Brilliantly original fantasy novel February 6, 2015
I received this book as a gift, and it sat on the shelf for several months. I finally picked it up and am very glad I did.
Kingdom Beyond the Rim features a main character - Jamus - who is both extremely powerful magically and extremely vulnerable. In a way, his story is that of a gifted child who is bullied by others because he is gifted, different, and an orphan. Jamus grows throughout the story, learning to love and trust others who love him. He also learns to protect himself from people who try to harm him and his friends.
As mentioned in a negative review, Kingdom contains a number of sexual situations, including rape. The descriptions are not extended or graphic, but they are frequent. As a result, most parents may consider this novel too adult for pre-teen children. As an adult, I found that the sexuality added a powerful dimension to the novel. Despite the prevalence of extremely powerful magic, Kingdom is very believable in terms of the personal interactions.
I highly recommend this book and have recently purchased both sequels - So far the second book is as enjoyable as the first.
(Corey Cole is one of the creators of the popular Quest for Glory computer adventure games.)