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Shadowmagic (Shadowmagic #1)
by
John Lenahan
Shadowmagic is a rip roaring fun fantasy adventure novel by John Lenahan very loosely based on Irish mythology where every chapter ends on the edge of a cliff (or at least a high curb.) Join Conor as he grapples with typical teenage problems like, how to deal with a father's high expectations, how to survive in the world on your own and how to woo a beautiful girl - that w...more
Kindle Edition, 278 pages
Published
August 6th 2009
by The Friday Project
(first published July 1st 2008)
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I got this book just because it was free on amazon for my new kindle. I do enjoy a fantasy story but some times it can be hard get into and it can be rather bad. Not in this case!
The story developing fast and rather captivating. Page turner I would say!
I would recommend it to everyone it's fun and good read! Beautifully written too
The story developing fast and rather captivating. Page turner I would say!
I would recommend it to everyone it's fun and good read! Beautifully written too
The story was easy to get into, and captivating enough to hold my attention.
I look forward to the next installment!
Connor is an 18 year old boy who lives with his (one handed)handicapped father. Suddenly his doors bust down and his life is in danger. He finds himself magically in another world, and everything in his life is not what it seems. Everyone wants him dead, and he has no clue why.
Loved the story.
The only thing I didn't like was the ending. But I hear that this is the first installment...more
I look forward to the next installment!
Connor is an 18 year old boy who lives with his (one handed)handicapped father. Suddenly his doors bust down and his life is in danger. He finds himself magically in another world, and everything in his life is not what it seems. Everyone wants him dead, and he has no clue why.
Loved the story.
The only thing I didn't like was the ending. But I hear that this is the first installment...more
This was a pretty enjoyable story. I found it to be straight forward and easy to follow. Mr. Lenahan does a good job keeping the story moving through the whole book, giving enough depth and history that you feel like you know what is going on while not over loading you. The premise is believable, and his hooks into "real world" Mythology make give the story just that much more credence.
The story is not very deep, and if you are looking for something that will bring you some new understanding of...more
The story is not very deep, and if you are looking for something that will bring you some new understanding of...more
This is a fantasy book that seamlessly blends old Irish mythology with the modern world. Conor has remained blissfully unaware of his genealogy until his first meeting with his aunt, when she tries to kill him. Exploring his heritage isn't quite as straightforward as looking up your family tree in the records office. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed this enormously. The love of the author for old Irish tales, without the tweeness of Victorian sentimentality, shines through and the characters are...more
Review:
I confess that I bought this book just because it was dirt cheap and it got magic in its title. I didn't even read the synopsis. Only to find out that the audio format read by the author is free on iTunes! And I wanted to try out the kobo for blackberry app in my phone. Anyway, I started reading and I was pleasantly surprised! I was enjoying it! And when I am not reading it, the story pops into my head and Conor does all sorts of alternative version of the story... and then I couldn't wa...more
I confess that I bought this book just because it was dirt cheap and it got magic in its title. I didn't even read the synopsis. Only to find out that the audio format read by the author is free on iTunes! And I wanted to try out the kobo for blackberry app in my phone. Anyway, I started reading and I was pleasantly surprised! I was enjoying it! And when I am not reading it, the story pops into my head and Conor does all sorts of alternative version of the story... and then I couldn't wa...more
Conor is sitting in his living room watching TV one day, when two mounted warriors charge in, attempt to kill him with a spear and then take him and his father captive. He wakes up in the ancient magical land of Tir Na Nog -- a world of talking trees, spells, and mythical creatures like banshees and imps. It turns out that his mother, who he believed was dead, is a exiled sorceress (and alive), and his father is a runaway prince of Ti Na Nog. A prophecy has stated that Conor is dangerous to this...more
Okay, I almost wanted to give this one four stars... but just couldn't quite do it. It's a cute story. I liked that we had a "modern-day" kid who suddenly finds himself in another world (dimension?), full of banshees and leprechauns, where magic plays an important role. I felt that the story moved along at a good pace, and we got some closure at the end, while still leaving plenty of room for more stories in the future. But...
I think I just had a little trouble relating to the main character. I'...more
I think I just had a little trouble relating to the main character. I'...more
I found a copy of this via iTunes & couldn't help but get it. The premise of the book sounded pretty interesting. Conor thought he was an average 18 year old. All he really wants to do is have fun & go on dates, while trying to avoid his father's attempts to get him into college. It all changes when Conor meets an aunt he never knew he had. And she tries to kill him, claiming that it will save "The Land". From there, he discovers that his father isn't quite who he claims to be & that...more
Picked this up as a freebie on Kindle and luckily this turned out to be one of the good ones.
