What do you think?
Rate this book
Twinborn Trilogy #1
Firehurler
One world of magic. One world of reason. Two lives intertwined in a connection mistaken for a dream.
By day, Kyrus Hinterdale lives the mundane life of a scribe. By night, he lives out the adventures of Brannis Solaran, a failed sorcerer turned knight. When Brannis leads his battalion on a routine scouting mission, they are overwhelmed by a goblin force. While the survivors regroup and prepare the empire for the inevitable war, Brannis struggles to understand why a scribe from his own dreams suddenly seems to be able to perform the magic he never could.
As the two discover the reality of their connection, their comfortable lives begin to unravel. Now they have to share knowledge between worlds to stay a step ahead of the mysteries piling up. Who is behind the unprovoked goblin attacks? And who might be playing a deadly game, with pawns in both worlds?
Firehurler is the first book of Twinborn Chronicles: Awakening. For fans of epic fantasy who aren’t looking to start another unfinished series, the Twinborn Chronicles provides multiple new worlds to explore and all the closure you’ve long been denied.
By day, Kyrus Hinterdale lives the mundane life of a scribe. By night, he lives out the adventures of Brannis Solaran, a failed sorcerer turned knight. When Brannis leads his battalion on a routine scouting mission, they are overwhelmed by a goblin force. While the survivors regroup and prepare the empire for the inevitable war, Brannis struggles to understand why a scribe from his own dreams suddenly seems to be able to perform the magic he never could.
As the two discover the reality of their connection, their comfortable lives begin to unravel. Now they have to share knowledge between worlds to stay a step ahead of the mysteries piling up. Who is behind the unprovoked goblin attacks? And who might be playing a deadly game, with pawns in both worlds?
Firehurler is the first book of Twinborn Chronicles: Awakening. For fans of epic fantasy who aren’t looking to start another unfinished series, the Twinborn Chronicles provides multiple new worlds to explore and all the closure you’ve long been denied.
458 pages, ebook
First published January 30, 2013
192 people are currently reading
2426 people want to read
About the author
J.S. Morin
192 books611 followersI am a creator of worlds and a destroyer of words. As a fantasy writer, my works range from traditional epics to futuristic fantasy with starships. I have worked as an unpaid Little League pitcher, a cashier, a student library aide, a factory grunt, a cubicle drone, and an engineer--there is some overlap in the last two.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
Through it all, though, I was always a storyteller. Eventually I started writing books based on the stray stories in my head, and people kept telling me to write more of them. Now, that's all I do for a living.
I enjoy strategy, worldbuilding, and the fantasy author's privilege to make up words. I am a gamer, a joker, and a thinker of sideways thoughts. But I don't dance, can't sing, and my best artistic efforts fall short of your average notebook doodle. When you read my books, you are seeing me at my best.
My ultimate goal is to be both clever and right at the same time. I have it on good authority that I have yet to achieve it.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
April 15, 2013
An excellent novel with a unique plot. Very well written with accomplished character development and a cohesive story line that melded well from start to finish. It held my interest throughout and left me looking forward to future novels in the series.
April 21, 2013
I have to say that this book really caught me off guard in a good way. This is some serious, classic fantasy. This is sword and sorcery, high fantasy, epic, hard fantasy, you name it. Don't let the size of the book put you off, it is long, yes. However, this is a world that needs some time to be built in the reader's eye and with good reason and fabulous end results.
Kyrus is just an ordinary man making a living at something he's good at. He never suspects that his dreams might actually be real somewhere else.
Brannis is your literal Knight in shining armor kind of guy and even though he's surrounded by magic on a daily basis and should be able to practice it, he simply thinks his dreams are showing him what life could have been like.
There is so much detail I could get into, but I did love this book. Fantasy will always be my first love. But I do have to say this: the book had a bit of a slow start, but it's worth it. It wasn't mind numbingly boring, it just built the details you needed to know through the characters and dialogue. Once things got rolling, very hard to put it down. I know lots of people out there who will look at the cover of a book and might be tempted to bypass this one because of the simplicity, but don't! The intricate tale told within will have you ignoring that in no time.
Kyrus is just an ordinary man making a living at something he's good at. He never suspects that his dreams might actually be real somewhere else.
Brannis is your literal Knight in shining armor kind of guy and even though he's surrounded by magic on a daily basis and should be able to practice it, he simply thinks his dreams are showing him what life could have been like.
There is so much detail I could get into, but I did love this book. Fantasy will always be my first love. But I do have to say this: the book had a bit of a slow start, but it's worth it. It wasn't mind numbingly boring, it just built the details you needed to know through the characters and dialogue. Once things got rolling, very hard to put it down. I know lots of people out there who will look at the cover of a book and might be tempted to bypass this one because of the simplicity, but don't! The intricate tale told within will have you ignoring that in no time.
November 4, 2025
Excellent first book in a multi book series! Lots of storylines set up and lots of interesting characters! I will definitely continue reading/listening to this series! 4.25 stars!
May 30, 2013
Kyrus lives in peaceful world, trade and business are important, they have a sophisticated view of the world, they do not execute criminals, magic is viewed by most as something that doesn’t exist, education and intelligence are highly valued. Kyrus himself is a scribe, somewhat lacking in confidence and likes a peaceful life. Every night he dreams he is another man in a vastly different world, that man is Brannis.
Brannis lives in a war torn empire, with enemies on every border, strength and power are important, it is a harsh and brutal world, where threats and traitors are dealt with in extreme ways, magic is common but controlled by the ruling classes, strength in magic and strength in arms are the most valuable traits a person can have. Brannis is the commander of an army, he is sure of himself and his abilities and does what he needs to do to survive in this world. Every night he dreams he is another man, in another world, that man is Kyrus…
In full disclosure I received a free signed edition of this book from the author.
I absolutely love this book! The concept was amazing and original. There two main characters each one has dreams that he is the other one.
One truly impressive thing was how the author created two different worlds. Whenever I was reading, even without being told which characters were there, I could always tell which world I was in. Most authors struggle to come up with depth in their worlds; this author manages to do it twice in a single book.
The characters were excellent. They had strong personalities and were enjoyable to read about. Their thoughts and feelings come across well and they are both believable and extraordinary.
The characters are well developed during the story and progress in an exciting and believable way.
Most of the characters are not purely good or evil. The good characters have some negative traits and the evil ones have redeeming ones, this makes for them realistic and deep. Also some of the characters you are never certain if they are good or evil overall, this makes it even more interesting.
The story is fantastic. The two main plots are wonderful in themselves and just one of them would have been an enjoyable read. But having the two stories together, that are then entwined together make this book extra special. It is not just limited to two main plots; there are many subplots and parallel storylines as well.
The magic system is well done, allowing the mages to do a lot of things, but limiting them so they are never too powerful, in fact a mage can seriously harm or even kill themselves if they try to do to much magic. I also enjoyed how the system is explained to the reader.
The pacing was excellent. Typically one character would be having exciting action while the other character would be having slower paced scenes. This is perfect as the slower scenes are great for character development and fleshing out the story and prevents the story becoming boring with constant action. Due to the fact the POV only changes when a character goes to sleep, it did mean occasionally we followed a character for longer that would happen typically or seemed natural. Although as this “problem” is because of the original and wonderful concept of “dreaming” of the other world, it is easily forgiven.
The balance of detail is perfect. You are given clear details on what is happening and what everything looks, sounds, smells and feels like to build a very vivid view of the worlds, as well as what the characters thoughts and feelings are. But the descriptions are never too long or boring.
This is a BIG book, 485 pages in the edition I read, and the small print means it is probably closer to twice that if it had a normal sized print. It had the depth of story, detail of description, scope and other things you would expect of a large fantasy novel, but it never dragged or made me wish it was shorter (in fact I would have been happy if it was longer.)
I only have a couple of criticisms of this book. The first is actually for the synopsis that appears on the back of the book and on Goodreads. I felt it gave too much of the story away,
While I did enjoy how the author crossed over the two stories and used knowledge learned from one world to use in the other. I was slightly bothered how Kyrus took a lot of information from Brannis and was helped out by him a lot, but Brannis himself didn’t take very much from Kyrus (apart from a couple of things at the end.) Again this was really only a minor problem.
I am really looking forward to the next book in the series and learning more of the worlds, seeing where story goes, what happens to the characters and what exactly this connection is.
Overall this is a masterful piece of work, the descriptions, story, characters, magic system and writing style make this a highly rated book, with the bonus of a truly original idea this is easily a five star book.
A big thank you to the author and his wife/publisher for sending me this wonderful book and giving me the chance to read this book that I really wanted to read. And thank you for signing it as well.
Brannis lives in a war torn empire, with enemies on every border, strength and power are important, it is a harsh and brutal world, where threats and traitors are dealt with in extreme ways, magic is common but controlled by the ruling classes, strength in magic and strength in arms are the most valuable traits a person can have. Brannis is the commander of an army, he is sure of himself and his abilities and does what he needs to do to survive in this world. Every night he dreams he is another man, in another world, that man is Kyrus…
In full disclosure I received a free signed edition of this book from the author.
I absolutely love this book! The concept was amazing and original. There two main characters each one has dreams that he is the other one.
One truly impressive thing was how the author created two different worlds. Whenever I was reading, even without being told which characters were there, I could always tell which world I was in. Most authors struggle to come up with depth in their worlds; this author manages to do it twice in a single book.
The characters were excellent. They had strong personalities and were enjoyable to read about. Their thoughts and feelings come across well and they are both believable and extraordinary.
The characters are well developed during the story and progress in an exciting and believable way.
Most of the characters are not purely good or evil. The good characters have some negative traits and the evil ones have redeeming ones, this makes for them realistic and deep. Also some of the characters you are never certain if they are good or evil overall, this makes it even more interesting.
The story is fantastic. The two main plots are wonderful in themselves and just one of them would have been an enjoyable read. But having the two stories together, that are then entwined together make this book extra special. It is not just limited to two main plots; there are many subplots and parallel storylines as well.
The magic system is well done, allowing the mages to do a lot of things, but limiting them so they are never too powerful, in fact a mage can seriously harm or even kill themselves if they try to do to much magic. I also enjoyed how the system is explained to the reader.
The pacing was excellent. Typically one character would be having exciting action while the other character would be having slower paced scenes. This is perfect as the slower scenes are great for character development and fleshing out the story and prevents the story becoming boring with constant action. Due to the fact the POV only changes when a character goes to sleep, it did mean occasionally we followed a character for longer that would happen typically or seemed natural. Although as this “problem” is because of the original and wonderful concept of “dreaming” of the other world, it is easily forgiven.
The balance of detail is perfect. You are given clear details on what is happening and what everything looks, sounds, smells and feels like to build a very vivid view of the worlds, as well as what the characters thoughts and feelings are. But the descriptions are never too long or boring.
This is a BIG book, 485 pages in the edition I read, and the small print means it is probably closer to twice that if it had a normal sized print. It had the depth of story, detail of description, scope and other things you would expect of a large fantasy novel, but it never dragged or made me wish it was shorter (in fact I would have been happy if it was longer.)
I only have a couple of criticisms of this book. The first is actually for the synopsis that appears on the back of the book and on Goodreads. I felt it gave too much of the story away,
While I did enjoy how the author crossed over the two stories and used knowledge learned from one world to use in the other. I was slightly bothered how Kyrus took a lot of information from Brannis and was helped out by him a lot, but Brannis himself didn’t take very much from Kyrus (apart from a couple of things at the end.) Again this was really only a minor problem.
I am really looking forward to the next book in the series and learning more of the worlds, seeing where story goes, what happens to the characters and what exactly this connection is.
Overall this is a masterful piece of work, the descriptions, story, characters, magic system and writing style make this a highly rated book, with the bonus of a truly original idea this is easily a five star book.
A big thank you to the author and his wife/publisher for sending me this wonderful book and giving me the chance to read this book that I really wanted to read. And thank you for signing it as well.
May 10, 2013
I loved the unique storyline of this novel. It was such a refreshing concept, unlike the similarities seen among many fantasy novels. The idea of the duel storyline, with corresponding characters in two different worlds was unique and fascinating. The novel doesn’t answer all the questions about exactly how these duel lives work, but I found that to be part of the charm.
“Firehurler” is not a short novel by any means, though it isn’t all that exceptional in length for fantasy novels in general. The plot requires multiple parallel storylines and subplots, each rich with their own characters and environment. I personally prefer longer novels to shorter ones, so I found the length to be a definite benefit.
My only real complaints are twofold.
First, the novel is written rather simplistically. Compared with the epic high fantasy novels like those by Steven Erikson, I found “Firehurler” reminiscent of a young adult novel in style and complexity. It doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall experience, however I missed the added dimension more complex writing often conveys. The characters at times seemed rather two dimensional because of this. They were, however, likeable and interesting.
Second, I had really hoped for more unique enemies and races. With only highlights on the humans, goblins, ogres, and dragons the races encompassing both storylines seemed remarkably lacking in originality, especially in comparison with his distinctive plot. There is a small mention of the “Stone People,” although their importance in the novel is minute. I would have loved to see some unique races of people to J.S. Morin’s new take on fantasy.
Overall “Firehurler” was a great new take on my favorite genre. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who prefer an easier read. I will absolutely be looking forward to the second installment.
**I receieved this book through Goodreads First Reads, this in no way influenced my review.**
“Firehurler” is not a short novel by any means, though it isn’t all that exceptional in length for fantasy novels in general. The plot requires multiple parallel storylines and subplots, each rich with their own characters and environment. I personally prefer longer novels to shorter ones, so I found the length to be a definite benefit.
My only real complaints are twofold.
First, the novel is written rather simplistically. Compared with the epic high fantasy novels like those by Steven Erikson, I found “Firehurler” reminiscent of a young adult novel in style and complexity. It doesn’t necessarily detract from the overall experience, however I missed the added dimension more complex writing often conveys. The characters at times seemed rather two dimensional because of this. They were, however, likeable and interesting.
Second, I had really hoped for more unique enemies and races. With only highlights on the humans, goblins, ogres, and dragons the races encompassing both storylines seemed remarkably lacking in originality, especially in comparison with his distinctive plot. There is a small mention of the “Stone People,” although their importance in the novel is minute. I would have loved to see some unique races of people to J.S. Morin’s new take on fantasy.
Overall “Firehurler” was a great new take on my favorite genre. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who prefer an easier read. I will absolutely be looking forward to the second installment.
**I receieved this book through Goodreads First Reads, this in no way influenced my review.**
May 15, 2013
This story weaves together warlocks and knights with scriveners and pirates. Some settings are magical and some are mundane, and all of it works. Firehurler is just the right length with just the right cast of characters, and the writing is excellent. This is going in my beloved books list. I cannot wait to read more.
April 22, 2013
Having dual story lines rich with characters and action taking place in two different worlds, neither of which is our own, this story takes its time setting up for the book’s main event, an epic battle between humans and goblins with a dragon and a demon thrown into the mix for good measure. However, if you aren’t afraid of a book with 600+ page count and like high fantasy, you can’t go wrong here.
With that considerable length in mind and all the characters and action, I won’t attempt to summarize the book in this review, rather I will focus on the points regarding its story line that I liked or found troubling.
We’ll get the troubling aspects of it right out of the way. I get the impression from reading this novel that the writer does not like to leave much left unanswered for the reader. That’s not to say he gives away the ending or plot twists ahead of time, but rather he spends a considerable amount of time detailing events and aspects of life in the two world that he probably could have glossed over or left unaddressed all together. There were also a few areas where he repeated ideas and retold events that had already been spoken about at length only a few pages before. This is not done often enough to become truly annoying, but it might mildly annoy some readers.
With that said, one of the things I loved about this book is the detail the author goes into explaining the use of magic. It was a nice change from most other fantasy books that reply upon the reader assuming that magic is something to do with power and focus and leave it at that. I also liked how often magic got away from or got the better of those who were attempting it. It is a learning process, even for those who have already been schooled in its use.
I also like that the demon in the story is not a traditional demon. The author has taken quite a bit of liberty with applying the term to his character, but in a way that makes sense. I think most readers who are not coming at this story from an ‘all demons are bad all the time’ mentality will also enjoyed the flawed and noble nature of this demon.
Finally, the worlds in which the story take place are as flawed as the demon. This is not to say that they are evil places, just ‘realistic’. There is very little black and white or good and bad in this story. The heroes have issues and the villains are not completely evil. If there was ever such a thing as down to earth high fantasy this book is it.
I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
With that considerable length in mind and all the characters and action, I won’t attempt to summarize the book in this review, rather I will focus on the points regarding its story line that I liked or found troubling.
We’ll get the troubling aspects of it right out of the way. I get the impression from reading this novel that the writer does not like to leave much left unanswered for the reader. That’s not to say he gives away the ending or plot twists ahead of time, but rather he spends a considerable amount of time detailing events and aspects of life in the two world that he probably could have glossed over or left unaddressed all together. There were also a few areas where he repeated ideas and retold events that had already been spoken about at length only a few pages before. This is not done often enough to become truly annoying, but it might mildly annoy some readers.
With that said, one of the things I loved about this book is the detail the author goes into explaining the use of magic. It was a nice change from most other fantasy books that reply upon the reader assuming that magic is something to do with power and focus and leave it at that. I also liked how often magic got away from or got the better of those who were attempting it. It is a learning process, even for those who have already been schooled in its use.
I also like that the demon in the story is not a traditional demon. The author has taken quite a bit of liberty with applying the term to his character, but in a way that makes sense. I think most readers who are not coming at this story from an ‘all demons are bad all the time’ mentality will also enjoyed the flawed and noble nature of this demon.
Finally, the worlds in which the story take place are as flawed as the demon. This is not to say that they are evil places, just ‘realistic’. There is very little black and white or good and bad in this story. The heroes have issues and the villains are not completely evil. If there was ever such a thing as down to earth high fantasy this book is it.
I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
March 23, 2023
To be honest, I was very confused by the beginning of this book. I did not realize that all of the characters were not in the same world. So, that made it hard for me to grasp what was going on. However, once I finally understood, I loved this book. I really like the concept of the twinborn. Plus, I found the plot to be very interesting. There are four main characters, but the author switches between many of the other characters as well. I found that this added depth to the story because it allows one to see many different perspectives.
I look forward to continuing this series and finding out what happens. I hope to see the characters grow even more and be reunited with their loves.
I look forward to continuing this series and finding out what happens. I hope to see the characters grow even more and be reunited with their loves.
March 8, 2013
Love, love, love this book! A refreshing new concept that immersed me in the story. Well developed characters with flaws and virtues, it's easy to get caught up in the lives of not only the major characters but many of the lesser characters. Reading it again because I was in such a hurry to find out what happens I may have missed what might be important details for subsequent books. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this genre! Anxious for Book 2!
May 4, 2015
I read this book because I started reading the author's second trilogy a while ago, and wanted more background. I rather regret my decision -- the story's ok but the writing is poor, and the dialogue especially is *terrible*. Luckily, the author has improved by the time he gets to the steampunk series, so I think I'll go back to that eventually rather than trying to read the rest of this one.
February 20, 2013
Lots of depth in this world and a host of fantastic characters! Sorcerers and goblins and knights...oh my!
June 3, 2020
It was a lot to take in and read. There were so many different viewpoints and so much world building. It was extremely detailed and absolutely beautifully written. Even though it took me a while to get into it, I loved the story. There was a good balance between Arcadia and Veydrus. Equal time in the book so you can get to know all sides of the twinborn. At first I thought it was just about two characters that are twinborn. But as the story goes on you can see there are multiple twinborn. Author does a good job in mixing both worlds and all the characters. Worth the time it took to read it. I hope the other books go by a little quicker though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2019
Interesting story. Kept me interested enough to want to read on. I found the characters engaging and the story moved at a good pace with a few BAM reveals throughout the book.
August 11, 2017
Didn't finish it. I picked this up because I've enjoyed his later work - and it was free - but this book is from a less seasoned author. The early chapters are just not engaging. Two character tales proceed - and will doubtless merge later - without first giving us a reason to care about those characters, and in one case, without any conflict. I'll stick to his Black Ocean series and later works.
January 15, 2020
A great start, but a slow one.
Kyrus is a scribe and a damn good one at that. In spite of his promising career though, he dreams (literally) of being a knight who slays goblins alongside sorcerers even though he knows there to be no such thing.
Brannis is a failed sorcerer. Kicked out of the academy at a young age for showing no talent in magic whatsoever, he became a knight, using his mundane abilities to ascend the ranks and become a powerhouse. Still, he dreams of a quiet life.
These "two" men realise their "dreams" are not dreams at all and that their peculiar pairing is not unique.
I'll get this out of the way, the core concept behind this story is fantastic. Our main characters inhabit entirely different worlds yet they know everything about each other, sharing memories as though they were their own and live experiences through dreams. The idea of two people who can share information across worlds to assist one another leads to some very interesting twists and turns as well as an almost philosophical question of where does one person end and another begin. Conflicts of interest between sets of Twinborn are written fascinatingly.
It's hard to talk about what makes this book so good without spoiling it but the few flaws don't bare this issue. It is slow to start. Really slow. Until chapter 13, I really considered putting the book down for a while and coming back to it when I had less on my list. A decision I would've kicked myself for but a decision I was close to nonetheless. Anyone who's so much as read the blurb knows that both worlds are real, yet our protagonists aren't privy of that until over a third in. In addition, there may have been just a smidge too much attention on Jensin's chapters, made worse by how long chapters are in the book and how much time we have to spend with him before we get back to our protagonists or the other main POV character, captain Zayne.
All in all, this is a fantastic start to a very engrossing fantasy series with a conceptual centre that constantly spits out new intriguing situations, problems, solutions and a rather unique form of character development. I just wish it started spitting a bit earlier.
Kyrus is a scribe and a damn good one at that. In spite of his promising career though, he dreams (literally) of being a knight who slays goblins alongside sorcerers even though he knows there to be no such thing.
Brannis is a failed sorcerer. Kicked out of the academy at a young age for showing no talent in magic whatsoever, he became a knight, using his mundane abilities to ascend the ranks and become a powerhouse. Still, he dreams of a quiet life.
These "two" men realise their "dreams" are not dreams at all and that their peculiar pairing is not unique.
I'll get this out of the way, the core concept behind this story is fantastic. Our main characters inhabit entirely different worlds yet they know everything about each other, sharing memories as though they were their own and live experiences through dreams. The idea of two people who can share information across worlds to assist one another leads to some very interesting twists and turns as well as an almost philosophical question of where does one person end and another begin. Conflicts of interest between sets of Twinborn are written fascinatingly.
It's hard to talk about what makes this book so good without spoiling it but the few flaws don't bare this issue. It is slow to start. Really slow. Until chapter 13, I really considered putting the book down for a while and coming back to it when I had less on my list. A decision I would've kicked myself for but a decision I was close to nonetheless. Anyone who's so much as read the blurb knows that both worlds are real, yet our protagonists aren't privy of that until over a third in. In addition, there may have been just a smidge too much attention on Jensin's chapters, made worse by how long chapters are in the book and how much time we have to spend with him before we get back to our protagonists or the other main POV character, captain Zayne.
All in all, this is a fantastic start to a very engrossing fantasy series with a conceptual centre that constantly spits out new intriguing situations, problems, solutions and a rather unique form of character development. I just wish it started spitting a bit earlier.
December 30, 2013
This is the first installment in a three volume fantasy trilogy. Be forewarned: if you read it, you’ll become pulled into the evolving storylines enough that you’ll want to keep going into the later books to find out what happens, and that will be a time commitment of some length, as this volume alone runs to 542 pages. However, if you appreciate the measured literary construction of well flushed out fantasy worlds, with varying racial, cultural, and even sentient species groups, I do think you’ll find this suitable.
The distinguishing conceit of this work is that we are really given two separate fantasy worlds, joined by the dream experiences of their two representative protagonists. That is, when Kyrus, a bright but inexperienced and shy young scribe, who lives in a cozy sort of trading port coastal city and spends his days scrivening, goes to sleep at night, he experiences the life of Brannis, a noble and gifted young warrior and member of a powerful sorcery clan in another world (who, unfortunately, has somehow missed the inner ability needed to advance very far in working magic)—and Brannis in turn, when he drifts off to slumber, experiences the daily life of Kyrus.
Things get interesting when Kyrus discovers he does have that knack for working magic he recalls from the dreams of Brannis’s world: he finds himself a firehurler in a world based on rationality. Both heroes not only have to deal with challenges and adventures aplenty in their own worlds, but as they become increasingly cognizant of each other’s existence, problems, and accessible knowledge, they begin to help each other in their separate quests and in pursuing their own individual goals, which become shared goals. Kyrus falls in with a pirate crew while Brannis is pulled into a war between a wyvern worshipped by her minions and a demon sorcerer. The use of magic spreads from one world into the other while technological advances flow the other way; both are thoughtfully constructed fantasy worlds you will enjoy getting to know as you read along.
The distinguishing conceit of this work is that we are really given two separate fantasy worlds, joined by the dream experiences of their two representative protagonists. That is, when Kyrus, a bright but inexperienced and shy young scribe, who lives in a cozy sort of trading port coastal city and spends his days scrivening, goes to sleep at night, he experiences the life of Brannis, a noble and gifted young warrior and member of a powerful sorcery clan in another world (who, unfortunately, has somehow missed the inner ability needed to advance very far in working magic)—and Brannis in turn, when he drifts off to slumber, experiences the daily life of Kyrus.
Things get interesting when Kyrus discovers he does have that knack for working magic he recalls from the dreams of Brannis’s world: he finds himself a firehurler in a world based on rationality. Both heroes not only have to deal with challenges and adventures aplenty in their own worlds, but as they become increasingly cognizant of each other’s existence, problems, and accessible knowledge, they begin to help each other in their separate quests and in pursuing their own individual goals, which become shared goals. Kyrus falls in with a pirate crew while Brannis is pulled into a war between a wyvern worshipped by her minions and a demon sorcerer. The use of magic spreads from one world into the other while technological advances flow the other way; both are thoughtfully constructed fantasy worlds you will enjoy getting to know as you read along.
