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Irion/Hormling
Kirith Kirin
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.
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.
552 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
70 people are currently reading
1800 people want to read
About the author
Jim Grimsley
47 books391 followersJim Grimsley published a new novel in May of 2022, The Dove in the Belly, out from Levine Querido. The book is a look at the past when queer people lived more hidden lives than now. Grimsley was born in rural eastern North Carolina. He has published short stories and essays in various quarterlies, including DoubleTake, New Orleans Review, Carolina Quarterly, New Virginia Review, the LA Times, and the New York Times Book Review. Jim’s first novel Winter Birds, was published in the United States by Algonquin Books in the fall of 1994. Winter Birds won the Sue Kaufman Prize for best first novel from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. He has published other novels, including Dream Boy, Kirith Kirin, and My Drowning. His books are available in Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese. He has also published a collection of plays and most recently a memoir, How I Shed My Skin. His body of work as a prose writer and playwright was awarded the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2005. For twenty years he taught writing at Emory University in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
August 10, 2013
It was...quite sad, but not in a good way. It COULD have been a great book-quite possibly absolutely brilliant. It was started with a very nice concept-but it is very poorly executed. There are elements in it which clearly show it could be a classic of high fantasy. There is also the potential for it to have become a romantic fantasy that could quite easily have been of the "this will leave you huddled in a corner crying and hugging a teddy bear" type.
Sadly, however, the author is apparently a genuine schizophrenic. He started with high fantasy, moved into romance...and then suddenly decided he was authoring a treatise on the geographical features and magical theory of the world he was writing about. It was like "gee, which personality am I today" expressed in literary form.
And the ENDING is HORRIFYINGLY bad. The final chapter or two reads like "Oh, shit, crap, I have to submit this to my publisher by NOON. Okay, well, here, bad guy dies, then this thing happens, then that happens, and then and oops, out of time, can't wrap up THAT part of things, so here's the end".
All in all a terribly disappointing experience. The book certainly had HUGE potential. It started VERY nicely-and in some parts has some truly LOVELY writing. However, the author's inability to bring it into clear focus, and his insistence in the latter half of the book in particular on endless tedious descriptions of geographical features during a war make parts of it nearly unreadable.
Sadly, however, the author is apparently a genuine schizophrenic. He started with high fantasy, moved into romance...and then suddenly decided he was authoring a treatise on the geographical features and magical theory of the world he was writing about. It was like "gee, which personality am I today" expressed in literary form.
And the ENDING is HORRIFYINGLY bad. The final chapter or two reads like "Oh, shit, crap, I have to submit this to my publisher by NOON. Okay, well, here, bad guy dies, then this thing happens, then that happens, and then and oops, out of time, can't wrap up THAT part of things, so here's the end".
All in all a terribly disappointing experience. The book certainly had HUGE potential. It started VERY nicely-and in some parts has some truly LOVELY writing. However, the author's inability to bring it into clear focus, and his insistence in the latter half of the book in particular on endless tedious descriptions of geographical features during a war make parts of it nearly unreadable.
June 3, 2017
4,5 stars.
It was a long, slow book. There were places where it was dragging, sometimes almost unbearably, but when I finished it, I felt good, and I don't feel like rating it lower. Mind you, it's as fantasy as it can be; if you don't like high fantasy as a genre, there's no chance you'll enjoy it. I'm not an all-consuming fantasy fan myself but this book somewhat clicked with me from the beginning, and even though I spent days reading it (I normally read much faster), I didn't want to hurry, or to skim anything, or to switch to a different book.
'Kirith Kirin' is the kind of book that seems to create its own world, not only inside the book but outside as well, the one that somehow immerses the reader. It is magical, beautiful and lulling, it flows around you, yes, VERY slowly but... it is as it is, I think. You either get drawn into it, or you don't, and if you do, you'll stay no matter what. Even if sometimes the book stop moving at all :)
The world-building is rich, even overwhelmingly so. Mythology, history, geography, rules of magic, languages, names (the author's credo: never use a real word if you can invent a new one; never use one name for a thing if you can come up with three or four) - everything is crammed together so densely it leaves little place for anything else. On one hand, it often makes the text difficult to understand (all right, there is a dictionary in the end of the book, good luck using it when reading :)) On the other hand, the words the author create are so beautiful and melodic they give the text an almost musical sound. You don't read it for the meaning or for the plot moving forward, you submerge into it - like into music or poetry.
And yes, as I said, the plot here is not just secondary... it barely exists at all. Like, you can probably retell in two paragraphs everything significant that happens to the main character. But emotions are not secondary, and I loved it. The romance is very low-key and quiet but it is here and it is beautiful. The feelings the characters have are strong and pure, and the characters themselves, even those who appear for a short time, are clear and memorable. I loved Jessex so much. He's probably the least annoying fifteen year old character I've read in a long, long time. My God, I almost forgot what a pleasure it is to read about a young character who isn't written specifically YA and whose target audience is not YA. And you won't doubt Jessex has it in him to make Kirith Kirin, with all those hundreds years behind him, to fall in love with him and start living again.
All in all, I loved the book. Apart from a few times when it was too frustrating :) And I'm happy I didn't know beforehand how long-winded it was, or I would be too afraid to get into reading it.
It was a long, slow book. There were places where it was dragging, sometimes almost unbearably, but when I finished it, I felt good, and I don't feel like rating it lower. Mind you, it's as fantasy as it can be; if you don't like high fantasy as a genre, there's no chance you'll enjoy it. I'm not an all-consuming fantasy fan myself but this book somewhat clicked with me from the beginning, and even though I spent days reading it (I normally read much faster), I didn't want to hurry, or to skim anything, or to switch to a different book.
'Kirith Kirin' is the kind of book that seems to create its own world, not only inside the book but outside as well, the one that somehow immerses the reader. It is magical, beautiful and lulling, it flows around you, yes, VERY slowly but... it is as it is, I think. You either get drawn into it, or you don't, and if you do, you'll stay no matter what. Even if sometimes the book stop moving at all :)
The world-building is rich, even overwhelmingly so. Mythology, history, geography, rules of magic, languages, names (the author's credo: never use a real word if you can invent a new one; never use one name for a thing if you can come up with three or four) - everything is crammed together so densely it leaves little place for anything else. On one hand, it often makes the text difficult to understand (all right, there is a dictionary in the end of the book, good luck using it when reading :)) On the other hand, the words the author create are so beautiful and melodic they give the text an almost musical sound. You don't read it for the meaning or for the plot moving forward, you submerge into it - like into music or poetry.
And yes, as I said, the plot here is not just secondary... it barely exists at all. Like, you can probably retell in two paragraphs everything significant that happens to the main character. But emotions are not secondary, and I loved it. The romance is very low-key and quiet but it is here and it is beautiful. The feelings the characters have are strong and pure, and the characters themselves, even those who appear for a short time, are clear and memorable. I loved Jessex so much. He's probably the least annoying fifteen year old character I've read in a long, long time. My God, I almost forgot what a pleasure it is to read about a young character who isn't written specifically YA and whose target audience is not YA. And you won't doubt Jessex has it in him to make Kirith Kirin, with all those hundreds years behind him, to fall in love with him and start living again.
All in all, I loved the book. Apart from a few times when it was too frustrating :) And I'm happy I didn't know beforehand how long-winded it was, or I would be too afraid to get into reading it.
July 11, 2012
For those who treasure strange lands filled with magic, lore, evil queens, dark mages, and larger than life heroes, Kirith Kirin has much to give. Author Jim Grimsley does not fast forward through any of the events in this epic tale as he reveals its mysteries. Those who will settle for simple universes and fast action will not find their place in the world of Kirith Kirin, but those who revel in detailed world building and the slow unraveling of of arduous paths to a satisfying resolution will be at home in the pages of this most fantastical book.
The maturing of a boy drawn into an adventure that will change everything about the life he has known is presented in great detail. As the young Jessex is taken from his family to carry out an unknown role in the service of the heroic leader known as Kirith Kirin, we follow his voice as he tells of his journey filled with a most unusual education in magic, love and destiny. Jesex grows from an innocent farm boy to a young man chosen to fulfill a role as a wielder of magic power great enough to battle the unspeakable evils that imperial all as he serves and shares affection with the man, and the immortal, Kirith Kirin.
In the words of the translator Jedda Martele, "As the years pass...we come closer to grasping the reality that this may be a true history, and that magic may be real, at least in one place we know."
Readers should take advantage of the comprehensive Glossary in the appendices which also include: extensive historical outlines, a calendar of the towers, an exposition on magic and its levels, and a brief but important magic glossary.
March 15, 2008
It's odd, because in some ways this isn't a very well-written book: it's dense, slow-moving and at times hard to follow; I found the sequel, The Ordinary, to be superior in terms of storytelling and writing. But despite its flaws, this is a captivating story -- I had trouble putting this book down, even though it was slow going. Grimsley has obviously put a lot of thought into the workings of the society depicted in the novel. He also manages to write about the use of magic and make it more than just snapping one's fingers or saying some magic words. All in all, this is a flawed but fascinating novel, and well worth the patience required to read it.
March 30, 2017
Maybe only three stars? I really don't know. What an interesting and at times frustrating book. There's an amazing story here, but sometimes it can be hard to see under the weight of all the lore the author just keeps piling on. At times I found this book breathtaking, other times I found myself skim reading. I did enjoy the way the author gleefully embraces a lot of classic tropes the genre has moved on from, but I suspect this was less intentional and more a result of the author not realising that the genre has moved on...
December 30, 2012
Not much of a romance - it is there but nothing happens of note until about 3/4 through. I think that is what kept it from being a great read - too much epic. And then it ended - I found myself thinking, "I read all of that and...that's it?"
July 22, 2013
Is this book hard to rate or what. I would probably describe it as 'If Storm Constantine wrote the Kingkiller Chronicles' sort of novel, but that would be over-simplifying things, and wouldn't make much sense anyway. But it's a start. So let's go with 'If Storm Constantine wrote the Kingkiller Chronicles' for now.
- Kirith Kirin is told in the first person POV by Jessex, who starts his life as a farm boy before a true dream brings him to Arthen to light the lamps and sing the morning and evening prayers. (The true dream is something akin to a prophecy, but no one has any idea beforehand why they needed Jessex in Arthen.)
- Arthen is where Kirith Kirin chose to stay when his sister Athryn broke the cycle of monarchic rule and refused to surrender the throne to him. Arthen is also the place that the immortals go to to replenish their strengths and regain their youth. Because they DO die, and they grow old as well. Athryn risked that (by her wizard Drudaen's advise) so she can keep on ruling over Aeryn.
- The story is basically about Kirith Kirin trying to go back to his rightful place on the throne . It's also Jessex's coming-of-age story.
So far so good. Sounds like a simple enough plot, isn't it?
But the telling of it! Lush prose, some infodump, conlang (possibly based on a Celtic language maybe?), and no one ever explained where the Twelve Who Don't Die came from until I read the appendices, VERY long paragraphs about legends given without context (what does it have to do with the story? how is it important? All of which is revealed later on. I promise). MOST of the information the author gives us is necessary, not only to the world building, but also to the magic system itself.
I read a review that says this book takes itself too seriously, or something like that. Well, it is a serious sort of book, and normally I go for the ones with snappy dialogue and snarky characters, but I don't know. Kirith Kirin still won me over even with the sometimes opaque narration (just get on with it already, Jessex) and words that I dare not read out loud.
Why did I love this book?
- The relationship between Kirith Kirin and Jessex. Ofc, I read this book because it's one of those titles that people mention when 'Gay Fantasy!' But I loved the protectiveness (almost possessiveness) Kirith Kirin has for Jessex. And later on we also see how they keep each other human. The gay sex wasn't in there for shits and giggles. It wasn't forced. It was part of the story and it wouldn't be the same if you took that out.
- THE MAGIC SYSTEM. There are times when I lie down my bed and think, 'Ok, I need to relax. Let's read a couple pages of Kirith Kirin before going to sleep.' And then I'd be twenty pages in and I don't really want to stop. This is a war between Athryn and Kirith Kirin, but mostly because we see it from Jessex's pov, we see the war between Drudaen and Jessex. It should be boring. There is not much by way of physical action. The magic system relies on runes and Words and concentration (very much like the same system in the Kingkiller Chronicles) and there's a lot of flash and bang and hundreds of people die with the singing of one song. So no, it's not boring really. It's amazing.
- The ending.
So basically this is not my usual cup of tea. I KNOW that I should probably not find this as entertaining as I did, given my usual tastes, but I did find this entertaining. And it was beautiful.
PS if you're the sort of person who memorises the cast of characters before watching a play, have a look at the appendix before reading the whole thing.
- Kirith Kirin is told in the first person POV by Jessex, who starts his life as a farm boy before a true dream brings him to Arthen to light the lamps and sing the morning and evening prayers. (The true dream is something akin to a prophecy, but no one has any idea beforehand why they needed Jessex in Arthen.)
- Arthen is where Kirith Kirin chose to stay when his sister Athryn broke the cycle of monarchic rule and refused to surrender the throne to him. Arthen is also the place that the immortals go to to replenish their strengths and regain their youth. Because they DO die, and they grow old as well. Athryn risked that (by her wizard Drudaen's advise) so she can keep on ruling over Aeryn.
- The story is basically about Kirith Kirin trying to go back to his rightful place on the throne . It's also Jessex's coming-of-age story.
So far so good. Sounds like a simple enough plot, isn't it?
But the telling of it! Lush prose, some infodump, conlang (possibly based on a Celtic language maybe?), and no one ever explained where the Twelve Who Don't Die came from until I read the appendices, VERY long paragraphs about legends given without context (what does it have to do with the story? how is it important? All of which is revealed later on. I promise). MOST of the information the author gives us is necessary, not only to the world building, but also to the magic system itself.
I read a review that says this book takes itself too seriously, or something like that. Well, it is a serious sort of book, and normally I go for the ones with snappy dialogue and snarky characters, but I don't know. Kirith Kirin still won me over even with the sometimes opaque narration (just get on with it already, Jessex) and words that I dare not read out loud.
Why did I love this book?
- The relationship between Kirith Kirin and Jessex. Ofc, I read this book because it's one of those titles that people mention when 'Gay Fantasy!' But I loved the protectiveness (almost possessiveness) Kirith Kirin has for Jessex. And later on we also see how they keep each other human. The gay sex wasn't in there for shits and giggles. It wasn't forced. It was part of the story and it wouldn't be the same if you took that out.
- THE MAGIC SYSTEM. There are times when I lie down my bed and think, 'Ok, I need to relax. Let's read a couple pages of Kirith Kirin before going to sleep.' And then I'd be twenty pages in and I don't really want to stop. This is a war between Athryn and Kirith Kirin, but mostly because we see it from Jessex's pov, we see the war between Drudaen and Jessex. It should be boring. There is not much by way of physical action. The magic system relies on runes and Words and concentration (very much like the same system in the Kingkiller Chronicles) and there's a lot of flash and bang and hundreds of people die with the singing of one song. So no, it's not boring really. It's amazing.
- The ending.
So basically this is not my usual cup of tea. I KNOW that I should probably not find this as entertaining as I did, given my usual tastes, but I did find this entertaining. And it was beautiful.
PS if you're the sort of person who memorises the cast of characters before watching a play, have a look at the appendix before reading the whole thing.
August 28, 2014
2.5
Que libro tan complicado. Aclaro que la trama no es complicada, sino que su lectura. Hay una superabundancia de nombres extraños, y lugares extraños, y a ello suma razas de las que nunca se dice nada, sino que su ubicación geográfica.
Lo peor es que estoy pensando en leer la 'continuación'.
Hay momentos propios de toda fantasía épica, el chico elegido que debe combartir contra males inconmensurables. demasiada información presionada a la fuerza a lo largo de todo el tema, que hace la lectura una lata y a ratos incomprensible.
Jessex es un chico granjero, pastor de cabras, de 14 años que crece en un mundo en conflicto, la reina del sur ahoga al pueblo con impuestos, y matan a todos los sospechosos de hacer brujeria. Su abuela le cuenta historias de leyenda acerca de la creación del mundo por YY la madre, y un conflicto entre el bosque en el norte y la reina y su mago. Un día su tio aparece desde el bosque, llamando a Jessex para que vaya a servir en el altar del campamento del Rey Kirith Kirin.
Jessex es un Gary-Stu o tal vez un idiota-savant. El rey lo ve y queda apasionado por él, digo apasionado porque me niego a decir que 'ama' ,sin mediar una palabra, a un pastor ingenuo de catorce años que apenas sabe escribir. Y luego, a escondidas, unas mujeres escondidas en el bosque (en una especie de bolsillo dimensional) empiezan su entrenamiento mágico. [Hay tantas bromas perdidas alli, que no es chiste] Y por supuesto es un estudiante prodigio, y logra cosas increibles que no deberian ser posibles.
El rey es inmortal, y segun las historias esta alli casi desde el inicio del mundo, pero nunca le dice nada de lo que sabe, y lo cela, desconfia, y nunca jamás lo 'corteja', ni cumple sus propias reglas de esperar hasta que él sea 'adulto' en su mundo. O sea cero en romance, y con muchos aspectos incómodos, KK es rey, Jessex esta bajo su protección, y bajo su mando, y KK es el héroe de las leyendas. Que Jessex lo ama, seria tonto, no sabe nada del mundo, ni siquiera tiene tiempo para hablar con gente pues pasa todo el tiempo entrenando en magia, y el resto en sus labores del culto. Nunca se conocen.
Bueno, no hay muchos sentimientos en el libro, Jessex pierde a toda su familia, y aprte de llorar una vez nada. Y despues es no perder la confianza de sus instructoras ni del rey. Claramente no tiene poder de elección en todo esto. Nunca piensa en lo que él quiere.
Sí, Jessex es un peón de la profecia, del cambio que se viene en el mundo.
Why send so many creatures to die? To make my spirit tired, I suppose. He knew I was young.
I gave myself to Fimbrel, my whole spirit, lost in magic as one can be, when one is lifted, as when music lifts a singer to sing beyond his ability.
Hacia el final mejora un poco, y empiezo recién a comprender algunos aspectos de ese mundo, y es por ello que le subí media estrella.
Pero ug, no creo que lo recomendaría.
Que libro tan complicado. Aclaro que la trama no es complicada, sino que su lectura. Hay una superabundancia de nombres extraños, y lugares extraños, y a ello suma razas de las que nunca se dice nada, sino que su ubicación geográfica.
Lo peor es que estoy pensando en leer la 'continuación'.
Hay momentos propios de toda fantasía épica, el chico elegido que debe combartir contra males inconmensurables. demasiada información presionada a la fuerza a lo largo de todo el tema, que hace la lectura una lata y a ratos incomprensible.
Jessex es un chico granjero, pastor de cabras, de 14 años que crece en un mundo en conflicto, la reina del sur ahoga al pueblo con impuestos, y matan a todos los sospechosos de hacer brujeria. Su abuela le cuenta historias de leyenda acerca de la creación del mundo por YY la madre, y un conflicto entre el bosque en el norte y la reina y su mago. Un día su tio aparece desde el bosque, llamando a Jessex para que vaya a servir en el altar del campamento del Rey Kirith Kirin.
Jessex es un Gary-Stu o tal vez un idiota-savant. El rey lo ve y queda apasionado por él, digo apasionado porque me niego a decir que 'ama' ,sin mediar una palabra, a un pastor ingenuo de catorce años que apenas sabe escribir. Y luego, a escondidas, unas mujeres escondidas en el bosque (en una especie de bolsillo dimensional) empiezan su entrenamiento mágico. [Hay tantas bromas perdidas alli, que no es chiste] Y por supuesto es un estudiante prodigio, y logra cosas increibles que no deberian ser posibles.
“It can’t be easy, knowing so little of your own fate, when other folks know so much. I’m sorry, Jessex. I can’t answer your question. Kirith Kirin has had hopes for you that may be changed, or may seem to be changed, by the fact that you are our pupil. Just remember what I’ve told you. If it seems Kirith Kirin is cold to you, or angry, don’t let it trouble you. The anger is his own and will have nothing to do with you. The feeling will pass from him in time.”
El rey es inmortal, y segun las historias esta alli casi desde el inicio del mundo, pero nunca le dice nada de lo que sabe, y lo cela, desconfia, y nunca jamás lo 'corteja', ni cumple sus propias reglas de esperar hasta que él sea 'adulto' en su mundo. O sea cero en romance, y con muchos aspectos incómodos, KK es rey, Jessex esta bajo su protección, y bajo su mando, y KK es el héroe de las leyendas. Que Jessex lo ama, seria tonto, no sabe nada del mundo, ni siquiera tiene tiempo para hablar con gente pues pasa todo el tiempo entrenando en magia, y el resto en sus labores del culto. Nunca se conocen.
I was a boy again, a plain ignorant child. Nothing I had learned at Illyn Water prepared me for being naked with a man. What little I had picked up in camp through overhearing barracks talk had only added to my confusion. I found myself wishing for Uncle Sivisal, who was family and who could have explained some of this to me.
Bueno, no hay muchos sentimientos en el libro, Jessex pierde a toda su familia, y aprte de llorar una vez nada. Y despues es no perder la confianza de sus instructoras ni del rey. Claramente no tiene poder de elección en todo esto. Nunca piensa en lo que él quiere.
Sí, Jessex es un peón de la profecia, del cambio que se viene en el mundo.
Why send so many creatures to die? To make my spirit tired, I suppose. He knew I was young.
I gave myself to Fimbrel, my whole spirit, lost in magic as one can be, when one is lifted, as when music lifts a singer to sing beyond his ability.
Hacia el final mejora un poco, y empiezo recién a comprender algunos aspectos de ese mundo, y es por ello que le subí media estrella.
Pero ug, no creo que lo recomendaría.
Read
November 2, 2016I read Kirith Kirin right after I finished Richard K. Morgan’s The Steel Remains, which made for quite a study in contrasts (I liked both books for different reasons). Grimsley’s approach to fantasy is earthy, atmospheric and mystical, and reminded me a bit of Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea. It is also extremely meticulous, and that was the tough part for me. The story is a nearly day-to-day account of the magician Jessex’s apprenticeship and the eventual mastery of his powers. At times, I found it hard to stay engaged, wanting some sort of conflict to happen sooner, as many of the reviewers here have shared.
Grimsley could not be more different from Morgan in his portrayal of a gay fantasy hero. Jessex is kind and gentle and fights the battles that he must through a complex command of magic involving sacred songs and the manipulation of time and space. The book is at least equally a love story and a coming-of-age adventure. Really for me, it was the romance between Jessex and the titular Kirith Kirin that kept me reading more so than the somewhat distant and hard-to-follow conflict between the good guys and the bad. The romantic storyline was sweet and surprising and much more accessible.
There’s a bit of dichotomy between the two guys: Jessex, the younger, more feminine; Kirith, older, more masculine, and if the book had explicit sex scenes, it might have read like an M/M fantasy romance. Yet Grimsley is restrained in showing how the two men’s relationship develops and comes to fruition, and I really enjoyed how their moments of intimacy reveal a sense of equality between the two men. Nothing is graphic, but the desire and caring they feel for one another comes through beautifully. An effective fantasy romance.
Grimsley could not be more different from Morgan in his portrayal of a gay fantasy hero. Jessex is kind and gentle and fights the battles that he must through a complex command of magic involving sacred songs and the manipulation of time and space. The book is at least equally a love story and a coming-of-age adventure. Really for me, it was the romance between Jessex and the titular Kirith Kirin that kept me reading more so than the somewhat distant and hard-to-follow conflict between the good guys and the bad. The romantic storyline was sweet and surprising and much more accessible.
There’s a bit of dichotomy between the two guys: Jessex, the younger, more feminine; Kirith, older, more masculine, and if the book had explicit sex scenes, it might have read like an M/M fantasy romance. Yet Grimsley is restrained in showing how the two men’s relationship develops and comes to fruition, and I really enjoyed how their moments of intimacy reveal a sense of equality between the two men. Nothing is graphic, but the desire and caring they feel for one another comes through beautifully. An effective fantasy romance.
January 23, 2016
Well...this was a DNF for me, but not necessarily because it was bad. It was a combination of factors-it's a long book, I'm a college student who just got a job during finals season and in the end I had to turn it in to the interlibrary loan people at my university before I found the time to finish it.
Then again, I also had plenty of time over break and I chose to start another Tanya Huff book and read through about 10 webcomics instead, so I guess there's also something to the fact that maybe I wasn't super into it at that point. Whoops.
I'm conflicted about how I feel about this book and whether I want to give finishing it a go someday. Like many of the books I've read, I heard about this one via Rassaku's Gay Books That Don't Suck booklist, which, save for a few exceptions (A Book of Tongues, which was a DNF that pissed me off), has been pretty great. And that's what baffles me. The blogger who wrote the rec list said that their biggest pet peeve in fantasy/sci-fi is excessive worldbuilding at the expense of character/relationship development and yet they said this book was a perfection of the fantasy genre. This is baffling to me, because all I got from this book was excessive worldbuilding at the expense of character/relationship development.
Not that it's necessarily a bad thing; I like worldbuilding in general and the worldbuilding in this book wasn't the main problem for me. However, character and relationship development are the most important things when I'm reading a book, and Kirith Kirin just...didn't seem to have them. We spend the whole book listening to Jessex narrating his own story and despite that, I never truly got a sense of who he was as a person. He goes from eager boy to over the period of a long training montage and a , and it all seemed rather one-dimensional to me. Like I felt sometimes with Tolkien's writing, Grimsley seemed to see his characters and plot as a vehicle to narrate the history of this world, and while that's interesting, I always feel cheated when a book is billed as a story when really it's an almanac. Honestly, the characters from history generally seemed more interesting than Jessex himself, but even though some of them were still alive, we very rarely got into their heads, and instead focused only on Jessex, his power and his massive unmotivated crush on Kirith Kirin.
And herein lies my biggest annoyance with the book. I knew there's be a thing with Jessex and Kirith Kirin-I got the book from a gay book rec list, I knew it was coming, I wanted it to happen, but I wanted it to be interesting and well-developed as a relationship and it just...wasn't. At all. Kirith Kirin and Jessex barely interact before and yet Jessex is constantly thinking about how he cares about Kirith Kirin and other characters keep telling Jessex that Kirith Kirin, in turn, cares about him. This makes pretty much no sense because Kirith Kirin also has very little character development beyond being a caring ruler, many lifetimes old, and a bit lonely. I understood them rarely interacting at first because Jessex is just the shrine boy and Kirith Kirin is off doing princely things, but I expected that after things changed and Jessex got older, they'd get to know each other, but instead . I love queer relationships, but I want them to be given the same development and justification as any other relationship and just as rom com couples seem to fall in love because they're the main dude and main girl and that's just how it goes, Kirith Kirin and Jessex's romance seemed to be there simply to serve the purpose of making this a gay book like all the author's other books.
Speaking of my issues with their relationship, two concrete things about it beyond the general "it seemed unmotivated" contributed to me not caring to finish the book. One thing was the age difference. Jessex comes to Kirith Kirin's camp when he's...13ish? From the start, people start implying that Kirith Kirin has a special interest in him; it's not overtly romantic or sexual but given that we know where it's going and Kirith Kirin is...hundreds to thousands of years old, it's creepy and weird. I went along with it, assuming that maybe they'd actually get together when Jessex was older, maybe 18 or something. But no. Jessex is 15, which is below even this universe's age of consent/age of manhood (16), but he claims it's ok because . I don't know why, but I've noticed that in books, queer (mostly gay male) relationships tend to have one partner who is significantly younger, less experienced or less powerful than the other, and while some people like that, it weirds me out because I don't like significant power differences in relationships and would like to see more relationships between equal partners regardless of sexuality. It also makes me feel like the authors had to somehow recreate a power difference in a relationship to make up for the fact that misogyny isn't at play to create it like in heterosexual relationships, which is pretty messed up. Anyway, not my thing, and especially given that the relationship wasn't well developed, Kirith Kirin's pursuit of Jessex when he's that young really bothered me because it made it creepy in addition to boring.
The other issue that I had with the relationships is just a personal taste thing and involves lots of spoilers.
Don't get me wrong, some things about the book were interesting. The history was pretty interesting, which makes sense given that I think the author liked it more than his actual story, and I did want to know how it ended up, but not enough to slog through another few hundred pages. If you really like high fantasy and lots of worldbuilding, this book could definitely be a good read, but if you're into fun or funny books or character/relationship development, I think you'll be disappointed. This book may be a perfection of a certain type of fantasy, but that type of fantasy is simply not one that's my cup of tea.
Then again, I also had plenty of time over break and I chose to start another Tanya Huff book and read through about 10 webcomics instead, so I guess there's also something to the fact that maybe I wasn't super into it at that point. Whoops.
I'm conflicted about how I feel about this book and whether I want to give finishing it a go someday. Like many of the books I've read, I heard about this one via Rassaku's Gay Books That Don't Suck booklist, which, save for a few exceptions (A Book of Tongues, which was a DNF that pissed me off), has been pretty great. And that's what baffles me. The blogger who wrote the rec list said that their biggest pet peeve in fantasy/sci-fi is excessive worldbuilding at the expense of character/relationship development and yet they said this book was a perfection of the fantasy genre. This is baffling to me, because all I got from this book was excessive worldbuilding at the expense of character/relationship development.
Not that it's necessarily a bad thing; I like worldbuilding in general and the worldbuilding in this book wasn't the main problem for me. However, character and relationship development are the most important things when I'm reading a book, and Kirith Kirin just...didn't seem to have them. We spend the whole book listening to Jessex narrating his own story and despite that, I never truly got a sense of who he was as a person. He goes from eager boy to over the period of a long training montage and a , and it all seemed rather one-dimensional to me. Like I felt sometimes with Tolkien's writing, Grimsley seemed to see his characters and plot as a vehicle to narrate the history of this world, and while that's interesting, I always feel cheated when a book is billed as a story when really it's an almanac. Honestly, the characters from history generally seemed more interesting than Jessex himself, but even though some of them were still alive, we very rarely got into their heads, and instead focused only on Jessex, his power and his massive unmotivated crush on Kirith Kirin.
And herein lies my biggest annoyance with the book. I knew there's be a thing with Jessex and Kirith Kirin-I got the book from a gay book rec list, I knew it was coming, I wanted it to happen, but I wanted it to be interesting and well-developed as a relationship and it just...wasn't. At all. Kirith Kirin and Jessex barely interact before and yet Jessex is constantly thinking about how he cares about Kirith Kirin and other characters keep telling Jessex that Kirith Kirin, in turn, cares about him. This makes pretty much no sense because Kirith Kirin also has very little character development beyond being a caring ruler, many lifetimes old, and a bit lonely. I understood them rarely interacting at first because Jessex is just the shrine boy and Kirith Kirin is off doing princely things, but I expected that after things changed and Jessex got older, they'd get to know each other, but instead . I love queer relationships, but I want them to be given the same development and justification as any other relationship and just as rom com couples seem to fall in love because they're the main dude and main girl and that's just how it goes, Kirith Kirin and Jessex's romance seemed to be there simply to serve the purpose of making this a gay book like all the author's other books.
Speaking of my issues with their relationship, two concrete things about it beyond the general "it seemed unmotivated" contributed to me not caring to finish the book. One thing was the age difference. Jessex comes to Kirith Kirin's camp when he's...13ish? From the start, people start implying that Kirith Kirin has a special interest in him; it's not overtly romantic or sexual but given that we know where it's going and Kirith Kirin is...hundreds to thousands of years old, it's creepy and weird. I went along with it, assuming that maybe they'd actually get together when Jessex was older, maybe 18 or something. But no. Jessex is 15, which is below even this universe's age of consent/age of manhood (16), but he claims it's ok because . I don't know why, but I've noticed that in books, queer (mostly gay male) relationships tend to have one partner who is significantly younger, less experienced or less powerful than the other, and while some people like that, it weirds me out because I don't like significant power differences in relationships and would like to see more relationships between equal partners regardless of sexuality. It also makes me feel like the authors had to somehow recreate a power difference in a relationship to make up for the fact that misogyny isn't at play to create it like in heterosexual relationships, which is pretty messed up. Anyway, not my thing, and especially given that the relationship wasn't well developed, Kirith Kirin's pursuit of Jessex when he's that young really bothered me because it made it creepy in addition to boring.
The other issue that I had with the relationships is just a personal taste thing and involves lots of spoilers.
Don't get me wrong, some things about the book were interesting. The history was pretty interesting, which makes sense given that I think the author liked it more than his actual story, and I did want to know how it ended up, but not enough to slog through another few hundred pages. If you really like high fantasy and lots of worldbuilding, this book could definitely be a good read, but if you're into fun or funny books or character/relationship development, I think you'll be disappointed. This book may be a perfection of a certain type of fantasy, but that type of fantasy is simply not one that's my cup of tea.
January 14, 2018
Kirith Kirin is the coming-of-age story of Jessex, a normal shepherd boy who is called by prophecy to serve Kirith Kirin, an immortal king whose rightful throne has been kept from him. He and his followers reside in the mysterious and dangerous forest of Arthen. Jessex's tale follows his growth into a magician of great power, the battles he fights in Kirith Kirin's name, and the development of his relationship with the great king himself. Kirith Kirin is also a memoir: the tale is framed as an older, wiser Jessex recounting the true story of his life and the war he fought, called the Third War. It's also a history of his world, Aeryn: Jessex frequently digresses from his life's story to discuss the history his world, his people, and the war. The appendices frame the text of the novel as a historical document discovered by visitors to the world of Aeryn long after the Third War was concluded.
It's not a secret that I read a lot of fantasy, and Kirith Kirin is a mode of fantasy that I haven't read in a long, long time. Let's call it epic fantasy: a secondary world where magic rules everything and con-lang and Important Capitals abound; where the central conflict is between the elemental forces of Light and Dark. This isn't a good or bad point, just something I wanted to raise because I really enjoyed this book and it was good to be reminded of the breadth within my chosen genre.
One thing I loved about Kirith Kirin is the use of memoir as a framing device. It adds a fresh dimension to the story; it's not about a teenager chosen one bumbling around, it's about the chosen one reflecting on his teenage bumblings. I greatly enjoyed Jessex's musings on how he's been (mis)remembered, on the stories that spread about what happened throughout the war, and his reflections on what was clearly a hugely momentous time in his own life. It was also a deft way for Grimsley to incorporate explanations of the world and its magic into the text. Since Jessex is writing for posterity, it makes sense for him to slip in the cultural context of the Third War as he lived it.
It helps that Jessex is himself a very likable narrator and protagonist, even seen through his own eyes. He's brave and forthright and pragmatic, a person of great faith, intelligence, and backbone. Grimsley's writing is excellent too. It has a certain rhythm and cadence that made it incredibly easy for me to slip into the flow of what was going on, even through I read Kirith Kirin in fits and starts. Magic plays a huge role in the novel and Grimsley's descriptions of magic-working and arcane battles are excellent too. He effortlessly translates the abstractions of magic battling to intense and concrete conflicts. Every magicians' battle is taut with the tension of magicians acting against one another, attack and counter-attack, maneuver and feint.
And now I must address the part of the Kirith Kirin that I really did not like. And that is the development of Jessex and Kirith Kirin's relationship.
Consider this a SPOILER WARNING though in my opinion the relationship is telegraphed pretty early on and throughout the first half of the novel. But I will touch on some specific developments in the following paragraphs. Skip to the last one in the post if you're not interested.
My issue with it is twofold. First, throughout the first half of the novel, I found Kirith Kirin's interest in Jessex to be super duper creepy. Kirith Kirin is an immortal king who has lived thousands of years, taking a romantic interest in Jessex, who, at the start of the novel, is both fourteen and considered by the mores of his society to be a child. As such, Kirith Kirin's interest in Jessex, as all of his immortal peers repeatedly remind him, is deeply inappropriate. And it came across as deeply inappropriate to me as well. Loneliness (Kirith Kirin is repeatedly described as lonely) is not an excuse for such behavior.
Second, there is how Jessex and Kirith Kirin actually get together. Jessex, for his part, seemed to be awed by Kirith Kirin, as one might expect of an ordinary teenage boy meeting a legendary immortal king, and to have perhaps had a slight crush -- but that's it. So, when about mid-book, Jessex and Kirith Kirin apparently go from 0 to soul-married for life, I just did not buy it. I absolutely could not wrap my head around it being a natural development of their previous interactions and I still can't. Jessex's later musings about how the prophecy that summoned him to Arthen had been God calling him to be with Kirith Kirin also rang false to me. That particular digression felt more like Grimsley justifying the relationship than something that had actually been foreshadowed. There was another incident with an even more grossly inappropriate suitor that felt like it existed for much the same reason, as a way to justify the relationship by portraying Kirith Kirin's behavior as not as gross as it could have been. Which is a pretty low fucking bar for one half of the only romantic subplot of the novel to clear.
Post that mid-book soul-marriage, nothing really convinced me that I had been wrong in my first-half impressions. Eventually I told myself that if I was going to finish the book -- and I really wanted to finish the book -- I was going to have to accept that Jessex and Kirith Kirin were a thing. Once I refused to think about how much I didn't buy it, I enjoyed Grimsley's depiction of their relationship, with all the tenderness, loyalty, passion, and tension it entailed. But I never felt like my misgivings had been addressed in any way.
Would I read the sequels? I don't think so, but not because I didn't like this book. The sequels, as Kirith Kirin's cover blurb proclaims, are sci-fi novels. Looking up their cover blurbs, they seem to focus on the clash between a science-using world and the magic-using world of Aeryn, and that is a premise that doesn't particularly interest me. I'd rather enjoy Kirith Kirin as a story unto itself, misgivings and all.
It's not a secret that I read a lot of fantasy, and Kirith Kirin is a mode of fantasy that I haven't read in a long, long time. Let's call it epic fantasy: a secondary world where magic rules everything and con-lang and Important Capitals abound; where the central conflict is between the elemental forces of Light and Dark. This isn't a good or bad point, just something I wanted to raise because I really enjoyed this book and it was good to be reminded of the breadth within my chosen genre.
One thing I loved about Kirith Kirin is the use of memoir as a framing device. It adds a fresh dimension to the story; it's not about a teenager chosen one bumbling around, it's about the chosen one reflecting on his teenage bumblings. I greatly enjoyed Jessex's musings on how he's been (mis)remembered, on the stories that spread about what happened throughout the war, and his reflections on what was clearly a hugely momentous time in his own life. It was also a deft way for Grimsley to incorporate explanations of the world and its magic into the text. Since Jessex is writing for posterity, it makes sense for him to slip in the cultural context of the Third War as he lived it.
It helps that Jessex is himself a very likable narrator and protagonist, even seen through his own eyes. He's brave and forthright and pragmatic, a person of great faith, intelligence, and backbone. Grimsley's writing is excellent too. It has a certain rhythm and cadence that made it incredibly easy for me to slip into the flow of what was going on, even through I read Kirith Kirin in fits and starts. Magic plays a huge role in the novel and Grimsley's descriptions of magic-working and arcane battles are excellent too. He effortlessly translates the abstractions of magic battling to intense and concrete conflicts. Every magicians' battle is taut with the tension of magicians acting against one another, attack and counter-attack, maneuver and feint.
And now I must address the part of the Kirith Kirin that I really did not like. And that is the development of Jessex and Kirith Kirin's relationship.
Consider this a SPOILER WARNING though in my opinion the relationship is telegraphed pretty early on and throughout the first half of the novel. But I will touch on some specific developments in the following paragraphs. Skip to the last one in the post if you're not interested.
My issue with it is twofold. First, throughout the first half of the novel, I found Kirith Kirin's interest in Jessex to be super duper creepy. Kirith Kirin is an immortal king who has lived thousands of years, taking a romantic interest in Jessex, who, at the start of the novel, is both fourteen and considered by the mores of his society to be a child. As such, Kirith Kirin's interest in Jessex, as all of his immortal peers repeatedly remind him, is deeply inappropriate. And it came across as deeply inappropriate to me as well. Loneliness (Kirith Kirin is repeatedly described as lonely) is not an excuse for such behavior.
Second, there is how Jessex and Kirith Kirin actually get together. Jessex, for his part, seemed to be awed by Kirith Kirin, as one might expect of an ordinary teenage boy meeting a legendary immortal king, and to have perhaps had a slight crush -- but that's it. So, when about mid-book, Jessex and Kirith Kirin apparently go from 0 to soul-married for life, I just did not buy it. I absolutely could not wrap my head around it being a natural development of their previous interactions and I still can't. Jessex's later musings about how the prophecy that summoned him to Arthen had been God calling him to be with Kirith Kirin also rang false to me. That particular digression felt more like Grimsley justifying the relationship than something that had actually been foreshadowed. There was another incident with an even more grossly inappropriate suitor that felt like it existed for much the same reason, as a way to justify the relationship by portraying Kirith Kirin's behavior as not as gross as it could have been. Which is a pretty low fucking bar for one half of the only romantic subplot of the novel to clear.
Post that mid-book soul-marriage, nothing really convinced me that I had been wrong in my first-half impressions. Eventually I told myself that if I was going to finish the book -- and I really wanted to finish the book -- I was going to have to accept that Jessex and Kirith Kirin were a thing. Once I refused to think about how much I didn't buy it, I enjoyed Grimsley's depiction of their relationship, with all the tenderness, loyalty, passion, and tension it entailed. But I never felt like my misgivings had been addressed in any way.
Would I read the sequels? I don't think so, but not because I didn't like this book. The sequels, as Kirith Kirin's cover blurb proclaims, are sci-fi novels. Looking up their cover blurbs, they seem to focus on the clash between a science-using world and the magic-using world of Aeryn, and that is a premise that doesn't particularly interest me. I'd rather enjoy Kirith Kirin as a story unto itself, misgivings and all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2017
This book combines both adventure and fantasy into an interesting novel. It is understandably hard to write a fiction book without confusing the reader as much of the characters and settings are made up, yet Grimsley managed to introduce a completely unrealistic and complex world without confusing the reader. Overall the story had strong character development throughout the novel yet there were some plot holes present and an exaggeration of many unimportant characters. I rate this rare yet wonderful book a 4/5 stars.
May 4, 2018
I finally finished this book. It took me a month, but I did it. I refused to give up.
I probably should have never picked it up in the first place.
I don't like being mean, or giving low ratings, but this book was rough.
I have a number of gripes:
1.) Jessex is only 14-15 when he's chosen to be Kirith Kirin's lamp-lighter. And yet, Kirith Kirin, who is an immortal of unknown age, falls in love with him??? That's a little gross, maybe if I was still a teenager I might not realize how disturbing that is, but I'm an adult, and Jessex was still considered to be a child. They couldn't even wait for him to turn 16 (which is still too damn young) to get it on. GROSS.
2.) Maybe this is a little petty, but Kirith Kirin. Come on. He's called that throughout the entire book. I understand that he's King and all, but even Jessex continues to call him that despite being the man's lover! Also, we know next to nothing about him. Maybe I slept through the part where they talk about how the system of him and his sister trading places every so often, but I missed it. I felt like Grimsley was more interested in the actual geography of the land rather than it's history. But like I said, I know all about Jessex (except when the book actually takes place, because as I recall, Jessex and Kirith Kirin technically weren't even together at the point of him writing his dissertation), but we know almost nothing about the title character!
3.) The text was unbelievably boring. Like I said, it was like a textbook dissertation on the geography of the land. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like world-building, but this was like, Grimsley was only into world-building and his idea of magic (which I couldn't really understand either. It was singing? But not verbal singing? Maybe it's just me considering I have a hard time with metaphorical and metaphysical stuff. However, the book would only be about a third of it's size if Grimsley was just writing plot.
4.) I don't know if I can explain this properly, and while after thinking about it, it's not necessarily a bad thing, in fact I think it really fits, but it bothered me when reading the book. They way that "Jessex" would introduce new characters or new places, it felt like we were supposed to already know these people and places. I understand that the story is "written by" Jessex, so when he introduces a new character or place, there's an assumption that whoever is reading his story, already has some knowledge of that person/place. So it fits within the story, but it really kinda bothered me while reading because I was constantly left wondering if I missed their previous introduction. I didn't think I zoned out that much while reading.
5.) Like I said, I didn't really understand the magic, but I think I'm really just sick of reading "the one" tropes. Even in 2000, the trope was old. We find this farm boy and after a few months he's already a level 4 wizard and they're going to trust in his ability to beat a level 4 wizard that is I don't think I can roll my eyes hard enough.
In the end, I slogged through this book and was really grateful when it finally ended and I realized that the 37 pages left on my Nook were just appendices.
I probably should have never picked it up in the first place.
I don't like being mean, or giving low ratings, but this book was rough.
I have a number of gripes:
1.) Jessex is only 14-15 when he's chosen to be Kirith Kirin's lamp-lighter. And yet, Kirith Kirin, who is an immortal of unknown age, falls in love with him??? That's a little gross, maybe if I was still a teenager I might not realize how disturbing that is, but I'm an adult, and Jessex was still considered to be a child. They couldn't even wait for him to turn 16 (which is still too damn young) to get it on. GROSS.
2.) Maybe this is a little petty, but Kirith Kirin. Come on. He's called that throughout the entire book. I understand that he's King and all, but even Jessex continues to call him that despite being the man's lover! Also, we know next to nothing about him. Maybe I slept through the part where they talk about how the system of him and his sister trading places every so often, but I missed it. I felt like Grimsley was more interested in the actual geography of the land rather than it's history. But like I said, I know all about Jessex (except when the book actually takes place, because as I recall, Jessex and Kirith Kirin technically weren't even together at the point of him writing his dissertation), but we know almost nothing about the title character!
3.) The text was unbelievably boring. Like I said, it was like a textbook dissertation on the geography of the land. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like world-building, but this was like, Grimsley was only into world-building and his idea of magic (which I couldn't really understand either. It was singing? But not verbal singing? Maybe it's just me considering I have a hard time with metaphorical and metaphysical stuff. However, the book would only be about a third of it's size if Grimsley was just writing plot.
4.) I don't know if I can explain this properly, and while after thinking about it, it's not necessarily a bad thing, in fact I think it really fits, but it bothered me when reading the book. They way that "Jessex" would introduce new characters or new places, it felt like we were supposed to already know these people and places. I understand that the story is "written by" Jessex, so when he introduces a new character or place, there's an assumption that whoever is reading his story, already has some knowledge of that person/place. So it fits within the story, but it really kinda bothered me while reading because I was constantly left wondering if I missed their previous introduction. I didn't think I zoned out that much while reading.
5.) Like I said, I didn't really understand the magic, but I think I'm really just sick of reading "the one" tropes. Even in 2000, the trope was old. We find this farm boy and after a few months he's already a level 4 wizard and they're going to trust in his ability to beat a level 4 wizard that is I don't think I can roll my eyes hard enough.
In the end, I slogged through this book and was really grateful when it finally ended and I realized that the 37 pages left on my Nook were just appendices.
August 28, 2015
Jim Grimsley does not fast forward any event in this incredible high fantasy novel. Grimsley is not a fantasy writer, he usually writes realistic fiction and stage plays. He is well known for his book Dream Boy. So it seems unfair and almost criminal that he should sweep in a write one of the best fantasy novels I have ever read. Kirith Kirin tells us a tale about a young Farmboy who becomes the most powerful wizard in the world whose destiny is to restore Kirith Kirin place as King, after the rule of the Blue Queen. Jessex is a marvellous narrator, wry and gentle and unexpectedly funny. Kirith Kirin is adorable too, even if everyone tends to treat him more like an errant schoolboy than an immortal king. The descriptive passages are atmospheric and gorgeous, and bring his marvellously vast and detailed world to life.
But where Grimsley really shines is in the treatment of the relationship between Jessex and Kirith Kirin; this is one of the very, very few books that manages to keep it just as fascinating after reading as it was before. Their story is a painful one, which will keep you at the edge of your seat. I and am glad that I took my time in consuming this beautiful tale, so that I could appriciate the world building that Jim Grimsley has painstakingly thought about. I cannot recommend it enough. I am so glad that I went to the great length of purchasing this book in paperback, which is now out of print.
I feel that I need to re-read this novel as the world that Grimsley creates is complex and I would recommend people to read the glossary before starting the novel this really helped me understand the book on a deeper level. Am so glad I picked this book to read as I know I will never forget it.
Read Review On My Blog
But where Grimsley really shines is in the treatment of the relationship between Jessex and Kirith Kirin; this is one of the very, very few books that manages to keep it just as fascinating after reading as it was before. Their story is a painful one, which will keep you at the edge of your seat. I and am glad that I took my time in consuming this beautiful tale, so that I could appriciate the world building that Jim Grimsley has painstakingly thought about. I cannot recommend it enough. I am so glad that I went to the great length of purchasing this book in paperback, which is now out of print.
I feel that I need to re-read this novel as the world that Grimsley creates is complex and I would recommend people to read the glossary before starting the novel this really helped me understand the book on a deeper level. Am so glad I picked this book to read as I know I will never forget it.
Read Review On My Blog
April 30, 2012
Kirith Kirin is an epic, epic fantasy tale - imagine something the scope of Lord of the Rings' mythology, but condensed into 500 pages. The world building and history of Kirith Kirin are rich and detailed, staggeringly so. Echoing what another reviewer said, the history of the story almost overpowers the story itself - which is unfortunate, because both the present and past of Kirith Kirin's tale are fascinating. If Grimsley had perhaps drawn his story out into a trilogy, we would have been given a clearer view of everything.
Also as another viewer said, there is sometimes a lack of chemistry between Kirith Kirin and Jessex, though it is present at first. I attribute this to Grimsley's writing style: he is a sensual writer, yes, but he also writes his characters with an emotional removal. Dream Boy, another of Grimsley's works, is much the same way.
That said, I greatly enjoyed Kirith Kirin - it's one of those books that you feel glad you read. The magic-working is intricate and finitely explained (almost tediously, even, when Jessex is first learning), and there are enough twists to keep the reader entertained, if he can slough through the 100-odd pages in the story's slow middle.
Bottom line: if you're a fan of Grimsley or a fantasy reader in general, read this book. It is NOT your average fantasy tale; nor is it, in my opinion, anything close to Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy as another reviewer stated - Kirith Kirin is a far more expansive, mature, in-depth work than it. Grimsley's book requires more of the reader: this is no speed-readable fantasy fluff; you have to think to understand it. Kirith Kirin is a book of substance.
Read it. Digest it. Enjoy it.
Also as another viewer said, there is sometimes a lack of chemistry between Kirith Kirin and Jessex, though it is present at first. I attribute this to Grimsley's writing style: he is a sensual writer, yes, but he also writes his characters with an emotional removal. Dream Boy, another of Grimsley's works, is much the same way.
That said, I greatly enjoyed Kirith Kirin - it's one of those books that you feel glad you read. The magic-working is intricate and finitely explained (almost tediously, even, when Jessex is first learning), and there are enough twists to keep the reader entertained, if he can slough through the 100-odd pages in the story's slow middle.
Bottom line: if you're a fan of Grimsley or a fantasy reader in general, read this book. It is NOT your average fantasy tale; nor is it, in my opinion, anything close to Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy as another reviewer stated - Kirith Kirin is a far more expansive, mature, in-depth work than it. Grimsley's book requires more of the reader: this is no speed-readable fantasy fluff; you have to think to understand it. Kirith Kirin is a book of substance.
Read it. Digest it. Enjoy it.
April 11, 2018
I usually get through a fantasy book in about a day. This one was really slow going. A change of pace is okay, but this was excessive. I feel like a lot of the parts of the story that crawled were when the author was setting up the world. There were a lot of places covered in this book and there were a lot of names, and not only were the names difficult, but a lot of them were similar which made it even harder to get it all straight without having to go back and forth in the book. Also, I hated that the story was in the form of a translated journal. I don't count this as a spoiler since it is mentioned a little over halfway through the book but never actually happens in the book, but I was really upset when it was mentioned, in passing, that Kirith Kirin was dead. That kind of blew the whole thing for me. This is the point where I decided that I hated the journal thing. The characters were great, but Jessex was really the only one that you got to know. The concept was great. Had the world-building been better, the world itself could have been enjoyed a lot more. If this was redone where the world was better built and it wasn't journal-style or at least if it didn't jump all over the timeline in the journal style, it would be a five-star read for me.
June 6, 2010
Taken from my July 29, 2001 amazon.com review:
Grimsley does an amazing job with this book. The characters are well developed and take you on an amazing journey. This book did remind me of the Last Herald-Mage Trilogy which it is bound to be compared.
Jessex is an adolescent on the verge of manhood when the winds of destiny catch him up into a struggle that has been blowing across the land. It is a journey of discovery and love that fuels the progress of this story.
Unlike similar books in the genre, the magic system is well developed and we are allowed to glimpse the training that Jessex undergoes as he advances from level to level.
This is a must read.
Grimsley does an amazing job with this book. The characters are well developed and take you on an amazing journey. This book did remind me of the Last Herald-Mage Trilogy which it is bound to be compared.
Jessex is an adolescent on the verge of manhood when the winds of destiny catch him up into a struggle that has been blowing across the land. It is a journey of discovery and love that fuels the progress of this story.
Unlike similar books in the genre, the magic system is well developed and we are allowed to glimpse the training that Jessex undergoes as he advances from level to level.
This is a must read.
March 8, 2024
This is, in my opinion, one of the best fantasy novels ever written. Period. The pacing, world building and character development is second to none. An absolute must read for anyone that enjoys an intricate magic system, queer protagonist and a well-realised and original plot, underpinned by lyrical descriptions and compelling dialogue.
August 6, 2008
Fun Fantasy for 3/4 through. Writer got too involved in creating the fantasy world, characters and story line suffered. Luckily he had some good twist and happy ending at last.
February 22, 2010
The depiction of magic in this book is far different from that in a typical sword-and-sorcery story. It is breathtakingly powerful, and the novel is worth reading just to for the stunning battles.
decided-not-to-read
January 29, 2012Someone in a GR group I belong to was really talking this up. I didn't get very far in, but meh, seemed like typical humor-missing epic fantasy.
March 4, 2023
I really wish Jessex had been at least a bit older, but I can't justifiy not giving this book 5 stars. Absolutely spectacular!
September 11, 2023
complicated feelings... on the one hand, i love a good epic fantasy read (and especially one that centers a gay romance), but on the other... was this a good epic fantasy read?
it's a very slow start. like, half the book is a long-ass training montage, then an entire 100-year war takes place in the last quarter. it also does the notorious epic fantasy thing where it just dumps you into a world with millennia of history that all the characters make reference to while you simply have no idea what's going on. I think the best fantasy resolves this by slowly feeding you the history over time or subtly explaining the significance of a reference without just giving you an appendix in the back that you have to flip to. Kirith Kirin does not do either of those. I still have no idea what most of the major historical events were that are constantly used to frame this world. It would be one thing if there were just a throwaway reference to some bit of lore every once in a while, but this book involves numerous (semi-)immortals who lived through the shaping events of the world and act based on those experiences. Meanwhile, we know the names of those events and nothing more. It felt like I was just slightly lost the entire time, which I feel like is something that is usually resolved in the first quarter of good fantasy. (Another possibly contributing factor is all of the fantasy names the author uses which bleed together endlessly: how am I supposed to remember that Arthen is the name of a forest and Arthyrn is the name of an evil queen?)
My other main qualm with the book is the central romance (which is funny because the reason I got this book several years ago--and started but never finished it--was because I read that it was gay). If you squint your eyes, the romance is really wonderfully written, especially in the context of the end of the book.
But that's only at the end of the book. At the beginning, Jessex is a 15-year-old mortal boy and No weird power dynamics there at all. For what it's worth, the actual content of the early relationship is very explicitly consensual and Jessex essentially has total agency over the situation; he makes the first advances, explicitly rejects the advances of a different older man and is supported through that, and does canonically get a lot of years beyond his years through his magic training (via a time crunch thing where months can pass for him while only hours pass in the rest of the world). So like, as far as crazy age gaps go, it does its best to be non-predatory, I guess. But one cannot deny the insane power imbalance in the pairing (at its beginning, at least, which is most of the book). It's weird to me that none of the reviews I read before reading the book mentioned this in any way whatsoever. When they differ by , is age really just a number?
Slow ass pacing and ethical emotional qualms aside, I did really enjoy big chunks of this book. The magic system is cool, the prose is well-written, and what little I understand of the world is fun and original. The back half (and especially the back quarter) of the book really shines. I definitely don't regret reading this book, but I doubt I'll ever revisit it. Not sure that I would recommend it to anyone else, either, as there are plenty of epic fantasy novels that hit the same major beats but do it better.
crazy how long this review got... it's the first i've finished since making a goodreads account, so this is my first review i've written immediately after finishing the book.
it's a very slow start. like, half the book is a long-ass training montage, then an entire 100-year war takes place in the last quarter. it also does the notorious epic fantasy thing where it just dumps you into a world with millennia of history that all the characters make reference to while you simply have no idea what's going on. I think the best fantasy resolves this by slowly feeding you the history over time or subtly explaining the significance of a reference without just giving you an appendix in the back that you have to flip to. Kirith Kirin does not do either of those. I still have no idea what most of the major historical events were that are constantly used to frame this world. It would be one thing if there were just a throwaway reference to some bit of lore every once in a while, but this book involves numerous (semi-)immortals who lived through the shaping events of the world and act based on those experiences. Meanwhile, we know the names of those events and nothing more. It felt like I was just slightly lost the entire time, which I feel like is something that is usually resolved in the first quarter of good fantasy. (Another possibly contributing factor is all of the fantasy names the author uses which bleed together endlessly: how am I supposed to remember that Arthen is the name of a forest and Arthyrn is the name of an evil queen?)
My other main qualm with the book is the central romance (which is funny because the reason I got this book several years ago--and started but never finished it--was because I read that it was gay). If you squint your eyes, the romance is really wonderfully written, especially in the context of the end of the book.
But that's only at the end of the book. At the beginning, Jessex is a 15-year-old mortal boy and No weird power dynamics there at all. For what it's worth, the actual content of the early relationship is very explicitly consensual and Jessex essentially has total agency over the situation; he makes the first advances, explicitly rejects the advances of a different older man and is supported through that, and does canonically get a lot of years beyond his years through his magic training (via a time crunch thing where months can pass for him while only hours pass in the rest of the world). So like, as far as crazy age gaps go, it does its best to be non-predatory, I guess. But one cannot deny the insane power imbalance in the pairing (at its beginning, at least, which is most of the book). It's weird to me that none of the reviews I read before reading the book mentioned this in any way whatsoever. When they differ by , is age really just a number?
Slow ass pacing and ethical emotional qualms aside, I did really enjoy big chunks of this book. The magic system is cool, the prose is well-written, and what little I understand of the world is fun and original. The back half (and especially the back quarter) of the book really shines. I definitely don't regret reading this book, but I doubt I'll ever revisit it. Not sure that I would recommend it to anyone else, either, as there are plenty of epic fantasy novels that hit the same major beats but do it better.
crazy how long this review got... it's the first i've finished since making a goodreads account, so this is my first review i've written immediately after finishing the book.
April 26, 2023
I think J.R.R. Tolkien is a masterful author, from the comforting simplicity of the opening line "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" through to the sweeping majesty of the entire Lord of the Rings series. But, I've heard, some people didn't care for the Shire scenes in Fellowship, the party, the happy jolly coziness of it all (whereas I loved it!), and others were put up by all the trudging across country (but the trudging came with magnificent scene setting, it's some of the best parts of the book).
Which is to say that you may love Kirith Kirin a lot more than I did. It has some beautiful writing. But it also had an incredibly odd imbalance between exposition I thought was necessary but didn't come, and exposition I didn't want to know about but got in abundance. It's long, and it didn't feel like it needed to be. At one point the protagonist sang a song (I think) and then the narrative paused for a several-page explanation of the history behind the song, featuring my absolute least favourite thing in a fantasy novel: a long account of people we haven't (and won't) meet, all with confusing names, doing stuff we haven't heard about in places we didn't visit. That's when I say to myself "Self, this isn't the story for you. Put it aside."
Tolkien cleverly gave just exactly the exposition that was needed, and everything else got tucked in the Appendix or the Silmarillion for the keeners.
It's possible I'd greatly love this book if I finished it, and in future re-reads I'd know to skip the dull bits. I did really like the section where he was abducted by three magical women, briefly. It's not like Grimsley can't write—it's that he's largely writing about matters that didn't interest me. Also, I had him confused with Michael Swanwick, so I kept reassuring myself I liked the author and should persevere, but when I realised they were two different people I knew I had no prior frame of reference for how much we clicked, and could reasonably assume we didn't, after all.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
Which is to say that you may love Kirith Kirin a lot more than I did. It has some beautiful writing. But it also had an incredibly odd imbalance between exposition I thought was necessary but didn't come, and exposition I didn't want to know about but got in abundance. It's long, and it didn't feel like it needed to be. At one point the protagonist sang a song (I think) and then the narrative paused for a several-page explanation of the history behind the song, featuring my absolute least favourite thing in a fantasy novel: a long account of people we haven't (and won't) meet, all with confusing names, doing stuff we haven't heard about in places we didn't visit. That's when I say to myself "Self, this isn't the story for you. Put it aside."
Tolkien cleverly gave just exactly the exposition that was needed, and everything else got tucked in the Appendix or the Silmarillion for the keeners.
It's possible I'd greatly love this book if I finished it, and in future re-reads I'd know to skip the dull bits. I did really like the section where he was abducted by three magical women, briefly. It's not like Grimsley can't write—it's that he's largely writing about matters that didn't interest me. Also, I had him confused with Michael Swanwick, so I kept reassuring myself I liked the author and should persevere, but when I realised they were two different people I knew I had no prior frame of reference for how much we clicked, and could reasonably assume we didn't, after all.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
June 23, 2018
I really wanted to love this book. I really, really wanted. But...i didn’t.
It had a great idea and the begining was great. But the author simply lost himself in the world that he was building and forgot about the story. All those names, all those places, all those plants, all that magic...i really felt that he was there (which was i good thing) but the reader simply couldn’t follow...it was so, so much. And all that at the expense of the story.
Plus, i had a huge problem with the romance and the main charcaters. Besides the age (i mean, come on...really? It wasn’t like Jessex’s age was relevant in any way to the story, so why couldn’t he have been at least a bit older???), they simply fell in love...after just one time seeing each other. And Jessex becomes friends with the other jiss...people (man, i hated those names and simply skipped them)...how? When? Why? A lot of magic (which was really hard to get) and a lot of places...and not much else.
And the ending...what happened there? Where was the ending? All that build up and the bad guy simply dissapears...full of remorse for what he’s done. And Jessex is...just is. Nothing more, nothing explaining.
I love this author and his writing is truly poetic. This book could’ve been great. Maybe i expected a lot after reading Comfort and Joy (one of the best books ever for me). In a few years i will give it another try. Maybe i will love it then.
It had a great idea and the begining was great. But the author simply lost himself in the world that he was building and forgot about the story. All those names, all those places, all those plants, all that magic...i really felt that he was there (which was i good thing) but the reader simply couldn’t follow...it was so, so much. And all that at the expense of the story.
Plus, i had a huge problem with the romance and the main charcaters. Besides the age (i mean, come on...really? It wasn’t like Jessex’s age was relevant in any way to the story, so why couldn’t he have been at least a bit older???), they simply fell in love...after just one time seeing each other. And Jessex becomes friends with the other jiss...people (man, i hated those names and simply skipped them)...how? When? Why? A lot of magic (which was really hard to get) and a lot of places...and not much else.
And the ending...what happened there? Where was the ending? All that build up and the bad guy simply dissapears...full of remorse for what he’s done. And Jessex is...just is. Nothing more, nothing explaining.
I love this author and his writing is truly poetic. This book could’ve been great. Maybe i expected a lot after reading Comfort and Joy (one of the best books ever for me). In a few years i will give it another try. Maybe i will love it then.
March 4, 2024
4.5 stars.
Going from Grimsley's Comfort and Joy to this was such a whiplash experience, and I mean that in a positive way. Kirith Kirin is dense with mythology, geography, and magic, and despite being slower-paced at times due to this, I was completely invested in the novel almost from the beginning. In many ways, the writing and Jessex's perspective reminded me of Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, which makes sense since Jessex is recounting his story many years after it took place. Thorough is a word that comes to mind when I think about the world Grimsley has crafted, and I'm especially excited to know there are two companion novels set in a world adjacent to the one explored here. The cast of characters was vibrant and well-developed; in particular, I liked seeing the different incarnations of women and how they didn't feel like caricatures but possessed depth. Tying into the characters is their interactions and, perhaps my favorite thing about Jim Grimsley, his way of writing or not writing dialogue to convey emotion. I can see why some readers might find the ending anticlimactic, but not every high fantasy needs a massive showdown, and I thought the conclusion well-suited to the events that immediately preceded it. Sure, things were a bit too easy for Jessex early on, and I'd have loved to see the Sisters and Mordwyn again at the end, but I was utterly captured by this novel.
Going from Grimsley's Comfort and Joy to this was such a whiplash experience, and I mean that in a positive way. Kirith Kirin is dense with mythology, geography, and magic, and despite being slower-paced at times due to this, I was completely invested in the novel almost from the beginning. In many ways, the writing and Jessex's perspective reminded me of Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, which makes sense since Jessex is recounting his story many years after it took place. Thorough is a word that comes to mind when I think about the world Grimsley has crafted, and I'm especially excited to know there are two companion novels set in a world adjacent to the one explored here. The cast of characters was vibrant and well-developed; in particular, I liked seeing the different incarnations of women and how they didn't feel like caricatures but possessed depth. Tying into the characters is their interactions and, perhaps my favorite thing about Jim Grimsley, his way of writing or not writing dialogue to convey emotion. I can see why some readers might find the ending anticlimactic, but not every high fantasy needs a massive showdown, and I thought the conclusion well-suited to the events that immediately preceded it. Sure, things were a bit too easy for Jessex early on, and I'd have loved to see the Sisters and Mordwyn again at the end, but I was utterly captured by this novel.
August 17, 2017
Hm. This was... a read. I can't say it was necessarily an interesting one, but I can't say it was a boring one either. I really was intrigued by the world and magic system, and those descriptions of the magic battles--those were fantastic on so many levels (pun intended). But it dragged so, so much. It seemed like very little happened in comparison to the length of this book. It also had a very... unconventional story arc, which I don't quite know how to feel about.
Overall, it reminded me of both the reasons I love high fantasy, and the reasons I hate it. Love the worldbuilding, love the deeply detailed magic system... hate the tedium and the disconnect from the characters. I will admit that if it weren't queer, I probably would have stopped reading. And the payoff in the end didn't fully seem worth it. But because I adored the magic system, and because I know high fantasy isn't quite my cup of tea anyway, I'll give it a three.
Overall, it reminded me of both the reasons I love high fantasy, and the reasons I hate it. Love the worldbuilding, love the deeply detailed magic system... hate the tedium and the disconnect from the characters. I will admit that if it weren't queer, I probably would have stopped reading. And the payoff in the end didn't fully seem worth it. But because I adored the magic system, and because I know high fantasy isn't quite my cup of tea anyway, I'll give it a three.
July 5, 2020
This book made me relive the wonderful feeling of escaping into fantasy novels that dominated my early teenage years. I came to it by falling in-love with Grimsley’s writing in “Dream Boy”, a wonderful heart-wrenchingly beautiful novel. I was intrigued by the description I read of this book as incorporating gay romance into the high-fantasy genre. While I was definitely curious I was simply blown away with the depth of the world Grimsley creates. It sits firmly in the best tradition of high-fantasy with a world populated with intense characters, full of prophecies, magic and world-ending consequences. Nonetheless, Girmsley introduces twists that will amaze and delight the most knowledgeable for fantasy fans. Likewise, his change to the typical dualities of warrior-princes and rescuable-damsels allows for a richer development of romance in the middle of a battlefield. This will definitely rank as one of the best fantasy novels I’ve read.
October 19, 2018
This novel is a high fantasy that is driven by its world building, to the detriment of the plot. The magic system, the religion, the languages, and the map are examples of the intense thought and planning that went into this book. The plot, however, is simple. I began reading it, enjoying the prose, and the excitement of the beginning. But the prose soon became a snooze, with long descriptions of every place, the travelling of the main character, the tons of back stories. Normally, all these things would have made this a great book, but somehow it just didn’t come together for me. Still, it won the Lambda Literary Award for SF/Fantasy/Horror in 2001, and it has a pretty big fan base. I’m just not one of them.
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Come visit my blog for the full review…
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August 31, 2019
I want to like this book, there are plenty of things to like about it, but the end result is simply not good. The author gets lost in the worldbuilding, the made-up words for everything, the magic system, and doesn't spend any time on the characters or why they do the things they do. Jessex is simply nothing more than an obedient child who falls into the folds of his destiny without a single squeak of protest. He beats his magical foes with what is essentially "rawr, I r mage!". He's better than them at magic because...?
There are neat ideas in here, there's some nice twists, but the execution is just not good.
There are neat ideas in here, there's some nice twists, but the execution is just not good.
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