King's Son, Magic's Son

by Josepha Sherman

Having won his Faerie love, Ailanna, at great peril to himself, young Aidan finds himself torn between a call to aid his embattled half-brother, the king, and a mighty oath sworn to the Lord of Faerie.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Josepha Sherman was an American author, folklorist, and anthologist. In 1990 she won the Compton Crook Award for the novel The Shining Falcon.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lightweight sword and sorcery fantasy

If there's such a thing as brain candy in the fantasy genre, then Sherman's KING'S SON, MAGIC'S SON has to qualify. Utterly enjoyable, completely straightforward, nary a hidden message in sight and frankly unremarkable except for that lightweight enjoyment factor!

The King has died leaving a legitimate son by his recognized wife and a second scion by another woman who might be termed a witch, a sorceress or at least a lady who is definitely in touch with the white magic of the natural world around her. As the second son's magical skills increase, he meets the love of his life who happens to be a fairy. But his love cannot be allowed to come to full fruition until he fulfills the vow he made to protect his half-brother.

KING'S SON, MAGIC'S SON just isn't in the same league as epic fantasies such as LORD OF THE RINGS or THE FITZCHIVALRY FARSEER TRILOGY but if you spot a copy languishing on the shelf of your local second hand bookstore, be sure to grab it and save it for a rainy day or your next trip to the beach.

Recommended.

Paul Weiss

[M.C. Hutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorites, pure High Fantasy. It's a book about keeping your promises, responsibility and love. Back before 1st person books were popular, It's steeped in magic and elves, griffons and dark magi. Old world superstition and when Christianity was fresh. A promise from a son to his mother, leaving home to watch over a brother he had never known. Some prejudice, trust issues and drama. Everything that makes a good book. No blatant sex scenes or language, just good old literature.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has all the magic and questing of any faerie tale of celtic origins. Even the language the author uses brings celtic music to mind. Add in a tale of court politics, intrigue between kingdoms and forlorn love and this would appeal to anyone who enjoys Shea's Timeless Fairy Tales retellings. I recommend this to them.

[Friedrich Haas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up trading at a road side kiosk. The only book that had potential. It was pleasant, had a different voice to it, and yeah I got a lil' emotional at the end.

[Jessica Lerbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting with lots of magic, and people with bad tempers who would have had an easier time of it if they could just talk more...

[Kevin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story that manages to feel timeless. Told from a single point of view and written well. The focus is narrow and only really expands upon a few characters but it does not suffer for it. It is very much a chronicle of one man's thoughts on people and places he is only visiting for a short time. It is not an epic story but an intimate one.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. The book itself is pretty much out-of-print, but I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy.