The Majat Testing by Anna Kashina Series: The Majat Code #0.5
Published: 2014 Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 33
Source: Purchased
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The Majat Testing is a short story set in the same world as Kashina’s recent novel Blades of the Old Empire. When I read the novel, I was unimpressed because I felt like it needed more work before publication, but I genuinely enjoyed Kashina’s writing and wanted to read more of her work. When I saw that there was a short story prequel on Amazon, I decided to give it a chance.
Unlike Blades of the Old Empire, The Majat Testing didn’t assume that readers were already intimately familiar with the setting. Instead, it described a brief affair between two individuals forbidden by the codes of their professions to form lasting bonds with other people. Egey Bashi is a Keeper, which is sort of like a scientist/wizard/monk. He rescues a young boy named Mik from an almost certain death, and realizes that he shows great promise based on his skill with weapons. He sends for someone from the Majat Guild, a society of highly trained ninjas/warriors who are renowned assassins, and they agree to send a representative to test the boy. Egey Bashi wasn’t expecting Arin, a Diamond Majat who is as sexy as she is dangerous.
The Majat Testing combines fantasy, action, and romance. It isn’t a long story and instead simply describes a moment of pleasure shared between two unlikely individuals who have chosen to sacrifice their personal lives to be part of elite professions. I enjoyed it far more than I did Blades of the Old Empire, and it was nice to get a bit of insight into Egey Bashi’s backstory.
