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Shadow Born
Zarynn always knew he and his parents were different. In public they professed to worship the Dark King of Hell, like all of their nomadic clan, and obeyed the orders of His Druids. But in secret, they prayed to one of the Gods of Light.
Zarynn’s world changed in his eighth summer, when a Druid on circuit visited his clan’s camp and caught his parents at their forbidden worship. The men of the clan, stirred up by the Druid, took up their spears and slew his parents. And the magic Zarynn had never known he had within him erupted for the first time, striking down the killers. Magic that marked him as abomination in the eyes of the Druids.
Zarynn should have died the next day, stoned to death by the men of the clan, as the Druids mandated for abominations. But instead he was rescued by a stranger from far away with magic of his own. Glaraz looked different and spoke differently from any man Zarynn had ever met. He called himself a necromancer, a master of death and the dead, and he insisted that he had crossed the sea to find and save Zarynn, to take him back to his own home, where he could learn to control his magic at a place called the Black Skull School.
Now Zarynn and his rescuer just need to survive the journey.
Zarynn’s world changed in his eighth summer, when a Druid on circuit visited his clan’s camp and caught his parents at their forbidden worship. The men of the clan, stirred up by the Druid, took up their spears and slew his parents. And the magic Zarynn had never known he had within him erupted for the first time, striking down the killers. Magic that marked him as abomination in the eyes of the Druids.
Zarynn should have died the next day, stoned to death by the men of the clan, as the Druids mandated for abominations. But instead he was rescued by a stranger from far away with magic of his own. Glaraz looked different and spoke differently from any man Zarynn had ever met. He called himself a necromancer, a master of death and the dead, and he insisted that he had crossed the sea to find and save Zarynn, to take him back to his own home, where he could learn to control his magic at a place called the Black Skull School.
Now Zarynn and his rescuer just need to survive the journey.
- GenresFantasy
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 2, 2019
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 30, 2019
Recap: Glaraz, a necromancer, rescues Zarynn from execution after his powers manifest and must escape from the Druids with his young charge.
Review: Great world building, you can really see where the author has spent his time crafting the people, magic and religions. We have quite a large cast of characters which on the whole are clearly defined however all the young boys and men with Z names quickly got confusing. A little over explanatory in places but backstory was handled well and the magic system is clearly defined. The fight scenes were full of tension and adrenaline. There are multiple races, druids, shapeshifters, wyvern, zombies, a dragon, magic and a ship captained by a dwarf! It's a great first book and one fantasy series readers will enjoy.
Review: Great world building, you can really see where the author has spent his time crafting the people, magic and religions. We have quite a large cast of characters which on the whole are clearly defined however all the young boys and men with Z names quickly got confusing. A little over explanatory in places but backstory was handled well and the magic system is clearly defined. The fight scenes were full of tension and adrenaline. There are multiple races, druids, shapeshifters, wyvern, zombies, a dragon, magic and a ship captained by a dwarf! It's a great first book and one fantasy series readers will enjoy.
October 5, 2019
Lots of great world-building, a very intriguing story, and very well written. I loved all the different characters, each had their own personality.
October 27, 2019
Eight year old Zarynn is an orphan. His parents were killed for committing the unspeakable heresy of worshiping a deity of light, and Zarynn is slated to be ritually stoned to death for manifesting magical abilities of his own when a dark stranger intervenes to save his life.
Rescued by the necromancer Glaraz, Zarynn embarks on an epic journey to escape certain death at the hands of the druids that rule the lands his people call home.
Magical fantasy isn’t usually my go-to genre, but sometimes I find a book in that genre that I really enjoy– and for that reason I’m extremely glad I took a chance on Shadow Born. This is a dark and vivid tale, and even when told from Zarynn’s point of view it doesn’t feel like a young adult novel. While the materials covered isn’t quite grimdark, there are plenty of life or death battles, barely-achieved escapes, and horrific and suspenseful moments.
What really makes this story stand out, though, is the author’s narrative voice. The sights, smells, and sounds of Zarynn’s world practically jump off the page, and the story flows along at a place that keeps the reader wanting to know what comes next. It’s also clear that a lot of research went into developing the culture, language, and magic systems used in the story.
The reversal of fantasy stereotypes in Shadow Born is a refreshing change from typical fantasy fare: in this world, the druids aren’t guardians of light and natural order. They worship a dark deity that feeds on misery and suffering, and rule the Twelve Tribes with an iron hand. The heresies of knowledge and open-mindedness are rooted out with lethal strictness.
Conversely, it was a pleasant surprise to discover a necromancer as the hero of the story. Glaraz is a fascinating and likeable character, a master necromancer with a host of nasty spells under his belt which he uses to defend himself and the children he rescues. It was fun to see spells that shatter bones and explode hearts used to protect the defenseless from harm.
This darkly uplifting tale of a young magic-user’s rescue from certain death gets an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ vote from me. I highly recommend you check out Shadow Born if it sounds like your cup of tea!
