Welcome everyone to the second part of my Book Thoughts series. To give a brief explanation, or a reminder for anyone who read the first one, Book Thoughts is exactly what the name suggests. It is a series where I give my thoughts on various books I've read. They're not meant to be well thought out reviews. Rather, they're just me gushing and rambling about books I loved reading. So, without further ado, let us begin.

I discovered Tanith Lee about a year ago, when I watched this short from the Extra History channel on Youtube. I didn't go looking for it. It just showed up thanks to the algorithm, and thank goodness for it. While I won't say I'm a fan of Tanith Lee, since I only read one of her books so far, there's a good chance that I'll end up as one before too long.

Cyrion is about the eponymous hero, a famed adventurer in a land called Heruzala, which resembles the Kingdom of Jerusalem after the First Crusade. It is a world rife with magic and mysticism, haunted by strange and mysterious creatures such as ghosts, demons, witches, and more.

The premise of Cyrion (the book) is rather simple. Roilant, a wealthy noble of Heruzala, goes to an inn in search of Cyrion. While there, he hears tales about Cyrion's deeds, with each one serving as its own self-contained story. This makes the book a collection of short stories, with a novella in the latter half, rather than a proper novel. The book cuts back to Roilant in between each story, who becomes increasingly desperate to find Cyrion as time goes on.

To me, Cyrion himself is the most interesting part of the book. A good thing, considering he's the main character. He's known to be swift and strong and skilled with a blade. However, that isn't what makes him great to me. It's his cleverness and cunning. Rather than rely solely on his physical prowess, Cyrion makes just as much use of his mind, if not more so. I remember reading on Goodreads where someone described him as a combination of Sherlock Holmes and Zorro, and I'd have to agree.

Part of Cyrion's appeal is that the book never reveals too much about him. It shows bits and pieces of his history, but not everything. If anything, what is revealed just leads to more questions. He remains a mystery throughout the entire book. To me, that just adds to his mystique.

All in all, I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading stories about quests and adventure. As for me, I plan on reading more of Tanith Lee's works to see if I enjoy them as much as I enjoyed Cyrion.

Happy reading y'all!