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The Nown World Chronicles #1
The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight
Cursed to live as a woman!
Ka-Ron of Teal, Errant-Knight to the Kingdom of Idoshia, is the bravest warrior under the crown. His exploits are legendary. His sword is feared by all in battle. His love is greatly sought after by women. He is a legend.
Then, one day he wakes to find that all that has changed. Cursed to live out his life as a beautiful woman, he and his faithful squire Jatel set out to find the Wicca Master who has cursed him.
As a woman, Ka-Ron enters a battlefield more treacherous than war. Love in any form carries with it great risk. What is a man to do, when he must live as a woman?
Ka-Ron now must face disgusting Xows, Sea Pirates, Dragons, Elves, Vampires, Dwarfs, lost undersea civilizations, and pregnancy. No life, however adventurous, can compare to THE MISADVENTURES OF KA-RON THE KNIGHT.
Ka-Ron of Teal, Errant-Knight to the Kingdom of Idoshia, is the bravest warrior under the crown. His exploits are legendary. His sword is feared by all in battle. His love is greatly sought after by women. He is a legend.
Then, one day he wakes to find that all that has changed. Cursed to live out his life as a beautiful woman, he and his faithful squire Jatel set out to find the Wicca Master who has cursed him.
As a woman, Ka-Ron enters a battlefield more treacherous than war. Love in any form carries with it great risk. What is a man to do, when he must live as a woman?
Ka-Ron now must face disgusting Xows, Sea Pirates, Dragons, Elves, Vampires, Dwarfs, lost undersea civilizations, and pregnancy. No life, however adventurous, can compare to THE MISADVENTURES OF KA-RON THE KNIGHT.
- GenresFantasy
508 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2010
4 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Donald Allen Kirch
47 books201 followersDONALD ALLEN KIRCH is an Multi-Award-Winning author who lives in The United States of America. He is an avid reader of history, Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, the paranormal, and is a "hardcore" Doctor Who / Star Trek fan. He has a degree in Radio and Television Arts and is listed in "Who's Who in America." After spending two weekends in the famous "Sallie House," a "haunted house" in Atchison, Kansas, he is one of the only authors of his craft who can claim to have been attacked by a ghost!
Donald is a Member of The Horror Writer's Association.
Donald is a Member of The Horror Writer's Association.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 21, 2017
My introduction to the "Nown" World Chronicles came about 6 years ago, when I did a lovely little interview with Donald Allen Kirch. I had the opportunity to review the adventures of Ka-Ron and Jatel as they were released over the next two years, and still count the books among my favorite fantasy trilogies.
Now, as the rights to each book revert back to him, Donald is releasing them with a few minor tweaks and some gorgeous new covers. First up, of course, is The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight . . . which I am pleased to say has stood the test of time, and is still an epic, gender-bending read.
This is the kind of book that takes me back to the classic, pulp fantasy novels that I so fondly remember from my high school years. From the plot, to the characters, to the narrative voice, it reminds me at times of authors like Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Michael Moorcock. Whereas the trend over the past decade has been towards sad and painful works of grimdark fantasy, this is a return to old-fashioned sword & sorcery fun.
As you might expect from a book about a legendary warrior cursed to live out his life as a beautiful woman, this is also a story with a fair bit of sex (and sexual innuendo), but it is done in a very clever and amusing way. Yes, Ka-Ron awakes from her transformation as an incredibly beautiful, sexually insatiable woman, but there are magical reasons for it . . . and very real consequences because of it. Aside from the sex, there are also some interesting explorations of gender here. Alternately comic and tragic, Ka-Ron’s efforts to adapt to her new situation reveal a hidden depth of maturity and sophistication that you rarely find in erotica.
Readers who find the initial sexual explorations to be a bit too much are strongly advised to stick with it, as there is a wonderfully exciting fantasy tale to follow. As they battle their way through pirates, hungry sea-dragons, a coven of vampires, an undersea realm, and an insane elven king, our heroes find new companions in the form of a wizard, a dwarf, an elf, a vampire, and a man-child upon whom both the curse and the story eventually turn. Ka-Ron and Jatel are the primary POV characters here, but Keeth, Molly, Rohan, and Dorian (especially Dorian!) round out the story perfectly.
The story does turn from comic to dark in the latter chapters, especially with the threat of an elven civil war, but Donald paces it well, knowing just when a bit of humour or sexual adventure is needed. At the same time, he resists the temptation to spice things up just for the sake of spicing things up, allowing the story to carry us along. By the end, we have formed strong bonds with all the characters, and their parting from us is indeed sweet sorrow . . . although we will see them again.
Like I said at the beginning, six years later the story still stands up, and it is just as much of a delight as I remember. In the end, Ka-Ron is far more than just a gender-swapped heroine, and her story works on all levels.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
Now, as the rights to each book revert back to him, Donald is releasing them with a few minor tweaks and some gorgeous new covers. First up, of course, is The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight . . . which I am pleased to say has stood the test of time, and is still an epic, gender-bending read.
This is the kind of book that takes me back to the classic, pulp fantasy novels that I so fondly remember from my high school years. From the plot, to the characters, to the narrative voice, it reminds me at times of authors like Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Michael Moorcock. Whereas the trend over the past decade has been towards sad and painful works of grimdark fantasy, this is a return to old-fashioned sword & sorcery fun.
As you might expect from a book about a legendary warrior cursed to live out his life as a beautiful woman, this is also a story with a fair bit of sex (and sexual innuendo), but it is done in a very clever and amusing way. Yes, Ka-Ron awakes from her transformation as an incredibly beautiful, sexually insatiable woman, but there are magical reasons for it . . . and very real consequences because of it. Aside from the sex, there are also some interesting explorations of gender here. Alternately comic and tragic, Ka-Ron’s efforts to adapt to her new situation reveal a hidden depth of maturity and sophistication that you rarely find in erotica.
Readers who find the initial sexual explorations to be a bit too much are strongly advised to stick with it, as there is a wonderfully exciting fantasy tale to follow. As they battle their way through pirates, hungry sea-dragons, a coven of vampires, an undersea realm, and an insane elven king, our heroes find new companions in the form of a wizard, a dwarf, an elf, a vampire, and a man-child upon whom both the curse and the story eventually turn. Ka-Ron and Jatel are the primary POV characters here, but Keeth, Molly, Rohan, and Dorian (especially Dorian!) round out the story perfectly.
The story does turn from comic to dark in the latter chapters, especially with the threat of an elven civil war, but Donald paces it well, knowing just when a bit of humour or sexual adventure is needed. At the same time, he resists the temptation to spice things up just for the sake of spicing things up, allowing the story to carry us along. By the end, we have formed strong bonds with all the characters, and their parting from us is indeed sweet sorrow . . . although we will see them again.
Like I said at the beginning, six years later the story still stands up, and it is just as much of a delight as I remember. In the end, Ka-Ron is far more than just a gender-swapped heroine, and her story works on all levels.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
December 5, 2018
Soooo.... what can I say about this story? Weirdly fascinating. The characters the story line even the writing kinda put me in a daze. I could have done without the sex but that’s only cause I’ve been reading romance for ten years and I’m over it lol Many things really annoyed me about the characters action and thoughts but the story kept me hooked. The narrators reading was kinda slow so I sped it up and it was good. I over all enjoyed it, don’t know if I’ll get book two but only cause fantasy is not really my genre, if it’s yours though give this a try!!
.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
August 7, 2010
“The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight” by Donald Allen Kirch:
Only Kirch could comprehend a tale as convoluted as “The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight” and weave a tapestry of unbelievable, yet absolutely accurate—would it have been true—characters and situations his readers will find entirely irresistible.
I have to admit; I had to first remind myself this was fantasy—fiction—which meant anything could happen. Once I got that, I found I was completely captivated, humored and utterly satiated. From Ka-Ron, the errant-knight of Idoshia and Kym—the woman who loved him—and her mother Kai, who casts a spell on Ka-Ron, this book springs to life in the most unusual way. Then we meet, Jatel, the knight’s, young squire; oh, and I mustn’t forget Ka-Ron’s horse Everheart—whom he can converse with by the way. Whew!
Very quickly En-Ron and Jatel’s lives become intertwined in a way they could never imagine—nor will you—and are joined by a cast of dysfunctional, curious, captivating creatures and various beings. An old warlock, an elf, a dwarf, a child-like dragon named Tork, pirates, a ship dubbed Argo and even vampires—just to name a few—invade their crazy, mixed-up, complicated and absolutely hilarious relationship.
My favorite line in the book: Molly (a vampire) and EnDon (Ka-Ron’s son) are caught making love. Ka-Ron, says, “He is not ready for this! He barely knows his alphabet!” And the dwarf’s comment was comparatively as priceless. If you want to know what all this fuss is about, read this book. You’ll love it! I did and I could not put it down.
Reviewed by: Terri Ann Armstrong author of “Morning Menace” and Executive Editor of Suspense Magazine
Only Kirch could comprehend a tale as convoluted as “The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight” and weave a tapestry of unbelievable, yet absolutely accurate—would it have been true—characters and situations his readers will find entirely irresistible.
I have to admit; I had to first remind myself this was fantasy—fiction—which meant anything could happen. Once I got that, I found I was completely captivated, humored and utterly satiated. From Ka-Ron, the errant-knight of Idoshia and Kym—the woman who loved him—and her mother Kai, who casts a spell on Ka-Ron, this book springs to life in the most unusual way. Then we meet, Jatel, the knight’s, young squire; oh, and I mustn’t forget Ka-Ron’s horse Everheart—whom he can converse with by the way. Whew!
Very quickly En-Ron and Jatel’s lives become intertwined in a way they could never imagine—nor will you—and are joined by a cast of dysfunctional, curious, captivating creatures and various beings. An old warlock, an elf, a dwarf, a child-like dragon named Tork, pirates, a ship dubbed Argo and even vampires—just to name a few—invade their crazy, mixed-up, complicated and absolutely hilarious relationship.
My favorite line in the book: Molly (a vampire) and EnDon (Ka-Ron’s son) are caught making love. Ka-Ron, says, “He is not ready for this! He barely knows his alphabet!” And the dwarf’s comment was comparatively as priceless. If you want to know what all this fuss is about, read this book. You’ll love it! I did and I could not put it down.
Reviewed by: Terri Ann Armstrong author of “Morning Menace” and Executive Editor of Suspense Magazine
May 3, 2013
This review is probably not 100% accurate. That is because, and this happens so rarely I felt compelled to warn others why, I found myself unable to continue reading past the first hundred or so pages.
The Misadventures of Ka-Ron is about a noble night who, through "typical" male insensitivity leads a woman to kill herself when he refuses her love for him. The woman's mother to get revenge turns him into a woman so Ka-Ron can feel for himself what her daughter felt. It's the Japanese gender-bender genre brought west and when I first saw it I was quite excited.
Unfortunately, the book reads like a combination of a thirty year old virgin's sexual fantasies and a prepubescent girl's idea of love. It's bad smut with flat characters. The emotional development goes along the lines of, "Zap, now you're a woman. Oh, by the way this spell will make you fall in love with this man and he will fall in love with you. No need for any of that messy growing into your identity as a woman, we'll let magic and orgasms take care of that." This initial development is then followed by about 80 pages of minimal plot development and as much badly written sex as the author could stuff in. Granted, this may change in the next few hundred pages, and if you're willing to put in the time and effort to find out then good for you, but I was not. I'd rather spend my time reading one of the thousands of other books that aren't soft-core pornography masquerading as literature.
The Misadventures of Ka-Ron is about a noble night who, through "typical" male insensitivity leads a woman to kill herself when he refuses her love for him. The woman's mother to get revenge turns him into a woman so Ka-Ron can feel for himself what her daughter felt. It's the Japanese gender-bender genre brought west and when I first saw it I was quite excited.
Unfortunately, the book reads like a combination of a thirty year old virgin's sexual fantasies and a prepubescent girl's idea of love. It's bad smut with flat characters. The emotional development goes along the lines of, "Zap, now you're a woman. Oh, by the way this spell will make you fall in love with this man and he will fall in love with you. No need for any of that messy growing into your identity as a woman, we'll let magic and orgasms take care of that." This initial development is then followed by about 80 pages of minimal plot development and as much badly written sex as the author could stuff in. Granted, this may change in the next few hundred pages, and if you're willing to put in the time and effort to find out then good for you, but I was not. I'd rather spend my time reading one of the thousands of other books that aren't soft-core pornography masquerading as literature.
Read
April 26, 2010I LOVED this book. I was not sure at first cause fantasy is not a fav of mine but this was a different kind of fantasy. Lots of action, lots of messages are hidden in here, and charactors that are very easy to identify with. We have Knights, Vampires, Elves, Dwarfs, Wizards, Demons and of course the Wiccan Master who started it all with her curse.
Read this book, it will make you laugh and cry and look for more. Can't wait for the next one. Highly Recommended
Read this book, it will make you laugh and cry and look for more. Can't wait for the next one. Highly Recommended
February 24, 2011
Wow! What a great book. This is a grand adventure about a knight who is turned into a rather sexy woman. This author did a nice job keeping me interested and did not allow my senses to stop from going crazy in the outcome. I will admit that there was a LOT of sex at the beginning of the book, and that kind'a turned me off, at first, but there is a "human" story here. One that I was glad to read. If you like a great fantasy, read this book!
Read
September 25, 2010This was my first venture into the "fantasy" world, although some people seem to think that I spend a lot of time there. I can't say that it was what I was expecting . . . it was way better! It maintains both a sense of humor and a feeling of suspense and high expectations all the way throughout. I can't wait for book two!
January 27, 2011
A fantastic read! Although I was almost turned off by the sex at the start of the story, and there is a lot of sex, I came to learn it was all part of the main character's curse. As the story unfolded I became engrossed in the many turns and surprises the author introduced me to. To any and all, I HIGHLY recommend this book.
June 9, 2011
A great epic! Worthy of TV or film.
January 26, 2011
Bloody awful. It reads like some desperate dork's sexual fantasy. Avoid.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews