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{{trope}}
{{work}}
[[File:carnelian_8539.jpg|frame|This drawing by the author became the genesis of the story.]]
[[File:carnelian_8539.jpg|frame|This drawing by the author became the genesis of the story.]]


{{quote|''Flesh, knit bone to bone<br />
{{quote|''Flesh, knit bone to bone
Your withered earth<br />
''Your withered earth
Oh ancient Mother<br />
''Oh ancient Mother
Scorched tearless You await<br />
''Scorched tearless You await
The Sky Lord come to thunder<br />
''The Sky Lord come to thunder
Rumbling His stormy belly<br />
''Rumbling His stormy belly
Withholding His urgent seed<br />
''Withholding His urgent seed
Until He shall pierce You with His shafts<br />
''Until He shall pierce You with His shafts
Quench the burning air<br />
''Quench the burning air
Rill and pool Your dusts<br />
''Rill and pool Your dusts
Fill Your wombs with spiralling jades<br />
''Fill Your wombs with spiralling jades
Until Your flesh swells up<br />
''Until Your flesh swells up
In the midst of breaking waters<br />
''In the midst of breaking waters
Clenching for release<br />
''Clenching for release

<br />
Thrust forth the Green Child<br />
''Thrust forth the Green Child
Ten thousand times reborn<br />
''Ten thousand times reborn
Squeeze Him into the air<br />
''Squeeze Him into the air
Enjewelled by the morning<br />
''Enjewelled by the morning
To take sweet nurture<br />
''To take sweet nurture
At Your breasts<br />
''At Your breasts
That He might dance again<br />
''That He might dance again
And once more blow His scents<br />
''And once more blow His scents
Beneath the skies.''<br />
''Beneath the skies.''|'''The Song to the Earth'''}}
|'''The Song to the Earth'''}}


''[[The Stone Dance of the Chameleon]]'' is a [[Low Fantasy]] trilogy by Ricardo Pinto. It is notable for being extremely dark and featuring no magic at all.
''[[The Stone Dance of the Chameleon]]'' is a [[Low Fantasy]] trilogy by Ricardo Pinto. It is notable for being extremely dark and featuring no magic at all.


Cruel and oppressive, the Masters rule over the three lands; a race of tall, pale people who believe the blood of gods runs in their veins. Carnelian is a Master but, having grown up in exile, he has the unusual trait of mercy. When his father is called back to the capitol Osrakum to oversee the election of a new [[God Emperor]], he finds himself plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit.
Cruel and oppressive, the Masters rule over the three lands; a race of tall, pale people who believe the blood of gods runs in their veins. Carnelian is a Master but, having grown up in exile, he has the unusual trait of mercy. When his father is called back to the capitol Osrakum to oversee the election of a new [[God-Emperor]], he finds himself plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit.


''[[The Stone Dance of the Chameleon]]'' consists of the following books:
''[[The Stone Dance of the Chameleon]]'' consists of the following books:
Line 38: Line 37:
# ''The Third God''
# ''The Third God''