Im not sure that I would go as far as saying it was LOTR for a new generation but I can see where some of the comparisons come from. Boy on a journey to discover himself and become a man along with his group of friends each with their own journey. Battles against evil etc etc.
What I did like about the book though was that it was easy to get to grips with the characters names. Quite often fantasy novels h...more
Im not sure that I would go as far as saying it was LOTR for a new generation but I can see where some of the comparisons come from. Boy on a journey to discover himself and become a man along with his group of friends each with their own journey. Battles against evil etc etc.
What I did like about the book though was that it was easy to get to grips with the characters names. Quite often fantasy novels h...more
John Lenahan writes with wit, fluency and magic in the enticing story book Shadowmagic. We join Conor, introduced quickly as your average teenage boy, and then you are hurled into the magical dimensions both you as a reader and Conor could only have dreamed of! Rediscovering his relationship with is father, long lost mother and his origins he is taken on a journey where seemingly everybody he meets wishes him dead. He meets some wonderfully witty characters, and the popular culture references ma...more
I have to issue a warning for this Book!
I would certainly not buy this book but it exercised its power over me and managed to come home with me anyway. Nevertheless, when I did buy it, I figured that it would probably be shelved for a year or so, since I have so many other books to read before it was time for this one. But every time I passed it, I glanced at it and it made me think that I could probably read just the first chapter to see what I thought about it. Then when I had started reading,...more
I would certainly not buy this book but it exercised its power over me and managed to come home with me anyway. Nevertheless, when I did buy it, I figured that it would probably be shelved for a year or so, since I have so many other books to read before it was time for this one. But every time I passed it, I glanced at it and it made me think that I could probably read just the first chapter to see what I thought about it. Then when I had started reading,...more
I'm gonna come clean on this one. I downloaded this book for two reasons, it was for 49p and it sounded similar to The Changeling King. Initially, I didn't like it. The hero is supposed to be in his late teens or something, but his 'voice' comes across as being a lot younger. Also, I don't normally go for first-person narrative, its not my thing. That said, as I read on, I was kind of drawn into the charm of this book. Its not that its brilliantly written or that the plot is intense or anything...more
18-year-old teenager discovers that his father has a secret past and is sucked into Tir Na Nog - the Irish / Celtic land of Faerie, where he has adventures.
As plotlines go, that is one that can work very well for me. Neil Gaiman's Stardust is one of my favourite ever novels. Alas, Shadowmagic is no Stardust. Instead, our teenage narrator is permanently wise-cracking, but never really funny. The adventures mostly consist of him meeting people, who instantly try to kill him, and him observing that...more
As plotlines go, that is one that can work very well for me. Neil Gaiman's Stardust is one of my favourite ever novels. Alas, Shadowmagic is no Stardust. Instead, our teenage narrator is permanently wise-cracking, but never really funny. The adventures mostly consist of him meeting people, who instantly try to kill him, and him observing that...more
Shadowmagic
is great audio book, narrated wonderfully by the author, John Lenahan. This is a fast-paced story about a teenage boy whose life is turned upside down upon the sudden arrival of relatives of whom he knew nothing and who are determined to see him dead.
The main character is Connor, raised by a one-handed father, Oisin, who speaks to him in ancient languages and teaches him to use a sword. Connor is transported to the land of Tir Na Og, a place inhabited by Imps, Ban Sidhe, Leprechauns...more
The main character is Connor, raised by a one-handed father, Oisin, who speaks to him in ancient languages and teaches him to use a sword. Connor is transported to the land of Tir Na Og, a place inhabited by Imps, Ban Sidhe, Leprechauns...more
I hardly ever read YA, but This was a cheapie on the Kindle and had many good reviews. I found the writing flat and strangely unimaginative for a fantasy. That detracted a good deal from my enjoyment of an otherwise lively, earnest and good humored story. Connor is an ordinary 18 year old living with his eccentric, one handed father. One day they are attacked in their own living room by warriors on horseback and taken to a magical land. There Connor learns his father's and his own true identitie...more
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Stumbled across this book while i was searching for free audiobooks.. and i am glad that i did..
i never really thought that i had a favorite genre and this book made me realize that how i enjoy reading a fantasy novel..
first let me congratulate the author for posting his book on podiobooks for free.. one of the many examples that commercial success can be achieved even though the content is free...and authors' narration is also very good which i believe adds up to the overall positives about the...more
i never really thought that i had a favorite genre and this book made me realize that how i enjoy reading a fantasy novel..
first let me congratulate the author for posting his book on podiobooks for free.. one of the many examples that commercial success can be achieved even though the content is free...and authors' narration is also very good which i believe adds up to the overall positives about the...more
Jan 19, 2012
Jenni French
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
age-5-grades-9-12,
genre-fantasy
This book is billed as "A Lord of the Rings for the 21st century. Only a lot shorter. And funnier. And completely different."
Conor thinks his dad is a bit odd for forcing him to learn swordfighting and teaching him Ancient Gaelic, that is, until two people on horseback break through the front of his house and take him to Tir-Na-Nog, an ancient Celtic "neverland" of sorts. Conor and his father are soon involved in an epic battle involving an ancient prophecy and family secrets long hidden.
This w...more
Conor thinks his dad is a bit odd for forcing him to learn swordfighting and teaching him Ancient Gaelic, that is, until two people on horseback break through the front of his house and take him to Tir-Na-Nog, an ancient Celtic "neverland" of sorts. Conor and his father are soon involved in an epic battle involving an ancient prophecy and family secrets long hidden.
This w...more
I gave up on this as a podcast. I'm not quite sure just why. I don't think it was the quality of the read. It may have been the pacing of the story. Since I listen on my 45 min commute the pacing of a story is very important for me. I have found that some books while they are fine in hard or e-book format just do not transfer over into the podisphere easily. This may be one of them. I flat out lost interest somewhere around episode 7 or so and never picked it up again.
That said, the concept and...more
That said, the concept and...more
I decided to give Shadowmagic a try and I can say it did not disappoint.
I am half-way through it and I will probably finish it today because I cannot wait to get to the end.
John Lenahan has created a very fulfilling mix of adventure, magic (without the cliches), humour, and a dark side all in one book.
And although the story is told by a young man's point of view this is definitely not a book for boys only. I'm all for a good story, and whoever likes a good story will be entertained by this reg...more
I am half-way through it and I will probably finish it today because I cannot wait to get to the end.
John Lenahan has created a very fulfilling mix of adventure, magic (without the cliches), humour, and a dark side all in one book.
And although the story is told by a young man's point of view this is definitely not a book for boys only. I'm all for a good story, and whoever likes a good story will be entertained by this reg...more
It was quite enjoyable. I was sitting at the Fairlawn library reading a text book when my eyes happened on this title. I found the title appealing, so I got me a library card and checked it out. (I also saw one of the docs from IMS there - as melancholy as ever) A very easy and quick read. It takes place in a fantasy realm where the trees can talk to you, they can knock you into next week if you take their apples without asking first, and you can hug them and they will hug you back. It was worth...more
Silly but soulless is how I'd classify this one. The book is cheeky and amusing, and does appeal quite strongly for a particular audience I'm sure. That audience isn't me. I like my fantasy to have some mystery, and I'm essentially in it for that feeling that the world as we know it has been turned upside down in unique ways. This story uses fantasy as a backdrop for slapstick,and felt pointless and cartoony. I feel as though I should have given it more of a chance before giving up on it, becaus...more
I would say this is one of the best fantasy adventure book i have ever read. I vote this is very much better than Harry Potter, which is really boring and Harry who started out as promising in book 1 become a absolute idiot later on.
Shadow magic is way more interesting, original, action pack and lots of humurous situation. But there is some tragedy too. Overall very entertaining, and I am glad to say Conor is a real hero [an intelligent and resourceful one]. I look forward to book 3.
The author h...more
Shadow magic is way more interesting, original, action pack and lots of humurous situation. But there is some tragedy too. Overall very entertaining, and I am glad to say Conor is a real hero [an intelligent and resourceful one]. I look forward to book 3.
The author h...more
Jun 14, 2011
Sarah
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own-audio-book,
read-in-2011
Conor is a normal teenager, about to graduate from school and enjoying spending time with his girlfriend. He may have an eccentric father who makes him speak ancient languages and teaches him sword fighting but he never really thought much of it. Not until the day that warriors break into his house and try to kill him that is. Soon Conor finds himself held prisoner in a strange new land that he didn't know existed, his father isn't the person Conor thought he was and thanks to a prophecy nearly...more
Very nice, kid safe.
Also avail as a podcast that the author reads.
Also avail as a podcast that the author reads.
This was a great Listen!
The story was easy to listen to, and captivating enough to hold my attention. I didn't mind my little ones listening there were no swears or overdone violence.
The story was easy to listen to, and captivating enough to hold my attention. I didn't mind my little ones listening there were no swears or overdone violence.
I look forward to the next installment!
I loved that the author read the book.
Connor is an 18 year old boy who lives with his handicapped father. Suddenly his doors bust down and his life is in danger. He finds himself magically in another world, and everything in his life is not what it seems. Everyone wants him d
John Lenahan's Shadowmagic is by no means a very original fantasy book. It relies heavily on Celtic mythology (which may well be considered quite standard fare in mainstream fantasy) and involves a young man discovering his true heritage and destiny in a fantastic realm beyond the borders of our reality.
So why a four (i.e. really liked it), you might wonder? Well, Lenahan might not be very original, but he knows how to spin a yarn and tell a story in an engaging manner (like really good storytel...more
So why a four (i.e. really liked it), you might wonder? Well, Lenahan might not be very original, but he knows how to spin a yarn and tell a story in an engaging manner (like really good storytel...more
Aug 11, 2012
Gemma Thomson
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Gemma by:
Alex Boon
Perhaps I came to this book expecting too much, but I was not at all gripped by it. It's an entertaining enough read, but despite having an intriguing premise, Lenahan's book entirely failed to hook me in.
The characters felt shallow; we only really got to know much about Fergal, and I felt there was very little substance even to Connor, the book's protagonist. So too did the locations feel distant and empty. While I can totally understand the lack of a focus on Connor's 'Real World', no amount o...more
The characters felt shallow; we only really got to know much about Fergal, and I felt there was very little substance even to Connor, the book's protagonist. So too did the locations feel distant and empty. While I can totally understand the lack of a focus on Connor's 'Real World', no amount o...more
Aug 06, 2011
Alison
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-books,
books-i-own
This is a very well rounded fantasy book.
Conor is a normal boy living a normal life, that is until he opens his front door one day and is taken hostage by 2 knights on horseback into the realm of The Land! From thereon he discovers that he was hidden in the real world when he was a baby to protect him from people in the Land who would kill him to fullfil a very old prophecy.
There he discovers family he never knew he had and races of people he never knew existed, like banshees, imps and leprechau...more
Conor is a normal boy living a normal life, that is until he opens his front door one day and is taken hostage by 2 knights on horseback into the realm of The Land! From thereon he discovers that he was hidden in the real world when he was a baby to protect him from people in the Land who would kill him to fullfil a very old prophecy.
There he discovers family he never knew he had and races of people he never knew existed, like banshees, imps and leprechau...more
I'd just come out of reading The Hunger Games and wanted something fantasy to move on to after the grittiness of that book. Amazon had this for free so decided to give it a shot.
I really enjoyed the book, however something about the writing style kept niggling at me, I can't pinpoint it, possibly the use of humour during what should have been tense scenes or possibly the occasional use of 'real world' references kept dragging me out of the fantasy!
Regardless, this was a good book, and I will def...more
I really enjoyed the book, however something about the writing style kept niggling at me, I can't pinpoint it, possibly the use of humour during what should have been tense scenes or possibly the occasional use of 'real world' references kept dragging me out of the fantasy!
Regardless, this was a good book, and I will def...more
I can't say I really enjoyed this book, because it was a bit too generic for my liking.
The idea is really quite cool, but I feel like I've heard similar ideas many times. Though that doesn't count for Connor's mom being a Shadow witch (that was the coolest part). I liked the magic parts in this book and aside from the very end, there's really not much of that to go on or keep me going, so I tuned out big portions of the book.
It was a fast and easy read, and I'd recommend it for someone looking f...more
The idea is really quite cool, but I feel like I've heard similar ideas many times. Though that doesn't count for Connor's mom being a Shadow witch (that was the coolest part). I liked the magic parts in this book and aside from the very end, there's really not much of that to go on or keep me going, so I tuned out big portions of the book.
It was a fast and easy read, and I'd recommend it for someone looking f...more
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“Have you ever done this before?"
"Done what?"
"Attacked two armed men with sticks?"
"No, but I'm looking forward to it," he smiled.”
—
4 people liked it
"Done what?"
"Attacked two armed men with sticks?"
"No, but I'm looking forward to it," he smiled.”
“Conor, haven't you ever seen a firefly before?"
"Not like that. That's a flyine sixty-watt lightbulb.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
"Not like that. That's a flyine sixty-watt lightbulb.”
