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Keeper of the Violet Fire
This is an ACE for ASIN:B00HJ6NEEC Tales of the Bodhisattva: the Khurran
Upon the beautiful planet of Kaliya, the Khurran (eight foot tall sloth-like folks) live peaceful lives in the trees and mountains. Many of the Khurran of Wild Mountain still worship Jesh, the goddess of their mountain, and some remember when she walked amongst the mortals. After thousands of years another god awakens, though not one that any living being would worship. He is Rokkhu, born of darkness, blight on the face of Kaliya. Leaf, a young Khurran, is beginning to learn the truth of who he truly is, for he is a bodhisattva: a being of light, reincarnated once again to counter the forces of darkness that emerge in the world. Reluctant to disrupt his peaceful and quiet life upon the mountain, he nonetheless must face his truth and look for other bodhisattvas in the world to teach him, for he has been chosen to stop the dark god, Rokkhu, and restore safety to the mortals and gods alike. Journeying through a world in which the spirits and gods interact with the mortals, Leaf and his companions must unravel a spiral of dark deeds that began thousands of years ago, and that have only begun to come to their fruition.
Upon the beautiful planet of Kaliya, the Khurran (eight foot tall sloth-like folks) live peaceful lives in the trees and mountains. Many of the Khurran of Wild Mountain still worship Jesh, the goddess of their mountain, and some remember when she walked amongst the mortals. After thousands of years another god awakens, though not one that any living being would worship. He is Rokkhu, born of darkness, blight on the face of Kaliya. Leaf, a young Khurran, is beginning to learn the truth of who he truly is, for he is a bodhisattva: a being of light, reincarnated once again to counter the forces of darkness that emerge in the world. Reluctant to disrupt his peaceful and quiet life upon the mountain, he nonetheless must face his truth and look for other bodhisattvas in the world to teach him, for he has been chosen to stop the dark god, Rokkhu, and restore safety to the mortals and gods alike. Journeying through a world in which the spirits and gods interact with the mortals, Leaf and his companions must unravel a spiral of dark deeds that began thousands of years ago, and that have only begun to come to their fruition.
- GenresFantasy
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2013
265 people want to read
About the author
Justin Garrett Dockins
6 books5 followersJustin Dockins is a registered nurse, massage therapist, musician, and novelist. He has lived in great cities, and also among monks in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He can usually be found at home surrounded by furry animals in the Ozark foothills, or battling/befriending dragons with his wild woodland sons.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 2, 2014
Tales of the Bodhisattva is a novel that will linger in your mind long after you put it down. It is a classic journey of light versus dark, filled with numerous unexpected twists along the way. Justin Dockins’ imagination, alongside his ability to make fantasy relatable to our everyday lives, make this novel not only a pleasure to read, but an adventure to embark upon.
Dockins expertly crafts a unique and unparalleled universe, one in which bipedal, sloth-like Khurran commune with gods and goddesses, small furry Brimbol dwell in cliff sides, and lonely chameleons languidly contemplate their existence. These and more exotic creatures band together in Dockins’ story, setting off on a perilous journey to destroy a great evil that threatens their entire world. As the novel unfolds, Dockins’ imagination exceeds the limits of time, space, and gravity. The Khurran levitate and fly, running on air as if it were solid. The travelers toil through the deepest of canyons as well as the unimaginable heights of sky temples rooted high in the clouds. Readers are transported into the past to witness the lore of gods and goddesses, tales pertinent to the present day adventures at hand. These stories nicely round out the novel, presenting the reader with a wide angle lens with which to view the travels and travails of the main characters.
Dockins hones these characters’ personalities just so- they are enjoyable, believable, and most importantly, relatable to the reader. This is a difficult feat to accomplish, particularly in a fantasy novel. Achingly human themes are woven throughout the pages of this novel- love, loss, greed, just to name a few. These themes work to establish a bond between the characters and the reader- you will earnestly want them to succeed; you will feel their pain as they face setbacks along the way.
Tales of the Bodhisattva is a special and impressive novel, one that will keep you entertained as you're reading it and keep you thinking long after you've finished it. I highly recommend Dockins’ novel to any reader interested in an adventurous story of good versus evil or in a fantastical world that has been carefully sculpted with creativity and imagination.
