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Changespell Saga #1
Dun Lady's Jess
When hikers Dayna and Eric find a young woman naked, terrified, and speechless, they're sure she's the victim of foul play. But the truth is much more shocking: she isn't human at all. She's Dun Lady's Jess, a horse transformed into this new shape by the spell that brought her and her rider, to whom she is utterly devoted, into this world.
Possessed now of human intelligence but still a horse deep inside, Jess desperately searches this world for her master and rider, using her fiery equine spirit to take on human idiosyncracies--and human threats.
Possessed now of human intelligence but still a horse deep inside, Jess desperately searches this world for her master and rider, using her fiery equine spirit to take on human idiosyncracies--and human threats.
343 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1994
62 people are currently reading
586 people want to read
About the author
Doranna Durgin
114 books226 followersDoranna Durgin is an award-winning author (the Compton Crook for Best First SF/F/H novel) whose quirky spirit has led to an extensive and eclectic publishing journey across genres, publishers, and publishing lines. Beyond that, she hangs around outside her Southwest mountain home with horse and highly accomplished competition dogs. She doesn't believe in mastering the beast within, but in channeling its power--for good or bad has yet to be decided! She says, “My books are SF/F, mystery, paranormal romance, & romantic suspense. My world is the Southwest, and my dogs are Beagles!”
Doranna’s most recent releases encompass the three books of the Reckoners trilogy--a powerful ghostbuster raised by a spirit, her brilliantly eccentric backup team, a cat who isn't a cat, and a fiercely driven bounty hunter from a different dimension who brings them together when worlds collide.
Doranna’s most recent releases encompass the three books of the Reckoners trilogy--a powerful ghostbuster raised by a spirit, her brilliantly eccentric backup team, a cat who isn't a cat, and a fiercely driven bounty hunter from a different dimension who brings them together when worlds collide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
February 19, 2017
I so wanted to love this book. All the ingredients for me were there – as a professional dressage rider it was a pleasure to read a book by someone with a total understanding of my sport, and the glorious animals we train. The idea of a horse magically transformed into a woman, and her subsequent issues coping with her body and expanded mind, is genius. And it’s well written too.
I’ve pondered a lot over why it took me weeks to read it, and the lack of connection I felt to the story, and I can’t even pin it down with any great accuracy. All I can say is, I never really found myself identifying with any of the characters at any great depth. Jaime I understood – her devotion to her sport, and her horses – and Jess is fascinating. But I found their experiences somehow less than emotionally deep, and that, I think, is where I failed to engage.
The story is told from several viewpoints. I don’t mind that at all, but none of them touched me on that emotional level that draws me into a book and keeps me turning the pages. The story seems to drag a bit during the first half, with large gaps of not much happening. Once they are transported to Jess’s world it speeds up, but still seemed a little disjointed.
Of all the characters, Eric was probably the most sympathetic, and sadly he’s the only one to not last the story. Dayna just annoyed me until the last few pages, and Mark was rather bland. Carey was also annoying, and his society, while undoubtedly well worked out, seemed conveniently arranged to provide deliberate frustrations to the plot.
The denouement was satisfactorily wrapped up, though a bit too convenient for some of the characters, particularly Jess, and I found the climax a letdown, jumping from physical action to a retelling of what happened after the event.
Overall, I reluctantly give this book three and a half stars, I wanted to give it so much more but couldn’t.
I’ve pondered a lot over why it took me weeks to read it, and the lack of connection I felt to the story, and I can’t even pin it down with any great accuracy. All I can say is, I never really found myself identifying with any of the characters at any great depth. Jaime I understood – her devotion to her sport, and her horses – and Jess is fascinating. But I found their experiences somehow less than emotionally deep, and that, I think, is where I failed to engage.
The story is told from several viewpoints. I don’t mind that at all, but none of them touched me on that emotional level that draws me into a book and keeps me turning the pages. The story seems to drag a bit during the first half, with large gaps of not much happening. Once they are transported to Jess’s world it speeds up, but still seemed a little disjointed.
Of all the characters, Eric was probably the most sympathetic, and sadly he’s the only one to not last the story. Dayna just annoyed me until the last few pages, and Mark was rather bland. Carey was also annoying, and his society, while undoubtedly well worked out, seemed conveniently arranged to provide deliberate frustrations to the plot.
The denouement was satisfactorily wrapped up, though a bit too convenient for some of the characters, particularly Jess, and I found the climax a letdown, jumping from physical action to a retelling of what happened after the event.
Overall, I reluctantly give this book three and a half stars, I wanted to give it so much more but couldn’t.
October 27, 2017
I read this book back in the 90s, when it was first published. I completely loved it, and it was high on my Favorite Books Ever list. When I spotted it in ebook format, I grabbed it.
Unfortunately, while there were some good parts of it, overall it didn't hold up. The story was about a horse that magically turned human. It opened set in a fantasy world, where a wizard found a portal to another world (ours). He hired his most trusted messenger to carry the details about how to cast the portal spell. Since some evil wizard was after the spell, he gave the messenger a necklace that would do Something if he was trapped and needed to escape. No details on what, just that it would do Something.
Of course the messenger got trapped and needed to use it. The Something turned out to be he and the horse he was riding got sent to Earth. For some reason, his horse got turned into a person (but he didn't get turned into a horse). For some reason, they both appeared on Earth in different places.
Even that far, my willingness to believe was being badly stretched. But then it got worse: Dun Lady's Jess, the horse-now-woman, was knocked out in the park. She was in a horse's tack, saddle on her back, bit in her mouth, all that. Naked. Knocked out. Two people find her. Do they call the cops? Do they call 911? Do they take her to a hospital?
No. They take her to their home.
I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. A naked woman. Unconscious. In a horse's gear. And you don't call the cops? Seriously?
The story got even less believable from there. The author wrote one part well, I believed how the woman acted, as if she had really been a horse. But the rest of the story around that? Too many people acting way too unbelievable. I gave up at the 17% point.
Unfortunately, while there were some good parts of it, overall it didn't hold up. The story was about a horse that magically turned human. It opened set in a fantasy world, where a wizard found a portal to another world (ours). He hired his most trusted messenger to carry the details about how to cast the portal spell. Since some evil wizard was after the spell, he gave the messenger a necklace that would do Something if he was trapped and needed to escape. No details on what, just that it would do Something.
Of course the messenger got trapped and needed to use it. The Something turned out to be he and the horse he was riding got sent to Earth. For some reason, his horse got turned into a person (but he didn't get turned into a horse). For some reason, they both appeared on Earth in different places.
Even that far, my willingness to believe was being badly stretched. But then it got worse: Dun Lady's Jess, the horse-now-woman, was knocked out in the park. She was in a horse's tack, saddle on her back, bit in her mouth, all that. Naked. Knocked out. Two people find her. Do they call the cops? Do they call 911? Do they take her to a hospital?
No. They take her to their home.
I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. A naked woman. Unconscious. In a horse's gear. And you don't call the cops? Seriously?
The story got even less believable from there. The author wrote one part well, I believed how the woman acted, as if she had really been a horse. But the rest of the story around that? Too many people acting way too unbelievable. I gave up at the 17% point.
December 6, 2015
Fantasy books and movies have been rife with shape-shifting heroes and villains in recent years, mostly werewolves and vampires. The teaser for this book stood out from all that, however, in that it included a character who is transformed from a horse to a human. That intrigued me and so I read the Kindle version of the book.
