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Enchanted Heritage Chronicles #1
Rowan Blaize
Ravaged by the fury of a terrifying storm, an ancient sorcerer falls from the sky and crashes into a farm upon the English countryside. Powerless but determined, the wily Rowan Blaize must make his way to London and seek the help of his eccentric Aunt Ariadne, unaware that supernatural perils lurk around every corner. Even more daunting is the ultimate war he must wage against a vengeful goddess in order to reclaim his enchanted heritage.
Told in the epic narrative tradition of classics like 'Hiawatha' and 'The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,' 'Rowan Blaize' is a one-of-a-kind fantasy tale to be cherished for the ages. Lavish illustrations enhance a magical story that traverses a breathtaking journey through mystical worlds and encounters with a host of unforgettable characters. A sumptuous feast of enchantment to be savored by readers of all descriptions, 'Rowan Blaize' is the cornerstone work and the "key" that opens the door to the entire series of novels in the Enchanted Heritage Chronicles.
Told in the epic narrative tradition of classics like 'Hiawatha' and 'The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,' 'Rowan Blaize' is a one-of-a-kind fantasy tale to be cherished for the ages. Lavish illustrations enhance a magical story that traverses a breathtaking journey through mystical worlds and encounters with a host of unforgettable characters. A sumptuous feast of enchantment to be savored by readers of all descriptions, 'Rowan Blaize' is the cornerstone work and the "key" that opens the door to the entire series of novels in the Enchanted Heritage Chronicles.
- GenresFantasy
292 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2012
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Kieran
6 books41 followersJonathan Kieran is an author and graphic illustrator with a passion for world mythological systems and ancient history. Living near beautiful Big Sur, CA, his other interests include metaphysics, international travel, distance-running, classical music, Orthodox chant, gastronomy, oceanography, cryptozoology, and mountain hiking.
His newest novel, WISTWOOD, is a terrifying supernatural/metaphysical “cosmic thriller” released April 21, 2020 by Brightbourne Books and Media.
The 'Rowan Blaize' books represent the first offerings in Jonathan's Enchanted Heritage Chronicles series, published in mid-January 2013. He has since published the pop-culture bestseller 'Confessions from the Comments Section’ and is also the creator of the comic strip Zanzibar Circus, which debuted in 2016 and can be viewed on his official website at www.jonathankieran.com.
For more information about Jonathan’s epic cosmic horror novel WISTWOOD (April 21, 2020) stay tuned to Goodreads in the coming weeks.
His newest novel, WISTWOOD, is a terrifying supernatural/metaphysical “cosmic thriller” released April 21, 2020 by Brightbourne Books and Media.
The 'Rowan Blaize' books represent the first offerings in Jonathan's Enchanted Heritage Chronicles series, published in mid-January 2013. He has since published the pop-culture bestseller 'Confessions from the Comments Section’ and is also the creator of the comic strip Zanzibar Circus, which debuted in 2016 and can be viewed on his official website at www.jonathankieran.com.
For more information about Jonathan’s epic cosmic horror novel WISTWOOD (April 21, 2020) stay tuned to Goodreads in the coming weeks.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 28, 2013
Rowan Blaize: Book One of the Enchanted Heritage Chronicles by Jonathan Kieran is enchanting indeed. This is the first book I read that is written in epic verse and I loved it. I like poetry but just so much of it and I was afraid at first that I wouldn't like this book because all I can picture is the hard time I had with Shakespeare in school. Because of this I passed by the book a few times but it did sound interesting since I do like the 'magical and mystical' so figured I would give it a try. Once I read the first page, I never put the book down until I was finished. It went from intriguing to captivating that quick.
It is a story with humans, warlocks, witches, faeries, dryads and many other mystical/folklore creatures as characters. These creatures are all struggling to survive in a world where humans are taking over. To be honest with you I couldn't help but think how sad it is in parts....mainly because it is true. No, I don't mean that there are all these mystical creatures living among the trees (Or are there?) but there are deer and other wildlife that live in the woods long before humans came and cut them all down. If they could talk, I bet their story would be much the same as what King Narzell told to Rowan Blaize..
