Kynship: The Way of Thorn and Thunder
KEGEDONCE PRESS (2005)
The Everland, home of the Eld-Folk since time immemorial, is a deep green world of ancient mystery and sacred shadow. A thousand years have passed since the world of Men and the world of the Folk collided in catastrophe. The wyr-powers of the Kyn and the other Folk have preserved their verdant homeland from the ravenous greed of Humanity since the Melding, but those powers are now under siege. As the hunger of Men turns once more to the Everland and its rich bounty, the leaders of the seven nations of the Folk gather in Sheynadwiin, the Kyn capital, to seek a way of surviving the growing storm.
Praise
“I was not sure if I wanted to review a fantasy tale. I have never read Tolkien. I have read some of the Harry Potter books, but the creatures in that series look like people. I read Alice in Wonderland when I was in college because it terrified me as a child. It was with mixed feelings that I picked up Kynship: The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Book One, expecting to find a video game in print. What a pleasant surprise. The first book in this indigenous fantasy trilogy opens with a heart-stopping bang and maintains the pace right to the last page.”
—Ramona Kiyoshk
““A powerful heroic fantasy, notable for being set, not in the familiar myth-Europe of most such fantasies, but (like Liliana Bodoc’s haunting Saga de los Confines) in the Old World of the Western Hemisphere, the Native American world, where the true, deep roots of magic are threatened by conquest and destruction.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Earthsea Cycle
“With The Way of Thorn and Thunder, Daniel Heath Justice has proved to be a world builder in the manner of Tolkien and Philip Pullman. His treatment of gender, environmental issues might remind some of Ursula Le Guin, but his insight is unique and indigenous, complete with the world tree, colonization. Fans of high fantasy will welcome this book from a writer to watch.”
—Linda Hogan, author of People of the Whale
“Justice has created a fantasy epic so rich in history and so complex with all of its inhabitants and mystery that you’re never going to want The Way of Thorn and Thunder to end. What a treasure for anyone looking for heroes and adventure in a series based on Aboriginal philosophy and wisdom.”
—Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed
“There is action and adventure aplenty in this epic tale . . . but there is something deeper as well. Like the magic that imbues his imagined world of spirit-trees and talking beasts, a true sense of wonder and enchantment wells up through Daniel Heath Justice’s words. This is a realm that fantasy fans can immerse themselves in, and return to again and again; a realm that feels at once fresh and new, yet old as the oldest myth.”
—Alison Baird, author of The Hidden World
“The Way of Thorn and Thunder by Daniel Justice is an intricately layered and carefully constructed tale of characters, customs and cultures in conflict during a time of change, with a definite anthropological flavor to it.”
—Robin Hobb, author of The Rain Wild Chronicles
“The Way of Thorn and Thunder is a beautifully wrought high fantasy novel, drawing from the unique and fascinating cultures of North America’s aboriginal peoples but successfully creating a world and characters that stand on their own, and are even set apart from what we usually see in high fantasy. Readers who enjoy meticulously created landscapes and cultures, as well as language that is by turns both visceral and elegant, will likely find much to love in The Way of Thorn and Thunder.”
—Karin Lowachee, author The Gaslight Dogs
“Beautiful and tragic; epic in its breadth and scope. Daniel Heath Justice is a master storyteller, effortlessly weaving a luscious tapestry of images and characters that will infuse your dreams, leaving you wanting to know more. The Way of Thorn and Thunder is a powerful allegory bursting with adventure and inspiration. I can’t wait for Book Two!”
—Michelle St. John, Actor, The Business of Fancydancing; Host, Red Tales, Aboriginal Voices Radio
“Within these pages Daniel Heath Justice has created a world as complex and detailed as any we live in. It should be no surprise to find this book sandwiched between Stephen Donaldson and J.R.R. Tolkien, and I’m not just talking alphabetically. It’s a truly clever book.”
—Drew Hayden Taylor, Author, Funny, You Don’t Look Like One: Observations of a Blue-Eyed Ojibway
“If you love the work of J.R.R. Tolkien or the Dragonlance series, you will love Kynship, Book 1 of The Way of Thorn and Thunder. Behold Oinara! It’s Solace of the Dragonlance series and Middle Earth all rolled into one. Justice has created a fantasy epic so rich in history and so complex with all of its inhabitants and mystery that you’re never going to want The Way of Thorn and Thunder to end. What a treasure for anyone looking for heroes and adventure in a series based on Aboriginal philosophy and wisdom.”
—Richard Van Camp, Author, Angel Wing Splash Pattern