Olivia Lawson Techno-Shaman Series

Olivia Lawson, Techno-Shaman #1-5

by M. Terry Green

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Semi-Finalist
The groundbreaking series that Publishers Weekly said "could easily open a fresh new world of urban fantasy."

Shaman, Healer, Heretic

Even for a techno-shaman, a kachina in the bedroom isn’t exactly part of the drill. When Olivia Lawson wakes to find one towering over her, she panics. A Hopi god visiting the real world isn't just wrong–it's impossible.

Or is it?

Left with few options, Olivia is forced to defy centuries of shaman prohibitions. As she and her allies risk everything in their bid for survival, Olivia ultimately learns that the rules are there for a reason and that breaking them has a terrible cost.

Shaman, Friend, Enemy

As Livvy’s career soars, her personal life spirals downward. Broken bonds and lost love finally force her to confront the terrible secret of her beginning in shamanism. Despite being attacked by dark shamans and navigating a spiritual plane that seems out of control, Livvy’s single-minded quest steers her into dangerous territory and puts her on a collision course with those dearest to her. No longer able to walk a fine line, Livvy discovers that when the one thing you need is the one thing you can’t have–you’ll risk everything.

Shaman, Sister, Sorceress

If techno-shaman Olivia Lawson thinks a trip to the Hopi mesas is the escape she needs, she is gravely mistaken. Formidable shamans draw her into a bitter and centuries-old conflict. But as prophecies turn deadly, even the gods of the Multiverse play their part and Livvy must choose–between this world and a new one, between action and acceptance, between duty and desire.

Shaman, Friend, Enemy

As Livvy’s career soars, her personal life spirals downward. Broken bonds and lost love finally force her to confront the terrible secret of her beginning in shamanism. Despite being attacked by dark shamans and navigating a spiritual plane that seems out of control, Livvy’s single-minded quest steers her into dangerous territory and puts her on a collision course with those dearest to her. No longer able to walk a fine line, Livvy discovers that when the one thing you need is the one thing you can’t have–you’ll risk everything.

Shaman, Sister, Sorceress

If techno-shaman Olivia Lawson thinks a trip to the Hopi mesas is the escape she needs, she is gravely mistaken. Formidable shamans draw her into a bitter and centuries-old conflict. But as prophecies turn deadly, even the gods of the Multiverse play their part and Livvy must choose–between this world and a new one, between action and acceptance, between duty and desire.

Shaman, Priestess, Pawn

In the heartland of the ancient Maya, techno-shaman Olivia Lawson isn’t just an oddity, she’s an outcast. But the ancient group she finds has an interest in SK that borders on obsession. As her search for knowledge goes inexplicably awry, the only constant is SK. But to Livvy’s horror, their journey triggers an unexpected odyssey for him. Driven to find her own path, Livvy must accept that change isn’t just hard, it’s deadly.

Shaman, Lover, Warrior

Before the airliner can touch down, techno-shaman Olivia Lawson senses something is wrong in Los Angeles.

Genres: Urban Fantasy

1774 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2015

About the author

Hi, I’m Terry.

Personally: My husband and I live in Los Angeles and we’ve both lived in California all our lives. The only way I can summarize my personal life succinctly is to tell you that we stopped being two separate people decades ago. Our natural and usual state is happy, upbeat, and quiet.

Professionally: I write full-time and have for the last several years. My non-fiction, under a different name to dispel confusion, has been published by Simon & Schuster and Penguin and my articles have appeared in the NY Times and Cosmopolitan, among others. I have a Ph.D. in archaeology but a B.S. in physics.

Sardonically: Writing about yourself in the third person would be a great way to create an exemplary bio, but that’s not why I’m here. Although I’m healthy, the number of days that I have left to live is finite (real mortality estimate). With that in mind, I’m considering how best to use those days–and I am writing.

Reviews

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this box set on a Thursday and was unable to put it down until I finished it on Monday. It was a fantastic ride from start to finish.

Shaman, Healer, Heretic

I loved this book.

First of all, I really like the idea of using VR goggles to achieve the trance state for a spiritual journey. Having used 3D gaming goggles I found this incredibly plausible.

But the story, wow! She was given an impossible task to convince the most powerful people she can find to break with tradition in order to save themselves and everyone like them.

I am trying to not spoil anything. That is really hard because I want to just gush about this book. The characters are well written. Each one had their own voice and personality. There was a lot of depth. The situations they were thrown into drew me in and made me feel for the struggle.

I would highly recommend this book.

Shaman, Friend, Enemy

My second trip into Olivia Lawson's world was good.

After the events of the first book, Livvy now has to deal with being famous, and everything that comes with it. Jealousy can be a pain, literally.

With her abilities growing fast, she decides to deal with an old guilt, and it is just the wrong time to be doing it. The fame and fortune have made her some enemies that want what she has. And they will stop at nothing to get it.

I learned more about the characters and their motivations this time around. I could really understand both sides in every conflict. There was no clear cut hero or villain. That rang true to me, because in life it is rarely black or white.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Shaman, Sister, Sorceress

This was another excellent trip into Olivia Lawson's world.

