The Kinshield Legacy (The Kinshield Saga) [Kindle Edition]

K.C. May (Author)

Book Description

Piers Anthony, best-selling author of the Xanth novels
"...a rousing hard-hitting fantasy adventure." 

Iceberg Ink reviews
"Entertainment plain and simple."

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Book 1 of The Kinshield Saga

A mysterious stone tablet with five magical gems has sat abandoned in a cave for two hundred years. The kingdom is in ruins, with only warrant knights to keep the peace. But then, the gems in the tablet, one by one, disappear.

Warrant knight Gavin Kinshield is a man of many secrets. He's the one deciphering the runes in the tablet. Unless he can find a suitable replacement, he'll be Thendylath's next king. All he really wants is the letter written by his ancestor Ronor Kinshield, the last man to see King Arek alive... a letter he must earn by tracking down a common thief.

But when Gavin saves a woman's life, what should have been a simple task draws him face-to-face with his nightmarish past... and the truth of King Arek's demise.

The Kinshield Saga consists of

• The Kinshield Legacy
• The Wayfarer King
• Well of the Damned
• Kinshield's Redemption (August 2013)

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The Kinshield Legacy was named a Top-4 Read of 2010 by book reviewer Grace Krispy on DailyCheapReads.com

Second place winner of The Kindle Book Review Indie Award, September 2011.

An Amazon Top 200 Bestseller / Top 10 Bestselling Epic Fantasy, Amazon US (Aug 2011) / #1 in Epic Fantasy, Amazon UK (May 2011)

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Carol Davis Luce, Author of Night Passage

"From the very first page, The Kinshield Legacy grabs you by the throat and propels you into a world of magic, sorcery, jeweled-eyed gargoyles and a sisterhood of female warriors. A world where beyonders savage unsuspecting travelers; where a dark, yet charismatic, wizard covets the king's throne for his own and will let no one get in his way--including the rightful ruler. He who claims the King's Bloodstone shall reign as king. Enter Gavin Kinshield, warrant knight and rune solver, a man haunted by his past, and a hero like no other. A rousing debut from K. C. May, an author worth watching.

Piers Anthony, best-selling author of the Xanth novels
"The Kinshield Legacy is a rousing good fantasy tale, with nice characterization and some ferocious action. These days I read primarily for business rather than pleasure, but I found myself eager to return to this novel."

SFBook Reviews
"The Kinshield Legacy is a beautifully crafted fantasy work that works so well, perfect escapism and highly recommended."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I cringed, I delighted, I was completely and utterly engaged." --Motherlode book reviews

From the Author

My debut novel, The Kinshield Legacy, was first published in hardcover in 2005 by a traditional publisher. After five years, they reverted rights back to me, and so I'm thrilled to be able to offer it in ebook and paperback formats at Amazon. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

You can learn about new book announcements and special offers by signing up for my newsletter. You'll find the link on my web site at kcmay.com. 

Happy reading!

~KC

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 744 KB
• Print Length: 372 pages
• Publisher: Peach Orchard Press (July 28, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003XT5IYI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Alternative History
  • #32 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Epic

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written read! September 30, 2010

By GraceKrispy (MotherLode blog)

Format:Kindle Edition

If this book were a movie, my husband would be all over it! In fact, I can picture it as a series he would follow as eagerly as he follows "Legends of the Seeker," and for much the same reasons. This genre isn't typically my preferred type of reading material, but the description was intriguing so I wanted to give it a go.

Wow. I was hooked in the first chapter and had trouble putting the book down to sleep last night. Each of the first few chapters introduces new people, people whose lives and stories become inextricably tied together as the story continues. One of the things that sometimes turns me off about the fantasy genre is the whole new language one must learn to understand what is going on. There are new names for objects, actions, types of people... it's like taking a confusing crash course in a foreign language. That's a lot of work when all I want to do is enjoy. Although K.C. May introduces new creatures and unfamiliar items with unusual names, the book is very readable, and there was no confusion. I didn't have to work to enjoy; this fantastical world is seamlessly woven into terms to which we can all relate.

The writing style is such that it was very easy to become engaged in the story. When I read some stories, I find myself constantly thinking of how I would have written certain lines or paragraphs differently. That tells me that the writing is not to my standards, and it distracts me from the story the author is trying to tell. When reading this story, however, I found myself enthralled and fully immersed in the adventure. The pacing of the chapters and introduction of new characters was ideal for maintaining interest and moving the story along without drawing anything out unnecessarily. Sometimes bad things happen to great characters, and I mourned the unavoidable losses along the way, even as I celebrated the small victories. I cringed, I delighted, I was completely and utterly engaged.

The ending is very satisfying in and of itself, but it does open the door for a sequel. I, for one, am eager to read more from this talented author.

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book September 23, 2010

By Steven L. Hawk

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't read a lot of Fantasy books. Science fiction, zombies, and adventure books are my usual fare. But I was intrigued by the blurb for The Kinshield Legacy and downloaded a sample of the book to my Kindle last week. Upon reading, I was immediately absorbed in the story. I didn't make it halfway through the sample before downloading the full version for $2.99.

K.C. May does an excellent job of story telling as she relates the story of Gavin Kinshield, a reluctant hero in search of answers to his past, present and future. While Gavin is the central character, May's writing abilities bring all of the book's supporting cast to life. The broad cast of players, and the world in which they live, are vivid, delicately flawed and wholly believable.

One of my favorite passages describes the blacksmithing process by which an enchanted sword is hammered into being for Gavin's use. The details of the smithing process, and of the sword itself as it unfolds, are described wonderfully. Through May's literary stylings, the sword is born and becomes a character in its own right. And, as a reader, I felt honored to watch it happen.

I heartily recommend The Kinshield Legacy and rate it as 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for Amazon! It is a great book for lovers of the fantasy genre or for those who simply love a good story.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great First Book by a new Fantasy Author November 30, 2010

By Wulfstan TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This book was one of the best First Books by a new author I have been privileged to read and review. I liked the characterizations- the good Guys are good guys no doubt, but aren't Goody-Two-shoes by any means. The hero- a "Warrant Knight" is brave and honorable, but also uncouth & crude at times.

The Bad Guys are properly evil but aren't cardboard one dimensional stock villains, either.

The author brings in a lot of characters, many of whom are enjoyable and needed for the plot, I especially enjoyed the blacksmith and Daia Saberheart, a sword-maiden. OTOH, there were a few too many of them, with a few too many side stories (and local nuances) thus it did get a trifle confusing at times, requiring me to backtrack and re-read a section or two.

The plot moved along nicely, encouraging me to "just read one more chapter" before putting it down. Plenty of action, and perhaps even a little romance hinted at.

Here's one thing I especially liked- clearly the book is designed for a sequel, but this volume does come to an end with a conclusion of the initial quest. In other words, we have a stand-alone with sequels, not a long drawn out continuing story over who-know-how-many-books.

Yes, it's clear from a few stumbles that we have a new author, but a very promising one, and I greatly look forward to more works by her and the sequel to The Kinshield Legacy.

Note that I rcvd an advanced reader copy for review.

More About the Author

K.C. May was born in Chicago and grew up in the mid-western USA and in Hawaii, attended University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated with a B.A. in Russian from Florida State University. In 1985, she moved to Taiwan to teach English and study Mandarin Chinese. She also lived in the Arizona desert for 24 years, where she founded and ran a non-profit Rottweiler rescue organization, studied Ken-po karate, went backpacking, tried sky-diving, dabbled in bodybuilding, did some downhill skiing, renewed her interest in motorcycling, and spent some time on the shooting range. In 2010, she retreated to cooler, greener Georgia. She earns her living as a full-time writer. Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.kcmay.com