August 28, 2013
This is one of those books that as soon as you think you know what's going to happen...you don't. The worlds are rich and lifelike, and full of characters that you can't help caring about. I was glued to my tablet, reading every chance I got, because I just couldn't wait to find out what was going to develop next! If you like a good adventure with a plot so twisty it should qualify as a pretzel, this is definitely a book for you.
June 7, 2013
I am not a huge fantasy fan and for that one reason, I had a hard time BUT I will also say that I loved the plot, the characters and the language. Good one for those of us who aren't fans of fantasy!
June 17, 2014
Loved the story and development of characters but it was so slow it was hard for me to stay interested.
July 19, 2019
-Bland, fairly lifeless magic system making for characters that are exceedingly overpowered to the point of feeling like there's no danger. There's nothing mystical or wondrous here, no growth (other than Kyrus, who goes from zero to most-powerful-guy-ever in, like, no time at all). The system is such that almost any of the main characters, with a bit of imagination, could singlehandedly turn the tide of every single event in their favor (actually, one morally-gray character does this, which could be an interesting point of contention, but it's a potential conflict that's never addressed).
-Incredibly stilted dialogue. At some point I tripped over the lack of a contraction: a character said "did not" in an area that didn't really feel like it flowed, and then suddenly started noticing none of the characters spoke with a single contraction. It's a small example but it's indicative of the dialogue as a whole. The writing style flows from being too casual and anachronistic to awkwardly formal, making the whole thing feel uneven.
-Characters are pretty boring. Brannis is just... good, I guess. Seems to be his only character trait. (In the second book so far he's pretty sassy, and it's kind of awesome, so the author is certainly improving). Iridan seems like he's going to be more important at the beginning, then gets sort of shuffled to the background. Kyrus is a bit better and interesting. But his romantic interest, Abbiley, is painfully cardboardlike, and I found myself struggling to not straight up dislike her for being so good and perfect and beautiful and down-to-earth...
-I'm confused at the lack of conflict. One of the main characters is straight-up a genocidal immortal, and short of once or twice brushing across the topic, nobody seems to struggle with this. Most of the characters are just having trouble believing he's who he says he is. Even when he launches himself into a garrison and slaughters everyone inside, everyone's still like "Huh, maybe he is that one guy," and not "HOLY COW WE HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM THIS MONSTER." It's never addressed. It's making me crazy. Like, even you, Brannis. What the heck.
It seems like I completely hated this book, and while I struggled through a lot of it, there's some intriguing stuff in there that I hope will continue to be explored. I hear the author gets much better in the second trilogy, so there's stuff to look forward to.
-Incredibly stilted dialogue. At some point I tripped over the lack of a contraction: a character said "did not" in an area that didn't really feel like it flowed, and then suddenly started noticing none of the characters spoke with a single contraction. It's a small example but it's indicative of the dialogue as a whole. The writing style flows from being too casual and anachronistic to awkwardly formal, making the whole thing feel uneven.
-Characters are pretty boring. Brannis is just... good, I guess. Seems to be his only character trait. (In the second book so far he's pretty sassy, and it's kind of awesome, so the author is certainly improving). Iridan seems like he's going to be more important at the beginning, then gets sort of shuffled to the background. Kyrus is a bit better and interesting. But his romantic interest, Abbiley, is painfully cardboardlike, and I found myself struggling to not straight up dislike her for being so good and perfect and beautiful and down-to-earth...
-I'm confused at the lack of conflict. One of the main characters is straight-up a genocidal immortal, and short of once or twice brushing across the topic, nobody seems to struggle with this. Most of the characters are just having trouble believing he's who he says he is. Even when he launches himself into a garrison and slaughters everyone inside, everyone's still like "Huh, maybe he is that one guy," and not "HOLY COW WE HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM THIS MONSTER." It's never addressed. It's making me crazy. Like, even you, Brannis. What the heck.
It seems like I completely hated this book, and while I struggled through a lot of it, there's some intriguing stuff in there that I hope will continue to be explored. I hear the author gets much better in the second trilogy, so there's stuff to look forward to.
January 29, 2020
I stumbled across The Twinborn Chronicles as a set that was on sale, and picked it up mostly for the cover and because it looked liked a good value for a decent story. With that in mind, I am pleasantly surprised that Firehurler was excellent!
To be fair, the story was a bit confusing at first. We follow four different characters, and it is only about halfway through the book that the we, the reader, discover how they are connected to one another. That aside, however, the characters practically leap to life as persons in their own right and the worldbuilding for each place they inhabit is a masterwork of pointed detail. I also liked the contrast of the two worlds - one a world that is clearly high fantasy (knights, goblins, sorcerers, dragons) and one that is clearly not (belief in magic is considered superstition right up until the 'burn the witch point,' pirates, importance on trade/crafts/apprenticeship) - for both storytelling and practical purposes. And, for all that the main characters and their interactions are complex, I also liked that the secondary characters - such as Rashon and Julianna - are given backstories, scenes, and importance in their own right and it's implied that they will go on to play ever more important roles in the story.
I look forward to reading the rest of the set that I purchased and, if it continues to be this good, I will likely go on to read the other books of the series.
To be fair, the story was a bit confusing at first. We follow four different characters, and it is only about halfway through the book that the we, the reader, discover how they are connected to one another. That aside, however, the characters practically leap to life as persons in their own right and the worldbuilding for each place they inhabit is a masterwork of pointed detail. I also liked the contrast of the two worlds - one a world that is clearly high fantasy (knights, goblins, sorcerers, dragons) and one that is clearly not (belief in magic is considered superstition right up until the 'burn the witch point,' pirates, importance on trade/crafts/apprenticeship) - for both storytelling and practical purposes. And, for all that the main characters and their interactions are complex, I also liked that the secondary characters - such as Rashon and Julianna - are given backstories, scenes, and importance in their own right and it's implied that they will go on to play ever more important roles in the story.
I look forward to reading the rest of the set that I purchased and, if it continues to be this good, I will likely go on to read the other books of the series.
August 4, 2017
I'm enjoying the story if not the writing. If I had to sum up the book in a single concise sentence:
It's a book of, could have beens.
It could have been great.
The characters, could have been great.
The dialog, could have been great.
It simply isn't.
I'm only halfway through the first book. It has been a rocky start. I keep seeing reviews for how well it's written and I can only scratch my head. Despite its wooden, total lack of finesse, writing mechanics, the story itself is engaging and enjoyable.
It's a great story. But the writing is terrible. The characters would be great... if they had texture and personality. The dialog is nearly unbearable and almost story breaking. I say nearly, here, because I am still reading... The characters don't talk to one another. It's like they are reading off talking points form note cards instead of having a naturally flowing conversation with one another. Not to mention the flagrant overuse of cliches.
I've little to no idea what the characters look like outside of one having a scraggly not beard and one being broad of shoulder. Oh and the token love interest is tall and rail thin.
Ok, enough of chewing off chunks of glutes. To the good aspects... it's an interesting premise. And a great set up. It truly does have a literal buttload of potential. I just wish it was written by someone with talent to match their imagination.
It's a book of, could have beens.
It could have been great.
The characters, could have been great.
The dialog, could have been great.
It simply isn't.
I'm only halfway through the first book. It has been a rocky start. I keep seeing reviews for how well it's written and I can only scratch my head. Despite its wooden, total lack of finesse, writing mechanics, the story itself is engaging and enjoyable.
It's a great story. But the writing is terrible. The characters would be great... if they had texture and personality. The dialog is nearly unbearable and almost story breaking. I say nearly, here, because I am still reading... The characters don't talk to one another. It's like they are reading off talking points form note cards instead of having a naturally flowing conversation with one another. Not to mention the flagrant overuse of cliches.
I've little to no idea what the characters look like outside of one having a scraggly not beard and one being broad of shoulder. Oh and the token love interest is tall and rail thin.
Ok, enough of chewing off chunks of glutes. To the good aspects... it's an interesting premise. And a great set up. It truly does have a literal buttload of potential. I just wish it was written by someone with talent to match their imagination.
January 13, 2020
This book took me a while to get into, but once the stories for each character pans out and becomes clear it was quite interesting. I have to say though, before that it was really, really hard to get into. I'm glad I listened to the audio and had the narrator to pull the story along. On that note I was worried that because I had listened to the Black Ocean books, that the narrator would just make this book sound exactly like those books - but.. He does a wonderful job creating both worlds with his vocals. I was impressed.
The story was really quite good in the end, while there were certainly times that it lulled and I even spaced out a few times, but ultimately I was interested in what was going on and such. I do think it would do some good to have the connections to the other world and the transitions to be a bit clearer, and maybe they are that way in the written word by breaks and such. Then again.. As the story progresses and you learn who is their twinborn and all is fun to learn as you go, as well.
Something I do want to point out is that this story felt very simple and reminded me back when I was first reading fantasy from the Forgotten Realms, so if you were a fan of those, or maybe are still a fan of those, then you will enjoy this as well.
The story was really quite good in the end, while there were certainly times that it lulled and I even spaced out a few times, but ultimately I was interested in what was going on and such. I do think it would do some good to have the connections to the other world and the transitions to be a bit clearer, and maybe they are that way in the written word by breaks and such. Then again.. As the story progresses and you learn who is their twinborn and all is fun to learn as you go, as well.
Something I do want to point out is that this story felt very simple and reminded me back when I was first reading fantasy from the Forgotten Realms, so if you were a fan of those, or maybe are still a fan of those, then you will enjoy this as well.
July 31, 2019
By far the most refreshing and innovative fantasy novel I have read in a long time.
I was immediately drawn in by the characters who were both likeable and relateable, with great character development which continued at a fantastic pace throughout the whole story, rather than a tonne of development at the start which often bogs down a novel and makes it painful to get into, the author managed to keep developing his characters as the story progressed at what I could only call a seemless pace.
The style of writing was also very mature, flowed beautifully and made it especially hard to put the book down.
I was enamored by the twinborn concept, I had read nothing about what the book was about before reading it, my usual approach, and the way the author changes perspective between seemingly unrelated characters at the start created an amazing mystery for me, when it finally came together I was completely caught up in this "no way" moment, and so delighted that he had managed to add this completely new concept to what is often a tired repetitive genre.
I highly reccomend this novel to anyone who is even remotely a fan of fantasy genres.
I was immediately drawn in by the characters who were both likeable and relateable, with great character development which continued at a fantastic pace throughout the whole story, rather than a tonne of development at the start which often bogs down a novel and makes it painful to get into, the author managed to keep developing his characters as the story progressed at what I could only call a seemless pace.
The style of writing was also very mature, flowed beautifully and made it especially hard to put the book down.
I was enamored by the twinborn concept, I had read nothing about what the book was about before reading it, my usual approach, and the way the author changes perspective between seemingly unrelated characters at the start created an amazing mystery for me, when it finally came together I was completely caught up in this "no way" moment, and so delighted that he had managed to add this completely new concept to what is often a tired repetitive genre.
I highly reccomend this novel to anyone who is even remotely a fan of fantasy genres.
March 11, 2019
Really enjoying this series - I really enjoy the characters, the unique magic system and the unique dimensional/parallel universe feature that is the namesake of the trilogy.
As a fan of the amazing Black Ocean trilogy, it was a no-brainer to pick this up and start digging in. Its everything I expected it to be (character driven story with adventures aplenty) and more! The deceptively simple way in which Morin weaves the complex storylines is like watching a master juggler do the nearly-impossible right before your eyes. He makes it look simple, but at such scale and with amazing balance & pacing sweeps you through the many interwoven story arcs like its just a natural part of everyday life.
Highly recommended for readers who love a great fantasy adventure.
As a fan of the amazing Black Ocean trilogy, it was a no-brainer to pick this up and start digging in. Its everything I expected it to be (character driven story with adventures aplenty) and more! The deceptively simple way in which Morin weaves the complex storylines is like watching a master juggler do the nearly-impossible right before your eyes. He makes it look simple, but at such scale and with amazing balance & pacing sweeps you through the many interwoven story arcs like its just a natural part of everyday life.
Highly recommended for readers who love a great fantasy adventure.
August 23, 2020
It's a little slow to get started but I am now totally hooked on this story of two worlds, connected by the 'twinborn'; people who share each others lives in thier dreams and are perminantly connected somehow.
I am enjoying the I Teague and the fact that the two main pairs of characters plits ate starting to entwined. I am however sad that the main characters are all Male, the females are there only as love or lust interest.
The magic is interesting with a combination of actions and words needed to make the aether do the magicians bidding; meaning magic is limited by the knowledge of the practitioner and thier capacity to draw and hold aether, as such it isn't necessarily a story breaking save all.
It is well read and keeps me interested.
I am enjoying the I Teague and the fact that the two main pairs of characters plits ate starting to entwined. I am however sad that the main characters are all Male, the females are there only as love or lust interest.
The magic is interesting with a combination of actions and words needed to make the aether do the magicians bidding; meaning magic is limited by the knowledge of the practitioner and thier capacity to draw and hold aether, as such it isn't necessarily a story breaking save all.
It is well read and keeps me interested.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2024
I just have to say.
I'm reading this as a trilogy and the book breakout is confusing online.
Goodreads show's book #1 title as Firehurler (which seems accurate from magical descriptions in the book) but google shows book one as Knight in the Nighttime. I'm just curious as to what is going on with that.
That aside I have thoroughly enjoyed this read and I'm excited for the next book. world building was moderately paced at the beginning and the action quickly picked up. I was not invested for the very first battle but as the story came together the implications of political strife as well as the stakes for individual characters felt profound. I love the magic rules built into this world and the connections between the different story arches.
I'm reading this as a trilogy and the book breakout is confusing online.
Goodreads show's book #1 title as Firehurler (which seems accurate from magical descriptions in the book) but google shows book one as Knight in the Nighttime. I'm just curious as to what is going on with that.
That aside I have thoroughly enjoyed this read and I'm excited for the next book. world building was moderately paced at the beginning and the action quickly picked up. I was not invested for the very first battle but as the story came together the implications of political strife as well as the stakes for individual characters felt profound. I love the magic rules built into this world and the connections between the different story arches.
November 18, 2017
Velmi kvalitní fantasy. Idea světa (nebo spíš světů) je hodně originální. Postavy jsou dost zajímavé, nějaká šablonovitost tam je, ale jsou dost dobře vykresleny, a občas dost rozporuplné; u jedné hlavní si pořád nejsem jistý, co je vlastně zač. Příběh je velmi dobře napsaný, některé momenty mě fakt překvapily, a přitom uvěřitelný. Není to nějak přehnaně negativní knížka, ale v některých věcech je autor na hrdiny docela drsný.
Je to první díl, takže nevím, jestli si to udrží úroveň; jdu to zjistit. Za mě zatím určitě 4/5.
Je to první díl, takže nevím, jestli si to udrží úroveň; jdu to zjistit. Za mě zatím určitě 4/5.
October 4, 2018
An entertaining introduction to a well thought-out universe and an intriguing magic system. The story draws the reader forward with alternating perspectives, which take almost a third of the book to be clearly intertwined... so stick with it.
My only niggle is that Kyrus seems to show no curiosity when he learns the other twinborn consider themselves to be a single entity, despite his wildly different understanding at that time. Not problem enough to disturb my enthusiasm though.
I'm already reading the next book.
My only niggle is that Kyrus seems to show no curiosity when he learns the other twinborn consider themselves to be a single entity, despite his wildly different understanding at that time. Not problem enough to disturb my enthusiasm though.
I'm already reading the next book.
June 26, 2019
Want to rate this book higher but I just cannot. It has so much potential. But it just never got there. The discovery of the two worlds fell flat on impact. The supposed climatic end utterly came to a horrible crashing end. Please what happened to the dragon fight? To the Ogar’s slaughtering hundreds? To the magic getting used to its fullest potential or even the magical swords being used? Soooo much could have happened and yet it all ended so fast and spent so much time on the pointless details. I will continue the series but so far it’s not all that it is cracked up to be.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews