12-16-2025, 02:53 PM
Kirith Kirin is like no other fantasy that you have ever read. Jim Grimsley has created a fantasy that could have come right from our world where power and greed can tempt, and sometimes conquer, even the most rightist person and where knowing who your friends and enemies are can be very difficult if not impossible. Yet it is not our world. For in Kirith Kirin's world magic is real, immortals walk the land, and people are sometimes the playthings for the dark arts. The Blue Queen, upon resuming the throne while King Kirith Kirin's eternality is renewed in the Arthen forest, has partnered with a magician of the dark arts. No longer does she need to leave the throne to renew her eternal nature. Swayed by promises of the dark magician, she has claimed the throne forever and is extending her influence to the far corners of the world. Malleable grey clouds, sidewinding wind, and intelligent lightning bolts made the trip across the vast Girdle nearly impossible. Out of nowhere, the Blue Queen's Patrols made haste to kill the boy and the warrior before they could safely reach the deep forest of Arthen. Riding upon two magnificent stallions, one a royal Prince out of Queen Mnemarra, Jessex and his uncle Sivisal reached Arthen despite a deadly storm that reeked of magic. Thus begins Jessex's new life as he enters Arthen and moves into the royal court of Kirith Kirin.
Quote: Identified as the next server at shrine in Arthen, fourteen old shepherd boy Jessex is traced to his father's farm and with some haste taken to the Woodland to join Kirith Kirin's men; who could know then that Jessex was to become the most powerful magician of his day. On his first meeting with the boy Kirith Kiern is smitten by his beauty, but is reluctant to act on his feelings although they are not unrequited.
Following a summons Kirith Kirin's task is to travel south with his armies and magician to the claim the crown from his sister the Queen; not as easy as it might sound for the Queen's magician has other ideas and will stop at nothing to prevent Kirith Kirin claiming his right.
The account is related by Jessex as he chronicles events for posterity. Grimsley gives Jessex a humble and empathetic voice as he details the history and explains much of the workings behind the magic (some of which I must admit I found difficult to comprehend). With a war to be fought there is understandably much killing but relatively little in the overall scheme, and that aspect is never overplayed, The dominant theme centres on Jessex, his increasing powers as a magician, and his relationship with Kirith Kirin.
The novel is filled with rich and detailed descriptions of both events and location, and to help the reader there is also a map and a glossary, of which the latter proves a great aid in the pronunciation of many of the strange names (that I found neither of these until I had finished reading is partly my on fault, but not helped by the way Kindle, to which I am relatively new, presents the book).
Kirith Kirin must rank as one of the best books of this genre I have read; the love shared between Kirith Kiren and Jessex, most touching and heart-warming, is woven naturally into the plot, and is refreshingly angst free.