'The Wyrms of Kakhun' – Lawrence Harding


I'm trying to act all cool about it but I can't get into any of my books right now and it is doing my head in more and more. You know that feeling you get when you live in a flat that is literally full of books and you can't settle down with a single one of them? That's all me right now.

What is a Graeme to do then? Well, I thought I'd go and look for my next read somewhere different to where I'd normally look, see what happened next. 'What happened next' was my coming across a tweet from Lawrence Harding, thinking to myself that 'The Wyrms of Kakhun' sounded like an intriguing title and finally, buying a copy from Harding's Ko-Fi page.

I'm very glad that I did, let me tell you why.

The Bordermasters are the last line of defence for mankind against the horrors that dwell beyond the Plateau. They are the last sanctioned users of magic in a world magic all but destroyed. Teilo Jatari wishes nothing more than to join their ranks - but can he overcome his own inner demons and prevail in his Initiation?

It's not often that a story speaks to me; I mean actually speaks me on a first name basis and says, 'I know what you're dealing with Graeme, but here's why it's going to be ok'. 'The Wyrms of Kakhun' did though and I'm really grateful for it.

Teilo's demons are ones that we all deal with to one extent or another and so it is very likely that you have heard 'The Wyrms of Kakhun's message before. What I can almost guarantee though is that you've never heard it delivered with the heart and passion that Harding injects into his story. The sense of honesty really helps too. Your demons won't just go away, they'll always be there waiting to take another bite out of you, but you can beat them back. I don't know about you but it helped me to hear that message, delivered in the way that it was.

If that wasn't enough, 'The Wyrms of Kakhun' makes every use of it's 6K word count to deliver a richly detailed world of peril (just look at the trophies on the wall...) but also a sense of honour that leads men to do what they must, even when they don't believe that they can. You're only there for a short while but it's a world that's really easy to immerse yourself in for those brief moments. I wouldn't mind reading more in this setting. It is a short tale but 'The Wyrms of Kakhun' does everything it needs to with its word count.

'The Wyrms of Kakhun' isn't the story that you were expecting (and that's all I'll say there) but if you're anything like me, it's a story that you'll need to hear. It's on sale (pay what you like) now, on Harding's Ko-Fi page, and I'd recommend grabbing yourself a copy.

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