Reader's Review: "Herald of Autumn" by J. M. Guillen

Synopsis from Amazon: 

The magic of the fae. A shaman gone mad. Eldritch darkness, heralding the end of all things.

Tommy Maple is the Herald of Autumn, a fae who can scarcely contain his bestial hunter's nature. Doomed to ever wander the world, he finds comfort in the company of mortal women, using glamour and haunting eyes to entrance and enchant. Wherever he wanders, hungry hounds ghost along with him and the frigid wind of the hallows follows close behind.

He hunts the creatures that linger in shadows, protecting mankind from the weirding and the nameless.

When the Herald awakens to the taunting of a mysterious and half-mad shaman, he is immediately thrown into a harrowing battle for his very existence. As he matches wits against horror from another age, the Herald learns sinister truths of an ancient abomination and of darkness that lurks behind the world.

Most importantly, he learns of the end of all things.

The Herald of Autumn is a fun-filled addition to JM Guillen's Irrational Worlds. If you like strangeling darkness, inhumanly beautiful fae and snarky supernatural characters, then you'll be enchanted by J.M. Guillen's fantastical tale.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

My Review:

My only regret with this book was that it was so short! No longer than Princess of Undersea, if I’m not mistaken! I was deeply impressed with each chapter, of the wealth of lore and insight that went into such a simple story—Guillen really crams in the adventure! Let me break it down.

First of all, THE CHARACTERS. In a day and age where it’s more popular to feature a badass Fae chick who has to fight to be understood and respected instead of marginalized—it was fascinating (dare I say refreshing?) to read a story featuring a male tree sprite who still inspires sympathy with the struggles inherent to his nature and the laws by which he is bound. And Old Man Coyote, presented with a mystique and a ruthless air that sends shivers down one’s spine—but all is not what it seems, perhaps? Which is the chief reason this book felt too short.

Second part I loved was THE IMAGERY. All the beautiful language, the way Tommy describes not only Autumn’s effect on the world, but the way the world feels wrong when the shadowy forces of evil seek to twist reality and overtake him. It’s creepy, it’s enchanting, it’s downright lyrical and vibrant, the way things are expressed!

See, this is why it felt way too short… There wasn’t enough time to build and emotional rapport with the characters, I would have loved to read more of the history between Tommy and Coyote, I would have liked to meet other characters beyond just the ones in Tommy’s immediate network, I would have loved to see more character-interaction-and-development scenes, rather than being rushed from one thing and right on to the next, with Tommy having to deal with things all by himself, or with one or two characters besides. I guess it’s better to make the reader feel “not enough” than to put too much into a book and make it drag on and on ad nauseum, but still!

In the end, I really did enjoy it! HERALD OF AUTUMN gets a hearty ****4.5 STARS**** and, shortness aside, I will add to that an Upstream Writer Certified CERTAINLY RECOMMENDED endorsement. It was a quick, cursory read, like a frigid gust of wind in the fall—and definitely worth the read, if you’re looking for a change of pace, away from the female-dominated urban fantasy vein. Pick up HERALD OF AUTUMN for a quick, one-sitting trip into the enchanting side of Nature!

Further Reading: (Urban Fantasy/Excellent Imagery/Compelling Characters)
The Untamed Series--Madeline Dyer
       -Untamed
       -Fragmented 
The Vemreaux Trilogy--Mary E. Twomey
       -The Way
       -The Truth
       -The Lie
-Songstruck--Sofia Black
-Road Brothers--Mark Lawrence
-A Spell in the Country--Morgan Smith
-The Seventh Crow--Sherry D. Ramsey
-Fire's Song--J. E. Mueller  
The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair
        -Street Fair
        -A Fair Fight
        -All's Fair  
The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
       -Leopard's Heart
       -Wolf's Path
       -Tiger's Shadow
Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland
     -Dance Into The Wyrd 
The Books of Winter--R. R. Virdi
       -Dangerous Ways