The story is solidly a fantasy set in a parallel world to current-day earth, called Camolen. Camolen is very similar to our world, and is very much an Earth II, but not a duplicate. While it is Earth and is inhabited by human beings and the same species of animals, it is not the same people and animals. The level of civilization seems to be more-or-less medieval with the world ruled, or at least led, by wizards. And their level of technology is very low, with most of the functions that we handle by technology and machines, being handled for them by magic.
The storyline involves a spell that has been created by the good wizards (including the protag wizard, Arlen) that allows people to transcend dimensions and so travel between worlds (like between Camolen and our Earth). Work on the spell has been accomplished by a “networking” of the wizards via horse-riding couriers (which is less risky than using magic). But with the spell operational, the wizards are concerned that some “of the less conscientious” among them will use the spell to travel to other worlds to ravage them and bring back technology to wreak havoc in Camolen.
One such bad wizard is a woman named, Calandre, who has found out about the worlds-traveling spell and is seeking to obtain it. So Arlen purposes to send his lead courier, Carey, to an associate wizard, Sherra, who will create a “checkspell” that will prevent unauthorized use of the world-transversing spell (this is commonly done for all major magic).
It’s crucial that Carey not get caught with the spell (contained in a gemstone) and the documentation that goes with it. Arlen warns him to invoke the spell to escape if anyone tries to capture him. His escape will be to another world, where he can invoke it again to return to a safe-house in Camolen (since a connection between worlds will follow him and so give him access to the magic in Camolen). He’ll have to be careful, though, not to take along inadvertent stragglers within the spell’s range. Got that?
Now all of this struck me as pretty run-of-the-mill for fantasy stories and, while well-written, didn’t really grab me. Still, it held my interest enough to stay with it. I suspect strong fans of this genre will have no trouble remaining involved with the story.
So in a nutshell, Carey is attacked while on the road and flees riding his fast horse, Dun Lady’s Jess (he calls her “Lady”). To save his life and his mission, Carey is forced to invoke the worlds-transversing spell and it takes him and Lady to our Earth. One side effect of the spell is that is changes Lady into a woman.
About half the book concerns the adventures of Carey and Lady on our Earth. They find they have been followed by a minion of Calandre and so most of the action is the chasing and battling between them.
The strength of the book is the family of characters that develop around Carey and the transformed Lady (who as a woman is called, “Jess”). Ms Durgin handles those characters and their relationships very well. She also does well in developing Jess as a character—as both horse and human. Jess’ struggles to adjust to her new form are told believably and sympathetically, and are the fun of the book. And of course, there’s the complication of the transfer of her feelings of devotion for Carey as a horse, to her love of him as a human.
In the last half of the book, the action returns to Camolen where the worlds-traveling magic transforms Jess back to Lady. She is still a Point-Of-View character, however, and Ms Durgin handles those scenes well and we continue to pull for Lady as we pulled for Jess. We also see development in the other protagonist characters and their adjustments to a world where technology is replaced by magic.
Dun Lady’s Jess won the Compton Crook for Best First SF/F/H of the Year (in 2013, I suppose) and has a devoted following for it and it’s two sequels (it would make a good TV series, I think). And while it is a good book—well written with a great hook of the horse-to-human angle, and infused with an obvious love for horses, I do have a few criticisms.
First, while Ms Durgin does a good job with the characterizations of the protagonists, she leaves the antagonists (especially the bad wizard, Calandre) rather flat. We don’t really know what motivates Calandre other than just being a psychopath, and she’s not in very many scenes. Most of the “bad work” is done by Calandre’s minions and they are mostly just expendables without character. Actually, I think even Arlen could have been developed some more.
The idea of magic being used instead of technology in Camolen was kind of interesting but not quite believable to me. I did like, however, the idea that using magic has consequences of collateral damage and side-effects. Overall, though, the main storyline of the conflict between wizards struck me as weak. I didn’t get a feel of “high stakes,” and what battling there was between the wizards seemed to abbreviated.
Still, there were moments of insight that appealed to me. Like when Arlen asks Jaime (the horse expert) if there were evil people like Calandre on her world. She replies:
“Too many of them. Of course, they don’t have magic to play with. They have to make do with guns and bombs and blind political fervor.”
There’s a theme there that I think Ms Durgin could have enlarged on a bit.
I did like this book. I think Ms Durgin has come up with a unique, interesting, and sympathetic character in Jess the horse/woman who should be able to sustain a series. Ms Durgin just needs to ramp up her storytelling a bit and expand her character development to the bad guys.
The story is solidly a fantasy set in a parallel world to current-day earth, called Camolen. Camolen is very similar to our world, and is very much an Earth II, but not a duplicate. While it is Earth and is inhabited by human beings and the same species of animals, it is not the same people and animals. The level of civilization seems to be more-or-less medieval with the world ruled, or at least led, by wizards. And their level of technology is very low, with most of the functions that we handle by technology and machines, being handled for them by magic.
The storyline involves a spell that has been created by the good wizards (including the protag wizard, Arlen) that allows people to transcend dimensions and so travel between worlds (like between Camolen and our Earth). Work on the spell has been accomplished by a “networking” of the wizards via horse-riding couriers (which is less risky than using magic). But with the spell operational, the wizards are concerned that some “of the less conscientious” among them will use the spell to travel to other worlds to ravage them and bring back technology to wreak havoc in Camolen.
One such bad wizard is a woman named, Calandre, who has found out about the worlds-traveling spell and is seeking to obtain it. So Arlen purposes to send his lead courier, Carey, to an associate wizard, Sherra, who will create a “checkspell” that will prevent unauthorized use of the world-transversing spell (this is commonly done for all major magic).
It’s crucial that Carey not get caught with the spell (contained in a gemstone) and the documentation that goes with it. Arlen warns him to invoke the spell to escape if anyone tries to capture him. His escape will be to another world, where he can invoke it again to return to a safe-house in Camolen (since a connection between worlds will follow him and so give him access to the magic in Camolen). He’ll have to be careful, though, not to take along inadvertent stragglers within the spell’s range. Got that?
Now all of this struck me as pretty run-of-the-mill for fantasy stories and, while well-written, didn’t really grab me. Still, it held my interest enough to stay with it. I suspect strong fans of this genre will have no trouble remaining involved with the story.
So in a nutshell, Carey is attacked while on the road and flees riding his fast horse, Dun Lady’s Jess (he calls her “Lady”). To save his life and his mission, Carey is forced to invoke the worlds-transversing spell and it takes him and Lady to our Earth. One side effect of the spell is that is changes Lady into a woman.
About half the book concerns the adventures of Carey and Lady on our Earth. They find they have been followed by a minion of Calandre and so most of the action is the chasing and battling between them.
The strength of the book is the family of characters that develop around Carey and the transformed Lady (who as a woman is called, “Jess”). Ms Durgin handles those characters and their relationships very well. She also does well in developing Jess as a character—as both horse and human. Jess’ struggles to adjust to her new form are told believably and sympathetically, and are the fun of the book. And of course, there’s the complication of the transfer of her feelings of devotion for Carey as a horse, to her love of him as a human.
In the last half of the book, the action returns to Camolen where the worlds-traveling magic transforms Jess back to Lady. She is still a Point-Of-View character, however, and Ms Durgin handles those scenes well and we continue to pull for Lady as we pulled for Jess. We also see development in the other protagonist characters and their adjustments to a world where technology is replaced by magic.
