Such a Boy

Khirsha is the main character of all of the books in the Swords of Fire saga. Everything we see and learn we see and learn through his eyes and comprehension. There are occasional respites in which we see things from Shatahar's view (Shatahar is the Warlord seeking to destroy Madatar and take control of The Great Sea), but Khirsha is our point of view character.

We meet him just before he turns nineteen. To my intended reading audience this would make him a young man in our society. In Khirsha's world he is still a boy. Physically, he is a young man, capable of all the physical things young men can do. Socially, however, he is much younger. There is much he doesn't know or understand which boys and girls in our society know as young teenagers. But that's Khirsha's society. It's how they all are, so he fits right in.

I like Khirsha. He has his life before him and everything seems possible. He is about to be confronted by things beyond his wildest nightmares, but he will grow with each encounter.

Both Khirsha and Tavaar represent a lot of how I wished I had been at the same age. Both knew fear, but neither was exactly timid. They took risks. As a result, they grew. They improved. They gained knowledge and understanding. All of the things I failed to garner because I was too afraid to try things which needed to be tried, and go places which needed to be visited. What a waste. Now I live vicariously through the lives of characters who never existed.

I guess that's what fantasy is all about, isn't it? A chance to be someone different. To be better. To be what we always wanted to be, but were too afraid to reach for.

In any case, I like Khirsha. He's a good main character.