{{tropelist}}
=== This trilogy provides examples of: ===
* [[And I Must Scream]]: The Wise, arguably, and combined with a liberal dose of [[Body Horror]]. Somewhat unusual, in that they're an active political force. Still, having your eyes, tongue, nose, ''and eardrums'' cut out and being left with writing encoded on strings of beads and coded messages to a stunted, dwarfish interpreter as your only avenues of communication is pretty nightmarish.
* [[And I Must Scream]]: The Wise, arguably, and combined with a liberal dose of [[Body Horror]]. Somewhat unusual, in that they're an active political force. Still, having your eyes, tongue, nose, ''and eardrums'' cut out and being left with writing encoded on strings of beads and coded messages to a stunted, dwarfish interpreter as your only avenues of communication is pretty nightmarish.
* [[Bi the Way]]: Sardian.
* [[Bi the Way]]: Sardian.
* [[Brother Sister Incest]]: The God Emperors practise this.
* [[Brother-Sister Incest]]: The God Emperors practise this.
* [[Body Horror]]: Loads and loads of it. The Masters' civilization is obsessed with ritual mutilation. {{spoiler|Also, the followers of the Darkness Under the Trees. ''Brr''.}}
* [[Body Horror]]: Loads and loads of it. The Masters' civilization is obsessed with ritual mutilation. {{spoiler|Also, the followers of the Darkness Under the Trees. ''Brr''.}}
* [[Cain and Abel]]: Nephron and Molochite. The fact that whoever loses the election has to be executed might have something to do with that.
* [[Cain and Abel]]: Nephron and Molochite. The fact that whoever loses the election has to be executed might have something to do with that.
* [[Call a Rabbit A Smeerp]]: The dinosaurs are not referred to by their scientific names. (Some do appear to be made up, but not all.)
* [[Call a Rabbit a Smeerp]]: The dinosaurs are not referred to by their scientific names. (Some do appear to be made up, but not all.)
* [[Child By Rape]]: Fern.
* [[Child by Rape]]: Fern.
* [[Conjoined Twins]]: Believed by the Masters to be representative of their dual gods.
* [[Conjoined Twins]]: Believed by the Masters to be representative of their dual gods.
* [[Con Lang]]: Quya, the language of the Masters. [http://www.ricardopinto.com/work/stone_dance/topics/song_to_the_earth/index.php Hear the author speak it here.] There's also a system of glyphs to write it, and the title of each chapter is written in both English and Quya glyphs.
* [[Con Lang]]: Quya, the language of the Masters. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121122032304/http://www.ricardopinto.com/work/stone_dance/topics/song_to_the_earth/index.php Hear the author speak it here.] There's also a system of glyphs to write it, and the title of each chapter is written in both English and Quya glyphs.
* [[Crapsack World]]
* [[Crapsack World]]
* [[Deadly Decadent Court]]: ''And how''.
* [[Deadly Decadent Court]]: ''And how''.
* [[Death By Childbirth]]: Carnelian's mother.
* [[Death by Childbirth]]: Carnelian's mother.
* [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|Dinosaurs]] <small>[[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|WITH FLAMETHROWERS]]</small> [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|Are Dragons]]
* [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|Dinosaurs]] <small>[[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|WITH FLAMETHROWERS]]</small> [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons|Are Dragons]]
* [[Doing It for The Art]]: As noted above, Pinto created (with assistance) an entire fictional language and a glyph system to write it in.
* [[Doing It for the Art]]: As noted above, Pinto created (with assistance) an entire fictional language and a glyph system to write it in.
* [[Doorstopper]]: The first volume clocks in at just over 700 pages. The next two are even longer.
* [[Doorstopper]]: The first volume clocks in at just over 700 pages. The next two are even longer.
* [[Encyclopedia Exposita]]: The writings of the Wise are occasionaly quoted.
* [[Encyclopedia Exposita]]: The writings of the Wise are occasionaly quoted.
* [[Everythings Better With Dinosaurs]]: Prehistoric flora and fauna abound.
* [[Everything's Better with Dinosaurs]]: Prehistoric flora and fauna abound.
* [[Evil Albino]]: The Masters, arguably.
* [[Evil Albino]]: The Masters, arguably.
* [[Eye Scream]]: Blinding people is a ''routine punishment'' in this world.
* [[Eye Scream]]: Blinding people is a ''routine punishment'' in this world.
* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Sort of. The pale Masters believe themselves to be more than human and oppress the other, darker skinned people.
* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Sort of. The pale Masters believe themselves to be more than human and oppress the other, darker skinned people.
* [[God Emperor]]
* [[God-Emperor]]
* [[Halfbreed]]: Children of Masters and common people are called Muramaga. They're technically slightly higher in the hierarchy than common people, but it doesn't matter all that much.
* [[Halfbreed]]: Children of Masters and common people are called Muramaga. They're technically slightly higher in the hierarchy than common people, but it doesn't matter all that much.
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Carnelian is fully repared to do this at the end of the story, but fortunately doesn't actually have to go through with it.}}
* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Carnelian is fully repared to do this at the end of the story, but fortunately doesn't actually have to go through with it.}}
* [[Horse of a Different Color]]: The aquar, some sort of theropod dinosaur.
* [[Horse of a Different Color]]: The aquar, some sort of theropod dinosaur.
* [[Human Sacrifice]]: The Maruli's offering to the Darkness Under the Trees. Also, all brothers of a new [[God Emperor]] must be sacrificed during his apotheosis.
* [[Human Sacrifice]]: The Maruli's offering to the Darkness Under the Trees. Also, all brothers of a new [[God-Emperor]] must be sacrificed during his apotheosis.
* [[I'm a Humanitarian]]: {{spoiler|What do you think is in the render?}}
* [[I'm a Humanitarian]]: {{spoiler|What do you think is in the render?}}
* [[Kill It With Fire]]: The Masters use the sartlar's fear of fire to keep them at bay.
* [[Kill It with Fire]]: The Masters use the sartlar's fear of fire to keep them at bay.
* [[Kissing Cousins]]: Fern and Sil, {{spoiler|Carnelian and Osidian, although they turn out to be [[Sibling Incest|even more closely related.]]}}
* [[Kissing Cousins]]: Fern and Sil, {{spoiler|Carnelian and Osidian, although they turn out to be [[Sibling Incest|even more closely related.]]}}
* [[Low Fantasy]]: So low, in fact, that there is no magic at all.
* [[Low Fantasy]]: So low, in fact, that there is no magic at all.
* [[Luke I Am Your Father]]: {{spoiler|Carnelian is actually Osidian and Molochite's brother.}}
* [[Luke, I Am Your Father]]: {{spoiler|Carnelian is actually Osidian and Molochite's brother.}}
* [[Malevolent Masked Men]]: An entire race of them.
* [[Malevolent Masked Men]]: An entire race of them.
* [[Master Race]]: One of the purest examples in all fiction.
* [[Master Race]]: One of the purest examples in all fiction.
Line 74: Line 73:
* [[Mighty Whitey]]: Brutally, ''brutally'' deconstructed in the second book with {{spoiler|Osidian amongst the Ochre.}}
* [[Mighty Whitey]]: Brutally, ''brutally'' deconstructed in the second book with {{spoiler|Osidian amongst the Ochre.}}
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: The Darkness Under the Trees. Legions. More subtly, {{spoiler|''Kor'' is the Quyan word for 'death'.}}
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: The Darkness Under the Trees. Legions. More subtly, {{spoiler|''Kor'' is the Quyan word for 'death'.}}
* [[No Womans Land]]: The Masters are rather sexist. Fertile women are generally not even allowed to leave the house.
* [[No Woman's Land]]: The Masters are rather sexist. Fertile women are generally not even allowed to leave the house.
* [[Parental Incest]]: Often occurs within the imperial house. Yes, this story has ''every'' kind of family lovin'.
* [[Parental Incest]]: Often occurs within the imperial house. Yes, this story has ''every'' kind of family lovin'.
* [[Pinball Protagonist]]: Carnelian for large parts of the story. And whenever he decides to take matters into his own hands, it ends in disaster.
* [[Pinball Protagonist]]: Carnelian for large parts of the story. And whenever he decides to take matters into his own hands, it ends in disaster.
Line 80: Line 79:
* [[Religion of Evil]]: The Maruli's worship of "The Darkness Under the Trees". They appear to greatly fear it themselves.
* [[Religion of Evil]]: The Maruli's worship of "The Darkness Under the Trees". They appear to greatly fear it themselves.
* [[Royal Blood]]
* [[Royal Blood]]
* [[Royally Screwed Up]]
* [[Royally Screwed-Up]]
* [[Saved From Development Hell]]: There was a gap of ''eight years'' between the publication of the second and third books.
* [[Saved From Development Hell]]: There was a gap of ''eight years'' between the publication of the second and third books.
* [[Slave Collar]]: Members of the legions are forced to wear these. As they can't take these off themselves, the Masters have no trouble identifying deserters.
* [[Slave Collar]]: Members of the legions are forced to wear these. As they can't take these off themselves, the Masters have no trouble identifying deserters.
* [[Straight Gay]]: None of the gay characters is in any way stereotypical - probably owing to the fact that the author himself is gay.
* [[Invisible to Gaydar]]: None of the gay characters is in any way stereotypical - probably owing to the fact that the author himself is gay.
* [[Surprise Incest]]: {{spoiler|Twice. Carnelian and Osidian are cousins. Oh no wait, they're actually brothers!}}
* [[Surprise Incest]]: {{spoiler|Twice. Carnelian and Osidian are cousins. Oh no wait, they're actually brothers!}}
* [[Tangled Family Tree]]: '''<small>ALL</small>''' Masters in the story are somehow related, which combined with their obsession with blood purity and resulting incestuous unions makes for some bewildering family trees.
* [[Tangled Family Tree]]: '''<small>ALL</small>''' Masters in the story are somehow related, which combined with their obsession with blood purity and resulting incestuous unions makes for some bewildering family trees.
* [[Wham Line]]: {{spoiler|"The sartlar ''are'' the Quyans."}}
* [[Wham! Line]]: {{spoiler|"The sartlar ''are'' the Quyans."}}
* [[World Building]]: A fantastically detailed, almost obsessive example, [[All There in the Manual|fleshed out even more on the author's website]].
* [[World Building]]: A fantastically detailed, almost obsessive example, [[All There in the Manual|fleshed out even more on the author's website]].
* [[Writtenbythe Winners]]: {{spoiler|The Wise go to great lengths to make sure nobody knows the true story behind the fall of the Quyans and the rise of the Chosen.}}
* [[Written by the Winners]]: {{spoiler|The Wise go to great lengths to make sure nobody knows the true story behind the fall of the Quyans and the rise of the Chosen.}}


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]
[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]
[[Category:Gay and Lesbian Fiction]]
[[Category:Gay and Lesbian Fiction]]
[[Category:The Stone Dance Of The Chameleon]]
[[Category:The Stone Dance of the Chameleon]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone Dance of the Chameleon, The}}
[[Category:Trope]]

Latest revision as of 20:55, 12 September 2018

This drawing by the author became the genesis of the story.

Flesh, knit bone to bone
 Your withered earth
 Oh ancient Mother
 Scorched tearless You await
 The Sky Lord come to thunder
 Rumbling His stormy belly
 Withholding His urgent seed
 Until He shall pierce You with His shafts
 Quench the burning air
 Rill and pool Your dusts
 Fill Your wombs with spiralling jades
 Until Your flesh swells up
 In the midst of breaking waters
 Clenching for release
Thrust forth the Green Child
 Ten thousand times reborn
 Squeeze Him into the air
 Enjewelled by the morning
 To take sweet nurture
 At Your breasts
 That He might dance again
 And once more blow His scents

Beneath the skies.
—The Song to the Earth

The Stone Dance of the Chameleon is a Low Fantasy trilogy by Ricardo Pinto. It is notable for being extremely dark and featuring no magic at all.

Cruel and oppressive, the Masters rule over the three lands; a race of tall, pale people who believe the blood of gods runs in their veins. Carnelian is a Master but, having grown up in exile, he has the unusual trait of mercy. When his father is called back to the capitol Osrakum to oversee the election of a new God-Emperor, he finds himself plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit.

The Stone Dance of the Chameleon consists of the following books:

  1. The Chosen
  2. The Standing Dead
  3. The Third God
Tropes used in The Stone Dance of the Chameleon include:
  • And I Must Scream: The Wise, arguably, and combined with a liberal dose of Body Horror. Somewhat unusual, in that they're an active political force. Still, having your eyes, tongue, nose, and eardrums cut out and being left with writing encoded on strings of beads and coded messages to a stunted, dwarfish interpreter as your only avenues of communication is pretty nightmarish.
  • Bi the Way: Sardian.
  • Brother-Sister Incest: The God Emperors practise this.
  • Body Horror: Loads and loads of it. The Masters' civilization is obsessed with ritual mutilation. Also, the followers of the Darkness Under the Trees. Brr.
  • Cain and Abel: Nephron and Molochite. The fact that whoever loses the election has to be executed might have something to do with that.
  • Call a Rabbit a Smeerp: The dinosaurs are not referred to by their scientific names. (Some do appear to be made up, but not all.)
  • Child by Rape: Fern.
  • Conjoined Twins: Believed by the Masters to be representative of their dual gods.
  • Con Lang: Quya, the language of the Masters. Hear the author speak it here. There's also a system of glyphs to write it, and the title of each chapter is written in both English and Quya glyphs.
  • Crapsack World
  • Deadly Decadent Court: And how.
  • Death by Childbirth: Carnelian's mother.
  • Dinosaurs WITH FLAMETHROWERS Are Dragons
  • Doing It for the Art: As noted above, Pinto created (with assistance) an entire fictional language and a glyph system to write it in.
  • Doorstopper: The first volume clocks in at just over 700 pages. The next two are even longer.
  • Encyclopedia Exposita: The writings of the Wise are occasionaly quoted.
  • Everything's Better with Dinosaurs: Prehistoric flora and fauna abound.
  • Evil Albino: The Masters, arguably.
  • Eye Scream: Blinding people is a routine punishment in this world.
  • Fantastic Racism: Sort of. The pale Masters believe themselves to be more than human and oppress the other, darker skinned people.
  • God-Emperor
  • Halfbreed: Children of Masters and common people are called Muramaga. They're technically slightly higher in the hierarchy than common people, but it doesn't matter all that much.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Carnelian is fully repared to do this at the end of the story, but fortunately doesn't actually have to go through with it.
  • Horse of a Different Color: The aquar, some sort of theropod dinosaur.
  • Human Sacrifice: The Maruli's offering to the Darkness Under the Trees. Also, all brothers of a new God-Emperor must be sacrificed during his apotheosis.
  • I'm a Humanitarian: What do you think is in the render?
  • Kill It with Fire: The Masters use the sartlar's fear of fire to keep them at bay.
  • Kissing Cousins: Fern and Sil, Carnelian and Osidian, although they turn out to be even more closely related.
  • Low Fantasy: So low, in fact, that there is no magic at all.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: Carnelian is actually Osidian and Molochite's brother.
  • Malevolent Masked Men: An entire race of them.
  • Master Race: One of the purest examples in all fiction.
  • Mayincatec: The Masters have some shades of this (see the picture above), but then again there're also significant Roman and Southeast Asian influences.
  • Mighty Whitey: Brutally, brutally deconstructed in the second book with Osidian amongst the Ochre.
  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: The Darkness Under the Trees. Legions. More subtly, Kor is the Quyan word for 'death'.
  • No Woman's Land: The Masters are rather sexist. Fertile women are generally not even allowed to leave the house.
  • Parental Incest: Often occurs within the imperial house. Yes, this story has every kind of family lovin'.
  • Pinball Protagonist: Carnelian for large parts of the story. And whenever he decides to take matters into his own hands, it ends in disaster.
  • Precursors: The Quyans.
  • Religion of Evil: The Maruli's worship of "The Darkness Under the Trees". They appear to greatly fear it themselves.
  • Royal Blood
  • Royally Screwed-Up
  • Saved From Development Hell: There was a gap of eight years between the publication of the second and third books.
  • Slave Collar: Members of the legions are forced to wear these. As they can't take these off themselves, the Masters have no trouble identifying deserters.
  • Invisible to Gaydar: None of the gay characters is in any way stereotypical - probably owing to the fact that the author himself is gay.
  • Surprise Incest: Twice. Carnelian and Osidian are cousins. Oh no wait, they're actually brothers!
  • Tangled Family Tree: ALL Masters in the story are somehow related, which combined with their obsession with blood purity and resulting incestuous unions makes for some bewildering family trees.
  • Wham! Line: "The sartlar are the Quyans."
  • World Building: A fantastically detailed, almost obsessive example, fleshed out even more on the author's website.
  • Written by the Winners: The Wise go to great lengths to make sure nobody knows the true story behind the fall of the Quyans and the rise of the Chosen.
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