Dun Lady’s Jess won the Compton Crook for Best First SF/F/H of the Year (in 2013, I suppose) and has a devoted following for it and it’s two sequels (it would make a good TV series, I think). And while it is a good book—well written with a great hook of the horse-to-human angle, and infused with an obvious love for horses, I do have a few criticisms.
First, while Ms Durgin does a good job with the characterizations of the protagonists, she leaves the antagonists (especially the bad wizard, Calandre) rather flat. We don’t really know what motivates Calandre other than just being a psychopath, and she’s not in very many scenes. Most of the “bad work” is done by Calandre’s minions and they are mostly just expendables without character. Actually, I think even Arlen could have been developed some more.
The idea of magic being used instead of technology in Camolen was kind of interesting but not quite believable to me. I did like, however, the idea that using magic has consequences of collateral damage and side-effects. Overall, though, the main storyline of the conflict between wizards struck me as weak. I didn’t get a feel of “high stakes,” and what battling there was between the wizards seemed to abbreviated.
Still, there were moments of insight that appealed to me. Like when Arlen asks Jaime (the horse expert) if there were evil people like Calandre on her world. She replies:
“Too many of them. Of course, they don’t have magic to play with. They have to make do with guns and bombs and blind political fervor.”
There’s a theme there that I think Ms Durgin could have enlarged on a bit.
I did like this book. I think Ms Durgin has come up with a unique, interesting, and sympathetic character in Jess the horse/woman who should be able to sustain a series. Ms Durgin just needs to ramp up her storytelling a bit and expand her character development to the bad guys.
September 18, 2018
Review to follow!
May 17, 2017
A fun read, from a fresh point of view. The author spends a little too much time exploring that point of view rather than telling the story, but she creates a believable world and culture. This is a stand alone book, but I would definitely read the next in the series. Ms. Durgin has a good understanding of the equine psyche - horse lovers especially would enjoy this.
October 10, 2015
Hard to believe I hadn't found this one earlier in my life. It is beautiful and has such depth. Would love to read more of the series.
October 1, 2023
Man, this was a surprise when it showed up at the library for me. I'd forgotten I'd requested it from interlibrary loan. I got a first printing paperback from 1994 in really good condition. No pages missing. Card pocket on the front cover. No idea what the cover looks like, actually.
Anyway, shapechangers are a big thing in my head and I'd never read a horse shapechanger except for what was in Piers Anthony's book about the dimensional-travelers with the woman who changed from a horse to a hummingbird. This story was much more in depth about the horse - woman part.
Carey is a rider for Arlen, a wizard who's helped come across a massive spell which will take people to other worlds/dimensions. If this spell can't be checked with a counterspell, and quickly, Calandre, a black magic wizard, will take the spell and try to conquer other worlds - and bring back weapons from those worlds to this one. Carey, riding his favorite dun mare (the titular character), is attacked so he uses the spell to escape certain death for himself and his horse.
And then we're on Earth, late 20th century, where Eric and Dayna, out hiking, come across a woman with peculiarly-striped hair, wearing a saddle on her back and surrounded by other horse paraphernalia like a bridle, saddlebags, etc. The woman is naked and freaked out, unable to speak. They figure something terrible happened to her and due to Eric's concern about what the cops might do with/to such a woman, he convinces Dayna to bring her home.
The woman isn't mute though and surprises them by speaking their names and learning English very quickly, though her story about being a horse is awfully bizarre. So, they take her to Jaime, a mutual friend who rides dressage and has a stable, and Jaime, after watching Jess, as the woman has been come to known (Eric and Dayna refuse to call her 'Lady'), is more apt to believe a horse-woman.
And then this weird guy shows up, claiming to be looking for a dun mare and/or her rider, and Jaime, Jess, and their friends wind up in the midst of a magical battle which could decide the fate of two worlds.
This was really an intriguing read. I very much enjoyed the characters and their concerns about Lady/Jess being an abuse case, and how others react to the horse-woman. I see this is a series which means I may go looking for more because the writing about horse body language and Jess's reactions in human form are just wonderful.
Anyway, shapechangers are a big thing in my head and I'd never read a horse shapechanger except for what was in Piers Anthony's book about the dimensional-travelers with the woman who changed from a horse to a hummingbird. This story was much more in depth about the horse - woman part.
Carey is a rider for Arlen, a wizard who's helped come across a massive spell which will take people to other worlds/dimensions. If this spell can't be checked with a counterspell, and quickly, Calandre, a black magic wizard, will take the spell and try to conquer other worlds - and bring back weapons from those worlds to this one. Carey, riding his favorite dun mare (the titular character), is attacked so he uses the spell to escape certain death for himself and his horse.
And then we're on Earth, late 20th century, where Eric and Dayna, out hiking, come across a woman with peculiarly-striped hair, wearing a saddle on her back and surrounded by other horse paraphernalia like a bridle, saddlebags, etc. The woman is naked and freaked out, unable to speak. They figure something terrible happened to her and due to Eric's concern about what the cops might do with/to such a woman, he convinces Dayna to bring her home.
The woman isn't mute though and surprises them by speaking their names and learning English very quickly, though her story about being a horse is awfully bizarre. So, they take her to Jaime, a mutual friend who rides dressage and has a stable, and Jaime, after watching Jess, as the woman has been come to known (Eric and Dayna refuse to call her 'Lady'), is more apt to believe a horse-woman.
And then this weird guy shows up, claiming to be looking for a dun mare and/or her rider, and Jaime, Jess, and their friends wind up in the midst of a magical battle which could decide the fate of two worlds.
This was really an intriguing read. I very much enjoyed the characters and their concerns about Lady/Jess being an abuse case, and how others react to the horse-woman. I see this is a series which means I may go looking for more because the writing about horse body language and Jess's reactions in human form are just wonderful.
November 30, 2019
This was a gorgeous book. So good. The characters were really great, especially Jess and Jamie.
Dun Lady’s Jess is a horse who works for Carey, a courier for a wizard in a world where magic is real. The wizard has just discovered a spell that allows for travel between worlds and sends Carey and Lady with the spell to another wizard to get a checkspell created for it. Unfortunately, they are attacked by agents of yet another wizard who wants to steal the spell for herself. In the attack, they all fall off a cliff and wind up in the modern world we know. And in the process, Lady turns into a human and is separated from Carey.
She has a difficult time understanding what has happened to her. Learning to move like a human is difficult, never mind trying to figure out how to talk. Fortunately, they apparently speak English, or some language as near to it as makes no difference, in the world she is from. But still, trying to understand the people who find her, and to make them understand that she is really a horse and that she wants to find Carey, who is nowhere to be found in this new world, is next to impossible. Dayna, the woman who first finds her, has issues of her own, is convinced that Jess (as they call her when she has finally made them understand her name) is mental and needs to be in an institution. But Eric, Dayna’s boyfriend, convinces her that they should at least take Jess to see Jamie, a woman who trains and understands horses before they take such a drastic step.
Jamie is more sympathetic and offers Jess at least temporary shelter and a job doing something she can understand. They eventually become friends.
And then the man who wounded Carey shows up, looking for his equipment, and they start to get a clue where Carey might be. And things begin to get really strange. And dangerous. Eventually, the spell returns them – all of them – to Jess and Carey’s world. Jess is once more a horse. And they must still get the spell to Sherra for the checkspell.