"Where once these forests teemed with faery life and jubilation, we find ourselves the members of a worn and shrunken nation.
Some say we should be grateful for what woodland still remains, for those within the mortal world who've always taken pains
...to see that little forests, here and there, are well-preserved,
that tiny parks and trails for their amusement are reserved.
These 'habitats' of which they speak are stripped of inner-glory.
No longer lives the Magic Wood of ancient song and story!"
There is greed, lies and struggles as well as friendship, kindness and loyalty throughout the story. Speaking of what is throughout the story, much to my delight there are awesome illustrations that only add to the pleasure of this story. The poetry was not hard to understand as you can tell from the partial quote above. The flow and rhythm are excellent and the ending made me smile. I have nothing negative to say about this book at all. I am giving it five stars (because that is as high as they go) and I recommend it everyone.
It is a story with humans, warlocks, witches, faeries, dryads and many other mystical/folklore creatures as characters. These creatures are all struggling to survive in a world where humans are taking over. To be honest with you I couldn't help but think how sad it is in parts....mainly because it is true. No, I don't mean that there are all these mystical creatures living among the trees (Or are there?) but there are deer and other wildlife that live in the woods long before humans came and cut them all down. If they could talk, I bet their story would be much the same as what King Narzell told to Rowan Blaize..
"Where once these forests teemed with faery life and jubilation, we find ourselves the members of a worn and shrunken nation.
Some say we should be grateful for what woodland still remains, for those within the mortal world who've always taken pains
...to see that little forests, here and there, are well-preserved,
that tiny parks and trails for their amusement are reserved.
These 'habitats' of which they speak are stripped of inner-glory.
No longer lives the Magic Wood of ancient song and story!"
There is greed, lies and struggles as well as friendship, kindness and loyalty throughout the story. Speaking of what is throughout the story, much to my delight there are awesome illustrations that only add to the pleasure of this story. The poetry was not hard to understand as you can tell from the partial quote above. The flow and rhythm are excellent and the ending made me smile. I have nothing negative to say about this book at all. I am giving it five stars (because that is as high as they go) and I recommend it everyone.
May 19, 2020
Loved it!
July 25, 2013
Rowan Blaize is written in a style that can only be described as poetry. It's set up into separate stanza's of four lines each. The only way I was able to absorb the words, I had to read much slower, and sometimes out loud to fully comprehend what was being written. I normally don't pick up books that are written in this style, but I have to admit I wasn't disappointed by the end.
Rowan Blaize is over two thousand years old and has powers like flying, and casting spells, not to mention his reputation for slaying dragons. Rowan loses his magical powers and falls to Earth, landing in a farmland where he is able to seek shelter. He even considers this space to be sacred. Rowan is determined to figure out why he lost his powers, and goes out in search of them.
First starting with his Auntie Ariadne. His journey does not go as he thought, and is taken prisoner by forest spirits, and brought to their Faery King. The king can't make up his mind, if he should eat him or use him for ransom. Things start to look a little hairy until a mortal girl sets him free so he can continue with his journey.
He arrives to his Aunties, only to learn she doesn't know of a cure. but may know of someone who can. She sends him on a mission to meet up with a Circe, otherwise known as a mistress of magic to find a cure or any additional information on Rowan's situation.
There seems to be everything from gods and imps, to witches and faeries and everything in between. All along while reading this book, I was cheering for Rowan to accomplish what he sets out to find. The characters were all so unique and creative, but described perfectly for a perfect image in my mind. The illustrations along the way were something different and I thought it was quite brilliant. Overall I give this book a 5/5.
Rowan Blaize is over two thousand years old and has powers like flying, and casting spells, not to mention his reputation for slaying dragons. Rowan loses his magical powers and falls to Earth, landing in a farmland where he is able to seek shelter. He even considers this space to be sacred. Rowan is determined to figure out why he lost his powers, and goes out in search of them.
First starting with his Auntie Ariadne. His journey does not go as he thought, and is taken prisoner by forest spirits, and brought to their Faery King. The king can't make up his mind, if he should eat him or use him for ransom. Things start to look a little hairy until a mortal girl sets him free so he can continue with his journey.