After the events of book two, our heroine decides to take a trip to find herself. She has no specific destination in mind, yet fate seems to bring her right where she needs to be. That would be smack dab in the end of the world.

This time Livvy is alone at a Hopi Reservation. Her knowledge and lack of formal training both help and hurt her when she is drawn into the middle of two factions with competing ideas about a prophecy about the end of the world.

Of course, she doesn't play by the rules. She wouldn't be the Livvy we know and love if she did. That doesn't mean she doesn't care about the outcome. Of course she does. Everything gets better when she is joined by SK.

In the end she learns a lot about herself and the shaman she wants to be. We got to see Livvy become more of the confident woman we all know she can be.

I think this is a non-stop ride that gets better with every installment.

Shaman, Priestess, Pawn

That was so nuts! This was the best one yet.

This time Livvy and SK travel deep into the South American jungle to try and find the ancient shamans from the first book. Those shamans find them, and it is not at all what they expected.

When they get there everyone treats SK like a rock star. Livvy, they could do without. This story got to see SK make a new spiritual journey and understand his power to help Livvy. Livvy in turn learns what is important to her, and what she wants.

There was a lot of character development in this installment. It was interesting to see both Livvy and SK deal with being as far out of their comfort zones as they could get. Also, you don't often read about ancient Maya and Aztec beliefs. That was a very cool change of pace.

What's going to happen in the last book? This should be interesting.

Shaman, Lover, Warrior

Wow! What a fantastic way to wrap up the series.

Livvy and SK return to LA to find that not all is as peachy as they had hoped. Siberian shamans have moved in and taken a Russian Mafia tactic to the territory. Their friends aren't exactly happy to see them either. What can they do?

The rich techno-shaman world comes alive in this quick paced race to figure out, and set right, what the Siberians have set loose. Something is making Livvy sick, and act strange. Allies are hard to come by when death is on the line. Things get really hairy there for a while.

The ending was all I could have hoped for and more. I absolutely loved this book. This is a series that I will read over and over for sure.

[Jaymi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this series because I love urban fantasy. It seemed low-budget and weird, but once I got into the first book, Shaman, Healer, Heretic I quickly changed my mind. I realized that I was reading something really good, great even, and very special. I was hooked, and devoured book after book until the end. At the end, I was hooked, it was over, and all I wanted was more.

As a pagan, I loved this series even more. Green did her homework. Many urban fantasy series name drop witches, shamans, or other paranormal creatures into their worlds. With the Techno-Shaman series, Green doesn't just write about a shaman, she weaves realistic shamanism practices into each story. Livy searches the underworld, and over-world for lost souls; she has her spirit helpers; and she understands the delicate balance that being a healer brings in a world. Green proves how worthy and how deep the work of a "real" shaman can be. Green world weaves these realistic practices in with technology and gets away with it.

Shaman, Healer, Heretic
Book one starts out like most other urban fantasy series. We're introduced to Livy, the heroine, a shaman who heals others using her shaman practices. Green builds a realistic world of LA, showing readers how a fringe healer operates. Shamans in this world use technology to interact with the various planes to do their work. There are tight rules as to how shamans operates and we're given a great book to read.

Shaman, Friend, Enemy
The world wakes up and realizes that shamanism healing powers are real. Livy is catapulted into the spotlight. She now heals the rich, along with the poor, and attempts to be a better healer. She learns more about her abilities as a lightning shaman. She also researches into ways she can cope with her past. Book two not only extended the series but took Livy's journey to a personal level, deep within her own spirit.

Shaman, Sister, Sorceress
In this book, Livy descends further into the shamanistic world by exploring a Hopi Reservation. As readers we learn more about her shaman capabilities and how the Hopi spiritual realm works. We also get exposed to a greater prophesy affecting her and those she loves. In this book, Green expands the shaman world to include other shamanistic cultures and viewpoints. It's a fun romp to see how expansive this world goes.

>Shaman, Priestess, Pawn
Book three takes Livy and SK deep into the amazon forests where they attempt to seek out a old ally who might be able to temper Livy's shamanic power. The world-building in this book was exceptional.
Green takes no prisoners as she amps up the plot and tension while building a great world.

Shaman, Lover, Warrior
Livy's survived through all the challenges the world, and her foes have tossed at her. Her powers continue to grow and she's faced with her hardest challenge yet: freeing her hometown from the "Mafia"-esque Russian shamans. This was a trippy book that gave us a nice ending to this series. However, I hope that Green returns back to Livy and her world for more adventures.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I loved books 1-3 (having previously read them, I still enjoyed the refresher), I was really looking forward to the final adventures! Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It seemed as though somewhere in book 4 the author got lost, and book five did not really become enjoyable until about half-way through. It just seemed as though the writer became as lost as she wanted the characters to seem, which made it difficult to want to continue
With their adventures. It did end well, and there is no expectation of more for the storyline, for which I, for one, am grateful.

[Ann Garback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great fast read. Likeable characters. Read the first two. Then went to other book then finished the series. Enjoy!

[Debra Wakitsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series!

I loved every book in this series. I would have liked it to continue!