Dockins expertly crafts a unique and unparalleled universe, one in which bipedal, sloth-like Khurran commune with gods and goddesses, small furry Brimbol dwell in cliff sides, and lonely chameleons languidly contemplate their existence. These and more exotic creatures band together in Dockins’ story, setting off on a perilous journey to destroy a great evil that threatens their entire world. As the novel unfolds, Dockins’ imagination exceeds the limits of time, space, and gravity. The Khurran levitate and fly, running on air as if it were solid. The travelers toil through the deepest of canyons as well as the unimaginable heights of sky temples rooted high in the clouds. Readers are transported into the past to witness the lore of gods and goddesses, tales pertinent to the present day adventures at hand. These stories nicely round out the novel, presenting the reader with a wide angle lens with which to view the travels and travails of the main characters.
Dockins hones these characters’ personalities just so- they are enjoyable, believable, and most importantly, relatable to the reader. This is a difficult feat to accomplish, particularly in a fantasy novel. Achingly human themes are woven throughout the pages of this novel- love, loss, greed, just to name a few. These themes work to establish a bond between the characters and the reader- you will earnestly want them to succeed; you will feel their pain as they face setbacks along the way.
Tales of the Bodhisattva is a special and impressive novel, one that will keep you entertained as you're reading it and keep you thinking long after you've finished it. I highly recommend Dockins’ novel to any reader interested in an adventurous story of good versus evil or in a fantastical world that has been carefully sculpted with creativity and imagination.
March 11, 2014
Justin Dockins's debut novel, Tales of the Bodhisattva: The Khurran, is a unique fantasy adventure, one that is well worth delving into.
The first thing I loved about this book, as with Tolkien's The Hobbit, is that the reader is immediately introduced to a unique race created by the author. In Tales of the Bodhisattva, this race is known as the Khurran, a furry, bipedal sloth-like people(take a quick look at the cover to see what this looks like). This immediate show of the author's strong imagination and creativity pervades the entire book. At the story's heart is the essence of epic fantasy: a great evil in the form of the god Rokkhu, and an opposing good force in Leaf, a Khurran who has just discovered he is in fact a bodhisattva, a being reincarnated to counter Rokkhu's darkness. However, this tale is much more than a typical fantasy novel.
For one, Dockins treats the reader to several smaller tales, each reading like a legend, which flesh out the story in an active and more entertaining way than just throwing out heaps of information at once. This, coupled with the vivid descriptions of Kaliya, are clear indicators that Dockins has carefully crafted this world and its inhabitants. As a result, Kaliya feels alive, quickly drawing you into its lands.
Another aspect that set Tales of the Bodhisattva apart is the prominence of deep, spiritual themes throughout the story. This spiritualism plays a major role in the Khurran race, and even more so for those - Khurran or otherwise - born as bodhisattvas. Dockins is clearly knowledgeable and comfortable in this field, evidenced by how seamlessly he blends these themes and principles into the story.
With the quality of the writing, world building, and story, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel, boding quite well for future entries in the series. For fans of fantasy, particularly those who enjoy a story with a Tolkienesque flair, or just want something a little different(in a good way), I highly recommend taking this trip into the world of Kaliya.
The first thing I loved about this book, as with Tolkien's The Hobbit, is that the reader is immediately introduced to a unique race created by the author. In Tales of the Bodhisattva, this race is known as the Khurran, a furry, bipedal sloth-like people(take a quick look at the cover to see what this looks like). This immediate show of the author's strong imagination and creativity pervades the entire book. At the story's heart is the essence of epic fantasy: a great evil in the form of the god Rokkhu, and an opposing good force in Leaf, a Khurran who has just discovered he is in fact a bodhisattva, a being reincarnated to counter Rokkhu's darkness. However, this tale is much more than a typical fantasy novel.