He arrives to his Aunties, only to learn she doesn't know of a cure. but may know of someone who can. She sends him on a mission to meet up with a Circe, otherwise known as a mistress of magic to find a cure or any additional information on Rowan's situation.
There seems to be everything from gods and imps, to witches and faeries and everything in between. All along while reading this book, I was cheering for Rowan to accomplish what he sets out to find. The characters were all so unique and creative, but described perfectly for a perfect image in my mind. The illustrations along the way were something different and I thought it was quite brilliant. Overall I give this book a 5/5.
April 30, 2013
Rowan is a sorcerer. He’s 2,800 years old, can fly, cast spells and is reknown amongst his kind for having slain dragons and ogres. One day, he suffers the loss of his powers. This book charts his quest to recover them.
Rowan encounters all sorts of fantastic entities : gods, imps, witches, faeries, etc. - but the most interesting character is Rowan himself. His new vulnerability causes him to sympathize with the downtrodden and the dispossessed.
He’s given shelter in a farmhouse. The farmer, a widow, has left every object in the house exactly where it was when his wife lived. Rowan recognizes the house as a “sacred space.”
Rowan is captured by a depreciated faery king who can’t decide whether to ransom or eat him. Rather than anger, Rowan feels admiration for the king because of his pride in the face of reduced circumstances.
Rowan’s compassion causes you to care what happens to him. One nice feature of this book is that you can’t possibly guess what happens.
It’s written in verse. I don’t read much poetry and initially the format was a impediment. But gradually I became comfortable with it and began to enjoy the meter of the words. Read it out loud, I’d say – but not to small children. It gets gory. However, it’s perfect for imaginative adolescents.
This book is illustrated (by the author) with involved, intricate woodcut prints. They stand on their own as art.
In sum, this book was obviously a labor of love and that’s the kind of book I enjoy reading. I got this for free through a LibraryThing giveaway.
Rowan encounters all sorts of fantastic entities : gods, imps, witches, faeries, etc. - but the most interesting character is Rowan himself. His new vulnerability causes him to sympathize with the downtrodden and the dispossessed.
He’s given shelter in a farmhouse. The farmer, a widow, has left every object in the house exactly where it was when his wife lived. Rowan recognizes the house as a “sacred space.”
Rowan is captured by a depreciated faery king who can’t decide whether to ransom or eat him. Rather than anger, Rowan feels admiration for the king because of his pride in the face of reduced circumstances.
Rowan’s compassion causes you to care what happens to him. One nice feature of this book is that you can’t possibly guess what happens.
It’s written in verse. I don’t read much poetry and initially the format was a impediment. But gradually I became comfortable with it and began to enjoy the meter of the words. Read it out loud, I’d say – but not to small children. It gets gory. However, it’s perfect for imaginative adolescents.
This book is illustrated (by the author) with involved, intricate woodcut prints. They stand on their own as art.
In sum, this book was obviously a labor of love and that’s the kind of book I enjoy reading. I got this for free through a LibraryThing giveaway.
June 10, 2013
Wow. First off, I was not expecting Rowan Blaize (Book One) to be in poem form. When I opened it up and saw the lyrics, I have to admit, I was intrigued. I usually don’t like poems or any other kind of lyrical writing, but the story was too much not to fall in love with. Second, I was totally expecting this to be a children’s book or along that lines, and that was not the case at all (I could almost throw a thank goodness in there). Poor Rowan. As one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world, he’s devastated to find one day that he’s lost all his magical powers. This book chronicles his quest to reclaim them. Along the way, he meets a bunch of colorful characters, such as a Farmer Mould, the kind-hearted man who takes Rowan in on his way to London; King Narzell, a king of faeries; Miranda, a human who works for the faeries; and Bror, Rowan’s aunt’s slobbering mastiff-turned-man assistant. He also encounters a few gods and mythological characters, such as Hermes and Circe. While the most interesting character was definitely Rowan, because you’re cheering for him the entire way to solve this mystery, I couldn’t help falling in love with Bror. He was so sweet and simple, and all he wanted to do was help his master. I loved reading the story because I could practically sing the words, and the characters were incredibly unforgettable. Plus, the illustrations added a little something more to the words, bringing all of Rowan’s adventures to life. Definitely a must-read for fantasy lovers and all those looking for a fantastical sort of story.
