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The Kinshield Saga #0.5
Sole Sacrifice
Sithral Tyr watched helplessly while three of his children died of a strange illness. When his last remaining son falls ill, he gives up on his clan's shaman and, amid protests from the clan chief and his neighbors, Tyr sets out to find a cure for his son. His journey takes him to a land of danger and debauchery where he's forced to make the ultimate sacrifice in the hopes of saving not just his son but his entire clan.
This novella features one of the characters in The Kinshield Legacy.
This novella features one of the characters in The Kinshield Legacy.
- GenresFantasyHigh Fantasy
68 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2010
6 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
K.C. May
35 books162 followersK.C. May grew up in the mid-western USA and in Hawaii, and earned a B.A. in Russian from Florida State University. After a year in Taiwan teaching English and studying Mandarin Chinese, she lived in the Arizona desert where she founded a Rottweiler rescue organization and worked as a computer programmer and technical writer. Her interests include karate, backpacking, motorcycle riding, dog training, and computer gaming. Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.kcmay.com
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 11, 2018
Sole Sacrifice - a review by Rosemary Kenny
When a mysterious plague strikes the village and children start dying, the families rely on their shaman to provide a cure and protect them from any harm, in K C May's intriguing and surreal
fantasy novella, #0.5 in The Kinshield Saga series.
By the time only Brae, the last of his four children lies dead and the shaman has no answer,
Sithral Tyr goes against his clansmen's advice and leaves on a perilous quest into a hedonistic and dangerous land far away; you know he'll triumph in the end, but at what cost?
To obtain the magically enhanced gems needed to complete the curing ceremony, Sithral must decide if the ultimate sacrifice on his part will ensure the lives of Brae and the other village children.
Does he return safely? What is the outcome of the ceremony? Do all the 'plague' victims survive?
What 'reward' is Sithral Tyr given by the shaman and the elders afterwards? Is this deserved?
Although not completed in every regard, the promise of another book to come is an encouragement - if one were needed - to buy this great little prequel to the series The Kinshield Saga.
K C May is worth every penny - I loved it and so will you and all your friends when you tell them!
When a mysterious plague strikes the village and children start dying, the families rely on their shaman to provide a cure and protect them from any harm, in K C May's intriguing and surreal
fantasy novella, #0.5 in The Kinshield Saga series.
By the time only Brae, the last of his four children lies dead and the shaman has no answer,
Sithral Tyr goes against his clansmen's advice and leaves on a perilous quest into a hedonistic and dangerous land far away; you know he'll triumph in the end, but at what cost?
To obtain the magically enhanced gems needed to complete the curing ceremony, Sithral must decide if the ultimate sacrifice on his part will ensure the lives of Brae and the other village children.
Does he return safely? What is the outcome of the ceremony? Do all the 'plague' victims survive?
What 'reward' is Sithral Tyr given by the shaman and the elders afterwards? Is this deserved?
Although not completed in every regard, the promise of another book to come is an encouragement - if one were needed - to buy this great little prequel to the series The Kinshield Saga.
K C May is worth every penny - I loved it and so will you and all your friends when you tell them!
January 9, 2013
Borrowing the words of the author herself: "This is the tragic story of how one character in my novel The Kinshield Legacy became who he is." - May, K. C. (2010-08-25). Sole Sacrifice (a novella) . . Kindle Edition.
This character is Sithral Tyr, a loving husband and father from a peaceful clan. Unfortunately a strange sickness has taken over his village and is slowly killing off all the children. The village shaman stands powerless to do anything about it wherefore Tyr decides to take action, driven by his fear of losing his last living son.
It starts tragically with him burrying a dead son. But that is nothing compared to how truly tragical the story should turn out to end.
Sithral Tyr has lived a sheltered life among his own people of the little clan, but his quest for a cure to the sickness takes him into the larger evil-infected world of a big city. He is completely ignorant of their ways and even after he has been cheated several times he keeps naively trusting the people he meet.
I saw another review that claimed the story was naive, but I don't agree with that. They claimed that it was not neccsary to do the things Tyr does to save a child. Of course it is not. Another man could probably have found a better way. But that is not within Tyrs nature, and that is a part of the tragedy of the story. He is a men deeply distressed (he has lost several children already!) and he is completely ignorant of the world; he doesn't know where to go or who to turn to for help, he just follows whatever small traces he can find and incidentally ends up making poor decicions.
He never does completely regret his choices. He said he would do anything for his son and so he did. He knew the immensity of the price he would have to pay for actions, yet he did it anyway. He ruined himself out of love for his son (and out of ignorance of a better way to achieve his goal).
The story is written in a simple, flowing language. I found it to be rather boring and void of any personal character. This is probably the only thing that is holding me back from awarding the story five stars.
In the end let me say this: At first I was indifferent towards the loss of Tyr, then came laughter at his apparent ignorance of the world, last came the tears and the desire to pick up The Kinshield Legacy to find out what happens to him after this heartbreaking ending.
More reviews by Hypervorean at Numinous Publications, a blog dedicated to high fantasy: http://hypervorean.blogspot.com
This character is Sithral Tyr, a loving husband and father from a peaceful clan. Unfortunately a strange sickness has taken over his village and is slowly killing off all the children. The village shaman stands powerless to do anything about it wherefore Tyr decides to take action, driven by his fear of losing his last living son.
It starts tragically with him burrying a dead son. But that is nothing compared to how truly tragical the story should turn out to end.
Sithral Tyr has lived a sheltered life among his own people of the little clan, but his quest for a cure to the sickness takes him into the larger evil-infected world of a big city. He is completely ignorant of their ways and even after he has been cheated several times he keeps naively trusting the people he meet.
I saw another review that claimed the story was naive, but I don't agree with that. They claimed that it was not neccsary to do the things Tyr does to save a child. Of course it is not. Another man could probably have found a better way. But that is not within Tyrs nature, and that is a part of the tragedy of the story. He is a men deeply distressed (he has lost several children already!) and he is completely ignorant of the world; he doesn't know where to go or who to turn to for help, he just follows whatever small traces he can find and incidentally ends up making poor decicions.
He never does completely regret his choices. He said he would do anything for his son and so he did. He knew the immensity of the price he would have to pay for actions, yet he did it anyway. He ruined himself out of love for his son (and out of ignorance of a better way to achieve his goal).
The story is written in a simple, flowing language. I found it to be rather boring and void of any personal character. This is probably the only thing that is holding me back from awarding the story five stars.
In the end let me say this: At first I was indifferent towards the loss of Tyr, then came laughter at his apparent ignorance of the world, last came the tears and the desire to pick up The Kinshield Legacy to find out what happens to him after this heartbreaking ending.
More reviews by Hypervorean at Numinous Publications, a blog dedicated to high fantasy: http://hypervorean.blogspot.com
June 1, 2017
Strange and powerful
What would you do to save your child and the rest of the villages children?
A story of hope and lost of your soul. Very deep. Sad ending
What would you do to save your child and the rest of the villages children?
A story of hope and lost of your soul. Very deep. Sad ending
May 1, 2020
DISAPPOINTED 😞 WITH THiS!I
I was just very underwhelmed by this story, not worth my time! I can 👎not recommend it with any honesty! Do not buy it!
I was just very underwhelmed by this story, not worth my time! I can 👎not recommend it with any honesty! Do not buy it!
March 7, 2017
A prelude to the Kinshield saga telling of an attempt to save the leader's children from mysterious death. Unbelievable attempts are made to save the last son. Full of adventure and intrigue.
November 3, 2011
I picked this from Smashwords, because I liked the story and indeed, it was really good.
It was sadder than I thought till the very end.
Tyr's sons- except one - have succumbed to a mysterious illness that has claimed a lot of lives in his village. Their shaman urges him to keep praying, keep the faith, but he has already lost 3 sons, his last one now bedridden, too.
Frustrated by the lack of answers by the shaman and his people, he embarks on a journey to find a cure before he loses Brae too.
When he reaches his destination, hoping to find gems that could be enchanted with healing magic he meets several interesting characters.
His people believe in the purity of soul. They are sinless and goodhearted, but that is not the case with the people he meets.
The gem seller tries to rip him off, and the person who can enchant the gems incites him to murder....
What's a simple man to do for his son?
The answer is pretty tragic and sad and the ending left a bitter taste.
Very interesting story, which makes me think that the author's other works must be similarly inspired.
If you like fantasy fiction, you'll love this.
It was sadder than I thought till the very end.
Tyr's sons- except one - have succumbed to a mysterious illness that has claimed a lot of lives in his village. Their shaman urges him to keep praying, keep the faith, but he has already lost 3 sons, his last one now bedridden, too.
Frustrated by the lack of answers by the shaman and his people, he embarks on a journey to find a cure before he loses Brae too.
