The Fires of Affliction

by Ryan Graff

Khan Eilon lives a meager life as a solitary woodland huntsman. Deep in exile, he cares nothing for the world that cast him out — not for its poverty, nor its politics, nor the ever-present threat of war.

But no man can shut out the world forever. When a mysterious girl stumbles into his woods, possessed of untold powers and pursued by unknown foes, Khan finds himself compelled to protect her, no matter the cost.

Together by her side, Khan begins a long and arduous journey. He faces not only her enemies — a relentless pack of hunters far deadlier than he — but the cold, black shadows of his own distant past. For the stakes are higher than he knows, and closer to home than he dares imagine...

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2012

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graff uses a deft understanding of classical fantasy story telling to craft a plot and world that will appeal to fans of the genre. The story is well paced and follows the quests and exploits of Khan Eilon, the main character. Khan is a wonderful character, a man with a past that haunts him and a future that constantly seems clouded. A cast of memorable and complex characters surrounds Khan, each with their own agendas and secrets. A great start for what promises to be a fantastic, swashbuckling series, don't miss out on this one!

[mirba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good d&d fantasy, with good story-line, good (and variable) party, good characters with believable dialogues and dark histories.

The grand finale is great if a little of a cliffhanger.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice to read a story of any genre where the main male is almost normal!! They are not perfect, they have made mistakes and paid for them. And in this story, the main male also ISN'T in his mid to late 20's either! He's of the 'older' generation which helps the storyline move along.

This story moves along at a fairly even pace and it has enough twists, turns and red herrings plus a general feeling of what is going to happen next to keep you reading. I like how the characters grow and have depth to them, whether they are 'good' or 'evil'.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book because I allowed myself to tag along for the ride instead of trying to anticipate what would happen. The only negative is that there is no book 2 yet so it appears I have a while to wait before I can continue with my adventure.

Recommended.

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really not sure what to say about this one. I read all of it and it wasn't bad, but I was frustrated several times that I didn't really know what was going on or had gone on. Some odd things seemed to happen with a main character that I still don't understand really, but I honestly don't have the energy to go try to track it down and decipher what is mental failings on my part and what is issues with the writing.

I am not sure I can fairly call the ending a cliff Hanger, but it didn't satisfy me. I feel like it opened more doors than it closed and left far too much unresolved.

I also feel like some of the secrets are kept too long. Like Khan's past with his daughter. It is hidden from the reader so long that by the time the story is told, I've rather stopped caring.

But some of this might be my brain functioning poorly. can't know for sure right now.

[Patsy Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a good story line. Man loses family becomes a hermit and than rescues a girl that looks like his dead daughter, and helps her get back home. Really felt his pain and that is good writing, but I wanted a little joy for him instead of all the self-loathing. It mentioned alot of people, very confusing and than they would be brought back up later in story and I was like "What,Who" I was wanting more for the ending but I guess that's why there's a 2nd book, but I will not be reading it.

[Travis Ter wee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far too many fantasy novels portray their main characters as a wonderful human being with few flaws and a unwavering set of ethics and morals. This book is not one of those fairy tales. The author portrays a main character with a jaded past and a seemingly bleak future. I found it easy to sympathize with his strong sense of remorse for past events and his intentions seem to be directly related to his experiences.

I found the plot to be easy to follow, with a few twists for good measure. I very much enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the upcoming releases in the series.

[Elly Helcl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you enjoy fantasy? Do you enjoy your fantasy without the romance? Without the Twilight drama? Get this book.

I was pleasantly surprised and kind of disappointed. I am not a huge fan of YA...but once again, I find myself caught up in a YA fantasy series. I wish there were some naughty scenes in here...but...there aren't.

However, I barely noticed the lack of naughty scenes. That is high praise for a YA book from me :)

Worth the money, worth the read.