Rescued by the necromancer Glaraz, Zarynn embarks on an epic journey to escape certain death at the hands of the druids that rule the lands his people call home.
Magical fantasy isn’t usually my go-to genre, but sometimes I find a book in that genre that I really enjoy– and for that reason I’m extremely glad I took a chance on Shadow Born. This is a dark and vivid tale, and even when told from Zarynn’s point of view it doesn’t feel like a young adult novel. While the materials covered isn’t quite grimdark, there are plenty of life or death battles, barely-achieved escapes, and horrific and suspenseful moments.
What really makes this story stand out, though, is the author’s narrative voice. The sights, smells, and sounds of Zarynn’s world practically jump off the page, and the story flows along at a place that keeps the reader wanting to know what comes next. It’s also clear that a lot of research went into developing the culture, language, and magic systems used in the story.
The reversal of fantasy stereotypes in Shadow Born is a refreshing change from typical fantasy fare: in this world, the druids aren’t guardians of light and natural order. They worship a dark deity that feeds on misery and suffering, and rule the Twelve Tribes with an iron hand. The heresies of knowledge and open-mindedness are rooted out with lethal strictness.
Conversely, it was a pleasant surprise to discover a necromancer as the hero of the story. Glaraz is a fascinating and likeable character, a master necromancer with a host of nasty spells under his belt which he uses to defend himself and the children he rescues. It was fun to see spells that shatter bones and explode hearts used to protect the defenseless from harm.
This darkly uplifting tale of a young magic-user’s rescue from certain death gets an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ vote from me. I highly recommend you check out Shadow Born if it sounds like your cup of tea!
May 25, 2021
Shadow Born by Martin Frowd is the first book in the Karnos Chronicles. Eight-year-old Zarynn's world changes when his peace-loving parents are exposed and killed as heretics and his uncontrolled gifts of shadowfire exhibit themselves. Master Necromancer Glaraz rescues Zarynn as he is about to be executed. What follows is a desperate race to Glaraz's ship as he fights several waves of shape-shifting and power-wielding druids. It soon becomes obvious that more ancient forces are interested in young-Zarynn & that the boy's gift is powerful but, at this point, unpredictable.
The many magical encounters, each more epic than the last, make a gripping read even if the plot is rather linear and the momentum of the story is slowed down by repetition and long explanations. Zarynn, at first scared and confused, shows potential as a character, Glaraz (despite his manipulation of corpses and the dead) is a sympathetic character, gentle with Zarynn though a formidable combatant and the wyvern Furiosa shows spunk and attitude. Glaraz's disparate team waiting on the ship add some comic interludes. By the end of the book, one might speculate that Glaraz, Zarynn, the ancient Shade, and the entity communicating with Zarynn, have wiped out a good proportion of the clansmen and druids on this isolationist contienent, but no doubt there will be plenty remaining for when Zarynn finally has to face them again in subsequent books.
The many magical encounters, each more epic than the last, make a gripping read even if the plot is rather linear and the momentum of the story is slowed down by repetition and long explanations. Zarynn, at first scared and confused, shows potential as a character, Glaraz (despite his manipulation of corpses and the dead) is a sympathetic character, gentle with Zarynn though a formidable combatant and the wyvern Furiosa shows spunk and attitude. Glaraz's disparate team waiting on the ship add some comic interludes. By the end of the book, one might speculate that Glaraz, Zarynn, the ancient Shade, and the entity communicating with Zarynn, have wiped out a good proportion of the clansmen and druids on this isolationist contienent, but no doubt there will be plenty remaining for when Zarynn finally has to face them again in subsequent books.
April 23, 2019
Now this is how to write volume one.
The world is well crafted and does not rush in on us all at once. The heroes gain flesh and become three dimensional fast. Wisely, the author also lets his main villains gain more than two, but not quite yet three dimensions. Best of all it's exciting. I was quite upset to have to put it down to go to sleep!
It's truly hard to review this without spoilers
I became a little bogged down with the conference of the grand villains. I know it had to be there, but I wished it a few Kindle page turns shorter, but that is all I wished to be shorter. It did not detract from the rating nor the enjoyment.
We have a large cast in this volume, and I feel some of our boy hero's tribe have a part to play yet. I'm not at all sure where this is going, but I know I like where it's been, and I'm looking forward to volume two being as well crafted as volume one.
The world is well crafted and does not rush in on us all at once. The heroes gain flesh and become three dimensional fast. Wisely, the author also lets his main villains gain more than two, but not quite yet three dimensions. Best of all it's exciting. I was quite upset to have to put it down to go to sleep!
It's truly hard to review this without spoilers
I became a little bogged down with the conference of the grand villains. I know it had to be there, but I wished it a few Kindle page turns shorter, but that is all I wished to be shorter. It did not detract from the rating nor the enjoyment.
We have a large cast in this volume, and I feel some of our boy hero's tribe have a part to play yet. I'm not at all sure where this is going, but I know I like where it's been, and I'm looking forward to volume two being as well crafted as volume one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews