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Witchy Eye #1
Witchy Eye
Sarah Calhoun is the fifteen-year-old daughter of the Elector Andrew Calhoun, one of Appalachee’s military heroes and one of the electors who gets to decide who will next ascend as the Emperor of the New World. None of that matters to Sarah. She has a natural talent for hexing and one bad eye, and all she wants is to be left alone—especially by outsiders.
But Sarah’s world gets turned on its head at the Nashville Tobacco Fair when a Yankee wizard-priest tries to kidnap her. Sarah fights back with the aid of a mysterious monk named Thalanes, who is one of the not-quite-human Firstborn, the Moundbuilders of the Ohio. It is Thalanes who reveals to Sarah a secret heritage she never dreamed could be hers.
Now on a desperate quest with Thalanes to claim this heritage, she is hunted by the Emperor’s bodyguard of elite dragoons, as well as by darker things—shapeshifting Mockers and undead Lazars, and behind them a power more sinister still. If Sarah cannot claim her heritage, it may mean the end to her, her family—and to the world where she is just beginning to find her place.
But Sarah’s world gets turned on its head at the Nashville Tobacco Fair when a Yankee wizard-priest tries to kidnap her. Sarah fights back with the aid of a mysterious monk named Thalanes, who is one of the not-quite-human Firstborn, the Moundbuilders of the Ohio. It is Thalanes who reveals to Sarah a secret heritage she never dreamed could be hers.
Now on a desperate quest with Thalanes to claim this heritage, she is hunted by the Emperor’s bodyguard of elite dragoons, as well as by darker things—shapeshifting Mockers and undead Lazars, and behind them a power more sinister still. If Sarah cannot claim her heritage, it may mean the end to her, her family—and to the world where she is just beginning to find her place.
561 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2017
91 people are currently reading
1963 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Butler
85 books266 followersD.J. Butler (Dave) is a novelist living in the Rocky Mountain west. His training is in law, and he worked as a securities lawyer at a major international firm and inhouse at two multinational semiconductor manufacturers before taking up writing fiction. He is a lover of language and languages, a guitarist and self-recorder, and a serious reader. He is married to a powerful and clever novelist and together they have three devious children.
Dave is published by Baen, Knopf, and WordFire Press. He writes adventure fiction for all ages. He writes for young readers under the name Dave Butler: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Read about D.J. Butler’s writing projects at http://davidjohnbutler.com.
Dave is published by Baen, Knopf, and WordFire Press. He writes adventure fiction for all ages. He writes for young readers under the name Dave Butler: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Read about D.J. Butler’s writing projects at http://davidjohnbutler.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
August 31, 2017
You can find a synopsis elsewhere, so I'll describe the writing itself.
It took me a bit to get used to the flavor injected by the foreign words (from multiple languages) and spelled-out accents, but they're a significant facet of the story rather than just tossed in as you may find in other stories. Language means something here.
The action started out with significant challenges to the heroine, with her life and that of her friends in danger. Then it ramped up. Then it ramped up again. And it kept ramping up. It's a good thing there were calm spots to catch a breath.
While you might expect this to be a typical "orphan discovers she's important to saving everything" story, don't be fooled. Dave takes such tropes and bounces them on their heads. The old drunk who comes back to serve? Yup. The faithful companion with unrequited love? Two radically different examples, if you look at it sideways.
The story is not full of sudden surprises. While it has a few, the story builds by letting the reader see what's coming a long way off so the reader can wonder how and when the disaster will hit. Many of the surprises are hinted at as well if you know what to look for, which is fun.
The ending gives a good resolution, yet makes it clear there is more to come. For those who hate cliffhangers, fear not. This will leave you satisfied with the current story while still wondering what comes next. This was a fun read, and I look forward to the next volume in this series.
It took me a bit to get used to the flavor injected by the foreign words (from multiple languages) and spelled-out accents, but they're a significant facet of the story rather than just tossed in as you may find in other stories. Language means something here.
The action started out with significant challenges to the heroine, with her life and that of her friends in danger. Then it ramped up. Then it ramped up again. And it kept ramping up. It's a good thing there were calm spots to catch a breath.
While you might expect this to be a typical "orphan discovers she's important to saving everything" story, don't be fooled. Dave takes such tropes and bounces them on their heads. The old drunk who comes back to serve? Yup. The faithful companion with unrequited love? Two radically different examples, if you look at it sideways.
The story is not full of sudden surprises. While it has a few, the story builds by letting the reader see what's coming a long way off so the reader can wonder how and when the disaster will hit. Many of the surprises are hinted at as well if you know what to look for, which is fun.
The ending gives a good resolution, yet makes it clear there is more to come. For those who hate cliffhangers, fear not. This will leave you satisfied with the current story while still wondering what comes next. This was a fun read, and I look forward to the next volume in this series.
May 20, 2017
Witchy Eye by D.J. Butler is a wildly imagined and unique alternate history with wizards, undead, and hillbillies set in colonial America. I’ve never read a book like it. The large cast of characters, historical details, and inside jokes will delight American history buffs. The novel, told from many different points of view, has a bit of the flintlock fantasy vibe, but this timeline is wildly divergent from our own.
The world is very complicated and filled with many different factions vying for control. Keeping all the details straight was a big challenge for me. There are a lot of terms to remember and this novel needs to be studied. The choice to write out the accents was a bold move, and it made it difficult to read sometimes, but the characters came through. I know the audio book will be hilarious and I would highly suggest people look into listening to Witchy Eye, as this text needs to be performed.
D.J. Butler is a storyteller of an epic scale and this is his magnum opus.
If you love complicated world building, backwoods characters, and a unique take on American history blended with fantastical elements, you will love Witchy Eye.
The world is very complicated and filled with many different factions vying for control. Keeping all the details straight was a big challenge for me. There are a lot of terms to remember and this novel needs to be studied. The choice to write out the accents was a bold move, and it made it difficult to read sometimes, but the characters came through. I know the audio book will be hilarious and I would highly suggest people look into listening to Witchy Eye, as this text needs to be performed.
D.J. Butler is a storyteller of an epic scale and this is his magnum opus.
If you love complicated world building, backwoods characters, and a unique take on American history blended with fantastical elements, you will love Witchy Eye.
February 7, 2018
Set in an alternative version of 1815, Witchy Eye details the adventures of 15-year-old Sarah Calhoun and her constantly shifting band of supporters. Raised among the well-known Calhoun clan in the Apalachee region of a magic-filled frontier, Sarah is rustic, tough and independent. Sarah learns that her growing magical abilities and her hidden bloodlines have made her powerful enemies.
As Sarah travels the ley lines from her mountain home to the strange and dangerous streets of New Orleans, she must judge who she can trust to help her on her quest and who intends her harm. This isn't an easy task when people have complex identities, conflicting loyalties, and undisclosed abilities. Her initial band includes her nephew Cal (an able hunter and trapper) and her new mentor Thalanes (a priest from the North). These three must outwit a conspiratorial preacher named Ezekiel Angleton--intent on kidnapping Sarah with the help of his crude hawker, Obadiah Dogsbody.
Butler builds a world that is thickly populated with people of various nationalities (British, French, German, Native American, African, Dutch, Spanish, Creole), various occupations (bar maids, servants, soldiers, priests, prison wardens, chevaliers), and even various degrees of being human (some superhuman, some subhuman). These characters inhabit a world that is filled with vivid detail of geography, language, religion, and history--all exposing a political intrigue that fuels the novel's central conflict.
Butler propels the story with a lot of action, but he is clearly a man of letters. Consequently, the story is simultaneously fun, informative, and thought provoking.
As Sarah travels the ley lines from her mountain home to the strange and dangerous streets of New Orleans, she must judge who she can trust to help her on her quest and who intends her harm. This isn't an easy task when people have complex identities, conflicting loyalties, and undisclosed abilities. Her initial band includes her nephew Cal (an able hunter and trapper) and her new mentor Thalanes (a priest from the North). These three must outwit a conspiratorial preacher named Ezekiel Angleton--intent on kidnapping Sarah with the help of his crude hawker, Obadiah Dogsbody.
Butler builds a world that is thickly populated with people of various nationalities (British, French, German, Native American, African, Dutch, Spanish, Creole), various occupations (bar maids, servants, soldiers, priests, prison wardens, chevaliers), and even various degrees of being human (some superhuman, some subhuman). These characters inhabit a world that is filled with vivid detail of geography, language, religion, and history--all exposing a political intrigue that fuels the novel's central conflict.
Butler propels the story with a lot of action, but he is clearly a man of letters. Consequently, the story is simultaneously fun, informative, and thought provoking.
March 5, 2024
Much like Tolkien re-enchanted England with Lord of the Rings, Butler brings the diverse and rich heritage of America to us. Religion, mysticism, occultism, and history become one in Witchy Eye and you won't be able to stop reading once you orient yourself in this reimagined land of the free.
Many say Gaiman re-enchanted America with American Gods. I liked American Gods but this is what it would have looked like with more research by Gaiman and set in the 1800s America in full turmoil as it tries to figure out itself post-colonialism. In my opinion, Witchy Eye succeeds in a much more earnest manner and is worth reading if you love history and fantasy!
Many say Gaiman re-enchanted America with American Gods. I liked American Gods but this is what it would have looked like with more research by Gaiman and set in the 1800s America in full turmoil as it tries to figure out itself post-colonialism. In my opinion, Witchy Eye succeeds in a much more earnest manner and is worth reading if you love history and fantasy!
April 5, 2023
Up to 4.25ish because I’m neurotic
Fun and fantastical alternate history of the United States set in the early 19th century. I’m a sucker for alt history like Philip K Dick’s Man in the High Castle, so I wanted to give this a try. Also toss in that the book was 99% set in Nashville and New Orleans and I was never not going to try this.
Let me preface this portion by saying: this book is weird. And if you aren’t familiar with Appalachian, erm, patois let’s say, you may think the dialogue is intentionally awkward. I lived with people like the Calhouns, hell, after a few drinks I AM one of those people. Set primarily in the American south that’s very different from our own, the crux of the story is centered around Sarah Calhoun, the titular Witchy Eye. As she’s pursued by various players the world is explained in great detail and this is the part of the book I loved most. For better or worse I’m a product of the American public education system: American history got drilled into me from a young age. I like the stuff, okay. Butler here took so many cool historical elements from our world and infused them with fantasy components. I couldn’t get enough. Real world figures such as Ben Franklin, George Washington, Isaac Newton, Hernan Cortez, Oliver Cromwell, Martin Luther and so much more had twists on their stories and got me hooked. Beyond the world building, the tone and vibe of the story appealed to me greatly. The writing wasn’t mind blowing, yet maintained a sort of whimsy to it, and had moments of genuine comedy amidst scenes of true horror. If you’ve read Josiah Bancroft’s Books of Babel you’ll understand what I mean here. Also similar to that series: the cast of characters that grows around Sarah is awesome, particularly Bill and Long Cathy. The final 250 pages of this are awesome and I can’t wait to check the sequels out. This is vastly under read.
Fun and fantastical alternate history of the United States set in the early 19th century. I’m a sucker for alt history like Philip K Dick’s Man in the High Castle, so I wanted to give this a try. Also toss in that the book was 99% set in Nashville and New Orleans and I was never not going to try this.
Let me preface this portion by saying: this book is weird. And if you aren’t familiar with Appalachian, erm, patois let’s say, you may think the dialogue is intentionally awkward. I lived with people like the Calhouns, hell, after a few drinks I AM one of those people. Set primarily in the American south that’s very different from our own, the crux of the story is centered around Sarah Calhoun, the titular Witchy Eye. As she’s pursued by various players the world is explained in great detail and this is the part of the book I loved most. For better or worse I’m a product of the American public education system: American history got drilled into me from a young age. I like the stuff, okay. Butler here took so many cool historical elements from our world and infused them with fantasy components. I couldn’t get enough. Real world figures such as Ben Franklin, George Washington, Isaac Newton, Hernan Cortez, Oliver Cromwell, Martin Luther and so much more had twists on their stories and got me hooked. Beyond the world building, the tone and vibe of the story appealed to me greatly. The writing wasn’t mind blowing, yet maintained a sort of whimsy to it, and had moments of genuine comedy amidst scenes of true horror. If you’ve read Josiah Bancroft’s Books of Babel you’ll understand what I mean here. Also similar to that series: the cast of characters that grows around Sarah is awesome, particularly Bill and Long Cathy. The final 250 pages of this are awesome and I can’t wait to check the sequels out. This is vastly under read.
April 21, 2018
Witchy Eye is, at its heart, your basic "protagonist with a secret destiny" story, but what sets it apart is a magnificently conceived and executed world. D.J. Butler puts so much work into crafting his extremely alternate 1815 North America that I feel bad spoiling any of it, but I'll just say that he essentially conceives of a Holy Roman Empire-like political organization that is rife with divisions between differing cultural and religious groups and given that his North America has a far more... cosmopolitan colonial history, these differences are fairly extreme, and that's not even touching on the fact that there's magic all over the place and (essentially) elves and demihumans. It's extremely complicated, but with some very deliberate world-building, Butler manages to make sense of this very strange Empire of the New World if you pay attention and know a little history. At the same time, Butler uses many major historic characters in unexpected ways. It's telling that he casts Martin Luther and Oliver Cromwell, two late-medieval/early modern figures for whom I have a lot of respect, as villainous figures and rather than being upset, I found that I was absorbed into the universe sufficiently that I was able to accept this transformation within the universe of the story and it didn't really bother me as much as such appropriations usually do. In that same vein, while Witchy Eye is full of allusions to real historical figures, Butler skews them enough to make them seem like different people in their life-choices but still larger than life, though sometimes in unexpected ways. Additionally, I felt that Butler does a good job of making his characters feel authentic to the time and none of the characters, hero or villain, come off as simple cartoonish figures. I think that's all I'll say because this is a book that I started with kind of low expectations and it grew and grew on me thanks to the unfolding of its fascinating world, which may seem like a dig on the story, but in truth, the story is intimately tied to the strange world that Butler has developed, and while its concept is simple and trite, it works really well thanks to the characters and the world. I was happy to see that the sequel just came out a couple weeks ago. If only that was the case every time I found a book that I loved!
April 4, 2017
Very interesting and entertaining alt history/fantasy book I picked up on a whim. Solid, fun story, great characters and I really enjoyed the author's different take on our world.
I railed last year about "young adult" books and although I am not totally sure that this falls under that genre, I seem to be changing my mind slowly but surely about them.
This is totally worth your time to read, and I personally look forward to any future trips into this world.
I railed last year about "young adult" books and although I am not totally sure that this falls under that genre, I seem to be changing my mind slowly but surely about them.
This is totally worth your time to read, and I personally look forward to any future trips into this world.
August 19, 2017
Alternate history was never my favorite genre. But this book is bad ass!
May 31, 2020
3.5 Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.
December 6, 2020
4 stars for the story, plus 1 for the audiobook reader - she really made it come alive. I especially loved it that 2 of my less favorite historical characters (Jackson and Cromwell) are villains :)
October 29, 2024
I and many others have been recommended “Witchy Eye” by the man, the myth, and the legend himself, Christopher Ruocchio. So a small portion of us in the Red Company fan discord server the Sun Eater series picked up Dave (DJ) Butler’s alternate-history fantasy novel for a readalong in October. Ruocchio’s recommendation was a big motivator in the pick-up, but the fact that something that sounded so cool conceptually being so seemingly underread was no small part either.
In general, I would say the readalong was a success. I believe most - if not all - of us enjoyed it at a 3/5 or better rating. That’s not bad considering how disparate the tastes of that server can be at times!
I would say I came out feeling mixed-to-positive. Overall, I really liked the book, and most of what it is doing, but the back half started to drag on a tiny bit for me, with subtle monotony and conveniences within the story slightly dragging it down, likely exacerbated by the reading schedule I had for the book which caused it to take longer than it probably deserved. I would rate the book a bit more technically at 3.5/5 myself, but I have chosen to round it up for the purposes of the review, because I think if I read the back half quicker I wouldn’t have struggled near as notably with the “dragging on” I felt coming up on the final confrontation.
A good chunk of why “Witchy Eye” was so successful is the success in Dave’s portrayal of alternate history, niche references, and interactions between cultures. It seems like a pretty bonkers sales pitch, but Dave’s balance of the various elements utilized in “Witchy Eye” is actually quite astounding! It also might not necessarily sound like your thing, but if you pick up a copy of the second edition of the book and read the forward that discusses where/how “Witchy Eye” came about, you’ll be hard-pressed to not be pretty excited to read the book. The inspirations and diverse and all very cool, and the execution is great too.
Dave does a great job twisting what we know of our real-world history in the early-1800s America, but instead of a democratic republic nation, it’s various kingdoms and territories. To speak to the details of references would be to say too much, but I can certainly say there’s a lot of names that will have you scratching your head and picking apart just what Dave might mean in the context of his world-building. It’s fascinating.
As its own point, Dave’s worldbuilding itself is great too. It’s not just the alternate history that sells the setting, it’s the way that Dave has built up the various parts of this version of America. It is interesting and diverse, and though we don’t get to see all of it in this first entry we’re given a deep enough implication to other areas to develop a picture still. I think that if you know anything about relatively early America and thus detect the subversions that Butler makes here, you’ll really appreciate this. The predominantly French culture of New Orleans, the Appalachee culture of, er, the Appalachians, etc. is built to great effect and makes differentiating groups of people easy. In addition, Dave gives characters dialectically-written dialogue to further deepen your connection with their backgrounds - and also to differentiate a set of characters (technically the same; you’ll know what I’m referring to if you read the book).
Moreso than geography too! Anything religiously related is played around with too. Not just Christianity - though that seems the most played-with in this first entry. I’ve heard future entries in the Witchy War series expand and develop other cultures we don’t see here, and thus theological components are expanded too. I’m excited to experience some of that, because the way that Dave plays with Christianity itself in “Witchy Eye” was super fun. Hell, the way he plays with LANGUAGE can be lumped into the religion/culture discussion too. I’m sure there are some jokes in the novel that a VERY small portion of its readership will get because it will require specific levels of fluency or understanding with a couple of non-English languages to click. In that way, “Witchy Eye” rewards investment.
I also tended to enjoy the character work on display. Sarah is an engaging protagonist, Thalanes and Bill make some of my favorite side-characters of the year, and the villains are really unique for an epic fantasy Book 1. One aspect to one of the prospective romances can definitely come off a little strange…but it’s basically the only character-related complaint I have.
Remember I mentioned the second edition of “Witchy Eye” earlier, which features Dave’s introduction explaining the inspirations of the book; this second edition also includes a short story at the end called “Calvin Calhoun Sees the Lights of Atlanta”, which expands upon its titular character in ways that made me really appreciate him more than the main novel itself managed to, so I’d say that if you check out “Witchy Eye”, try to find this short story too.
But I suppose it’s time to discuss some of the things I didn’t like quite as much. I already mentioned one of the prospective romances, which isn’t great. At best, it feels a little weird, for fairly obvious reasons. Not horrible, nor enough to bring down the book, but there might be some who are bothered by this.
The real criticisms I have for “Witchy Eye” come with the back half of the book - most especially the final act. There are times when the pacing feels off. The first half of the book is a lot of relatively slow build-up, but I really liked all of that (aside from minor struggle with the alt. history learning curve of the first 2 chapters); on the other hand, the back half is a lot of more action-chase heavy, with several mini-climaxes that all happen right back to back. Something about the structure didn’t perfectly jive for me as such, but the fact I only really read “Witchy Eye” on Mondays for the most part meant there was some space as well as a solid 100+ pages of “Lord of Chaos” (Wheel of Time, Book 6) that separated sessions which probably exacerbated what I consider to be “weird” pacing. All told, this is probably a personal problem, but at least worth noting for the sake of honesty.
In addition, to compound upon a bunch of action sequences playing back-to-back near the end, there came to be several cases of what I considered to be conveniences in the plotting that made it hard to really appreciate what was happening. I won’t call these moments Deus ex Machina, but they certainly felt contrived at times. At moments, characters come up with solutions to their problems that don’t feel conceivable. At least, there were too many moments I thought “what purpose does this action serve” even after its already served its purpose; too many times when I had to accept that something made sense when it kind of didn’t, actually.
MINOR SPOILER: Sarah retrieving her birthright near the ultimate climax was the worst example of this. Bill and Cal dig until eventually she just determines she knows how to regain them, but like…it didn’t actually make sense - nothing in the book foreshadowed certain decision making or certain bouts of magic to the degree that it too often left me unable to suspend my disbelief. It’s weird, because this magic is supposed to feel more “real” - more based upon traditional systems of so-called magic that people in the real-world actually believe in (I don’t, obviously, hence the way I phrased the sentence; my apologies).
I can’t say these issues spoiled my time with the book too much, but what was a pretty easy 5/5 for the first half or so of the book slowly came down as the finale came around, despite the constant climaxes being just as exciting as I wanted them to be. It’s a very weird personal thing I feel like I’m suffering with “Witchy Eye”. 4/5 sounds right because the book is absolutely worth the hype that Christopher gave it, even if I had some very specific personal issues with the latter half.
“Witchy Eye” is the Lord of the Rings of an alternate history America, and that alone should encourage anybody on the fence to read it. I am not 100% sure when I’ll read the second book, but it will absolutely happen Someday™. I ought to be getting on a call to discuss “Witchy Eye” with Dave himself before too long, and I want to find out if books 2 & 3 will be getting a trade paperback print at some point to match books 1 and 4.
Either way, in the end I recommend “Witchy Eye”, just be aware there are SOME conveniences taken at times that might occasionally feel cheap, but that’s the only serious criticism to me.
In general, I would say the readalong was a success. I believe most - if not all - of us enjoyed it at a 3/5 or better rating. That’s not bad considering how disparate the tastes of that server can be at times!
I would say I came out feeling mixed-to-positive. Overall, I really liked the book, and most of what it is doing, but the back half started to drag on a tiny bit for me, with subtle monotony and conveniences within the story slightly dragging it down, likely exacerbated by the reading schedule I had for the book which caused it to take longer than it probably deserved. I would rate the book a bit more technically at 3.5/5 myself, but I have chosen to round it up for the purposes of the review, because I think if I read the back half quicker I wouldn’t have struggled near as notably with the “dragging on” I felt coming up on the final confrontation.
A good chunk of why “Witchy Eye” was so successful is the success in Dave’s portrayal of alternate history, niche references, and interactions between cultures. It seems like a pretty bonkers sales pitch, but Dave’s balance of the various elements utilized in “Witchy Eye” is actually quite astounding! It also might not necessarily sound like your thing, but if you pick up a copy of the second edition of the book and read the forward that discusses where/how “Witchy Eye” came about, you’ll be hard-pressed to not be pretty excited to read the book. The inspirations and diverse and all very cool, and the execution is great too.
Dave does a great job twisting what we know of our real-world history in the early-1800s America, but instead of a democratic republic nation, it’s various kingdoms and territories. To speak to the details of references would be to say too much, but I can certainly say there’s a lot of names that will have you scratching your head and picking apart just what Dave might mean in the context of his world-building. It’s fascinating.
As its own point, Dave’s worldbuilding itself is great too. It’s not just the alternate history that sells the setting, it’s the way that Dave has built up the various parts of this version of America. It is interesting and diverse, and though we don’t get to see all of it in this first entry we’re given a deep enough implication to other areas to develop a picture still. I think that if you know anything about relatively early America and thus detect the subversions that Butler makes here, you’ll really appreciate this. The predominantly French culture of New Orleans, the Appalachee culture of, er, the Appalachians, etc. is built to great effect and makes differentiating groups of people easy. In addition, Dave gives characters dialectically-written dialogue to further deepen your connection with their backgrounds - and also to differentiate a set of characters (technically the same; you’ll know what I’m referring to if you read the book).
Moreso than geography too! Anything religiously related is played around with too. Not just Christianity - though that seems the most played-with in this first entry. I’ve heard future entries in the Witchy War series expand and develop other cultures we don’t see here, and thus theological components are expanded too. I’m excited to experience some of that, because the way that Dave plays with Christianity itself in “Witchy Eye” was super fun. Hell, the way he plays with LANGUAGE can be lumped into the religion/culture discussion too. I’m sure there are some jokes in the novel that a VERY small portion of its readership will get because it will require specific levels of fluency or understanding with a couple of non-English languages to click. In that way, “Witchy Eye” rewards investment.
I also tended to enjoy the character work on display. Sarah is an engaging protagonist, Thalanes and Bill make some of my favorite side-characters of the year, and the villains are really unique for an epic fantasy Book 1. One aspect to one of the prospective romances can definitely come off a little strange…but it’s basically the only character-related complaint I have.
Remember I mentioned the second edition of “Witchy Eye” earlier, which features Dave’s introduction explaining the inspirations of the book; this second edition also includes a short story at the end called “Calvin Calhoun Sees the Lights of Atlanta”, which expands upon its titular character in ways that made me really appreciate him more than the main novel itself managed to, so I’d say that if you check out “Witchy Eye”, try to find this short story too.
But I suppose it’s time to discuss some of the things I didn’t like quite as much. I already mentioned one of the prospective romances, which isn’t great. At best, it feels a little weird, for fairly obvious reasons. Not horrible, nor enough to bring down the book, but there might be some who are bothered by this.
The real criticisms I have for “Witchy Eye” come with the back half of the book - most especially the final act. There are times when the pacing feels off. The first half of the book is a lot of relatively slow build-up, but I really liked all of that (aside from minor struggle with the alt. history learning curve of the first 2 chapters); on the other hand, the back half is a lot of more action-chase heavy, with several mini-climaxes that all happen right back to back. Something about the structure didn’t perfectly jive for me as such, but the fact I only really read “Witchy Eye” on Mondays for the most part meant there was some space as well as a solid 100+ pages of “Lord of Chaos” (Wheel of Time, Book 6) that separated sessions which probably exacerbated what I consider to be “weird” pacing. All told, this is probably a personal problem, but at least worth noting for the sake of honesty.
In addition, to compound upon a bunch of action sequences playing back-to-back near the end, there came to be several cases of what I considered to be conveniences in the plotting that made it hard to really appreciate what was happening. I won’t call these moments Deus ex Machina, but they certainly felt contrived at times. At moments, characters come up with solutions to their problems that don’t feel conceivable. At least, there were too many moments I thought “what purpose does this action serve” even after its already served its purpose; too many times when I had to accept that something made sense when it kind of didn’t, actually.
MINOR SPOILER: Sarah retrieving her birthright near the ultimate climax was the worst example of this. Bill and Cal dig until eventually she just determines she knows how to regain them, but like…it didn’t actually make sense - nothing in the book foreshadowed certain decision making or certain bouts of magic to the degree that it too often left me unable to suspend my disbelief. It’s weird, because this magic is supposed to feel more “real” - more based upon traditional systems of so-called magic that people in the real-world actually believe in (I don’t, obviously, hence the way I phrased the sentence; my apologies).
I can’t say these issues spoiled my time with the book too much, but what was a pretty easy 5/5 for the first half or so of the book slowly came down as the finale came around, despite the constant climaxes being just as exciting as I wanted them to be. It’s a very weird personal thing I feel like I’m suffering with “Witchy Eye”. 4/5 sounds right because the book is absolutely worth the hype that Christopher gave it, even if I had some very specific personal issues with the latter half.
“Witchy Eye” is the Lord of the Rings of an alternate history America, and that alone should encourage anybody on the fence to read it. I am not 100% sure when I’ll read the second book, but it will absolutely happen Someday™. I ought to be getting on a call to discuss “Witchy Eye” with Dave himself before too long, and I want to find out if books 2 & 3 will be getting a trade paperback print at some point to match books 1 and 4.
Either way, in the end I recommend “Witchy Eye”, just be aware there are SOME conveniences taken at times that might occasionally feel cheap, but that’s the only serious criticism to me.
September 13, 2018
At times brilliant, but at others a bit tedious.
It took me a long time to get through the first chapter, I'd open the book and then get thrown off by the jarring use of heavy accents and then put it down again. Once I actually sat down and focused on reading and forced my way through the first chapter things started to come together. It was the world-building that finally hooked me, absolutely stellar. The accents, so difficult to connect with early on, became a strength. They are phenomenally executed and integral to demonstrating the complexity of the world. On that point, Butler does an excellent job of weaving early 1800's American cultures (not necessarily "American" cultures, but more the cultures that made up America) and belief systems (with an alternative twist) into a colorful tapestry and then adding a healthy dose of magic. The characters are engaging and likeable and I was equally invested in all the different POV chapters, which is usually pretty hard to do.
The plot and pacing of the story is my biggest issue. At times things seem to drag a bit, and chapters seemed overly long when I needed to find a convenient place to set the book down. And, oddly, I found myself putting the book down more in the later chapters--when the action is supposed to be picking up. There aren't any major surprises, plot-wise; the story is basic, but it serves well as a vehicle for revealing the fascinating world around it. And things come around to a satisfying conclusion while still setting the hook to read the next book.
Which I will. The end.
3.5/5
It took me a long time to get through the first chapter, I'd open the book and then get thrown off by the jarring use of heavy accents and then put it down again. Once I actually sat down and focused on reading and forced my way through the first chapter things started to come together. It was the world-building that finally hooked me, absolutely stellar. The accents, so difficult to connect with early on, became a strength. They are phenomenally executed and integral to demonstrating the complexity of the world. On that point, Butler does an excellent job of weaving early 1800's American cultures (not necessarily "American" cultures, but more the cultures that made up America) and belief systems (with an alternative twist) into a colorful tapestry and then adding a healthy dose of magic. The characters are engaging and likeable and I was equally invested in all the different POV chapters, which is usually pretty hard to do.
The plot and pacing of the story is my biggest issue. At times things seem to drag a bit, and chapters seemed overly long when I needed to find a convenient place to set the book down. And, oddly, I found myself putting the book down more in the later chapters--when the action is supposed to be picking up. There aren't any major surprises, plot-wise; the story is basic, but it serves well as a vehicle for revealing the fascinating world around it. And things come around to a satisfying conclusion while still setting the hook to read the next book.
Which I will. The end.
3.5/5
May 4, 2017
D.J. Butler starts his quest tale in an unusual America in the third decade of the nineteenth century. Because of the first-souled who can work magic, America is an empire ruled by Thomas Penn who has tortured the old empress, his sister, to discover the whereabouts of Sarah, the girl with the Witchy Eye (hard from Baen), who is the oldest daughter of the Empress. Chased by a magic-using Priest and company of the Blues. Sarah and friends are helped by a wizard-monk and are chased from Nashville to New Orleans in quest of the one man who knows where her brother was hidden. Also chasing her are zombie Lazars, and sometimes helping is the Heron King, a magical being with beast-men followers. Along the way Sarah learns how to use her magic and find the missing magical items buried with her father. I’m eagerly waiting for the next part of this exciting tale.Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press
October 24, 2018
Reminded me of Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker books, but it caught my interest in a way Alvin never did. The story's great, but probably could have been told in a hundred less pages. Also, a fair amount of time is spent in the heads/perspective of the antagonists, which is much less fun. But wow, this world is big and complex, and I cannot wait to see what lies past Cahokia.
October 4, 2017
Had some severe pacing issues in the 2nd half (in fact, felt about twice as long as it needed to be), but ultimately a very fine piece of worldbuilding with a wondrous take on superstition and myth as magic.
August 17, 2020
This book is clever. The dialogue is clever, the plot is clever, and the inside jokes I managed to understand were clever too. This is by no means a small book, but Dave's writing kept me enthralled from page 1, and his world building is phenomenal. I'm here for the rest of the series.
August 19, 2025
This is a very odd book.
It is an alternate history fantasy set in North America. I do not recall hearing a specific date, but from the internal clues, it must be early in the 19th century. (It does seem unlikely that even poor people would still be using matchlock muskets in the early 19th century, though.)
Specific diversions from history include Martin Luther reconciling with the Catholic church and forming an order of monks that seem to be a replacement for the Inquisition (probably removing the 30 Years War, but this is only inferred, not stated). England has become an explicitly pagan country, though there seems to have been some colonization effort by English-speaking Christian settlers. Oliver Cromwell was a necromancer, and his New Model Army was necromantically raised. (My sense is that the author really dislikes anything that opposed or threatened the Catholic church; the specific diversions from history villainize every group of that persuasion.)
Most of what would have been the US in 1820 (or so) is now ruled by an elected monarch, and the electors are not just English settlers, but also French, Dutch, German, Cahokian (the mound builders have been defeated but not eliminated), and perhaps some native nations. There is also mention of the Igbo, which would imply there is an organized society of black immigrants (whether voluntary or forced, though we see no explicit slavery).
The protagonist is Appalachian (at least by upbringing, this involves a major early plot point that I won't spoil) and she is being sought by major powers in the land. And there are definitely major magical powers in the land.
This is a coming of age-ish, chosen one fantasy with a unique premise, and it rather feels like I should love it. Unfortunately, I don't. The background, while unique, doesn't hang together very well. The government is a bit too unlikely for verisimilitude. And many of the characters are too close to caricatures to really engage me.
I think this book would be really entertaining for some audiences, but the series doesn't really work well for me. I will probably be stopping here, but I hope the real audience for this book finds it.
It is an alternate history fantasy set in North America. I do not recall hearing a specific date, but from the internal clues, it must be early in the 19th century. (It does seem unlikely that even poor people would still be using matchlock muskets in the early 19th century, though.)
Specific diversions from history include Martin Luther reconciling with the Catholic church and forming an order of monks that seem to be a replacement for the Inquisition (probably removing the 30 Years War, but this is only inferred, not stated). England has become an explicitly pagan country, though there seems to have been some colonization effort by English-speaking Christian settlers. Oliver Cromwell was a necromancer, and his New Model Army was necromantically raised. (My sense is that the author really dislikes anything that opposed or threatened the Catholic church; the specific diversions from history villainize every group of that persuasion.)
Most of what would have been the US in 1820 (or so) is now ruled by an elected monarch, and the electors are not just English settlers, but also French, Dutch, German, Cahokian (the mound builders have been defeated but not eliminated), and perhaps some native nations. There is also mention of the Igbo, which would imply there is an organized society of black immigrants (whether voluntary or forced, though we see no explicit slavery).
The protagonist is Appalachian (at least by upbringing, this involves a major early plot point that I won't spoil) and she is being sought by major powers in the land. And there are definitely major magical powers in the land.
This is a coming of age-ish, chosen one fantasy with a unique premise, and it rather feels like I should love it. Unfortunately, I don't. The background, while unique, doesn't hang together very well. The government is a bit too unlikely for verisimilitude. And many of the characters are too close to caricatures to really engage me.
I think this book would be really entertaining for some audiences, but the series doesn't really work well for me. I will probably be stopping here, but I hope the real audience for this book finds it.
May 7, 2024
I found this series thanks to Christopher Ruocchio, who sang its praises in multiple interviews when asked about favorite fantasy novels. I have to admit, I was always skeptical, because I'd never heard of it outside of his recommendation. Well, I've learned my lesson: hidden gems do exist, even for someone who has read a lot of fantasy, and DJ Butler is someone I'll be reading much more of.
The novel has many strengths that I could wax on about, but I'll keep it short. The unique worldbuilding drew me in immediately. An alternate history take on America that doesn't simply change the victors of the Civil War or WW2! In the early-1800s world of Witchy Eye, Prestor John and his Amhara followers sailed up the Mississippi and established a kingdom in Memphis, Andrew Jackson declared himself King and wound up in a gibbet in New Orleans, and Oliver Cromwell still lives thanks to his mastery of necromancy. Butler obviously has a love of history and masterfully plays with its contingent nature to build a world that draws you in with its real sense of depth that extends beyond what you are explicitly introduced to on the page.
Another positive is the pacing. From the first page, the story moves and rarely stops to take a breath. Before this book, I don't know that I would have considered this a strength. I tend to be the type of reader who likes a more relaxed pace that provides room for exposition and character development, but Butler is able to move the story along quickly without sacrificing detail.
Another favorite, as a language enthusiast, is his use of written dialect. Though it may rub some the wrong way, I found that it was extremely well-done and helped differentiate the characters and filled out the mass of cultures that exist within the world of Witchy Eye.
I could go on, but I'd rather you give the book (and the series!) a try for yourself and help bring some more light to this terribly underrated novel. Dave Butler deserves much more attention for the great writing he has done and the fascinating world he has created.
The novel has many strengths that I could wax on about, but I'll keep it short. The unique worldbuilding drew me in immediately. An alternate history take on America that doesn't simply change the victors of the Civil War or WW2! In the early-1800s world of Witchy Eye, Prestor John and his Amhara followers sailed up the Mississippi and established a kingdom in Memphis, Andrew Jackson declared himself King and wound up in a gibbet in New Orleans, and Oliver Cromwell still lives thanks to his mastery of necromancy. Butler obviously has a love of history and masterfully plays with its contingent nature to build a world that draws you in with its real sense of depth that extends beyond what you are explicitly introduced to on the page.
Another positive is the pacing. From the first page, the story moves and rarely stops to take a breath. Before this book, I don't know that I would have considered this a strength. I tend to be the type of reader who likes a more relaxed pace that provides room for exposition and character development, but Butler is able to move the story along quickly without sacrificing detail.
Another favorite, as a language enthusiast, is his use of written dialect. Though it may rub some the wrong way, I found that it was extremely well-done and helped differentiate the characters and filled out the mass of cultures that exist within the world of Witchy Eye.
I could go on, but I'd rather you give the book (and the series!) a try for yourself and help bring some more light to this terribly underrated novel. Dave Butler deserves much more attention for the great writing he has done and the fascinating world he has created.
February 18, 2019
The first chapter of this book opens up an interesting alternate history fantasy set in historical (early 19th century) of what-would-be-America. Sarah Calhoun, the daughter of an Appalachian military hero and important political figure, encounters one of the many religious sects as she sells tobacco in Nashville. But the preacher she runs into has connections to the Emperor Thomas Penn, whose power is predicated upon an uneasy alliance of powers. There are no real states, united or otherwise; there are many independent kingdoms/territories (from various European colonists to native American tribes to even some non-human "beastmen"), and the schisms and cultural exchanges among them are a big part of what makes this book so interesting.
The story itself is fast-paced, although some points felt rushed (Sarah and her companions' ready acceptance of a change in her status seemed somewhat inauthentic). But it was good, and there was much less 'chosen one' prophecy than I had feared. I bounce between 3 and 4 stars -- the world is 4 stars interesting but it mostly read like a three-starrer.
A note: I had previously enjoyed D.J. Butler's Rock Band Fights Evil series, so I didn't pay that much attention to the blurb. Only after I started it did I notice the acknowledgement for and the blurb from Larry Correia, the creator of the Sad Puppies campaign/attack on the Hugos. I hope Butler isn't a sad puppy himself -- I probably won't continue the series if I find out he is.
The story itself is fast-paced, although some points felt rushed (Sarah and her companions' ready acceptance of a change in her status seemed somewhat inauthentic). But it was good, and there was much less 'chosen one' prophecy than I had feared. I bounce between 3 and 4 stars -- the world is 4 stars interesting but it mostly read like a three-starrer.
A note: I had previously enjoyed D.J. Butler's Rock Band Fights Evil series, so I didn't pay that much attention to the blurb. Only after I started it did I notice the acknowledgement for and the blurb from Larry Correia, the creator of the Sad Puppies campaign/attack on the Hugos. I hope Butler isn't a sad puppy himself -- I probably won't continue the series if I find out he is.
September 30, 2021
I first read an early draft of this novel a full decade ago; it was very good then, and it only got more brilliant with successive revisions. It helps that Dave Butler is the most intelligent person that I know I know (i.e., if there are any more intelligent people in my circle, they hide it well). He reads something like 30 languages, including Ojibwe and ancient Akkadian, and he knows practically EVERYTHING about the cultural history of the West, which means that his worldbuilding of an alternate magical 1830s America is nothing short of stunning.
The hardcover is bedecked with laudatory pullquotes from luminaries like Larry Correia, Dave Farland, R.A. Salvatore, etc. I'm not famous enough that a quote from me would be any benefit to Dave, but if I were to be called upon to provide such, I have it all ready:
"Effortlessly the equal of Orson Scott Card's 'Alvin Maker' series in its deep and satisfying portrayal of a magical America and the magic of Americana."
The hardcover is bedecked with laudatory pullquotes from luminaries like Larry Correia, Dave Farland, R.A. Salvatore, etc. I'm not famous enough that a quote from me would be any benefit to Dave, but if I were to be called upon to provide such, I have it all ready:
"Effortlessly the equal of Orson Scott Card's 'Alvin Maker' series in its deep and satisfying portrayal of a magical America and the magic of Americana."
January 7, 2025
The strongest aspect of this story was the world building. There's just something about the 'Emperor of the New World', the Imperial City of Nashville or a New Orleans city state that makes the familiar even stranger than just made up things (hearing about a Turkish Vienna hurt though).
Then there's the magic which, to my understanding, is based on real folk traditions from Appalachia and New Orleans which, similar to the setting, makes somewhat familiar concepts become quite strange. Or maybe they're strange concepts being made familiar.
The story wasn't anything too special. Felt like a standard 'protagonist is a chosen one is pursued by the villain's agents' but there were plenty of twists in the unfolding of the plot to keep things interesting and to hint at future plot threads.
On the whole I liked it, mostly I really like the setting and am looking forward to seeing it unveiled further.
Then there's the magic which, to my understanding, is based on real folk traditions from Appalachia and New Orleans which, similar to the setting, makes somewhat familiar concepts become quite strange. Or maybe they're strange concepts being made familiar.
The story wasn't anything too special. Felt like a standard 'protagonist is a chosen one is pursued by the villain's agents' but there were plenty of twists in the unfolding of the plot to keep things interesting and to hint at future plot threads.
On the whole I liked it, mostly I really like the setting and am looking forward to seeing it unveiled further.
September 6, 2019
I am going to copy what Wm Morris said: "Butler conjures up a compelling, rich world ripe with poetics and myth and compelling, unique characters. I found the pacing spot on, but it may be a wee bit slow for core genre readers and a wee bit adventurey for core lit-fic readers. What I like best is that the politics and theologies and economies are many."
Butlter's alternative 1815 America is, an amazingly rich world. Butler knows his 18th/19th century history very well, and deploys it to great effect, creating an America divided by different groups and religions (including British, French, German, Native American, African, Dutch, Spanish, Creole), including one in which Black Africans and Native Americans control their own powerful kingdoms. And non-humans as well. I am excited to get home and start reading volume 2, "Witchy Winter".
Butlter's alternative 1815 America is, an amazingly rich world. Butler knows his 18th/19th century history very well, and deploys it to great effect, creating an America divided by different groups and religions (including British, French, German, Native American, African, Dutch, Spanish, Creole), including one in which Black Africans and Native Americans control their own powerful kingdoms. And non-humans as well. I am excited to get home and start reading volume 2, "Witchy Winter".
March 8, 2022
This was a wildly creative story. Colonial America made up of various kingdoms, tons of alt-history and historical figures showing up in different ways. Mixed in with magic that is mysterious and a great quest story and it was all a lot of fun. The dialogue was written in accents, which was an interesting choice but sometimes was hard work to follow. A bit too action-heavy of a story for my tastes, but thats a personal thing.
August 25, 2019
Bra och intressant. Tror lite av sakerna i boken flög över mitt huvud när de kom till kända historiska personer från Amerika men var ändå intressant och snyggt världsbygge.
August 10, 2019
Disclaimer, again- I don't use stars on my blog
Wonky Eyed, Bad Mannered And Unabashedly, Unapologetically Herself, Sarah Calhoun Is The Young, Female Protagonist We Didn't Know We Needed
Oddly I'm going from never have done this before to doing it twice in one month. I suppose there is something to be said for novelty. I'm going to provide the summary of Witchy Eye, the first book in the Witchy Eye Series, by DJ Butler, because most of this review is going to focus on the protagonist, Sarah Calhoun. The summary is also in the Summer Fling post, but in the interest of simplicity I put it here.
Full Review at Novellives.Com
Wonky Eyed, Bad Mannered And Unabashedly, Unapologetically Herself, Sarah Calhoun Is The Young, Female Protagonist We Didn't Know We Needed
Oddly I'm going from never have done this before to doing it twice in one month. I suppose there is something to be said for novelty. I'm going to provide the summary of Witchy Eye, the first book in the Witchy Eye Series, by DJ Butler, because most of this review is going to focus on the protagonist, Sarah Calhoun. The summary is also in the Summer Fling post, but in the interest of simplicity I put it here.
Full Review at Novellives.Com
November 20, 2017
The author came with HIGH recommendations, and so I grabbed the book, even though the genre of magical fantasy isn't my favorite.
If I read many more books like this, though, I may find myself opening up my selection criteria a bit.
It's immersion history. We discover what the world is like by being placed in the middle of a market day, with hucksters and pot-bellied farmers swinging loads of cured tobacco, and stray dogs running between the mules' feet. And noise, and conflict.
A person with more expertise than I possess in early American history would have a BLAST with this book, highlighting all of the points of divergence. I was not able to identify the exact point in history where this line splits off from our own, but there are delicious clues sprinkled in like chocolate chips in a cinnamon cake.Ben Franklin was a bishop, as well as an inventor; Voltaire was a defender of the Faith. Oliver Cromwell is referred to as the Necromancer. And Andrew Jackson's body is suspended in a cage following his death (or execution, not sure which) in an attempt to set himself up as King.
The language is beautiful. The heroine, Sarah, is coming to terms with her hidden identity as well as with her magical powers. She encounters the Mississippi for the first time, and is amazed at the power of the magical aura of the river. (Earth magical power is revealed in 'ley lines.')
"Its color, too, was distinctive. It was multicolored like the Natchez Trace ley line, but the Trace ley was predominantly white, whereas the river ley luxuriated in shimmering deep green. Was that… river energy? The spiritual tracks of thousands of years of catfish?"
[D. J. Butler. Witchy Eye (Kindle Locations 3764-3765). Baen. Kindle Edition.]
Is that not glorious? 'The spiritual tracks of thousands of years of catfish.' That's just not a phrase you will find in just any book. And, if I had any remaining reservations about whether I was a fan of the book, that line eliminated them.
Sarah and her band of supporters set of on a Grail-like quest, while being tracked by nasties, both earthly and ghastly. Along the way, she has to get settled in her own mind about the kind of marriage she wishes to make. In the process, she transforms from a semi-trashy hillbilly type to a queen, with regard for her duties and responsibilities to her followers. They also find transformation in the process; a drunkard thug becomes a knight; a hooker becomes a lady. That sort of thing.
Plenty of plot items are resolved, so it's not REALLY a Grail-like quest, even though I said it was earlier. However, it's clearly the beginning of a great story arc, and I have no idea how many more volumes will follow. Hopefully, the number of chocolate chips has not been exhausted.
If I read many more books like this, though, I may find myself opening up my selection criteria a bit.
It's immersion history. We discover what the world is like by being placed in the middle of a market day, with hucksters and pot-bellied farmers swinging loads of cured tobacco, and stray dogs running between the mules' feet. And noise, and conflict.
A person with more expertise than I possess in early American history would have a BLAST with this book, highlighting all of the points of divergence. I was not able to identify the exact point in history where this line splits off from our own, but there are delicious clues sprinkled in like chocolate chips in a cinnamon cake.Ben Franklin was a bishop, as well as an inventor; Voltaire was a defender of the Faith. Oliver Cromwell is referred to as the Necromancer. And Andrew Jackson's body is suspended in a cage following his death (or execution, not sure which) in an attempt to set himself up as King.
The language is beautiful. The heroine, Sarah, is coming to terms with her hidden identity as well as with her magical powers. She encounters the Mississippi for the first time, and is amazed at the power of the magical aura of the river. (Earth magical power is revealed in 'ley lines.')
"Its color, too, was distinctive. It was multicolored like the Natchez Trace ley line, but the Trace ley was predominantly white, whereas the river ley luxuriated in shimmering deep green. Was that… river energy? The spiritual tracks of thousands of years of catfish?"
[D. J. Butler. Witchy Eye (Kindle Locations 3764-3765). Baen. Kindle Edition.]
Is that not glorious? 'The spiritual tracks of thousands of years of catfish.' That's just not a phrase you will find in just any book. And, if I had any remaining reservations about whether I was a fan of the book, that line eliminated them.
Sarah and her band of supporters set of on a Grail-like quest, while being tracked by nasties, both earthly and ghastly. Along the way, she has to get settled in her own mind about the kind of marriage she wishes to make. In the process, she transforms from a semi-trashy hillbilly type to a queen, with regard for her duties and responsibilities to her followers. They also find transformation in the process; a drunkard thug becomes a knight; a hooker becomes a lady. That sort of thing.
Plenty of plot items are resolved, so it's not REALLY a Grail-like quest, even though I said it was earlier. However, it's clearly the beginning of a great story arc, and I have no idea how many more volumes will follow. Hopefully, the number of chocolate chips has not been exhausted.
October 4, 2018
It's cool how you find different books to read, and I'm glad I found Witchy Eye.
I follow Brandon Sanderson on Goodreads and a couple months ago he reviewed Dark Immolation by Christopher Husberg. I thought it sounded good so I made a note to get to it. Around that time Husberg went on a little tour to promote his new book and with him was DJ Butler promoting Witchy Winter. I thought that sounded fun too, and so I made a note to get it as well. In comes early August and I finally got the book, but I had some other things to read first. I had to finish the last four Wheel of Time books, then read the three books currently out in the Chaos Queen Quintet, and then I had an itch for some Forgotten Realms and I read a couple of those and then I sat down with this book last week.
Witchy Eye is dense, definitely not a quick read, but it is rewarding. I didn't think it started off that fast, but by 50 or so pages I was all in for the ride. It's a very interesting work, with lots to take in. A lot of time had to go into crafting it, I'm sure. I appreciate the use of old words you don't really see that much and I'm kind of proud that I didn't ever have to look up the meaning of any of them.
Similarly there are other languages dotted throughout, most noticeably french. It's pretty basic stuff that a quick search will find or the context itself will tell you the gist. For me personally ,I'm thankful for college french.
The action never really stops once it starts. It's very much an adventure with corrupt leaders, undead sorcerers, beast, and monsters. Plus some cool magic, and compelling lore. Not to mention the cool tweaks done to some famous historical figures.
One gripe is I wish the main character, Sarah, got a little more development. I felt by the end I knew and understood Sir William the most out of all the characters.
I'm definitely going to be reading Witchy Winter soon.
I follow Brandon Sanderson on Goodreads and a couple months ago he reviewed Dark Immolation by Christopher Husberg. I thought it sounded good so I made a note to get to it. Around that time Husberg went on a little tour to promote his new book and with him was DJ Butler promoting Witchy Winter. I thought that sounded fun too, and so I made a note to get it as well. In comes early August and I finally got the book, but I had some other things to read first. I had to finish the last four Wheel of Time books, then read the three books currently out in the Chaos Queen Quintet, and then I had an itch for some Forgotten Realms and I read a couple of those and then I sat down with this book last week.
Witchy Eye is dense, definitely not a quick read, but it is rewarding. I didn't think it started off that fast, but by 50 or so pages I was all in for the ride. It's a very interesting work, with lots to take in. A lot of time had to go into crafting it, I'm sure. I appreciate the use of old words you don't really see that much and I'm kind of proud that I didn't ever have to look up the meaning of any of them.
Similarly there are other languages dotted throughout, most noticeably french. It's pretty basic stuff that a quick search will find or the context itself will tell you the gist. For me personally ,I'm thankful for college french.
The action never really stops once it starts. It's very much an adventure with corrupt leaders, undead sorcerers, beast, and monsters. Plus some cool magic, and compelling lore. Not to mention the cool tweaks done to some famous historical figures.
One gripe is I wish the main character, Sarah, got a little more development. I felt by the end I knew and understood Sir William the most out of all the characters.
I'm definitely going to be reading Witchy Winter soon.
abandoned
September 29, 2020Paranormal, science-fiction, and fantasy are some of my favorite genres specifically because of the unique way they are able to wrestle with what is true. In order to do this successfully, an author must create an internally consistent world in which the reader believes that what he reads is true within the secondary reality of that fictional world; that is, he must create what J.R.R. Tolkien called a paradigm of secondary belief. If the author fails to create a secondary belief, however, the reader ceases to be immersed in the story and must make a conscious effort to suspend disbelief going forward or give up the work entirely. I chose to give up the work entirely. I would have sooner believed Adolf Hitler a saint than Martin Luther a villain and either requires more conscious effort than I am willing to lend.
April 16, 2018
Kinda good, kinda difficult to get into.
It's a good book, but it's far too seeped into the east coast old-times cultural background to be really entertaining for me. The setting straddled literally the uncanny valley: distantly familiar enough to be jarring, not familiar enough to be comfortable. So, it's difficult to articulate exactly why I don't give it 4 or 5 stars, but it's inherently personal.
Despite being a quality book I'll probably skip on the series.
It's a good book, but it's far too seeped into the east coast old-times cultural background to be really entertaining for me. The setting straddled literally the uncanny valley: distantly familiar enough to be jarring, not familiar enough to be comfortable. So, it's difficult to articulate exactly why I don't give it 4 or 5 stars, but it's inherently personal.
Despite being a quality book I'll probably skip on the series.
August 2, 2017
As always when a book tries to get different dialects across i strugle as a non native speaker.
But the story got me anyway. Nice worldbuilding and i was more then once really tempted to look up why that name sounds so familiar and what did he/she do in the real timeline.
Now i want to have the next one!
But the story got me anyway. Nice worldbuilding and i was more then once really tempted to look up why that name sounds so familiar and what did he/she do in the real timeline.
Now i want to have the next one!
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