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KIRINS Trilogy #1
Kirins : The Spell of No'an
A magical race of tiny beings lives on Earth today. Because of an ancient dispute, however, humans are totally unaware of their hidden civilization. They are kirins. For thousands of years they have lived in peace, but a deadly menace now threatens their existence. In this first volume of the trilogy, a party of daring explorers, led by the wise magician, Speckarin, is sent to destroy the evil that lurks a continent and an ocean away. Failure of this mission would mean death to the voyagers and to the entire kirin race. But their success will depend on aid from a truly unexpected source--human beings.
- GenresFantasy
467 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 9, 2022
Thank you to Books Forward for my #gifted copy of Kirins. Such an interesting, old-school fairy-tale/fantasy. At times reminding me of The Hobbit, the author has done a great job of world building which is always really important for fantasy books. Also, finding empathy from the reader for the Kirins was another strength of this author. I was immediately drawn in to their world and the quest.
This book was very long! There were several sections of the book that seemed to have the action stall and the quest seemed to be less important, which was really not the case. Perhaps if this was a shorter book with more focus on the quest, I wouldn't have felt lost a couple of times.
No matter, it was still an interesting story and as it's just Book 1 of the trilogy so there is a lot more story to be had.
This book would be great for readers that liked The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, etc and enjoy really long books that have the opportunity to sink into the fantasy world and take their time getting to the end.
This book was very long! There were several sections of the book that seemed to have the action stall and the quest seemed to be less important, which was really not the case. Perhaps if this was a shorter book with more focus on the quest, I wouldn't have felt lost a couple of times.
No matter, it was still an interesting story and as it's just Book 1 of the trilogy so there is a lot more story to be had.
This book would be great for readers that liked The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, etc and enjoy really long books that have the opportunity to sink into the fantasy world and take their time getting to the end.
May 15, 2009
Kirins: The Spell of No’an, by James D. Priest is the first book in a trilogy, and it is an excellent start to what appears to be an entertaining new fantasy adventure. The book is a quiet, graceful novel that leads the reader softly into a captivating, splendid fantasy world.
The book creates the very real world of the Kirins, a race of foot high magical creatures (think gnomes, leprechauns, etc) who live and thrive in the forests. Two of these beings, Talli and Gilin, are unexpectedly thrust into danger, when they are tasked with finding the answer to why Kirin magic is dwindling. They, and several of their friends, embark on a quest, pursued doggedly by strange beings, finding strange perils and discoveries in their journey.
The book does an exceptional job of creating a believable world for the Kirins, and having them interact with our reality. The characters are charming and engaging and I had no problem caring about their fate as they confront obstacles. They are familiar enough to relate too, with just enough mysterious essence to hold your curiosity. The fantasy world is well crafted; it is not confusing, nor is it boring.
The plot is solid and carries the reader along, although it does meander a bit, which hurts the sense of urgency of the quest. Some of the waywardness is reasonable given the fact the characters are portrayed as somewhat bewildered and out of their depth, but I would have liked a touch more tension. Still, I cannot say it detracted overly from my reading enjoyment.
I do recommend the book for fantasy lovers of all ages; it is a skilful work of fantasy fiction. Just keep in mind it is the first book in the trilogy; the Kirin quest continues in the second and third book.
The book creates the very real world of the Kirins, a race of foot high magical creatures (think gnomes, leprechauns, etc) who live and thrive in the forests. Two of these beings, Talli and Gilin, are unexpectedly thrust into danger, when they are tasked with finding the answer to why Kirin magic is dwindling. They, and several of their friends, embark on a quest, pursued doggedly by strange beings, finding strange perils and discoveries in their journey.
The book does an exceptional job of creating a believable world for the Kirins, and having them interact with our reality. The characters are charming and engaging and I had no problem caring about their fate as they confront obstacles. They are familiar enough to relate too, with just enough mysterious essence to hold your curiosity. The fantasy world is well crafted; it is not confusing, nor is it boring.