When he reaches his destination, hoping to find gems that could be enchanted with healing magic he meets several interesting characters.
His people believe in the purity of soul. They are sinless and goodhearted, but that is not the case with the people he meets.
The gem seller tries to rip him off, and the person who can enchant the gems incites him to murder....
What's a simple man to do for his son?
The answer is pretty tragic and sad and the ending left a bitter taste.
Very interesting story, which makes me think that the author's other works must be similarly inspired.
If you like fantasy fiction, you'll love this.
May 14, 2013
How far will you go to save your son? The story of Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain in a fantasy world... except not. This tale gives a nice dark tone and ends wonderfully. The use of the soul in this novella was intriguing to me and made me want to know more about the world and the use of magic therein. I will say that there isn't a lot of knock-your-socks-off description or character development, but the pacing was well done for this short work. If it was longer there would have been room for that sort of thing I am sure.
I found that the beginning was a little bit strange, but reading the whole things was definitely rewarding. Once I got 30% through I was well engaged in the story and it kept getting better! By the end I just wanted it to keep going. I will definitely read more by K. C. May as this was my first read by this author.
I found that the beginning was a little bit strange, but reading the whole things was definitely rewarding. Once I got 30% through I was well engaged in the story and it kept getting better! By the end I just wanted it to keep going. I will definitely read more by K. C. May as this was my first read by this author.
July 12, 2016
Wow. What a dark ending. I don't like unhappy stories, but this tragic tale was done RIGHT and I actually enjoyed it! No complaints here!
For a short story, the characters and plot were very nicely developed. Though this book is good just by itself, I'd like to check out the rest of the series someday since this little story was good. :)
Sole Sacrifice is a mature read, but I think it would pass for older young adults. There is sex told, but no scenes of it shown. The murder scene is also very violent and scary. That's about it.
Great story!
For a short story, the characters and plot were very nicely developed. Though this book is good just by itself, I'd like to check out the rest of the series someday since this little story was good. :)
Sole Sacrifice is a mature read, but I think it would pass for older young adults. There is sex told, but no scenes of it shown. The murder scene is also very violent and scary. That's about it.
Great story!
November 8, 2018
Very sad story about Tyr, (Just happens to be one of my dogs name) does he make the right choice for his family and town? He pays a heavy price to bring health to his child, too bad he does not or is not able to share this cure with the town, who also make a choice that is sorrowful. Would you sacrifice your souls to save your child? Very tragic, good read though!
May 28, 2012
Wow. You learn so much about one of the "villains" and how he was really just a great father trying to do the right thing. Emotional; heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Great story to accompany the main book.
July 4, 2012
This was a nice little addition, a side story to the duology. However, it was rather evident where it was going from the very first paragraph... and a little tired. Sick, dying child + father who will do "anything" for the child... meh.
September 17, 2012
This was not my cup of tea. Just never could get into the story and it seemed to drag along. So I finally put it down and went to sleep. Tried the next day to re-read it and it was not any better to me.
October 16, 2012
Why does a wonderful father have to become a villain to safe his son! Really, becoming a villain now ends up being a band aid fix. In the long run his family ends up losing more. I really go into the story. It was emotional and heartbreaking. Any parent would make that choice for their child.
February 12, 2013
I like this book, wish it could have been longer, but i am about to read more about Tyr in the Kinshield Legacy. It really shows the consequences of evil, even when the evil is done with good intentions.
Read
January 13, 2016More a short story than a novella... Covers the downfall of Sithral Tyr (useful prequel to 'Well of the Damned', therefore, though not essential). Not entirely sure why the 'Sole' in the title niggles me...
October 23, 2016
Good Intro
It WaS well put together but to short to be sure I
Am going to like the series. It explains how one of the character s became separated from his soul. Love caused this change and I wonder if he can get it back . So on to The Kinshield Saga. Alice
It WaS well put together but to short to be sure I
Am going to like the series. It explains how one of the character s became separated from his soul. Love caused this change and I wonder if he can get it back . So on to The Kinshield Saga. Alice
Read
August 27, 2010This is the tragic story of a character in my novel, The Kinshield Legacy.
January 12, 2012
Nice to have some more background on Tyr and how he came to be.
February 29, 2012
This short novella (one hour reading time) helps explain the character Tyr from the Kinshield series.
August 12, 2012
This is good novella for the Kinshield Legacy, but it could stand on its own, too. A very short read, but worth it.
January 5, 2013
Kinda dug this short story about a side-character.
July 9, 2014
2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews