The King's Sun

The Brass Machine #1

by Isaac Grisham

Prince Kitsune dreamed of leading an army in his father’s wars for supremacy.

Before he can wage a single battle, the king crushes those hopes, banishing his devoted son.

But not all is lost. Kitsune will regain his birthright if he assassinates the son of his father's rival.

A son possessed by fiery magic.

Outside his kingdom for the first time, Kitsune struggles to survive mercenaries and political intrigue. He encounters the enigmatic, dark-haired Myobu. He discovers magical Yokai and dark family secrets…

...and strange new feelings for his companion.

As the two men forge their path together, an unrealized and dangerous magic blossoms within Kitsune. The powers of the Yokai are capable of unspeakable destruction, and they grow stronger in him with each passing day.

Can the prince use his gifts to slay his target and win his father's affection?

Or will it destroy everything he loves?

Genres: M M Romance, Fantasy, LGBT, Royalty, Magic, High Fantasy

298 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

Ever since my elementary school librarian made my short story about a sick dog available for checkout, I have wanted to be a writer. A lot of words have been put to paper since then, including tales about dinosaurs, space travels, and the afterlife. The Brass Machine series is my first published body of work.

Reviews

[Chase Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is not a genre I would normally choose to read. I'm not a fantasy or sci-fi reader for the most part. However, I was intrigued by the book's blurb and what trusted friends had to say about it (a planned trilogy-the second book is already out). Having said all of that...I really enjoyed this book. That was surprising for me at first because it is not my preferred genre--but then I realized that a good book is a good book. That transcends genres.

The world-building was excellent, the characters were fleshed out, there were villains I loved to hate, adventure and peril, a family melodrama and court/royal intrigue that kept me tense and excited, and an M/M romance that was sweet. This book had it all--without feeling like it tried to do too much. For anyone looking for any of the elements above, or just regular fantasy readers, I would definitely recommend giving Isaac Grisham's books a try. You won't be disappointed.

[Travis Beaudoin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isaac Grisham has created a complex, surprising story set in a richly-detailed world and driven by characters I can't stop thinking about.

The King's Sun is the first book in a planned trilogy. I'll be starting book #2 shortly, and I imagine I'll be impatient for book #3 long before it comes out.

Because TKS does so many things so well, it's a bit hard to classify, but I'd call it an adventure story with lots of elements of high fantasy, a bit of science fiction, and a sweet M/M romance at its heart. There's also family drama, court intrigue, a ton of great fight scenes, and a dense mythology that I'm eager to learn more about.

The writing is gorgeous, the pacing is good, and once I'd gotten into the heart of the story, I had a hard time putting the book down. This is a really strong debut from an author I'm looking forward to following.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

2 stars

This book was, for lack of a kinder word, a struggle. There’s a plot and characters and so on, but The King’s Sun lacks much of a soul and has a main character who lacks the ability to think independently of the events occurring around him.

The King’s Sun has a rather stiff and awkward writing style. It lacks a consistent flow and the prose is often slightly jarring. It just doesn’t read smoothly and I was never able to settle and find a rhythm. There is a plot, which is both confusing and simplistic by turns. But at least it fleshes out the world building fairly well and that helps make sense of the wider story line. The big reveal was really pretty obvious from the start and there’s a side plot regarding the destruction of a previous people that never really fits. The King’s Sun can’t seem to decide if wants to be a fantasy, a fable, a cultural warning, or something else all together and worse yet, it doesn’t have much emotional meat attached to it. The characters are flat and uninspired and we’re expected to champion them without really knowing why.

Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.

[Gideon Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queer fantasy is what I write. I am knee-deep in the creation of a trilogy in the sub-genre, and find myself in no mood to suffer fools among its other writers gladly. Prepared to loathe The King’s Sun, I instead found myself delighted from beginning to end. Grisham has created a dense, complex world without doddering about or letting us see him sweat.

Kitsune, a pretty prince (but don’t let looks fool you—he is very much not to be trifled with), is our hero. One of the niftiest aspects of this story is the way it cruises along, destroying Kitsune’s stasis pretty much from jump while managing to give us the physical and cultural and political lay of the land. We learn about the main character’s “normal” at the same time as he’s just realizing it’s been ripped from him. From the outset, Kitsune knows (or thinks he knows) how to set things right. Along his way to do that, we get the magic, adventure, and romance we want, all unfolding inside a web of intrigue which is itself unfolding—and growing. And twisting. And turning.

The King’s Sun delivers, both in terms of fantasy and in terms of queerness. Neither one of these feels stapled onto the other. I found that refreshing. This is a “Book One,” too! I couldn’t be more pleased about that, because I’m not done with Kitsune. I’m glad Grisham isn’t, either.

[Chase Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this exciting adventure story of a prince, kicked out of the palace, finding his way on his quest. Several plot twists were genuinely surprising.

