A Shadow in the Moonlight: A Thirteenth Hour Prequel

by Joshua Blum

A gothic novelette about a young hunter who accidentally interrupts a wizard's spell which literally turns him into a living shadow, only able to venture into the world by night. He is doomed to spend the rest of eternity haunting the area where he was enchanted, hunting an elusive, ethereal deer night after night. Although his night vision becomes enhanced, and he is able to soar through the air with a shadow's weightlessness, interactions with other people leave him with such intense anxiety that he has no choice but to avoid them altogether. Help and danger collide when he encounters an injured runaway, whom he decides to help, despite the personal pain it causes. A stand alone prequel to the novel, "The Thirteenth Hour," by the same author. Approximately 11,000 words.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

54 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 19, 2015

About the author

In 1998, Joshua Blum wrote and illustrated an early draft of his first novel, "The Thirteenth Hour," inspired by his love of 1980s fantasy and science fiction movies, fairy tales, archery, and martial arts. He finally had the time to publish it sixteen years later. In the interim, he graduated from Princeton and Penn State Universities. He is grateful to his parents for instilling in him a love of learning, his brother for keeping him young, and his wife and children for their love. He is currently working on his next novel and hosts a weekly podcast (available free on iTunes @ apple.co/1S3FBWi)

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Downloaded for free from Smashwords.com here - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... )

This was a YA fantasy story about a hunter accidentally cursed by a wizard due to interrupting a spell, who turned into a shadow and was unable to go out in the sunlight. He helped a girl with a broken leg, which then later changed his luck a bit. This was a short but entertaining story, and had some interesting ideas such as the hunter having no real name.



6.5 out of 10

[Shahad takleef · Rating 3 out of 5]

source : I received a digital copy on a read to review basis
thanks to author Joshua Blum

the story of a man cursed by a spell , meant to be a shadow for the rest of his days
and an orphan girl who might break the curse ..

that I've read the novella before the novel is a little unsettling as , me reviewing this book as a separated story would definitely differ if it is a part of sequence

"she reached the back of the cave and found a bed, bookshelves, fireplace, and a storeroom
filled with food. On a small table lay a book, a quill pen, and an ink bottle. Lavinia picked up the book
and opened it to the first page, which was dated with a brief paragraph. As she read, she was transported to a land of wizards, spells, enchanted forests, secret caves, AND lost hunters. "

for i haven't read the novel , i may say that at some point of the novella i had a flickering hope of some sort
when the girl found the diary a whole scenario played in my mind
a novel about a girl and a shadow , communicating through a diary
someone lonely and cursed with a shelf of books and years of solitude may end up making a wise person which means a good deal of prose and beautiful literature but ! * shaken awake * i realized the story cant stretched this deep for its a novella
then came the rushed end before an enough time for the girl's wounds to heal , the spell was broken the two got married and had a child

so !
its a novella of a novel i haven't read yet , i cant really be critical or anything
all in all it was nice and gripped my attention at some point ..

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad read, but I'm glad it was only short.

[Edward Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, all I can say is that I read this straight through in one sitting and I loved it. You can certainly see where Blum has been influenced by Douglas Adams in his portrayal of the wizard who is very much like Slartibartfast), though I could also see elements of Neil Gaiman in the fantasy structure and Terry Pratchett in the narration. That is very high praise coming from me, and I look forward to reading the full novel which I truly hope meets up with my expectations.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

( I have received this ARC from the Author in exchange for my honest review. )

This may have been a short read but it captured my attention from the start and didn't lose hold until the end.

A hunter of no name, lost, hungry and cold; stumbles upon an amateur wizard trying to cast himself invisible, only for the hunter to mess it up and cause himself, in a sense, to be cursed by the unsuccessful spell.

I will give no more away, because no one likes a story spoiled.

I very much liked the world that Mr. Blum has created. In those short pages he manages to paint a vivid pictured that sets the right building blocks to get our minds run wild. I had no trouble picturing the landscape that he painted, nor was I ever confused.

