Review by Ana Victoria2002 -- Korian by Giorgio Garofalo

[Laura Britos]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Korian" by Giorgio Garofalo.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In an unknown time in a land different from Earth, humans live among dark creatures with despicable intentions. A mysterious plague that turns people into rotten flesh, also known as Stragoy, is now threatening the peaceful life of Endura’s communities. Nonetheless, this can be stopped if heroes come into play. Dorian, a Ruid, is to become a Huntsman and defeat the dark forces that seek to destroy human kind. After years of confinement and torture, he will venture out to help save the inhabitants of Endura and preserve peace among beings. On the other side of the land we encounter Will and Padron, the bravest of warriors. Even with a journey filled with trials and disgrace, Will still believes in saving people and helping the savior get home. The last character we encounter is Korian, the young hero in the story. A boy with a path to follow and a destiny to meet. Given by gods the power to defeat darkness, he is now the chosen to restore the safety of the kingdom and lead its people to peace.
Will they succeed in their tasks or will they die fighting for their kingdom? Korian, The Manian's Spear is the first book of the Korian fantasy series by Georgio Garolfo. An intricate universe of magic and whimsical beings which will surely attract those with love for fantastical tales.

This is definitely not a story for a person who only likes to skim through books. For me, it was one of the most complex plots to encounter in a very long time. Not because I did not understand the narration or because my reading was interrupted. It was the amount of meticulous detail what forced me to go back and forth between the pages to see if I was missing something or if I was simply not paying enough attention. I most certainly feel that this story is perfect for readers with long hours to kill, perhaps during a holiday trip due to its daunting length. However, this story is not very suitable for young people, it has a certain degree of violence and gore that I do not think is suitable for little children and the amount of talk about decaying corpses and beasts sent chills down my spine. The magical world built in the story will certainly appeal to every fantasy die-hard fan, since Garolfo made sure to cover all the basics, this story has everything we can ask for: heroes, villains, and magic.

What caught my eye the most was the fact that the three main characters lives are juxtaposed and eventually will lead to the same point. What is interesting though, is that readers are aware of this up until the middle of the book. It feels as if their journeys could be written as separate books and it would still make sense because there are so many elements shared among their stories. The way they have different mannerisms and diverse personalities that counterbalance each other made me feel that Garolfo had fun when writing this story. In addition, this can also be seen in the words he chose for the narration. Depicting a time much different from ours which absolutely bewitched me.

What I first thought to be a cookie-cutter tale turned into a very complex book. The author managed to create a world with many functional layers and rules. With a completely logical lexicon even though the components of the story are far from real. My favorite part about the narration is how the reader might be able to notice hints of other books in Korian. It seems as if the author is a well-rounded individual when it comes to magical universes and their creaters. In a sense, he is speaking about other fantastical tales while narrating his own storyline and presenting the plot. And although one might point out that some events resemble scenes from “Lord of the Rings“, “Throne of Glass“ or the “Days of the Deer“, making Korian lack originality, the book still manages to detach itself from others because of the complexity of the matters presented in the story. Making it the perfect hybrid of many fantasy tales.

I feel that this book developed much differently than I expected. I first started reading it thinking that I was bound to read a copycat from every other magic and fiction story. In fact, the first few chapters did not really stand out to me. However, it takes its own rhythm and path, making me rethink my previous statement. It is an action packed page- turner with beautiful detailing and character development. I will give this book 4 stars out of 4. I cannot wait for the sequel.

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Korian
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