The Kor

by Warren Fahy

Warren Fahy, author of the acclaimed thriller FRAGMENT, takes readers on another thrilling journey in this parable of mystery, adventure and discovery in a far away world. When a kor child spies a comet in the sky he sets a chain of events in motion that will shake the foundations of his people?s civilization. As ancient truths are challenged, buried secrets are unearthed that will change the course of their society forever. In this unique tale, acclaimed author Warren Fahy (FRAGMENT) takes readers on a journey through a new world where familiar themes play out on an epic stage in entirely unexpected ways. In this audacious tale, which blends fantasy, adventure, ruminations on art, religion, philosophy, the nature of reality and the meaning of life, Fahy takes readers on a wild ride guaranteed to be like nothing they have read before. .

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

175 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2011

About the author

New York Times best selling author of Fragment and the sequel, Pandemonium, and his just-released thriller of ideas in a high tech future, Magenta. Warren Fahy was previously a manager of a bookstore, wrote essays for royalty attending college, designed Internet movie databases for 5 companies, lead writer on Rock Star Games' Red Dead Revolver, helped coin the word "mullet" as a hairstyle for the Beastie Boys, and wrote comedy for robots in Hong Kong. His debut novel, Fragment, was nominated for an International Thriller Award and a BSFA, and is published in 18 languages. (The final book in the Fragment trilogy, SYMBIONT, is under way.)

FANGORIA on FRAGMENT: "I haven't had this much fun reading a science/adventure thriller since Jurassic Park. For the last half I was frozen in place -- I couldn't move, couldn't talk. I even teared up a couple of times in pure joy. It took hours for the adrenaline to wear off."

JAMES ROLLINS on PANDEMONIUM: "PANDEMONIUM is pure genius, an otherworldly wonder as creative as the best of Jules Verne. Here is riveting scientific speculation paired with bravado storytelling."

Author's website (www.warrenfahy.com)

Reviews

[Chadwick Saxelid · Rating 2 out of 5]

The review appears in the November 2012 issue of the Digital Concordian.

The synopsis for Warren Fahy’s fantasy novella The Kor, a tale of a primitive and ape like society learning that their life and past are nothing at all like they have been taught or told, promises that the book will be an “audacious tale.” One that will be “like nothing [you] have ever read before.”

I cannot say that is an accurate promise, at all.

Fahy’s caveman fantasy resembles plenty of tales that I have read, heard, or seen before. It could best be described as what happens when Ayn Rand’s wretched “science fiction” story Anthem is put into a creative blender with the pre-history sequence of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the entirety of (the original) Planet of the Apes movie.

The synopsis also promises that The Kor will be a blend of “fantasy, adventure, ruminations on art, religion, philosophy, the nature of reality and the meaning of life.”

While that may be true, unfortunately author Warren Fahy did no do all that good of a job blending, or should I say cramming, so many ideas into such a short tale. The Kor reads less like a complete story and more like an early draft, or an outline for a longer and more complex story.

Fahy may have some ambitious ideas, but his tale lacks the necessary intimacy of personal detail. The book overflows with poorly defined characters. Far too many of which are introduced and then dispatched within the span of only a few short paragraphs.

I would start to think that a particular character was going to be the revolutionary hero of the tale. But then that character would be struck down and a new character would step forward. What makes that so frustrating and confusing is that each character is felled by an entirely different set of circumstances or taboo breaking within the rigidly controlled community.

While such a broad and ruthless canvas did help make the life or death struggles that the Kor face feel tangible and threatening, it also made me hesitant to become emotionally involved with each new character and his or her struggle.

By the time the story reached its inevitable violent conclusion, I thought that The Kor read less like a parable about intellectual growth and more like a vicious game of whack-a-mole. Only the goal was to squash interesting story ideas, instead of irritating rodents.

[Kathy Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warren Fahy's The Kor is an intriguing parable about life, death, and the ultimate purpose of existence. The story, which reads like an ancient fairy tale, is about a race of sentient beings called "kors" who live on an Earth-like planet rife with flora and fauna. The kors live a divided life, suppressing their "Immurtai," or worldly sides in favor of their "Demurtai," or spiritual selves. The kor civilization is ruled by a group of 22 holy ones, called "sors," who pass judgment on the kors and can exact punishment on those who will not conform to strict spiritual rules. Zen, a strong kor Hunter, dares to challenge the sors' refusal to allow him to building a celebratory hall (which the sors decide is "Immurtai," and thus taboo). This sets in motion a violent split in the kor community, with some following Zen to a new world deep in the forests, and some remaining under the control of the sors. One young female kor, Azurel, seeks a way to combine "Immurtai" and "Demurtai" to allow her people to live true living lives.

This is a complicated story, with a lot of odd names and concepts that will challenge readers. The kors, for example, have no words for "thought" or "think," which reflects the sors' desire to keep the kors obedient and easy to control. Azurel, who hopes to become an Artist one day, creates the word "dain" to describe the thought process, which she sees as blending the Demurtai (or spiritual) side with the Immurtai (or worldly) side, allowing her people to create and dream and wonder. Also, "Art," as defined by the sors, must be "True," meaning it must reflect what really is, rather than how we'd like things to be (making Azurel's beautiful carvings less valuable than the cruder, more realistic figures carved by Turi).

Overall, The Kor is not totally successful. I was never clear exactly what the kors look like (they have fur and muzzles, and they can swing in trees, but other than that, Fahy leaves things to our own imaginations). The jacket cover seems to show a humanoid boy climbing a large rock, but there's no indication in the story that the kors are humans. Additionally, most of the other plants and animals on the kors' planet have Earth names (i.e. rabbit, tiger, duck, orchid, deer, lily, grass, etc.). It was confusing, and left me wondering whether this world Fahy has created (with its green sky and purple tigers!) was really Earth after all. Finally, the ending seems both rushed and abrupt, as if Fahy just decided to stop writing. The novel doesn't conclude so much as just end.

But the novel is fresh, different, and interesting. Fahy is telling us that life must be lived fully, on both spiritual and worldly levels - for both noble purposes and for comfort and pleasure. The kors who follow Zen into the forests discover a world where they can do just that - and while I found myself wondering if all the worldly pleasures would end up destroying them, Fahy wants us to consider the possibility that the kors (and maybe even humans!) can handle all that life has to offer. His is an optimistic message that isn't easily embraced in this world we live in today. But maybe it's a message we ultimately need.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warren Fahy has done it again. This book grabbed me from the very first page with its striking image of a child seeing a comet and never let go. I loved how it combined mystery, philosophy, and adventure without ever feeling heavy. The world-building felt rich and lived-in, and the deeper questions about art, religion, and reality gave the story a surprising emotional punch. Highly recommended for readers who like their fantasy with brains and heart.

[Billy]

I’ve been in a reading slump for a few months after buying a house and moving over the summer. I just haven’t been able to focus on anything other than nonfiction; I’m thankful that nonfiction is still there or I’d go crazy. It’s been very annoying, very frustrating.
So, I’m not going to rate this and will come back to it.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. It had an interesting message without smashing the reader over the head with it. The book takes place in a distopian world, without being earth (or perhaps it is Earth, but so far in the future that it bears little resemblance.) After getting to know them a bit, the characters are simple to understand.

I really wanted to give it 4 stars instead but. . .

. . . I had trouble with the torrent of names in the first 10 -15 pages. Every name it seemed was three letters and there was barely a paragraph related to any "kor" without going on to the next one. I get it. . . it is a different world and don't bring your preconceived notions about this world along with you. But I was off balance enough to want to put the book down. I almost never quit a book without finishing it and I saw it through until I started to like it - but it was close.

This went beyond putting the reader off balance to the point it seemed chaotic at best and perhaps sloppy. First the torrent of characters (who is important to pay attention to?). Then the immediate time shift (Day 1, Day 0, Day -1, Day 2). All the while working with characters of another species and finally speaking in a language that featured many "made up" words.

Draw the same thing out a little from a pacing perspective and we are maybe cool. At the pace it was fed - not so much. Kors are interchangeable. Good reason to use this type of tool if that is what was meant. If so, send the reader this message in a slightly less chaotic way.

Either way, this story had an element that is the reason I read so much SF. I very much enjoy it when SF is simply a vehicle to tell a story or convey an idea that might get lost on the reader if told in our world. In this case, even though it may seem to be a very good reason to do so (a massive plague that wipes out huge swaths of the population), never abandon reason. Don't give up the self or the mind or especially your passions and surrender to faith and authority. No matter how bad it seems, it will eventually be worse.

Tell this take with Nazis and your thoughts of the Holocaust or communism get in the way of the very small ways that this slide happens and the message gets washed through different filters. If I read it right, the society was trending this way before the plague hit. The plague was simply held up as a reason to remake their way of life.

Oh yeah - and I get that the 22 sors were killed by the tsunami water that ejected them from the cave, but I can't quite muddle through why the kororishi (soldier dudes or whatever) stopped fighting. I guess they just gave up? That wasn't clear, but I guess okay.




Read it. It is short and even though the beginning is tough to get through, it is worth it in the end.

[Dan Barbier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish it. I'm really not into fantasy novels, so my rating is more a show of my taste and not a critic of the execution of the story. If you are into fantasy, then you should give it a try. I'm still waiting for PANDEMONIUM though.

[Taksya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantascienza classica, comprensiva di mondo alieno con civiltà correlata. La classica storia del popolo che ha dimenticato il proprio passato e che cerca di riscoprirlo... prima che sia troppo tardi. Faticoso da leggere, poteva di certo essere meglio.