For one, Dockins treats the reader to several smaller tales, each reading like a legend, which flesh out the story in an active and more entertaining way than just throwing out heaps of information at once. This, coupled with the vivid descriptions of Kaliya, are clear indicators that Dockins has carefully crafted this world and its inhabitants. As a result, Kaliya feels alive, quickly drawing you into its lands.
Another aspect that set Tales of the Bodhisattva apart is the prominence of deep, spiritual themes throughout the story. This spiritualism plays a major role in the Khurran race, and even more so for those - Khurran or otherwise - born as bodhisattvas. Dockins is clearly knowledgeable and comfortable in this field, evidenced by how seamlessly he blends these themes and principles into the story.
With the quality of the writing, world building, and story, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel, boding quite well for future entries in the series. For fans of fantasy, particularly those who enjoy a story with a Tolkienesque flair, or just want something a little different(in a good way), I highly recommend taking this trip into the world of Kaliya.
September 25, 2014
This was an entertaining read from start to end. The narrative flows with the eloquence of an old parable that is engaging and thought provoking. Dockins has a sublime talent for world building and brings you into a beautiful world ripe with unique places and new races of people. The book is paced very well while character details tie you to their plight, even though the story is told through an omniscient point of view.
The blended religious tone, eastern meditation styles, and description of chakra’s, within the Bodhisattva lore reminded me of the Nickelodeon series Avatar the Last Airbender. And that’s not a bad thing. I think I’ve enjoyed watching marathons of that cartoon series more than my children have.
The cast of characters is broad and fun. They each have strengths and weaknesses, which made them interesting and relatable. The main characters struggle as he took on his newfound status as a Bodhisattva, new love, and tragic loss made him endearing and easy to root for.
I really enjoyed the scenes where the characters learn the history and stories of various gods. Including the birth of the Dark one, and the river snake. The protagonist Leaf’s dream-meditation scenes were neat, where he met and was taught by different forms of his former self. These layered with the scenes where Leaf met various gods he knew in previous lives were entertaining and added nice depth to his evolution.
This book does not read like an authors first work, and I recommend it to any fiction fan in the mood for solid entertainment and nice change of pace.
The blended religious tone, eastern meditation styles, and description of chakra’s, within the Bodhisattva lore reminded me of the Nickelodeon series Avatar the Last Airbender. And that’s not a bad thing. I think I’ve enjoyed watching marathons of that cartoon series more than my children have.
The cast of characters is broad and fun. They each have strengths and weaknesses, which made them interesting and relatable. The main characters struggle as he took on his newfound status as a Bodhisattva, new love, and tragic loss made him endearing and easy to root for.
I really enjoyed the scenes where the characters learn the history and stories of various gods. Including the birth of the Dark one, and the river snake. The protagonist Leaf’s dream-meditation scenes were neat, where he met and was taught by different forms of his former self. These layered with the scenes where Leaf met various gods he knew in previous lives were entertaining and added nice depth to his evolution.
This book does not read like an authors first work, and I recommend it to any fiction fan in the mood for solid entertainment and nice change of pace.
February 8, 2021
Unique tale for adults
This is basically a story about a creature like Chewbacca if he were a monk, with a monkey tail, this would be his people. The story is interesting and fairly descriptive. Some fun action scenes, interesting internal and external journey of the ancient one. One of the more unique stories I’ve listened to in the last few months.
Parents: this is for 18+ due to gore and sexual content.
Narrator: good differentiations
Language: none
Violence: murders
Sexual content: nudity, Gods seduce mortals, groping/rape between Gods
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
This is basically a story about a creature like Chewbacca if he were a monk, with a monkey tail, this would be his people. The story is interesting and fairly descriptive. Some fun action scenes, interesting internal and external journey of the ancient one. One of the more unique stories I’ve listened to in the last few months.
Parents: this is for 18+ due to gore and sexual content.
Narrator: good differentiations
Language: none
Violence: murders
Sexual content: nudity, Gods seduce mortals, groping/rape between Gods
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
June 5, 2017
this story is really interesting, the plot is amazing. and the mystery is killer. I got the audio book and its a bit slow going, but the print version is worth a try.
I was given this free copy, in return for my unbiased review
I was given this free copy, in return for my unbiased review
Read
April 30, 2014I think I have to admit that, for now at least, this is a dnf book.