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Great, rich world building. We begin by seeing the life Prince Kitsune lives, as well as how hard he pushes to impress his father, the king. And then everything is ripped away. And in it's happening, we are taken on a journey though this amazing world with Yokai and magic. There's danger, suspense, betrayal, and intrigue. Kitsune is not one to be taken lightly in spite of his predicament, and my heart was with him from the start. I was so upset for him that I think I was more hurt by what was done to him in the beginning than he was! The storyline had me completely captivated and I couldn't put it down. The author Isaac Grisham was also the narrator of the audiobook, which I thought was really nice. I've only listened to less than two dozen audiobooks so far, and this was the first I've heard narrated by the author who wrote it, so I was impressed. I enjoyed Isaac's narration and tone of voice and he spoke clearly throughout. A very enjoyable listen. I can't wait to listen to the rest of the series! 5 stars.

Overall: 5 stars
Performance: 5 stars
Story: 5 stars

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read the second book first before this one so it was out of order but I still enjoyed learning the back story and how the two main characters fell in love. I enjoyed the mythology and tales spun throughout as well.

[The Quille and Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I Think: Brought to me courtesy of Gay Book Promotion, this tale seemingly starts with a wandering style but picks up as it goes then works up to an almost feverish climax. For someone who has lived such a sheltered life, Kitsune is marvelously intelligent and I was in awe of him after a few pages. Kitsune is a true king as he is level-headed, calm in the face of danger and marvelously mature beyond his years. But he suffered so much that I’m glad that certain issues were only mentioned in passing to spare us having to deal with it on top of every other thing Kitsune was already suffering. Certain facts were obvious early on but it only added to the intensity as I went breathless with fear, love and anxiety as to how the future is wrought. Yet even then, the end is so shocking and painful that it made my heart ache. I hated Myobu passionately even as I loved how the couple was together. I know that Myobu had his reasons because someone capable of a love like this can’t be all bad but as I didn’t get to see those reasons in this tale, I just detested everything Myobu stood for because I could tell Kitsune was due for some more suffering.
A tale that really sucks you in, this author is so fluid that it’s almost organic as you piece things together and even guess at certain details before they happen. I know the king was nuts even before he summoned Kitsune as it is difficult to balance his type of obsession with a kind heart. The author delivers a smooth blend of fantasy, sci-fi and the paranormal which gives it a modern taste. When it finally happens, the lovemaking is sweet in its innocence and all the more necessary for it. By the time I was done reading this, I needed a break from more words just to soothe myself.

Verdict: A tale of rebirth, hurt, loss and grief. You won’t be rid of its hold until the sequel. Prepare your tissues and hold your heart!

https://thequilleandlampe.wordpress.c...

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to a series.

At first, I struggled with this audiobook, but I persevered, and halfway through, it finally clicked. The issue is that the reading is monotonous, and there needs to be a distinct voice change for different characters. However, I did speed up to 1.20 on Spotify, which did improve it slightly.

The story is well written, and I enjoyed the world-building and the character development. However, Kitsune, well, what can I say? Most of the time, you want to shake some sense into him. Even when he has all facts, he still carries on the quest set by his father. You really want to scream at the book in places. Say that, though. It does mean that you are invested in the story, and that is obviously a good sign.

The King's Sun
The Brass Machine, Book One
By: Isaac Grisham
Narrated by: Isaac Grisham
Series: The Brass Machine, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

❤❤❤❤ Overall
🎧🎧🎧 Narration
📚📚📚📚 Story
Read at 1.20 speed on Spotify

I received this audiobook for free from GRR at my request. My review is my opinion and an honest review - neither the author nor GRR influenced my opinion.

[L.D.]

The King’s Sun is the first book in the Brass Machine trilogy, an epic fantasy series with adventure, mythology, political intrigue, and (of course) love and betrayal. The main character is Prince Kitsune, a surprisingly naïve young man despite his many accomplishments. For Kitsune the world is pretty black and white – until it’s not. One day he’s a pampered prince and the next day he’s a banished exile. And this is where the story really starts. The plot is pretty fast pace with a lot of action and world building happening all at once. I found it a little hard to follow along at times because I was trying to absorb the world building, get a feel for the characters, and follow the plot. This fantasy world is very dense and intricate and we the reader get a lot of information about it, but once I started understanding how everything worked, I was able to settle into the story and go along with the ride. This book has romantic elements, but it is definitely not a romance – the story ends on a cliffhanger that had me holding my breath. Luckily, the trilogy is completed so the reader can jump right into the next book with no wait.

The audiobook was narrated by Isaac Grisham, the author himself. Grisham does a nice job of bringing his work to life and has a soothing and smooth voice that is pleasant to listen during the narrative portions. I thought the audiobook production was well done.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me so long to listen to because of the amount of annoyance I felt. While I did enjoy the plot and it made me interested in continuing the series, I just can’t understand the MC and his actions. He is so stupidly naive… I just kept cringing at everything he said and did. And I don’t have much hope he’ll change because at the end of this book not only is he stupid but he’s also angry. Which is the worst combo. I think I need some time to think and then I’ll decide to continue or not.
Also was the SA mention necessary? That character was already an asshole, it felt like a bit much.

But shoutouts to the author for narrating their own book! Audiobooks can be a bit rare in this genre so I appreciate it greatly!

[Daire Fray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book there were a lot of unsuspected turn of events I enjoyed most of the relationships formed I had fun on the journey they went on and the journal that was showed insights on the distant past I found interesting I disliked some of the descriptions because it felt like they lasted a tad to long sometimes and I didn’t like the casualness with which what happened during his banishment was discussed and brushed aside but other than that a really great book and I enjoyed the audiobook

[VVivacious · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Review. This review can also be found here.

4/5 exhilarated stars

Kitsune is the self-contained prince of Kitsunetsuki defined by his loyalty to his King, his Father, Oni. But when Oni banishes him from the kingdom, Kitsune is thrown off-kilter. Kitsune has no knowledge of what lies ahead of him and he has no idea of what his travels will unravel.

As he travels through Odom, skirts around the Wastelands to the Tribal lands, in search of the Harbinger to shed light on his path, he learns the truth about himself and his father. But more surprisingly he comes across the most undefinable emotion of all, love.

As love encompasses his mind and changes his perspective, what will happen to the mission that his brought him so far and what of the misguided loyalty that still belabours in his heart for his King.

This book will immediately inspire you to compare itself to much more prolific series that deal with the rise and fall of kingdoms but it lacks the complexity of plot that can only arise when you have multiple characters all with their own agenda pulling the plot in many different directions where it is always a challenge knowing who will succeed and how that will alter the chess board.

This book lacks all that complexity and overall has only two over-arching plotlines. Now the problem with having only two plotlines is that you know that they will eventually have to feed each other and the plot and so I had kind of guessed the most suspenseful event of this book from its blurb which was further validated when I started reading the book and then it actually came to be. So that would be its one downfall that the book lacks the complexity to hide the suspense of its storyline.

But, truthfully I liked the lack of complexity of over-arching agendas and plotlines where I am struggling to understand how they all come together. While those books are their own sort of fun, I really liked the way this book went about its storyline and that is saying something since I had already guessed its climax.

I really liked how magic was introduced in this book as something that Kitsune was sure of didn’t exist because it added a connection between him and me. Also, I like how magic was explored in this book.

I really liked Kitsune’s story I was so into it that the first detour that we took from his story to follow Saxma’s made me stop reading. I sometimes question authors changing perspectives when the storyline of one character is in jeopardy because it’s hard to read placid storylines when your heart is racing with adrenaline, it just had me really frustrated but later I really liked what Saxma brought to the story. I also liked how Saxma’s story is used to build up Oni and I can’t wait to see where that leads.

This story is essentially setting up the chessboard. By the end of the story we have all our main players in place and we know their backstories and where they are coming from and their motivations that will define their actions in the sequel which I would really like to get my hands on, hopefully soon.

This book is not a romance though love happens to be one of the great plot progressions in this book and I really liked the story of Darren’s lover. That idea of combining a story within a story was ingenious, in fact, some of the writing for that story related so well with life in general that it blew me away.

I have really come to like Kitsune and even though I can’t really understand his character, I am loving his story and I would love to know where it goes especially because of the cliffhanger that the so-called climax of this book was hiding which even I hadn’t guessed.

Cover Art by Dissect Designs. I really loved the cover. It is so amazing with the title engulfed in fire on the background of a series of cogwheels. Also, talking about the cover reminds me of the analogy in this book, that of the brass machine and I loved the metaphor.

[F. S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5? Immediately after finishing it, I went looking for another part so it seems that this mix of Japanese mythology and semi-epic romance worked on me.

A lot of things were told, not shown as I prefer though, probably which made characters and their actions jarring for me, not relatable ( spoiler !- as shrugging off a rape of the prince? and instant love for no apparent reason, and ignoring all the obvious signs etc). Raising different nuances, both made it interesting and disturbed the flow of the story for me.

The story has potential though, it intrigued me, so I'm curious to see how the author will grow and develop this world. I could feel the passion in his writing. All best muses!

[Lionel Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I loved how Kitsune grew as a character from the beginning of the novel to the end, and of course I picked it up because of the LGBT love between Myobu and Kitsune. But there were many twists and turns that were confusing at times and when I finally realized what it meant, I still somewhat did not understand. Also, the scene near the beginning of the book with Saxma and Kitsune was surprising to say the least to read about but I wouldn't say that that was a breaking point for me in the book. Overall, it was a really great read and I loved to see a different kind of magic shown with Yokai spirits which I'm still not sure if this was set in a Japanese world.

[Violet Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in The Brass Machine Series. What an intriguing book the writing was good. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters interesting. The characters were developed and thought out. Prince Kitsune and Myobu are the MC’s of this book. I can recommend this book as a good read. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this one on Spotify and this is a new author I'm definitely adding to my reading list. I can't wait for the other two books in the trilogy. The world building and attention to detail of the political machinations surrounding Prince Kitsune is absorbing and grabbed me from the first. There is romance, action, magic and it's clear Kitsune is going to have to make a lot of choices about his actions and where his loyalties lie before this series is over.

[tammy rufo · Rating 4 out of 5]

kitsune and myobu, loved them! didn't see that coming, def not like anything i ever read, but in a good way. loved this story, can't wait for book 2! would def recommend this book/author.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.