The mage, the fumble that he is, is my favourite charter in this short. He's a mess, but at the same time he's got this I-don't-give-a-f**k vibe going on. Points.

Then ending is sweet but there is a spoiler of a sort that suckered punched my feels a little too heard. Not cool, not cool. -_-

I highly recommend this little short. It's sweet, fun, vivid and alive. A hidden love story and the setup for his novel The Thirteenth Hour , you will not be disappointed. I personally can’t wait to dive into that amazing world of magic.

Thank you Joshua Blum for choosing me to advance read this intriguing world, and for setting the stage, in my head, for when I read The Thirteenth Hour.

Happy Reading

-Emily

[Jeremy Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prequel to a full-length novel, The Thirteenth Hour, by the same author. It deals with the parents of Logan, who were mentioned at one point in The Thirteenth Hour but only in brief.

Whereas the novel was generally bright fantasy, this novella has a darker feel to it - all of the action takes place at night and the main character is a hunter who ends up getting himself cursed as a "living shadow" who can't stand the light of day nor the company of people. He eventually finds a kindred soul in a runaway orphaned girl, and by the end of the tale there's a happy, fairy tale-esque conclusion. The author does a good job of characterization and filling in the details regarding the curse, though, so even though the ending might not surprise you it's still an engaging ride getting there.

Special note should be given to the bumbling, buffoonish wizard who ends up cursing the hunter (by accident). He's definitely only a comic relief character, but I wouldnt mind reading another novella that gets into the nitty gritty details of his life and the other "grumpy old men" wizards of The Thirteenth Hour world.

[C.P. Cabaniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this story previously on my blog CourtneysReads.

I found the ideas in this short story very intriguing. The idea of someone stumbling on a spell and it drastically changing the course of their existence was fascinating. The idea that someone becomes a shadow was great. I loved seeing the Hunter struggle with his new identity and the restrictions this placed on his day to day living.
We also get to see Levinia take charge of her own life and the consequences her actions have in regards to her future.

This was a really fun story and I am very excited to read the full length novel The Thirteenth Hour, which I will be starting very soon. Definitely recommend these to fantasy fans who want a quick read.

[Shruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

( I received a free R2R copy of the book. )

A nice story. Enjoyed reading it. The book wasn't very long but I liked the concept and the story.


The interesting part was that the hunter didn't have any name and even after being affected by the spell, he decided to save the life of the girl. He didn't give up. He knew that being a shadow, he couldn't be with people. But still he listened to his heart and succeeded in finding his true love. Finally he was free of the spell. Kind of like The Beauty and the Beast. But this hunter wasn't cruel , nor was he given any curse. The spell was a side effect and just bad luck!!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great short prequel to a full length novel. "A Shadow in the Moonlight" was very interesting but it seemed a little dark but it is still a great story! The plot was very interesting and was written perfectly.
I highly recommend this short story.

[J.S. Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A Shadow in the Moonlight” by Joshua Blum is a page-turner, with dramatic and poetic writing. “A thousand questions went off in his head like firecrackers all exploding at the same time.” The hunter is accidentally turned into a living shadow, but manages to retain his core of humanity.

Lavinia is a mistreated orphan, working in slave-like conditions and mired in despair. She seizes a chance to escape into the forbidding forest, tumbles down a ravine, and is badly injured. The mysterious, ghost-like hunter must face his fears to help. These characters grow realistically with the story. I also love the quirky magician and his interest in publishing scientific papers on magic. The ending satisfies and is a prequel for “The Thirteenth Hour”, another excellent read.

[Knockin' Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was the wrong audience for this one, as I'm not typically a fantasy reader. That being said, it was well-written, well-edited & beautifully illustrated. All in all, a solid 3.5 read, even for a reader who isn't generally a fan of the genre. Full review on the blog: http://www.knockinbooks.com/reviews/a...