Dun Lady’s Jess is a horse who works for Carey, a courier for a wizard in a world where magic is real. The wizard has just discovered a spell that allows for travel between worlds and sends Carey and Lady with the spell to another wizard to get a checkspell created for it. Unfortunately, they are attacked by agents of yet another wizard who wants to steal the spell for herself. In the attack, they all fall off a cliff and wind up in the modern world we know. And in the process, Lady turns into a human and is separated from Carey.
She has a difficult time understanding what has happened to her. Learning to move like a human is difficult, never mind trying to figure out how to talk. Fortunately, they apparently speak English, or some language as near to it as makes no difference, in the world she is from. But still, trying to understand the people who find her, and to make them understand that she is really a horse and that she wants to find Carey, who is nowhere to be found in this new world, is next to impossible. Dayna, the woman who first finds her, has issues of her own, is convinced that Jess (as they call her when she has finally made them understand her name) is mental and needs to be in an institution. But Eric, Dayna’s boyfriend, convinces her that they should at least take Jess to see Jamie, a woman who trains and understands horses before they take such a drastic step.
Jamie is more sympathetic and offers Jess at least temporary shelter and a job doing something she can understand. They eventually become friends.
And then the man who wounded Carey shows up, looking for his equipment, and they start to get a clue where Carey might be. And things begin to get really strange. And dangerous. Eventually, the spell returns them – all of them – to Jess and Carey’s world. Jess is once more a horse. And they must still get the spell to Sherra for the checkspell.
March 31, 2025
3.5 stars. I just feel like it didn’t quite live up to its potential. I really enjoyed the character work here and how each character stands unique on their own. And of course we need more adult fantasy books with horses as main characters. I will be continuing the series as I need more of Jaime, Jess, Dayna, and Carey 🤎
March 4, 2018
This is a beautiful fantasy. One that's you want to curl up and read if you, or anyone you know, once wanted to be a horse. There is magic, shapeshifting, a traveling between lands. My second book by Doranna Durgin and rest assured not my last. 💜
September 23, 2018
A fascinating concept and a strong fantasy adventure story. One of the better "fantasy world intrudes on real world; real world intrudes on fantasy world" tropes that I've read, too. Durgin makes everything work, somehow!
June 5, 2019
Pretty good
Very entertaining and fun book, good characters and quite a interesting storyline to read to me it was a good attempt at giving the reader a real look at the way a horse might think
Very entertaining and fun book, good characters and quite a interesting storyline to read to me it was a good attempt at giving the reader a real look at the way a horse might think
February 1, 2020
The horse turned woman felt genuine. It was interesting for such a begin taking on a totally different persona. The nice humans that befriend are fully realized not just bland saints that many nice characters devolve into.
June 3, 2017
This was a good book with characters I liked. It was an interesting take on multi-worlds and transferring. Quite imaginative!
September 27, 2020
Pretty cool tranformation. Book has action and a love story .
October 30, 2023
I guess I'm not a horse girl
November 11, 2013
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a review.
4.5 stars
The first time I heard (read, more like) about this book was some time in 2012 when Trudi Canavan retweeted Durgin's blog post about needing to look for a good publisher. Back then, I had been intrigued by the blurb of Dun Lady's Jess and wanted to get my hands on a copy of it. Of course, that wasn't possible, especially given the circumstances under which I found out about the book. So when I saw this book listed in the early reviewers giveaway on LibraryThing, I simply had to get my hands on it. When I received the notification saying that I had won a copy, I literally jumped up and down in glee - much to the puzzlement of my family.
Of course, I had my doubts. Sometimes, when you have too much expectations for something, it eventually turns out to be a huge let down. That's not what happened with Dun Lady's Jess. Dun Lady's Jess was beautifully written. It wasn't hard at all to get immersed into the flow of the story and get into the shoes of the characters. The pacing of the story was fast enough not to be boring yet not so fast as to leave you stumbling about in confusion. Oh, and there's another thing. You see, in my opinion, the trickiest part of the story is always the blurb. If you write too much, you are essentially covering the details of the story up to the first two-thirds of the book and that makes the book extremely boring for the readers; if you write too little, you virtually have no material to work on and that leaves you with a blurb that is not interesting enough to capture the attention of readers browsing for books. In Durgin's case, she did the smart thing - which meant that she cut all the crap and jumped straight into the story. Worried that you will have to read one-third of the way into the book before Lady turns into Jess? Nope. That happens extremely early in the book.
A lot of reviewers had mentioned this but it really won't do this book any justice not to mention it again - the part about Lady the horse transitioning into Jess the human was a job well done, successfully capturing the essence of a horse trapped in a human body - its confusion, its mannerisms, its body language... The list goes on. If I had a problem with the shape-shifting aspect of the story, it's the reactions that Lady gave when confused. Sure, horses react that way when they are frightened or confused but I'm just not so sure if the motivation for them to start kicking is as mindless and stupid as Durgin puts it. In other words, Durgin got the actions right but I'm not sure about the thoughts.
A huge bonus was the fact that this book can be read as a complete stand alone and it has a happily-ever-after ending. No cliffhangers. No heart-wrenching sob story. Happy ending, even if a little too happy to be entirely realistic but meh, I'm at that point in life where I don't read fantasy fiction to look for realism - enough of that in real life. What I need is a good book to curl up and read and help me release stress and this book does all of that and more.
Honestly, if I had read this book a few years back, I would have given it 5 stars straight. So why didn't I give it 5 stars now? It's simply because after reading the book, a few questions popped into my head immediately. Simply put, there were certain things which I felt would have only made sense for people living in the given condition to do but they didn't because if they did, the story simply would not have been able to go on. Don't get me wrong, though. Don't worry. It is nothing big and has nothing to do with characters acting stupidly or irrationally. That would have caused me to strike off 2 stars instead of 1/2 because I absolutely cannot tolerate stupid characters.
4.5 stars
The first time I heard (read, more like) about this book was some time in 2012 when Trudi Canavan retweeted Durgin's blog post about needing to look for a good publisher. Back then, I had been intrigued by the blurb of Dun Lady's Jess and wanted to get my hands on a copy of it. Of course, that wasn't possible, especially given the circumstances under which I found out about the book. So when I saw this book listed in the early reviewers giveaway on LibraryThing, I simply had to get my hands on it. When I received the notification saying that I had won a copy, I literally jumped up and down in glee - much to the puzzlement of my family.
Of course, I had my doubts. Sometimes, when you have too much expectations for something, it eventually turns out to be a huge let down. That's not what happened with Dun Lady's Jess. Dun Lady's Jess was beautifully written. It wasn't hard at all to get immersed into the flow of the story and get into the shoes of the characters. The pacing of the story was fast enough not to be boring yet not so fast as to leave you stumbling about in confusion. Oh, and there's another thing. You see, in my opinion, the trickiest part of the story is always the blurb. If you write too much, you are essentially covering the details of the story up to the first two-thirds of the book and that makes the book extremely boring for the readers; if you write too little, you virtually have no material to work on and that leaves you with a blurb that is not interesting enough to capture the attention of readers browsing for books. In Durgin's case, she did the smart thing - which meant that she cut all the crap and jumped straight into the story. Worried that you will have to read one-third of the way into the book before Lady turns into Jess? Nope. That happens extremely early in the book.
A lot of reviewers had mentioned this but it really won't do this book any justice not to mention it again - the part about Lady the horse transitioning into Jess the human was a job well done, successfully capturing the essence of a horse trapped in a human body - its confusion, its mannerisms, its body language... The list goes on. If I had a problem with the shape-shifting aspect of the story, it's the reactions that Lady gave when confused. Sure, horses react that way when they are frightened or confused but I'm just not so sure if the motivation for them to start kicking is as mindless and stupid as Durgin puts it. In other words, Durgin got the actions right but I'm not sure about the thoughts.
A huge bonus was the fact that this book can be read as a complete stand alone and it has a happily-ever-after ending. No cliffhangers. No heart-wrenching sob story. Happy ending, even if a little too happy to be entirely realistic but meh, I'm at that point in life where I don't read fantasy fiction to look for realism - enough of that in real life. What I need is a good book to curl up and read and help me release stress and this book does all of that and more.
Honestly, if I had read this book a few years back, I would have given it 5 stars straight. So why didn't I give it 5 stars now? It's simply because after reading the book, a few questions popped into my head immediately. Simply put, there were certain things which I felt would have only made sense for people living in the given condition to do but they didn't because if they did, the story simply would not have been able to go on. Don't get me wrong, though. Don't worry. It is nothing big and has nothing to do with characters acting stupidly or irrationally. That would have caused me to strike off 2 stars instead of 1/2 because I absolutely cannot tolerate stupid characters.
September 2, 2016
Dun Lady’s Jess
Doranna Durgin
Review by Jessica Atha
"Dun Lady’s Jess" by Doranna Durgin is a fantasy about the unpredictability of love and magic, changing form, and traversing worlds.
In order to protect a dangerous, world-changing spell from an evil witch, our two heroes – a courier named Carey and his horse, Dun Lady’s Jess – are thrown into another world by the very spell they are trying to protect. The two are separated and Jess is left alone to find Carey in an unfamiliar place while dealing with an unexpected side effect – the spell turned her into a human woman!
Durgin writes in a highly detail-oriented style, which is vital to an inhuman perspective, even in third person. A transformation of the mind from animal to human or vice versa is difficult to do, and fascinating when done right. The transition from horse to human is extremely well-handled and Jess’s learning curve of thinking, speaking, and even moving around is perfectly paced while she tries, without words for the most part, to convince her human rescuers that she is not a normal woman.
After Jess finds Carey, her slowly emerging morals and personality also fit the transition of a deep relationship between a man and a horse to that of a man and a woman – the relationship of trust and dedication that is the heart of the story.
I was extremely gratified when, about halfway through, Carey, Jess, and their new friends travel back to their world of magic, and the effects of the spell are reversed. I appreciate that the minds of the horse and woman (labeled conveniently for the reader as Lady and Jess respectively) do not become one and the same. This distinction is what kept me from getting weirded out by the romantic feelings that could borderline bestiality.
The narration in third person point of view jumps around from character to character. This is well done, but somewhat inevitably makes the individual character voices (except for Carey and Lad Jess) less distinct. To keep the narrative voice consistent and flowing, they end up melding into the same voice. While they all had unique personalities and story lines, perhaps their voices may have been better heard in an alternating first person point of view.
The main villain Calandre, whom they must contend with upon their return, is not as frightening as her minions. She is physically cute and unthreatening; most of her personal threats are abstract and her motive seems to originate in an exclusion from the cool magicians. Two of her minions in particular inspire the most fear in the role of antagonist: one who follows them to Earth and hunts them down; and the second in the other world whose specialty is torture.
The question of why the two worlds, Camolen and Earth, are so similar (despite the presence/absence of magic) is brought up more than once, yet remains unanswered. I’m hoping that this is touched in one of the other books in the Changespell Saga, which also includes "Changespell," "Changespell Legacy," and "Barrenlands," the prequel.
"Dun Lady's Jess" is perfect for horse-lovers, fans of other-worldly adventures, and those who simply enjoy fantastical stories of unusual transformations.
Doranna Durgin
Review by Jessica Atha
"Dun Lady’s Jess" by Doranna Durgin is a fantasy about the unpredictability of love and magic, changing form, and traversing worlds.
In order to protect a dangerous, world-changing spell from an evil witch, our two heroes – a courier named Carey and his horse, Dun Lady’s Jess – are thrown into another world by the very spell they are trying to protect. The two are separated and Jess is left alone to find Carey in an unfamiliar place while dealing with an unexpected side effect – the spell turned her into a human woman!
Durgin writes in a highly detail-oriented style, which is vital to an inhuman perspective, even in third person. A transformation of the mind from animal to human or vice versa is difficult to do, and fascinating when done right. The transition from horse to human is extremely well-handled and Jess’s learning curve of thinking, speaking, and even moving around is perfectly paced while she tries, without words for the most part, to convince her human rescuers that she is not a normal woman.
After Jess finds Carey, her slowly emerging morals and personality also fit the transition of a deep relationship between a man and a horse to that of a man and a woman – the relationship of trust and dedication that is the heart of the story.
I was extremely gratified when, about halfway through, Carey, Jess, and their new friends travel back to their world of magic, and the effects of the spell are reversed. I appreciate that the minds of the horse and woman (labeled conveniently for the reader as Lady and Jess respectively) do not become one and the same. This distinction is what kept me from getting weirded out by the romantic feelings that could borderline bestiality.
The narration in third person point of view jumps around from character to character. This is well done, but somewhat inevitably makes the individual character voices (except for Carey and Lad Jess) less distinct. To keep the narrative voice consistent and flowing, they end up melding into the same voice. While they all had unique personalities and story lines, perhaps their voices may have been better heard in an alternating first person point of view.
The main villain Calandre, whom they must contend with upon their return, is not as frightening as her minions. She is physically cute and unthreatening; most of her personal threats are abstract and her motive seems to originate in an exclusion from the cool magicians. Two of her minions in particular inspire the most fear in the role of antagonist: one who follows them to Earth and hunts them down; and the second in the other world whose specialty is torture.
The question of why the two worlds, Camolen and Earth, are so similar (despite the presence/absence of magic) is brought up more than once, yet remains unanswered. I’m hoping that this is touched in one of the other books in the Changespell Saga, which also includes "Changespell," "Changespell Legacy," and "Barrenlands," the prequel.
"Dun Lady's Jess" is perfect for horse-lovers, fans of other-worldly adventures, and those who simply enjoy fantastical stories of unusual transformations.
October 17, 2015
All I can say is WEIRD. For people who dearly love horses and think old Flicka really loves them in return and is loyal and wonderful, you have found your book.
Just imagine you are in a world where wizards and magic exist. You are riding your trusty mare and encounter an enemy. You are ambushed, so your failsafe spell activates at the same time the enemy blasts you with a different spell. Now with two competing spells occurring at once, virtually anything could happen. The rider could be sent to the desert and turned into a snail, his horse into a platypus. The result is Dun Lady's Jess, the mare, is sent to Earth transformed into a human. Her rider goes to Earth as well, but is not transformed at all. Too bad.
A lot of the book is about how a woman who owns a dressage barn and trains horses and riders helps Jess (the horse in a human body) become more human.
Anyone who has been around horses for any length of time knows that they are a prey animal driven by instinct. They would display no drive to read, ride their former selves, go on quests, fling themselves into dangerous situations or save others. While the book represents a lot of wishful thinking by Ms. Durgan, it is clear she loves horses and takes anthropomorphizing to a new and absurd level. Mr. Ed eat you heart out.