April 5, 2013
I was surprised to find that ROWAN BLAIZE was written in the style of FAUST and the main character, once I began reading, reminded me of my favorite Robin Goodfellow. I'm sorry to say it's been a while since I've read about him, but he immeadiately came to mind as I continued to read about Rowan.
As the poem opens Rowan is falling to earth and is surprised to find he has become stranded without his powers. Luckily for him however, his dear aunt lives in London and as he is within an acceptable walking distance he is soon on his way to recoup his powers. There are elfs, gods and goddess, not to mention witches and colorful characters which will delight kids everywhere.
The poem held my interest without problem and wasn't really hard to understand. The flow and rhytm of the poem works so well that I had finished more than half the story without realising it. Character descriptions are credible with illustrations scattered throughout the poem.
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the author mentions characters such as Odysseus, Hermes etc without providing any explanation as to who they were. I knew what the author was referring to and didn't really notice it, but should the reader be unfamiliar with them it could take away from the poem.
As the poem opens Rowan is falling to earth and is surprised to find he has become stranded without his powers. Luckily for him however, his dear aunt lives in London and as he is within an acceptable walking distance he is soon on his way to recoup his powers. There are elfs, gods and goddess, not to mention witches and colorful characters which will delight kids everywhere.
The poem held my interest without problem and wasn't really hard to understand. The flow and rhytm of the poem works so well that I had finished more than half the story without realising it. Character descriptions are credible with illustrations scattered throughout the poem.
The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the author mentions characters such as Odysseus, Hermes etc without providing any explanation as to who they were. I knew what the author was referring to and didn't really notice it, but should the reader be unfamiliar with them it could take away from the poem.
June 11, 2013
Written in the form of poetry, an ancient sorcerer, Rowan Blaize, loses his magical powers and falls to Earth, landing in the farmland of one Devon Mould. Devon could see Rowan was not from around here and was skeptical, but being the good person he was, Devon invited Rowan into his home for a meal and a warm bed for the night.
Determined to continue his journey to find why he lost his powers and how to get them back, Rowan leaves Devon to head to London to see his Auntie Ariadne. Unfortunately, his journey does not go smoothly, as he is captured by some forest sprites and brought to their King. Luck is on his side as a mortal girl frees him and lets him continue his journey,
Making it to London and see his aunt, she is unable to help him find a cure, but knows of someone who can help him. Auntie Addie sends him to see Circe, a mistress of magic. But Circe is not what she appears to everyone, as Rowan soon discovers.
Written in poetic style, this is easy to follow, as long as you like poetry. Minimal amount of characters, but each brings his own uniqueness to the story. A few illustrations give it that extra zest to see how the author imagines his own characters. Quick read but worthy of your time.
Determined to continue his journey to find why he lost his powers and how to get them back, Rowan leaves Devon to head to London to see his Auntie Ariadne. Unfortunately, his journey does not go smoothly, as he is captured by some forest sprites and brought to their King. Luck is on his side as a mortal girl frees him and lets him continue his journey,
Making it to London and see his aunt, she is unable to help him find a cure, but knows of someone who can help him. Auntie Addie sends him to see Circe, a mistress of magic. But Circe is not what she appears to everyone, as Rowan soon discovers.
Written in poetic style, this is easy to follow, as long as you like poetry. Minimal amount of characters, but each brings his own uniqueness to the story. A few illustrations give it that extra zest to see how the author imagines his own characters. Quick read but worthy of your time.
April 21, 2013
This is a fantasy story after my own heart.
Written in epic verses, interspersed with beautiful illustrations, this book is one of the few gems in literature, you can only find every once in a while.
It actually deserves more than just 5 stars, alas they are all I can give. Da capo!!!
Written in epic verses, interspersed with beautiful illustrations, this book is one of the few gems in literature, you can only find every once in a while.
It actually deserves more than just 5 stars, alas they are all I can give. Da capo!!!
August 6, 2014
Somehow I came upon this while browsing Kindle Unlimited, and I adored it! Can't remember the last time I read something written in this style, but it was fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews