Review by Jill Williamson
King Jekoniah and Prince Kiriath are out riding around Castle Shiralla when they are ambushed by Grishnaki. The king is taken captive. The prince returns home to inform his mother and sister of what happened. A Grishnaki ambassador comes to Shiralla to offer the enemy terms. They will trade the man-king back for the secret of crafting steel.
Prince Kiriath knows that this price is too high. If their enemy, who are already larger and live longer, were to learn the secret of steel, they would annihilate the people of Shiralla. The ambassador gives the queen seven days to decide, which gives Prince Kiriath seven days to make it to Grishnaki land and rescue his father.
This was a fun medieval fantasy. My kind of story, really. I liked Kiriath, his sister, and his friend, Brand quite a bit. The dialogue in this story was fun. There were a few scenes where the adventurers encountered strange creatures: flying snakes and living vines. I wasn’t prepared for that and felt like I was suddenly in a different story where these things were possible. Maybe some comment of such fantastical beings in the beginning of the story would help these later scenes feel like they belonged in the same world. The story includes a very realistic battle and plants some interesting developments that lead me to wonder if a sequel might be planned. I hope so. It would be fun to read more about Prince Kiriath. Recommended.
Age Range: 8 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Part of a Series: no
Pages: 190
Publisher: JourneyForth (A division of BJU)
Released: 2008
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