them was born under a lucky star. Haung sees too much and Zhou suffers a great loss to reach the point where their fates merge.

    The others like commanders, diplomats, a dragon emperor, all play their role perfectly. We understand the base nature driving the ones who let the war happen and appreciate the visible compassion of the lead characters even in such times.

    The author uses predictability as a tool and crafts his story with emotions justifying each known course of action. And no, he doesn't offer pages of explanation as that justification. He lets us see for ourselves. Take the example of Haung and Zhou's scene at Hsin's house. Read the book if you want to know what I mean.

    We know a good man would do a similar thing given the opportunity but are we sure?

    G.R. has studied the techniques of Chinese martial arts (see his bio), magic system, and mythology well enough to make us non-native ones who may or may not have a thing for Kung-fuey goodness believe in his world and people.

    The characters are few and receive the complete focus of the writer.

    G.R. Matthews has taken his inspiration from the land and lore of eastern Asia and created his own unique tale of fantasy. The charmingly western ('mommy','bugger') terms used in dialogs don't really stand out in the tale that is built on a base of oriental names, places, and magic system.

    The writing style is quite uniform. Some say the pace isn't fast in the beginning but I appreciate the gentle start. The prolog giving us a taste of the unique magic system and the first few chapters introducing characters and places were necessary. In my opinion, once the war had started, the fast pace of narrative had no place for all that.

    So, it was a good thing we knew which factions and provinces stood where. G.R.'s simple and beautiful prose helps us connect to the story. His strong visualization gives a life to the brutal post-war scenes. A fine example would be a man blinded by rage and lust for revenge imagines red snakes coming out of crossbows or slit throats while he can only see things in black and white as an after effect of the emotional trauma.

    I believe we can expect an expanse of world building and character development in the other books. A heads up: I am reading the second book and already have some of my curiosities satisfied.
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  • Voges
    4.0 out of 5 stars Asian setting
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on 12 April 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the book and am looking forward to reading the next - the blue mountain! I enjoyed the plot twists and the fact that I couldn't predict where the story was going.
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  • Eric Bakutis
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Rousing Kung-Fu Adventure inspired by Chinese Mythology.
    Reviewed in the United States on 15 June 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Although The Stone Road is the first book in a trilogy, it does a nice job of telling a relatively complete story while setting up characters and events for the following books. While the story takes a little while to get started, once events get moving in earnest the story moves forward at a respectable pace. There’s honestly enough story here to fill two books, but Matthews doesn’t linger too long on any one event or draw things out beyond what we must see to understand the story. I found this refreshing.

    Without summarizing the book, a war between their provinces turns the lives of the two protagonists, Zhou (a sheltered diplomat) and Haung (a magic-wielding spy) upside down. While both men have positive and negative qualities, it is clear they fight for honor and country, and neither is obviously “good” or “evil” ... they are simply characters with believable motivations. As in any war, both sides of the conflict see themselves as in the right, and both men grow and change on their journey through the war.

    Unfortunately, the same doesn’t necessarily feel true for the provinces of Wubei and Yaart. While we know their war has gone on for decades, Yaart ends up coming across as the “evil” province of the two, with few (if any) positive aspects. Because we were seeing protagonists from both powers, I felt a bit disappointed that Haung’s country were basically just a bunch of evil jerks (though Haung is not). It wasn’t Yaart’s ruthlessness or dishonesty that bothered me (war is neither fair nor honorable) but that their actions felt more moustache-twirlingly evil, rather than a genuine desire to protect Yaart’s people.

    Besides that, the only other issues I had with the book was that Haung makes a decision I didn’t understand about midway through the book (it felt inconsistent with everything I’d learned about his character up to that point) and that it was sometimes difficult to understand the motivations and goals of the various people betraying their own province and others. There were a number of people conspiring beyond the sphere of the two main protagonists, and I was sometimes unsure what motivated those characters. However, a first book is never perfect, and these issues did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

    In addition, there were many elements I enjoyed. Matthew’s magic systems were interesting and original, with lots of nods to Eastern mythology. The arcs followed by the characters did not feel formulaic, and I loved that my sympathies for each waxed and waned as their journey continued. And despite my gripe about Yaart feeling too “evil”, I found the shades of gray present in the world interesting, particularly as the manifested in the Emperor of Wubei, Yaart, and every other province.

    As a literal god (at least, that is how his people see him) even warring provinces with decades of animosity between them both swear allegiance to their Emperor. They willingly set aside their own feuds, when necessary, to serve him, and the idea that provinces and people could simultaneously be at war with each other while serving the same ruler is a fascinating set up for a fantasy novel.

    While the Emperor’s touch in manipulating events is light in the first book, and his motives aren’t necessarily clear, his presence is felt throughout the book and he was perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the story beyond the characters of Zhou and Haung. I felt the book had a satisfying conclusion but left a number of roads open that will lead into the rest of the trilogy.
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  • Jada Ryker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Forbidden List
    Reviewed in the United States on 9 March 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The story begins with a chilling ritualistic sacrifice. Men meet underground. They chant. Blood is spilled. Something rises from the blood.

    Zhou is a member of the Wubei. He believes the Wubei are the rightful heirs of the heavens. Wise, strong, and brave, the Wubei are the diplomats.

    In his exalted role of diplomat, Zhou must work to end a thirty years' war. In three decades, three attempts to bring peace have failed. The second group of diplomats died in the line of duty. Zhou is assistant to Hsin, the senior diplomat. Hsin is contemptuous of Zhou and publicly humiliates him. Zhou fears the old man will either die or lose his faculties before a peace can be negotiated….or he will kill his superior in frustration.

    Haung is a warrior. Orphaned and abandoned at the barracks, Haung has trained his entire life. He's an excellent fencer, intelligent, and strong.

    Haung is shocked when he's invited to join the Jiin-Wei.

    "Jiin-Wei were a mysterious group and though not much was known about them they were called Dog-rats by the common soldier. Dog, because they followed their master wherever he went and lapped up orders like the best milk. Rats, because they scurried about in dark places, sewers and gutters, gnawing away at people, spreading fear and disease. It was said you were never more than six paces from a listening Jiin-Wei, closer if what you had to say wasn’t complimentary towards the Duke or the court. Haung had heard enough to know that they were respected and feared but not well liked."

    As a member of the Jiin-Wei, Haung must fulfill his role as spy, magician, and soldier. His mission is listen and learn all he can about Zhou and his team.

    Events take a terrifying turn.

    G. R. Matthews has crafted a wonderful world in The Stone Road, the first offering in The Forbidden List series. The descriptions are vivid and realistic. The characters are beautifully drawn. I can't wait for the next installment!
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  • Nino
    3.0 out of 5 stars A magical fantasy set in a not so typical world
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 July 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A great self published fantasy novel. The setting is not your typical western fantasy which gives it something different and a sense of the magical in itself. Apart from that there are some fantastic fight scenes and some interesting magic systems. Well worth the read!
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