Reviews

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A kind review of Hero Wanted at Book Weyr blog

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

I’ve been hard at work trying to wrap up NOBLE CAUSE so I can get it before your eager eyeballs by summer. In the meantime, I stumbled upon this very kind review of HERO WANTED (though I think more in its earlier incarnation as JASON COSMO)  at the blog Book Weyr, which concludes:

In structural terms, the book is marvellous, meaning the world is governed by magical laws, but is also uncanny, meaning events have their order in nature. McGirt fulfills all the deepest requirements of fantastical narrative with such transparent superficiality in order to induce humour that you know its been painstakingly thought-out. Anyone teaching an introduction to fantastical writing should use this book.

That’s probably giving me way too much credit! But much appreciated. So go read the whole thing!

They also reviewed ROYAL CHAOS (although with spoilers, so if you haven’t read that one yet,  be warned!). I’m always fascinated when readers find things in my books that I didn’t know were there! Anyway, the gang at Book Weyr clearly put much thoughtful effort into their book reviews across multiple genres, so if you’re looking for ideas about books to read, or opinions on books you may have already read, do check them out!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

 

 

 

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Fantasy Author P.A. Seasholtz Reviews Hero Wanted

Greetings, Loyal Reader!

I hope your new year is off to a good start! Mine certainly is, thanks in part to a kind review of Hero Wanted posted by Loyal Reader (and fantasy author) P.A. Seasholtz at his Musings of the Othar fantasy and science fiction newsletter.

Mr. Seasholtz writes:

A funny thing happened when I sat down to write the Feature Article this month on Dan McGirt’s Hero Wanted.  I found I had nothing to say other than the obvious.  Read this book!  It really is that simple.

If the point of a book is to entertain, then McGirt’s rollicking fantasy is flawless.  It is a witty, humorous, reluctant-hero-saves-world-gets-girl romp with a dash of jaded crabby wizard thrown in – how could you possibly go wrong with that?

There is more if you are interested. All in all, a resoundingly positive review, which I greatly appreciate. I note that he also posted a nice comment about Hero Wanted at Goodreads.  Thank you, kind sir, for letting people know you enjoyed Hero Wanted and encouraging other readers to go and do likewise.

I’ve been fortunate to see only good reviews of Hero Wanted so far. It is encouraging to know that people enjoy the book. I have no doubt that negative comments will emerge at some point–no matter what you write, there will be some readers who love it and some who hate it–so I’m happy to bank the good reviews while I can.

Hearing from Loyal Readers is also a great motivator for me to stay focused on getting the next book, Noble Cause, done. I learned of Mr. Seasholtz’s review over the weekend when I was–ahem!– slacking off from writing to check email and surf the internet for a while. Amazing what a little positive reinforcement will do! I pushed on and finished my revision of Chapter 1 and 2 of Noble Cause. More on that later.

In the meantime, I want to mention that P.A. Seasholtz is the author of the Harmony of the Othar Saga, starting with Heart of Hauden. I’m going to confess that I have not (yet) read his work, but you can check it out for yourself here and form your own opinion. Please do–and keep those cards and letters coming, kids!

Best regards,

Dan McGirt

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Hero Wanted – The Reviews Are In!

Greetings,  Loyal Reader!

The first reader reviews of Hero Wanted are starting to appear online, and so far they are overwhelmingly positive! I’m glad to know that Loyal Readers are enjoying the book and I especially appreciate those who have emailed or commented to let me know or have posted a review to let the world at large know.  Thank you!

Let’s get to it:

Loyal Reader Georges, from Luxembourg, recommended the Hero Wanted ebook in the MobileRead Forums:

“Funny read.”

Georges was seconded by forum members Dr. Drib of Peru, Slite from Sweden (who is the Minister of The Large Dogs Of Infinite Peace And Absurdity, which is a very important cabinet position in Sweden. I think.). Several MobileRead members downloaded Hero Wanted on the strength of their recommendations, helping make Hero Wanted the #1 novel on Smashwords! ((By number of downloads)) Thanks, Georges, Dr. Drib, and Minister Slite!

Last week, the first two Amazon reader reviews came in — both are 5-star ratings, for a grand total of 10 stars!

First, Loyal Reader H. Johnson from Minnesota says:

Clever and Funny with a good story too … It’s rare for a book to be able to walk that line between being a genuine fantasy novel, and a parody novel. This book gets that balance just right. Not too silly, but not serious either. … The wit is sharp, and some of the humor is dry, but that’s how I like it…

This is like a “Director’s Cut” of a movie. He has gone back and re-written the entire book from the ground up…Think Extended Edition Lord of the Rings, not Special Edition Star Wars. He took something good, and made it better.

Follow the link to read the rest of this 5-star review, including the parts I …’d out.

Next, we hear from Loyal Reader Rick Friedman:

HERO WANTED has shown that one can create a fantasy story- yet allow the characters to be painted with wit, smarts and intrigue. Not since the Late Douglas Adams have I read an author with such skills as Dan McGirt.

… This is a book that should be bought, as it can be read over and over, and digested like a fine French dinner, with new insights appearing with each reading.

But much less fattening! Thanks H and Rick for your generous reviews! I’m glad you enjoyed the book and I appreciate you encouraging others to try Hero Wanted.

That’s all the reviews I’ve seen so far. If you’ve read Hero Wanted and enjoyed the book, I encourage you to post your own review. If you didn’t like it, I don’t encourage you as strongly! But you could still post a review and discuss what you see as the flaws in my story–who knows, it might help me do better on the next book.

If you do come across a review, good or bad, that I haven’t mentioned, please let me know either in a comment here, on my JasonCosmo Twitter page, at my Dan McGirt Facebook page, or by writing me at Dan @JasonCosmo.com

Best regards,

Dan McGirt