The world building and the stylistic language are well done. I can tell this work is a labor of love, and that is to be commended. The story itself is about, in essence, a race of pacifist anthropomorphic sloth creatures. In particular, the narrative follows Kai, a young Khurran about to undertake his first vision quest. The only quibble I have with the execution is that this work is done in quite dreamy prose, which more than fits the subject, but also has the side effect of making it sound almost like a children's book at times.
I was cruising along enjoying myself, until the text informed me that the schism in the Khurran's society was along color lines. That is, all the 'black' Khurran left, disagreeing with the goddess Jesh. "A handful of those in the first group of Khurran were very different. As you know, all Khurran that live here on the mountain have hair ranging from brown to red. In the beginning, when there were very few of us, some Khurran had black hair. Most of the dark-haired ones left out tribe long ago, and there are none among us today."
That made me sad just to type out. Don't get it twisted, though, because I'm not at all saying that an author can't use skin (or in this case fur) color as a divider. But I am saying that an author shouldn't use it without thinking about the resonances therein, and I feel that there is a lack of thoughtfulness demonstrated here. The author surely realizes the real world echoes he's playing with, because the text then tells me, "the color of their hair, of course, was of no significance." No. No way. If there's no significance, then leave out the societal divide along color lines, and make it purely a ideological split.
I felt like this hand waving was almost insulting, as if I were meant to smirk and ignore the race issue for the rest of the book. Just acknowledging it with a nigh flippant comment isn't enough. And then, "It is said that the reason of their break from the tribe is that these individuals were violent and desired power over others."
So, the black Khurran are godless (they don't agree with the Khurran goddess), violent, and power mad. I hope I don't have to explain why this is unfortunate even though the Khurran are made up creatures. We bring our biases in to our writing no matter if we're writing about the real world or an alien society in a different place and time.
The world building and the stylistic language are well done. I can tell this work is a labor of love, and that is to be commended. The story itself is about, in essence, a race of pacifist anthropomorphic sloth creatures. In particular, the narrative follows Kai, a young Khurran about to undertake his first vision quest. The only quibble I have with the execution is that this work is done in quite dreamy prose, which more than fits the subject, but also has the side effect of making it sound almost like a children's book at times.
I was cruising along enjoying myself, until the text informed me that the schism in the Khurran's society was along color lines. That is, all the 'black' Khurran left, disagreeing with the goddess Jesh. "A handful of those in the first group of Khurran were very different. As you know, all Khurran that live here on the mountain have hair ranging from brown to red. In the beginning, when there were very few of us, some Khurran had black hair. Most of the dark-haired ones left out tribe long ago, and there are none among us today."
That made me sad just to type out. Don't get it twisted, though, because I'm not at all saying that an author can't use skin (or in this case fur) color as a divider. But I am saying that an author shouldn't use it without thinking about the resonances therein, and I feel that there is a lack of thoughtfulness demonstrated here. The author surely realizes the real world echoes he's playing with, because the text then tells me, "the color of their hair, of course, was of no significance." No. No way. If there's no significance, then leave out the societal divide along color lines, and make it purely a ideological split.
I felt like this hand waving was almost insulting, as if I were meant to smirk and ignore the race issue for the rest of the book. Just acknowledging it with a nigh flippant comment isn't enough. And then, "It is said that the reason of their break from the tribe is that these individuals were violent and desired power over others."
So, the black Khurran are godless (they don't agree with the Khurran goddess), violent, and power mad. I hope I don't have to explain why this is unfortunate even though the Khurran are made up creatures. We bring our biases in to our writing no matter if we're writing about the real world or an alien society in a different place and time.
July 22, 2014
First off, I read this book start to finish; It has a good flow to it and I felt that the characters were well developed. I was often on the edge of my seat, angry, sad, and all the other things a good book should bring out emotionally.
I hear there is a second book in the works and I can't wait. Especially to revisit some of the characters. (My favorite was the chameleon.)
I hear there is a second book in the works and I can't wait. Especially to revisit some of the characters. (My favorite was the chameleon.)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews