Maxwell Tart & the Witch of the Black Oak

The Adventures of Sir Maxwell Tart #1

by Michael Max Darrow

Maxwell Tart has returned to the land after 10 years at war. But the land is not the same as it was. Towns are bigger, people are different and the belief in the new god pushes out the old ways. Magic is now frowned upon. When he left he was just a boy. He is returning not only as a man but as the most reputable swordsman in the land. He even has a reputation and a nickname - The Forever Soldier. He remained in the fray for the entire war where others cycled home after a few years. Why did he stay? And what was he most afraid of upon returning to his hometown? He needed to find his mother, missing for the last two years, and what of the Red Lady, the Witch of the Black Oak? She was the only image in his head that he could never shake. She was the only woman he had ever wanted to be with, but he had not seen her since he was a boy of sixteen, heading off to war... Maxwell Tart was a soldier now, adept at killing. But some things never change...

Genres: Witches

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 7, 2020

About the author

I was born and raised in sunny Southern California before joining the military right out of high school. After serving my country for four years I came home and was hired by the Santa Ana Police Department. I continued to serve my country in the California National Guard and Army Reserve and earned a commission as an Infantry Officer.
I married my wife Michelle in 1992 and moved to a more rural community in Riverside County. We have 3 grown children now.
Nagging injuries forced me to retire early. I tried working a few other jobs, even managing a cigar lounge in Idyllwild, California, for a while, but the pain became too great. Since I always wanted to write books, being a Sci-Fi and Fantasy geek from a young age, I finally started writing.
My first book, The Federation Trilogy, is based in part on two short stories that I combined, the first story I actually wrote (the short) in 1981.
My second book, Maxwell Tart & the Witch of the Black Oaks, is an adult fantasy about a knight and a witch.
I have also written sequels to both of these books! I have written a police drama/murder mystery, Indian Country: Incident at Big Pine, a bestseller, and the sequel, Indian Country: Missing, also a bestseller. Indian Country: The Copper Twin Mine is available now.
Blood Wolf God is a vampire/werewolf novel that is doing well.
Feel free to ask me any questions you want!

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unexpectedly interesting fantasy read. Although there's violence and magic in the story, there's also a gentleness that catches at the heart. Maxwell, his animals and friends make delightful characters that I enjoyed.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an odd book. Contains mature themes that I wouldn't recommend for young readers, but is written as a middle grade novel. There is little to no description, just a strict adherence to the actions and dialogue taking place. I found it dull and fell asleep several times while reading this. Will not be continuing this series.

[Lau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maxwell Tart was actually rather engaging. It had the simple quality of a fairy tale, flowing from one event to another without any doubt that Maxwell would triumph. Unfortunately that led to a lack of tension and a lot or predictability. The end result was a bit too Marty Stu for me.

My rating for the book is largely based on the use of language and lack of proofreading. I found myself constantly having to set the book aside because a turn of phrase was jarring and inconsistent with tone of the rest of the story. This is a medieval analogue setting: Modern expressions and behaviors diminished my enjoyment of the book.

Homonyms were rife (example: using waste when waist was proper) in this novel. Because the words were correctly spelled - while incorrectly used - they got past spell check. Better editing could have saved many scenes and made this read much more enjoyable for me.