The Short:
Kiriath’s Quest
By: Rick Barry
4/5 Stars
What: Following his father’s kidnapping, a young prince sets
out on a quest to free him and save his kingdom.
Recommended to those who like: Quick reads, classic fantasy,
clean, quests
Not recommended for those who dislike: Books written for a
younger audience
The Long:
I’d forgotten that this one was sitting on my shelf. (Don’t
you love it when you’ve forgotten the plot of a book and can re-read it almost
like it’s the first time?) I still enjoyed the story and was surprised by a
couple of turns in the plot.
We follow Prince Kiriath and his best friend, Brand, throughout the story. King Jekoniah is kidnapped at the start of the book and
the prince and Brand must set out on a quest to find him before time runs out.
It’s a classic quest story with strange creatures, a forgotten kingdom, sword
fighting, and loads of action.
The characters did seem a little flat at times and a few of
the descriptions were long-winded, but the book was good overall (I don’t think
it’ll be getting as dusty this time—I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to
get around to reading it a second time). It’s definitely intended for more of a
middle-grade audience, but that shouldn’t hinder an older person from enjoying
it.
The book has some Christian undertones and the end of the
book has some deep thoughts on the nature of good vs. evil, but I would
classify it as a “clean” work. I would recommend it to anyone who’s looking for
a quick, light afternoon read and enjoys a good quest.
If you’ve read the book, feel free
to share your thoughts below. Please remember to be respectful of Mr. Barry and
his work, as well as other commentators. I also welcome comments on what you
would like to see included in the reviews. I reserve the right to remove
vulgar, hateful, or rude remarks from the comments. Thanks for sharing!
How do you keep finding these books? I didn't really even know this genre existed, let alone that there were so many books in it! I knew about one or two and that was about it. And this book looks pretty interesting, I might have to track it down. (Along with every other book you've reviewed...)
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot of scouring to find them. A lot are recommendations from my elementary librarian/ the book fair she has every year (I went to a Christian school). Others are recommended from friends, others off of Good Reads/ Amazon suggestions.
DeleteIt's a relatively small genre and virtually impossible to find in book stores. I hope that I can keep drawing more attention to the genre so that more people can enjoy it (and so that maybe, one day, book and mortar stores will start selling the books).
Glad you're enjoying! Thanks for the comment!