Here are three more great fantasies I read:
- Magic at Midnight — Could you pretend to be boring and self-absorbed if it would save someone you loved?
- The Adventures of Iric — Iric, Watchman of Marudal, City of Magic, is fascinating.
- A Hero is Born — less fantasy than fantastical, this is the stunning epic of China from the 1200’s to the reign of Genghis Khan
A note about my reviews: I only post reviews about books I liked so don’t be surprised to see lots of 4/5 and 5/5. If I don’t like the book, I won’t spend time writing about it.
Magic at Midnight
by Ronel Janse van Vuuren
5/5
In Ronel Janse van Vuuren’s Magic at Midnight (2019), Amy has an unusual job. She takes care of a herd of Pegasi–cleans their stables, feeds them, befriends them, and keeps them safe. It’s hard work and takes all day every day but she likes the peace and quiet as well as the uninterrupted time with the Pegasi, some of which have become closer friends than any human she knows. Though she possesses magical powers, she never uses them to make her job faster or easier because part of what she gets from working with these amazing spirited almost-horses is the reality of a job well done for an important purpose.
That changes one day when she is called on to assist her country by donning the garb and the attitudes of a royal princess and competing for the hand of the prince. Though it is as far from her reality as anything she’s ever done and holds no interest, she agrees because if she doesn’t her Pegasi herd will be in danger. She is whisked off to a castle where she is scrubbed and shined, trained and teased, until she is prepared to join the rest of the princesses who are part of this competition.
That’s where it gets complicated. She thought wearing fancy dresses and pretending to be selfish and disinterested in anything but herself would be the hardest part of what she has been asked to do. Not even close.
This is a delightful, fun mix of Pretty Woman and Cinderella with its own clever twists and turns. It’s a quick read–ninety-eight pages, easily completed in a few days. I highly recommend it for those times you just want to escape reality and find a happily ever after ending.
The Adventures of Iric
by JM Williams
5/5
JM Williams’ The Adventures of Iric (November 2017) is the story of Iric, the newest Watchman of Marudal, City of Magic. Williams introduces the collection of twenty-four stories with an introduction to Iric and then, shares scenes from Iric’s life. Each is a stand-alone event (a bit like vignettes) but all connected by Iric and his growth as a Watchman. He solves each problem using sometimes his own innate moral paradigm and other times, his growing experience as a Watchman.
“The man looked ready to take out his anger on the surrounding crowd. Iric couldn’t let that happen. It was, in fact, his job to prevent it.”
“As a Watch recruit, he had been lectured and drilled endlessly on his duty to protect the public.”
One of my favorite events is when Iric sits with the widow of a fellow watchman and listens to her talk about her passed husband. Iric does this at first because it’s the right thing to do and then because it’s important.
Another favorite:
“His sergeant—a bearish man named Vott—had taken Iric around town and forced him to learn the names of everyone he met.”
It is almost inconsequential that Iric’s world is filled with magic and wizards, that woven so deftly into the stories and Iric’s life, you have no problem believing it exists.
As I read the stories, I enjoyed traveling with Iric, learning from his calm acceptance of duty and earnestness to succeed and appreciating his ongoing personal and professional growth.
Williams has a peaceful, enticing way of putting words together such that they are easily accessible and engaging to the reader:
“With each strike he came closer to the cradle of the earth, that special place six feet down that so gracefully accepted the dead.”
Some of the twenty-four stories are:
- The Giant and the Cheese
- No Escape
- Dragon’s Tongue
- The Tree Sign
- Faithless
- more
This is a highly entertaining and very satisfying read. It is recommended for anyone interested in fiction that transports the reader flawlessly to a world apart from their own.
A Hero is Born
by Jin Yong
4/5
A theme I like reading is how ordinary people rise to Herculean challenges and defend justice despite overwhelming odds. This is why I like westerns and thrillers where the common man becomes superhero in his quest for justice. That’s what caught my attention about Jin Yong’s A Hero is Born (MacMillon 2019), Book 1 in Legends of the Condor Heroes. The story, written in 1957 by the world’s best-selling Chinese-speaking author, is an epic series that when published in its original Chinese, counted its fans in the hundreds of millions. It spans decades of Chinese history, starting in 1200’s and continuing until Genghis Khan. It includes tough moral men, talented in the hand-to-hand fighting of the Far East, maybe assisted by the occasional magic. It is about love, loss, triumph, power, and overcoming.
It is a delight to read and unlike any other action or historic book you’ll ever read.
Why 4/5 instead of 5/5? I think despite the translator’s efforts, the story lost something in the translation. I am pretty sure if I read it in the original Chinese, it would be 6/5.
–received an ARC copy in return for my honest thoughts
More Indie Author Reviews
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#bookrelease #scifi #indieauthor #flashfiction
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for TeachHUB and NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, The Quest for Home, Fall 2019. You can find her tech ed books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning
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Le ven. 19 juil. 2019 à 08:09, WordDreams… a écrit :
> Jacqui Murray posted: “Here are three more great Indie fantasies: Magic at > Midnight — Could you pretend to be boring and self-absorbed if it would > save someone you loved? The Adventures of Iric — Iric, Watchman of > Marudal, City of Magic, is fascinating. A Hero is B” >
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Thanks!
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They all sound really interesting. Going to add them to my TBR list!
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Ronel just posted an amazing video about her book. If you click through to her blog, it’ll be worth the time.
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Thanks Jacqui. And nice to see a review there for Sally’s book. 😉
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I’m married to an Irishman so that one is close to my heart!
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Wonderful! 🙂
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Those are intriguing reviews. I especially liked your take on the last one. It sounds like quite the epic!
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This was an interesting group. I was really pleased.
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I’ve read Magic and loved it. The other two sound intriguing as well.
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Ronel has a home run with Magic at Midnight. I surprised myself how much I loved Iric’s story.
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Thanks, Jacqui 🙂
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Thanks, Sandra 🙂
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Jacqui, all of these Indie books sound so fascinating and my kind of books. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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They are great. I hope you enjoy them.
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Lovelys suggestions, Jacqui, thanks. I ‘m just finishing a scifi series by Jemisin, so I’ll look these up–fantasy might be just thing for now.
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It’s a nice escape from the world when simple fiction just doesn’t do. I’ll have to check out Jemisin. Never heard of him/her.
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I really like the sound of Magic at Midnight. The story line of the narrative where Amy goes to a castle and cleans reminds me of Cinderella – Cinderella with a dark story. Sounds like being someone else she is not the worst thing to happen to her. Maybe I will pick up the book and have a read 🙂
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I had that feeling too as I read it. It’s not a ‘fractured fairy tale’ or fan fiction, just a similar character. Really enjoyed it.
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Thank you 🙂
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Reblogged this on JM Williams and commented:
That’s a humbling review of Iric. And seems I am in good company here. It is certainly true that translation can be difficult. As others have commented, after translation, it is no longer the author’s voice. But more than that, translation requires a complex understanding of culture. That’s why you can have several PhD’s, who spend their lives studying Greek culture and myth, rendering different translations of the Iliad and Odyssey. And it might also explain why fan subs of anime are often more popular than the official ones; the publishing companies often westernize the cultural references, which causes much of the complexity and nuance and even characterization to be lost.
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Iric surprised me. I expected a futuristic character and found someone very human, that I could relate to. I really enjoyed that.
Yes, good company–I thought you’d like that. Especially A Hero is Born–that one too surprised me. It’s been around a long time but newly-translated. I’d love to talk to someone who’s read it in Chinese.
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I’ve got a friend who is pestering me to read “The Three-Body Problem,” which is Chinese and I have to assume well-translated, given its success.
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To get lost in other worlds, in other times – one of the pleasures of reading books. These all sound wonderful. Thanks for great descriptions, Jacqui.
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These are so close to reality–in different ways–as to be believable. Who doesn’t believe the gods really existed? Hmm?
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I also am interested in Magic at Midnight—sounds like an unusual plot.
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Who doesn’t like Unicorns? Right?
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Thank you 🙂
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Magic at Midnight definitely appeals – thanks for sharing 😀
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It’s a fun story made even better with the wonderful unicorns. And the detail about Amy’s daily duties, caring for them–I loved it.
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Yay! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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I’m sure I will!
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I seldom read translated books, Jacqui, and I believe that the translated story may not change from the original, but I think it’s no longer that author’s words. And yes, sometimes the translator may even do better by the book.
Magic at midnight sounds amazing. It reminded me of The selection, without the magical aspect.
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I learned about translated books from personal experience. I read several in the native Russian and they lacked the atmosphere when translated. Still, A Hero is Born has much about history and beliefs in it so I found it valuable in those way.s
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Thanks, Jina 🙂
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Thanks for the suggestions, Jacqui.
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Any time, GP. I was intrigued by the fight strategies I thought I’d learn from in A Hero is Born but it didn’t quite work out that way.
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All three of these sound so good, Jacqui. I’ve been getting a lot of reading done lately and need more books. Thanks for the recommendations!
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I’m stunned–someone who’s actually making progress with their TBR pile! Woohoo!
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Ha ha. Not anything like you whale-readers, Jacqui. I learned how to make my iphone read to me! It’s not the most eloquent narrator, but I use it while driving, running errands, etc. It’s been a godsend.
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Well that’s pretty cool. I can’t think how it would do that offhand but you have me curious.
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I’m going to post about it when I get a chance. 🙂
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Great reviews Jacqui! I’ve added the first two to my TBR list:)
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They are great. A Hero is Born has a lot of history mixed with the fantasy. A blended choice!
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Yay! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Based on your reviews, I would like to pick up ‘Magic at Midnight.’ Thanks Jacqui.
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You won’t be sorry, Balroop. It’s not poetry but is at times poetic.
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I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Some great books here, Jacqui! The Chinese epic sounds amazing.
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They’re not my norm so I enjoyed each immensely!
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Always good to try something different. I just finished Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter. It was so good I don’t want to start another book. But I will.
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Congratulations everyone. Great looking book cover.
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They are, aren’t they–great covers. I’m selecting a cover for my latest book so that’s on my mind.
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Great selection and reviews. Thanks.
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Thanks, Staci. I was excited for John when a publisher picked up his book (about Iric). So, I’ve included that link. Kudos!
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Thanks, Jacqui 🙂
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Wonderful book, Ronel. And an incomparable cover.
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🙂
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Great reviews, Jacqui. The covers, titles and your reviews make them great recommendations.
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This is one of my more eclectic collections. There’s quite a variety in authors, settings, everything.
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It is eclectic, that’s true.
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These sound like great reads. Thanks for the reviews, Jacqui
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Pretty cool books, every one. The covers grabbed me first in all three, one more than the others (see if you can guess which one!)
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These all sound intriguing, Jacqui, especially the last one.
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The Hero is Born grabbed me, partly the imaginative cover but also the content. I wish I could have read it in the original Chinese. I notice with my Russian authors, they are much more powerful when I read the Russian translations rather than English.
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Reblogged this on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and commented:
Three amazing looking indie fantasy recommendations from Jacqui Murray..I certainly like the look of all of them but A Hero is born looks fascinating.. head over and check them out.
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This is an eclectic collection, connected by their fascinating characters. I got A Hero is Born on Netgalley so it might still be available…
I loved all of them.
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thanks for the recommendation will check out Netgalleryx
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