Beyond the horse antics there is also a plot in the world of magic, where an evil wizard is trying to take over with great success. Jess, her rider, along with her new friends must go back to the magic world and save the wizard who cast one of the original spells and also defeat the evil wizard. The only problem, Jess will turn back into a mare.
Oh, I forgot the creepiest part of the whole book, the romance between Jess and her rider. Is this like what they do in Tiajuana? Oh, I forgot. That's a donkey. No matter what happened, she was still a horse. Eww!
This book had many five star reviews that raved about what an incredible story this was, but no one mentioned that it was a book for horse-crazy people who preferred their horses to people, not horses as people. If only they could transform their horses to humans, they could live happily ever after, and go off into the sunset with their former four-footed friends and their leather accessories. Yee Haw!
Like I said at the start, WEIRD!
Just imagine you are in a world where wizards and magic exist. You are riding your trusty mare and encounter an enemy. You are ambushed, so your failsafe spell activates at the same time the enemy blasts you with a different spell. Now with two competing spells occurring at once, virtually anything could happen. The rider could be sent to the desert and turned into a snail, his horse into a platypus. The result is Dun Lady's Jess, the mare, is sent to Earth transformed into a human. Her rider goes to Earth as well, but is not transformed at all. Too bad.
A lot of the book is about how a woman who owns a dressage barn and trains horses and riders helps Jess (the horse in a human body) become more human.
Anyone who has been around horses for any length of time knows that they are a prey animal driven by instinct. They would display no drive to read, ride their former selves, go on quests, fling themselves into dangerous situations or save others. While the book represents a lot of wishful thinking by Ms. Durgan, it is clear she loves horses and takes anthropomorphizing to a new and absurd level. Mr. Ed eat you heart out.
Beyond the horse antics there is also a plot in the world of magic, where an evil wizard is trying to take over with great success. Jess, her rider, along with her new friends must go back to the magic world and save the wizard who cast one of the original spells and also defeat the evil wizard. The only problem, Jess will turn back into a mare.
Oh, I forgot the creepiest part of the whole book, the romance between Jess and her rider. Is this like what they do in Tiajuana? Oh, I forgot. That's a donkey. No matter what happened, she was still a horse. Eww!
This book had many five star reviews that raved about what an incredible story this was, but no one mentioned that it was a book for horse-crazy people who preferred their horses to people, not horses as people. If only they could transform their horses to humans, they could live happily ever after, and go off into the sunset with their former four-footed friends and their leather accessories. Yee Haw!
Like I said at the start, WEIRD!
December 3, 2013
Had I not discovered the wonders of the Goodreads Giveaways, I never would have come across this ebook. I was initially attracted by the promise of horse transforming into human. Pretty much anything that involves horses lures me. I was one of those girls who harbored the secret fantasy of a horse of her own. Secret, yet unfulfilled. Couple the horse transformation with spells and magic, and how could I resist?
In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t read numerous reviews of the book and Ms. Durgin’s own praise of her transformational writing abilities. All of that built high expectations. I think I might have enjoyed it more and felt more surprised without the advance buildup.
Ms. Durgin did a fine job of representing Dun Lady’s Jess and the resulting human Jess. I’m not an equine expert, so I wasn’t measuring and comparing her descriptions and finding fault. Indeed, I was thoroughly caught up in the initial run with Carey and his horse, relishing the freedom and wind and strength. And I thought Jess’s first reactions to being human were also well done. It was fascinating to watch her take on and take in a different persona, a completely different way of life. I’m sure it took a lot of research and experience to portray that and I wouldn’t have done half as well. After awhile, though, I wanted something more from Jess than a well-placed kick to voice her aggression.
I had minor issues with some of the details (or lack thereof) throughout the story. I didn’t know where we were until I came across a mention of Ohio about halfway in. I would have liked more information on the setup of the magic world and more differences. But I very much admired Dayna’s and Jaime’s personalities and their willingness to fight for their friends and loved ones. Good characters always save the day.
I do recommend the book. It’s fun and moves quickly and entertains all the way. I just wanted a little more insight every now and then.
In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t read numerous reviews of the book and Ms. Durgin’s own praise of her transformational writing abilities. All of that built high expectations. I think I might have enjoyed it more and felt more surprised without the advance buildup.
Ms. Durgin did a fine job of representing Dun Lady’s Jess and the resulting human Jess. I’m not an equine expert, so I wasn’t measuring and comparing her descriptions and finding fault. Indeed, I was thoroughly caught up in the initial run with Carey and his horse, relishing the freedom and wind and strength. And I thought Jess’s first reactions to being human were also well done. It was fascinating to watch her take on and take in a different persona, a completely different way of life. I’m sure it took a lot of research and experience to portray that and I wouldn’t have done half as well. After awhile, though, I wanted something more from Jess than a well-placed kick to voice her aggression.
I had minor issues with some of the details (or lack thereof) throughout the story. I didn’t know where we were until I came across a mention of Ohio about halfway in. I would have liked more information on the setup of the magic world and more differences. But I very much admired Dayna’s and Jaime’s personalities and their willingness to fight for their friends and loved ones. Good characters always save the day.
I do recommend the book. It’s fun and moves quickly and entertains all the way. I just wanted a little more insight every now and then.
July 9, 2016
Dun Lady's Jess is a nice book with quite an original concept. When Carey is pursued by enemies, he invokes a spell that transports him to our world. His horse, Dun Lady's Jess, comes along with him, but due to some strange quirk in the spell, she is transformed into a woman. Particularly in the first half, we get to see the world through Jess' eyes, trying to learn human behavior. Her little horsey mannerisms are well done, and in general, Jess is a very nice character. She is not perfect or all powerful, but she deals with her transformation quite well, becoming more her own woman as time goes by.
I have to say, the other aspects of the book were rather mediocre. Sure, there are some ok side characters in the book. Particularly Jaime, the owner of a riding school and Jess' host for most of her time on Earth, is sympathetic and turns out to be quite brave as well. Carey is a bit of an ass. Ok, I'm sure I could come up with some excuses for him, but quite frankly, I don't feel like it. No matter how much Dun Lady's Jess might have liked his voice when she was his horse, he is quite simply nothing special. Same goes pretty much for the other characters, even the sympathetic ones. As for the worlds, well, Earth is Earth, and the other world is ok, but again, somewhat mediocre. The magic is nothing special, the society is nothing special. If it weren't for Dun Lady's Jess, this book would be boring, despite the fact that it is an easy read. Fortunately, though, it does have Dun Lady's Jess, and she makes up for quite a bit. Overall, nothing brilliant, but highly entertaining with an original character. You could do worse...
I have to say, the other aspects of the book were rather mediocre. Sure, there are some ok side characters in the book. Particularly Jaime, the owner of a riding school and Jess' host for most of her time on Earth, is sympathetic and turns out to be quite brave as well. Carey is a bit of an ass. Ok, I'm sure I could come up with some excuses for him, but quite frankly, I don't feel like it. No matter how much Dun Lady's Jess might have liked his voice when she was his horse, he is quite simply nothing special. Same goes pretty much for the other characters, even the sympathetic ones. As for the worlds, well, Earth is Earth, and the other world is ok, but again, somewhat mediocre. The magic is nothing special, the society is nothing special. If it weren't for Dun Lady's Jess, this book would be boring, despite the fact that it is an easy read. Fortunately, though, it does have Dun Lady's Jess, and she makes up for quite a bit. Overall, nothing brilliant, but highly entertaining with an original character. You could do worse...
June 16, 2010
Apart from the Harry Potter books, I've read few fantasy novels. My one exception: the books of my friend Doranna Durgin. Of course, as she's been my friend for over 20 years, you can't expect me to be wholly objective in a review. So I'll just tell you what I like about her very first published book, Dun Lady's Jess, which has been reissued in a beautiful new edition by Canadian publisher Red Deer Press.
Beautiful dun mare Lady, and her rider, Cary, are running for their lives when Cary invokes a spell that sends them hurtling to an alternate reality--a reality that does not include magic. Not only that, but Lady has been transformed into a human woman.
She's found by Eric, a kind-hearted environmentalist, and his friend Dayna. They quickly realize that Lady is in a state of mental confusion. Wary about turning her into the authorities, they take her to Dayna's home to try to figure out what to do next.
They meet up with their friends Jaime, who owns a horse training facility, and her brother Mark. And when Carey shows up--that's when the fun begins.
This book has everything I look for in great storytelling: endearing friendships, action, adventure; suspense, thrills and fun. I'm not kidding when I say it'll make you laugh and cry.
There's a reason this book won the Compton Crook Award, and it's hard to believe this could be someone's first book because Doranna got everything right. The characterization, the action, and most importantly, the mindset of Dun Lady's Jess--a horse changed by magic into a woman.
Read it. You'll love it, too.
Beautiful dun mare Lady, and her rider, Cary, are running for their lives when Cary invokes a spell that sends them hurtling to an alternate reality--a reality that does not include magic. Not only that, but Lady has been transformed into a human woman.
She's found by Eric, a kind-hearted environmentalist, and his friend Dayna. They quickly realize that Lady is in a state of mental confusion. Wary about turning her into the authorities, they take her to Dayna's home to try to figure out what to do next.
They meet up with their friends Jaime, who owns a horse training facility, and her brother Mark. And when Carey shows up--that's when the fun begins.
This book has everything I look for in great storytelling: endearing friendships, action, adventure; suspense, thrills and fun. I'm not kidding when I say it'll make you laugh and cry.
There's a reason this book won the Compton Crook Award, and it's hard to believe this could be someone's first book because Doranna got everything right. The characterization, the action, and most importantly, the mindset of Dun Lady's Jess--a horse changed by magic into a woman.
Read it. You'll love it, too.
June 16, 2010
Apart from the Harry Potter books, I've read few fantasy novels. My one exception: the books of my friend Doranna Durgin. Of course, as she's been my friend for over 20 years, you can't expect me to be wholly objective in a review. So I'll just tell you what I like about her very first published book, Dun Lady's Jess, which has been reissued in a beautiful new edition by Canadian publisher Red Deer Press.
Beautiful dun mare Lady, and her rider, Cary, are running for their lives when Cary invokes a spell that sends them hurtling to an alternate reality--a reality that does not include magic. Not only that, but Lady has been transformed into a human woman.
She's found by Eric, a kind-hearted environmentalist, and his friend Dayna. They quickly realize that Lady is in a state of mental confusion. Wary about turning her into the authorities, they take her to Dayna's home to try to figure out what to do next.
They meet up with their friends Jaime, who owns a horse training facility, and her brother Mark. And when Carey shows up--that's when the fun begins.
This book has everything I look for in great storytelling: endearing friendships, action, adventure; suspense, thrills and fun. I'm not kidding when I say it'll make you laugh and cry.
There's a reason this book won the Compton Crook Award, and it's hard to believe this could be someone's first book because Doranna got everything right. The characterization, the action, and most importantly, the mindset of Dun Lady's Jess--a horse changed by magic into a woman.
Read it. You'll love it, too.
Beautiful dun mare Lady, and her rider, Cary, are running for their lives when Cary invokes a spell that sends them hurtling to an alternate reality--a reality that does not include magic. Not only that, but Lady has been transformed into a human woman.
She's found by Eric, a kind-hearted environmentalist, and his friend Dayna. They quickly realize that Lady is in a state of mental confusion. Wary about turning her into the authorities, they take her to Dayna's home to try to figure out what to do next.
They meet up with their friends Jaime, who owns a horse training facility, and her brother Mark. And when Carey shows up--that's when the fun begins.
This book has everything I look for in great storytelling: endearing friendships, action, adventure; suspense, thrills and fun. I'm not kidding when I say it'll make you laugh and cry.
There's a reason this book won the Compton Crook Award, and it's hard to believe this could be someone's first book because Doranna got everything right. The characterization, the action, and most importantly, the mindset of Dun Lady's Jess--a horse changed by magic into a woman.
Read it. You'll love it, too.
August 18, 2021
Dun Lady’s Jess (24 chapters) — Doranna Durgin Aug. 14-16, 2021
I love it when a good story comes together via an expert in the field. I am talking about the author knowing about horses and shows and about how to write good fantasy fiction. Bravo!
I have been sitting on this book for far too long. I am glad I decided to put it on my “Must Read This Year” list for 2021.
I loved the characters, the story, and the point of view from Lady/Jess. And even though Lady, in the beginning, was upset that no one wanted to call her Jess, I was happy that the author stuck with it because it made the story clearer to understand as it went along. (As you read the story, you will understand what I am talking about here.)
The story begins with a horse, Dun Lady’s Jess, riding with Carey, her handler, on a mission to deliver a scroll containing a special spell to another wizard. They hit a skirmish and Lady is whacked into present-day America as a woman. From there, we get the POV of the horse’s thinking like a human.
It may be hard to understand but it is an excellent fantasy story with a unique POV and an even greater plot.
If you like unique fantasies set between two worlds, this is a book for you.
I loved it!
Five stars.
I love it when a good story comes together via an expert in the field. I am talking about the author knowing about horses and shows and about how to write good fantasy fiction. Bravo!
I have been sitting on this book for far too long. I am glad I decided to put it on my “Must Read This Year” list for 2021.
I loved the characters, the story, and the point of view from Lady/Jess. And even though Lady, in the beginning, was upset that no one wanted to call her Jess, I was happy that the author stuck with it because it made the story clearer to understand as it went along. (As you read the story, you will understand what I am talking about here.)
The story begins with a horse, Dun Lady’s Jess, riding with Carey, her handler, on a mission to deliver a scroll containing a special spell to another wizard. They hit a skirmish and Lady is whacked into present-day America as a woman. From there, we get the POV of the horse’s thinking like a human.
It may be hard to understand but it is an excellent fantasy story with a unique POV and an even greater plot.
If you like unique fantasies set between two worlds, this is a book for you.
I loved it!
Five stars.
February 8, 2013
Dun's Lady Jess is now out in digital format. I made the mistake of starting it one evening and found myself wide eyed and finishing it at three in the morning. Worth every dark circle, what a wonderful story. We've all read books about people changing into animals; animals changing into people, with varying levels of comfort. No writer I've read before has put so much thought into how one would feel after a life time on four feet, to become abruptly two footed, and with a voice.
The humans who become Jess's friends are fully fleshed out, with worries and dreams and reservations and their own individual reactions to a woman/horse in their midst.
I see there are two more in this series, and I'm waiting with little patience to load them onto my Kindle. In the meantime I'm going to read Barrenlands again, looking for clues about the history behind Jess and Carey.
Best way to access the digital copy is through Backlist E-books http://www.backlistebooks.com/2013/01...
This shows all the terrific new covers Doranna has designed for the reemergence of the series.
The humans who become Jess's friends are fully fleshed out, with worries and dreams and reservations and their own individual reactions to a woman/horse in their midst.
I see there are two more in this series, and I'm waiting with little patience to load them onto my Kindle. In the meantime I'm going to read Barrenlands again, looking for clues about the history behind Jess and Carey.
Best way to access the digital copy is through Backlist E-books http://www.backlistebooks.com/2013/01...
This shows all the terrific new covers Doranna has designed for the reemergence of the series.
June 17, 2013
I liked it. Interesting characters, decent-paced plotting.
It's been a couple of days but some things are niggling at the back of my brain. Why does Jess get changed into a horse when the spell to move into another world takes hold? Why isn't Cary changed into a horse if she's changed into a human? If the spell is that inaccurate/wonky, then I would expect other side-effects. Yes, nit-picky, I know.
The biggest problem I have with this book is the stupid attitude towards killing people. A person who deliberately kills my friend is an evil person and should be put to death. Just letting him go is WRONG!! I kept waiting for this evil character to pop up again, and when he didn't, I was surprised. Now I guess I need to see if he pops up in the sequels.
spoilers.
The same holds true for the evil power-hungry magician. Why are they trying to HEAL HER?? She was responsible for the deaths of many people as well as the torture and near-death of the hero. A society that does not rid itself of genuinely evil people is just asking for it. But then, having read the summary of the sequel, I see why that happened. The sequel required a Bad Guy, sigh.
It's been a couple of days but some things are niggling at the back of my brain. Why does Jess get changed into a horse when the spell to move into another world takes hold? Why isn't Cary changed into a horse if she's changed into a human? If the spell is that inaccurate/wonky, then I would expect other side-effects. Yes, nit-picky, I know.
The biggest problem I have with this book is the stupid attitude towards killing people. A person who deliberately kills my friend is an evil person and should be put to death. Just letting him go is WRONG!! I kept waiting for this evil character to pop up again, and when he didn't, I was surprised. Now I guess I need to see if he pops up in the sequels.
spoilers.
The same holds true for the evil power-hungry magician. Why are they trying to HEAL HER?? She was responsible for the deaths of many people as well as the torture and near-death of the hero. A society that does not rid itself of genuinely evil people is just asking for it. But then, having read the summary of the sequel, I see why that happened. The sequel required a Bad Guy, sigh.
December 15, 2013
When I read the introduction and discovered that this book was going to be about a horse that had been turned human, I began to have second thoughts about my choice to request it in the Early Reviewer program. I am not generally a fan of magically changed animals and it takes a very good story and a very well written animal to make me change my opinions on the matter. This book simply blew my mind with how well the shape shifting was done. All of the things I had heard about the horse being beautifully written are true and then some. The story was as believable as the characters, which is saying quite a lot, since it brings magic into the modern world and still manages to hide it rather well. I could not put this down and I am certain I will desperately devour the other books that follow in the series.
Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review.
February 16, 2016
This story was so good, the characters so memorable, if you have a chance to get, do so. Lady/Jess was spot on. I was raised around horses and her reactions were exactly right no matter which body she inhabited. I read this book straight through.
The book is about a magical land where the wizards regulate magic use by consensus. All must agree to allow spells to be used to protect the non magic users from harm and if spells are declared dangerous, then checkspells are devised to prevent their use. When a rogue wizard tries to steal a newly discovered spell to travel between worlds, Cary,the courier who was delivering it, triggers it to prevent its theft. He and his mount, Lady, along with an attacker are transported to our world where they are separated. Cary is captured by the enemy but Lady becomes Jess, a woman.
This tells the tale of Jess in human form but still thinking and behaving like a horse. People take her in but she has no words to explain things. Somehow she needs to deal with all these strange emotions and ideas, rescue Cary and find a way home. If she is successful will she be mare or human? This is the first in a series being re-released. Loved the book.
The book is about a magical land where the wizards regulate magic use by consensus. All must agree to allow spells to be used to protect the non magic users from harm and if spells are declared dangerous, then checkspells are devised to prevent their use. When a rogue wizard tries to steal a newly discovered spell to travel between worlds, Cary,the courier who was delivering it, triggers it to prevent its theft. He and his mount, Lady, along with an attacker are transported to our world where they are separated. Cary is captured by the enemy but Lady becomes Jess, a woman.
This tells the tale of Jess in human form but still thinking and behaving like a horse. People take her in but she has no words to explain things. Somehow she needs to deal with all these strange emotions and ideas, rescue Cary and find a way home. If she is successful will she be mare or human? This is the first in a series being re-released. Loved the book.
November 16, 2013
Dun Lady’s Jess
By Doranna Durgin
I put my name in on the early review request site on goodreads for the opportunity to win, read and review a free copy of Dun Lady’s Jess by Doranna Durgin and was lucky enough to win. I have read books about shape-shifters but this is not a book like that…not at all…it is unlike any book I have read before. In this book the main character is a horse that is magically transformed into a woman when she suddenly finds herself in another world. Her struggles to live within a human body and learn how to behave as a woman while thinking as a horse along with all that surrounds this process is embellished with humans who find and befriend her, villains from whence she originated, and an eventual return to her original world that sees her once again as a horse. The story was well written by an author that is prolific but new to me. There were some typos but that is the only negative I have for this book. I plan to read more books by this author in the future.
By Doranna Durgin
I put my name in on the early review request site on goodreads for the opportunity to win, read and review a free copy of Dun Lady’s Jess by Doranna Durgin and was lucky enough to win. I have read books about shape-shifters but this is not a book like that…not at all…it is unlike any book I have read before. In this book the main character is a horse that is magically transformed into a woman when she suddenly finds herself in another world. Her struggles to live within a human body and learn how to behave as a woman while thinking as a horse along with all that surrounds this process is embellished with humans who find and befriend her, villains from whence she originated, and an eventual return to her original world that sees her once again as a horse. The story was well written by an author that is prolific but new to me. There were some typos but that is the only negative I have for this book. I plan to read more books by this author in the future.
August 26, 2014
My reading tastes for fantasy generally run toward urban, horror, and paranormal, but I thought I'd stretch a bit in this case because of the horse angle in this novel -- magic transforms a mare into a young woman.
As promised by reviews and reviewers, the author did a fine and "believable" job of how a horse might react when suddenly occupying a human body and the potential of a human brain.
Also a fine job in describing the nuanced relationship between horse and rider/trainer, especially in dressage (the author is an accomplished dressage equestrienne).
The characters otherwise were a bit flat and predictable, and the parallel universe of medieval magic reminded me why I don' much care for this genre other than the named exceptions above.
Still recommended for horse lovers and those who like medieval fantasy settings with magic.
As promised by reviews and reviewers, the author did a fine and "believable" job of how a horse might react when suddenly occupying a human body and the potential of a human brain.
Also a fine job in describing the nuanced relationship between horse and rider/trainer, especially in dressage (the author is an accomplished dressage equestrienne).
The characters otherwise were a bit flat and predictable, and the parallel universe of medieval magic reminded me why I don' much care for this genre other than the named exceptions above.
Still recommended for horse lovers and those who like medieval fantasy settings with magic.
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