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Comments And Reviews
"You'll find yourself thinking of the magical kirins' world long after you've finished this tale."
--- Foremost Press.com
Kirins: The Flight of the Ain, by James D. Priest is an excellent sequel to the first delightful book of the Kirins and continues their saga with an ever-deepening story.
The book begins where the previous novel ended and although events of the first volume are woven into this narrative, I do recommend you read the books in order. This part of the trilogy has our tiny band of fantasy creatures, the Kirins, still pursuing their quest to restore what is amiss with their magic. They make headway in their travels, encounter dangers, new friends, find strange new Kirin communities and discover answers to the location of their destination.
The travelers moved cautiously up the last few stairs. Speckarin, at the head of his party, neared the entrance, peered through, and to his immense surprise saw the ocean. But instead of the tumultuous onslaught of breakers, waves were washing serenely over a sandy beach. A hint of something was in the air—smoke, thought Speckarin—and a second vague scent not immediately identifiable.
I found the pacing far better in this book, than I did in the first novel. The quest seems be more urgent and our tiny heroes more focused. The book still holds the sense of wonder and fantasy I enjoyed the first volume and expands on the well-crafted world in which the Kirins live. The interaction of Kirin world and human world is very credible and the portrayal of the extraordinary homes of the Kirins a delight.
I especially liked the character depth in this book; the author did an exceptional job of letting the characters develop and grow. They suffer troubles and tragedy, persevere and show courage to chase their mission. The author’s creations are well-rounded beings, both familiar and strange and the connection between reader and character is effortless.
What can possibly go wrong next? wondered Speckarin. Our water’s nearly gone. Thelasa’s food and containers are gone. Hut’s food’s been decimated. We now have three marginal stores to feed seven. Hut’s wounded, here on this endless, hostile ocean. And we have nothing to treat him with but this bit of cloth!
The second book in the trilogy expands on the situations and themes of the first volume nicely, giving readers more insights into both the characters and the fantasy culture of Kirin society. I enjoyed this second installment of the Kirin adventures and look forward to reading the conclusion.
I highly recommend this enjoyable fantasy book.
A. F. Stewart, fantasy author,
Chronicles of the Undead,
Inside Realms, and others
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The Flight of the Ain
This is the second volume of a trilogy. Our heroes are a group of "kirins," an elf-like creature, one foot high. This group travels on the back of birds and is on a quest to destroy the evil which has corrupted their magic. The quest involves travelling from the central United States to England. In the first volume, they reach the seaboard of the United States and now have to cross the Atlantic.
Most of this book is the story of their crossing the Atlantic. Their supernatural enemies hardly appear in the book and most of the book is devoted to fighting the elements and the people they meet, who aid them.
This volume concentrates on Speckarin, the elderly magician who leads the party and his intellectual curiosity about the people and their communities which he encounters. He develops from a home-loving and very limited magician to a leader who wins the respect and love of his followers.
Again the message can be heard loud and clear. What is important is courage and love for one's fellow-beings. Kirins have a close relationship with the animals which serve them. Again, as in the first volume, we are introduced to the possibilities of cooperation between kirin and human.
I have a strong suspicion that the author is playing with us with regard to the names of the characters. The latest recruit to the group is Thelassa, queen of Findador, who is responsible for the seabirds which convey them across the Atlantic. The name Thelassa is Greek for "sea". Our group are relieved when they reach land, but in a classic Greek work by Xenophon, the Greeks, after a trek across land are relieved to reach the sea and cry out "Thelassa". Was this deliberate and should the other names be investigated?
Anyway, as I said in my review of the first volume, it is certainly a pleasure to join the kirins for the ride.
Chaim Seymour
Givat Shemuel, Israel
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Highly visual and made for the big screen, James Priest's sweeping fantasy trilogy takes us on a spellbinding ride from North America across the Atlantic Ocean to Stonehenge in England.
KIRINS: The Flight of the Ain (Book Two)
A race of tiny, magical beings lives throughout Earth today. They are kirins, and in the distant past humans knew them well. But an ancient rift occurred between the races, and kirin magicians cast a spell, the spell of no'an, making all kirins invisible to humans. Dwelling in elaborate tree homes and mysterious underground sanctuaries, they enjoy a strong kinship with animals, birds, and other creatures. But sadly, we humans are unaware of their secret civilization.
For thousands of years they lived in peace. But a deadly menace now threatens their existence. In the central part of North America, a party of daring explorers, led by the wise magician Speckarin, is sent on trained ravens to destroy an evil lurking a continent and an ocean away. Failure of this mission would mean death to the voyagers and the entire kirin race. But their success will depend on aid from a truly unexpected source, human beings.
In Book One of this trilogy, KIRINS: The Spell of No'an, the voyagers travel eastward many thousands of clan dominions over land. In Book Two, KIRINS: The Flight of the Ain, the party reaches the sea, a watery expanse impossible to cross on ravens. The travelers come across the wary and reclusive Findadors, kirins who produce music from their souls, and generously provide gannets, immense oceangoing birds, for the next leg of the voyagers' journey. They depart eastward and Thelasa, the Findador queen, joins the party to manage the majestic white seabirds.
On the way the travelers discover an island where kirins and humans reside in harmony. Speckarin is captivated by Rebecca, the human leader of the island population, and longs for a time when humans and kirins might again live together in peace. Finally reaching the land humans call England, with trepidation the voyagers survey Stonehenge, their ultimate destination, the place where kirin magic began.
ForemostPress.com
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Join the kirins on their harrowing journey across the ocean. --- ForemostPress.com
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