The Wayfarer King (The Kinshield Saga) [Kindle Edition]

K.C. May (Author)

Book Description

Book 2 of The Kinshield Saga

Carol Davis Luce, author of Night Passage

"...a riveting fantasy adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat." 

SFBook Reviews

"The Wayfarer King is a moving story with an exceptional cast, an excellent piece of fantasy fiction and a rewarding finale to the series."  

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Beyonders, evil beings that materialize without warning from the realm of chaos, continue to invade the world of men, destroying everything -- and everyone -- in their path. The most powerful of them all, Ritol, has been confined for two hundred years inside the palace in Thendylath, trapped by King Arek's magic.

Having newly claimed the right to rule Thendylath as king, Gavin Kinshield has no money or army, but he's determined to protect his people from the beyonder attacks. With his new power of Wayfarer, Gavin has the ability to journey to all seven realms. To end the invasion, he must travel to the realm of chaos and summon Ritol. But can he escape before the beyonder champion kills him, devours his soul and takes his place as Wayfarer?

If wizard Brodas Ravenkind has his way, Gavin will never make it that far. Not only does Ravenkind want the throne for himself, he wants revenge for his cousin's murder too. After all, he made a promise the first time Gavin crossed him... 

The Kinshield Saga consists of

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

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An Amazon Top 200 Bestseller / Top 10 Bestseller in Epic Fantasy - Amazon Kindle US (Sep 2011)

#1 Bestselling Epic Fantasy - Amazon Kindle UK (May 2011)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a riveting fantasy adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat." ~Carol Davis Luce, author of Night Passage

"The Wayfarer King is a moving story with an exceptional cast, an excellent piece of fantasy fiction and a rewarding finale to the series." ~SFBOOK.COM

From the Author

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 655 KB
• Print Length: 295 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Peach Orchard Press (August 2, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005FQKPYU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,134 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #27 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Alternative History
  • #34 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Alternate History

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The thrilling conclusion of The Kinshield Saga August 3, 2011

By Scott

Format:Kindle Edition

The Wayfarer King (The Kinshield Saga) is the long awaited conclusion to the Kinshield Saga. Gavin has claimed all of the Runestones from the tablet making him the next king. Daia has agreed to be his champion and they must decide what course to follow. Brodas Ravenkind has escaped and poses a threat to everyone that Gavin cares for, but there is also Ritol, the demon, who is responsible for the attacks of the beyonders. In order to defeat the demon Gavin must reconcile himself with his past life as Ronor Kinshield, the champion of King Arek. With the help of Daia and her unique ability as a conduit Gavin's inherited magic becomes much stronger and he is able to see into the past for clues. Brodas is however not done with Gavin or his own goal to sit on the throne. He is planning terrible things for Gavin and company which will only make it more difficult for him to achieve his goals.

This is another fantastic book by K.C. May. I have enjoyed everything of hers that I have read and was extremely excited to get a chance to read The Wayfarer King (The Kinshield Saga). The characters were just as I remembered them with Gavin being an honorable if uncouth man who would give anything to protect those close to him. The story took a bit of a turn that I was not expecting and there was an element of romance introduced as well. As much as I enjoyed the conclusion of the series I am a little sad that there will only be two books. If you have not checked out The Kinshield Legacy (The Kinshield Saga) pick up a copy for start your journey through a wonderful series.

This review is based off of an ARC copy provided by the author.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy follow-up! August 4, 2011

By GraceKrispy (MotherLode blog)

Format:Kindle Edition

When starting this book, I got off to a bit of a slow start. It had been long enough that I'd forgotten some of the storyline in the first book, and there weren't a lot of reminders placed in the narrative to catch me up to speed. For this reason, I'd recommend reading through the first book again before tackling this one. But catch up I did, and it wasn't long before I was enthralled in Gavin's new adventure. Gavin is a bit of a rough character. He has a kind heart, but very little class, and this somehow makes him all the more lovable. His champion, Daia, remains strong and capable, even when Gavin himself can't quite keep up. Several new characters join the cast, but I loved that it was filled with the characters we got to know -and love- in the first book. It was like slipping back into a cozy world. The characterization is such that you get a good feel for motivations and relationships, but the story is really more about the adventure Gavin experiences in his quest to come to terms with his own life enough to take on his new role as King. As such, Gavin shows some growth as he begins to become more comfortable in his new role, and starts to allow himself some happiness. I was sad (and shocked) to see some characters go, but those events served to propel the storyline forward.

Although the characterization and the plot are both sound, the story truly shines in the world that is created. I loved the concept of the other realms, and I wish Gavin had dome some more travel through them. I found his encounter with the Elyle fascinating. The idea of complements to balance out personality was thought-provoking and gave me a moment of self- reflection. Additionally, I have always been fascinated by storylines that involve time travel, and Gavin travels back in time to gain important information. He even manages to find some peace at the same time. The wayfaring that he did do made me hungry for more, and I wish I could have experienced more of that in this story. The ending left me feeling satisfied, even if it felt a little too neat.

As with the first book, the writing style is very fitting to the genre. It flows smoothly, pulling the reader along in a way that allows complete engagement without the distraction that results from awkward prose. I did do a double take when Gavin used the word "crap" several times, as it felt incongruous to the feel of the rest of the dialogue. That may be my own issue, but it just felt "wrong." In general, this fantasy has everything I like - magical abilities, adventure, purpose, unusual beings. It was not a complex read, layered with hidden meaning. Rather, it is a straightforward and engaging fantasy, and I was completely immersed in the adventure.

This book is sure to please fans of the first installment. I've said before that the enjoyment factor is worth a lot when it comes to the awarding of stars, and this story was immensely enjoyable. It shines, in part, because of its style that manages to be well-developed while maintaining a certain simplicity, which allows the reader to become fully engaged. The development of the fascinating world Gavin inhabits really pushed my enjoyment up a notch.

Full review @ GraceKrispy's MotherLode blog

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Mediocre November 7, 2011

By Jonathan Dawson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to say, I wasn't really a fan of the first novel until about halfway through, where some plot and character development turned the novel around enough to get me to see how the series ended. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. In fact, I'm not sure why this novel has received such rave reviews - while it wasn't poor it certainly wasn't worth 5, or even 4, stars. NOTE: Spoilers below.

The novel isn't bad, it's just not good and has a lot of flaws I would expect a published author to notice and weed out, as this book could have been rather good. Below are my gripes:

01: The relationship between Daia and Gavin is left unattended and unfinished, and this was one of the most interesting dynamics carried over from the first book. There were some passages here and there that hinted towards a possible development of something, but this portion of character development was left hung to dry and is one of the bigger disappointments.

02: The thrusting of Feanna into the story was poorly done. Giving Gavin another love interest is fine, but the way the relationship was forced upon the reader made me feel like I was reading a teen romance novel; the dialogue was cheesy, the love at first sight was tacky, and it was overall executed poorly.

03: Gavin's development of his magic power was done rather well, but I feel like it was done a disservice at the end of the novel. In fact, I almost feel like the ending of the novel in general was incredibly rushed. Throughout the first 2/3s of the book the author shows the progression of Gavin trying to get a good grasp of his powers, and at the end it's like he's a practiced pro, whisking himself from realm to realm because the plot decided to have a huge sense of urgency right at the end. This is a huge hole which left me feeling very disconcerted about the way the story was wrapped up.

04: The way Gavin's Brother and his family were taken by Ravenkind also irked me. Sure, you have two guards posted to watch them, but no one thinks that the guards should be checking back with the rest of them to ensure they're safe? No one thinks to check up on them at all? Again, all too convenient for the enemy to be able to easily get what he wants for leverage against the main character.

05: The empathic powers of Feanna were random, forced and seem to be misplaced. Daia's could also be noted to be like this, but the author did a good job of making it so that her powers fit into the story and had some kind of history within the world. Feanna's were just thrown in for good measure, and the use of her powers at the end of the novel made me *groan*.

06: Absolutely no character development whatsoever. In the first novel ample opportunities were made for each of the main characters to develop and become more interesting and diverse. Instead, they regress into flat archetypes that are incredibly predictable and boring.

I could go on with a few more points, but I feel like the above hit on the main flaws of the novel.

I give this three stars for its potential, but lack of good execution. Cliched fantasy themes, a lack of background around important concepts and things within the fantasy world, and horribly flat characters leave this novel succumbing to the pitfalls most mediocre fantasy does. Better editing, interesting (or really, *any*) character development, well timed pacing and less forceful storytelling would have helped this novel significantly. I feel like the author has potential, but needs to push through some growing pains before a really good product is created.

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