The plot is solid and carries the reader along, although it does meander a bit, which hurts the sense of urgency of the quest. Some of the waywardness is reasonable given the fact the characters are portrayed as somewhat bewildered and out of their depth, but I would have liked a touch more tension. Still, I cannot say it detracted overly from my reading enjoyment.
I do recommend the book for fantasy lovers of all ages; it is a skilful work of fantasy fiction. Just keep in mind it is the first book in the trilogy; the Kirin quest continues in the second and third book.
September 24, 2010
The Kirin are a magical, 1 foot tall, tree dwelling (mostly) race who have lived on earth as long as humans. They have worked a magic spell causing them to be invisible to humans. A small group of kirin must go on a quest.
This is a very detailed and well imagined world. Unfortunately, I found the story to be extremely tedious. By way of explanation,I listened to the free podcast of this from podiobooks, and I find audiobooks have a tendency to be a bit frustratingly slow for me anyway, because it takes so much longer to listen to them than it would if I read the book. But beyond that, this would benefit from a vigorous reduction in words. There is one place where the same 5 minute event is described from 3 different viewpoints. The characters tend to experience an event then mull it over again in their minds. A lot of unnecessary information is given, for instance, a side character, an old man, is teaching his grandson gun safety and shooting technique, so we get a lengthy and entirely unnecessary lesson on gun safety and shooting technique. There were also a few minor irritations in the writing, such as certain much-too-convenient pieces of knowledge, skills etc. that are revealed at the time needed instead of being given at an earlier time when they would have made more sense and been more believable. The effect of which is to make it feel like that skill or information was made up on the spot because it was needed for the story and was not really a part of the characters world or thinking till then.
This is not a complete story, just the first installment of their quest. I'm guessing it will take the full three books to get the story resolved. I'm not interested in finishing the trilogy, unless an abridged version comes out.
This is a very detailed and well imagined world. Unfortunately, I found the story to be extremely tedious. By way of explanation,I listened to the free podcast of this from podiobooks, and I find audiobooks have a tendency to be a bit frustratingly slow for me anyway, because it takes so much longer to listen to them than it would if I read the book. But beyond that, this would benefit from a vigorous reduction in words. There is one place where the same 5 minute event is described from 3 different viewpoints. The characters tend to experience an event then mull it over again in their minds. A lot of unnecessary information is given, for instance, a side character, an old man, is teaching his grandson gun safety and shooting technique, so we get a lengthy and entirely unnecessary lesson on gun safety and shooting technique. There were also a few minor irritations in the writing, such as certain much-too-convenient pieces of knowledge, skills etc. that are revealed at the time needed instead of being given at an earlier time when they would have made more sense and been more believable. The effect of which is to make it feel like that skill or information was made up on the spot because it was needed for the story and was not really a part of the characters world or thinking till then.
This is not a complete story, just the first installment of their quest. I'm guessing it will take the full three books to get the story resolved. I'm not interested in finishing the trilogy, unless an abridged version comes out.
August 28, 2010
I truly enjoyed this wonderful experience written by James D. Priest. It tells a story of little beings much like humans, however with much larger feet. They coexist with human society, but their existence is unknown. Three brave clan members find a dying magician, and are told unspeakable knowledge. Thus the quest begins with a party of five.
The Plot moves along quickly, with small traces of danger. Some leaving you wondering what is to come next, while others seem a little predictable. However it does not detract from the overall experience of this book.
I already have the last two books purchased and ready to be read. The reading is easily understandable, and written alright with what seems like an excessive amount of exclamation marks. How ever aside from that I will be starting the next installment of Kirins.
The Plot moves along quickly, with small traces of danger. Some leaving you wondering what is to come next, while others seem a little predictable. However it does not detract from the overall experience of this book.
I already have the last two books purchased and ready to be read. The reading is easily understandable, and written alright with what seems like an excessive amount of exclamation marks. How ever aside from that I will be starting the next installment of Kirins.
July 19, 2015
Entertaining read and 'world'. It is our world, but others are in it that we don't know about :-) I hope to find the rest of the trilogy, and find out more about the quest.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews