Excellent read …… highly recommended…….. 5 stars

In "Sapphire of the Fairies: Book one of Sword of Heavens" Writer Tuttle has produced another humdinger in his delightful first in a series. The enterprise is filled with the well developed characters, pithy dialogue and fast paced action we have enjoyed in Tuttle's previous works. From the opening line where we are drawn into the action with the screaming of an unseen woman right down to the last paragraph when we at last understand role of "The Sapphire of the Fairies" and what it portends for Arik the reader is held captivated.

Arik and Tedi are much more than they might appear when first introduced, the villains are filled with enough evil to thrill and the champions are heroic in every sense. Author Tuttle's written output only improves as he continues producing volume upon volume of excellent work. The twists and turns of plot are a delight as always. One nice addition to this manuscript is a full page map of the diversified areas offered in the various series of works to date.

Enjoyed the read very much.

Richard S. Tuttle's "Sapphire of the Fairies: Book One of Sword of Heavens" starts seventeen years after his "Targa Trilogy," and appears to be an excellent follow-up to that series. Characters are well fleshed out, through description and imaginative dialogue techniques.  Action abounds throughout the book, as do the growing relationships between the characters.

One thing I really like about Mr. Tuttle's writing (I've read several of his books), is how well he can describe everything without being overly prosy. But I was disappointed with some of the characters' names (e.g., "Pixy," for a fairy - so generic, to me, when I expect more imagination from this author); and the first paragraph of the novel, as I feel Mr. Tuttle could have hooked a reader much better by following up and emphasizing on the first sentence, rather than by jumping to the setting's history in the next couple of sentences, then introducing two characters, one with name, the other without. To me, that first paragraph was unsettling. But after muddling through it, the pace picked up and was maintained throughout.

Even though disappointment was caused, Richard S. Tuttle's imagination and writing talents continue to amaze me, as I'm sure it does his other fans. "Sapphire of the Fairies," in my opinion, is another writing success for Richard S. Tuttle, who I believe is one of this century's leading author's of innovative fantasy tales. I highly recommend "Sapphire of the Fairies:  Book One of Sword of Heavens," for the book is sure (again, my opinion) to become a collector's item in the future, as will all fantasy novels written by Richard S. Tuttle.