A Goblin's Mind

by J.D. Dresner

Where Magic Fails, Therapy Prevails

Doctor Harlow is methodical. Composed. A trusted mind in a kingdom full of unstable ones. On a remote island far from the crown, Harlow treats the bizarre, the enchanted, and the profoundly unwell—with tea, therapy, and an ironclad refusal to get emotionally involved.

But when a quiet goblin arrives—haunted by invisible friends and stories that don’t quite add up—something begins to crack.

At first, the sessions seem harmless. Eccentric, even amusing. Then people begin to vanish. Details shift. Memories blur. And the threads that hold reality together begin to fray like cheap spell work.

As the island slips further out of sync, Harlow must confront a terrifying possibility: the patients aren’t the ones unravelling.

For readers drawn to fractured fairy tales, crumbling uncertainty and psychological spirals wrapped in fantasy, A Goblin’s Mind is an unhinged descent into magical therapy, delusion, and the fine art of losing one’s grip.

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2014

About the author

J.D. Dresner is a fantasy and science fiction author whose work spans poetry, short fiction, and novels. His poetry has appeared in Polar Starlight, Ansible Press, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Polar Borealis, and Hippocampus Press, with “For the Robots” selected for Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Two. He won the 2024 short story contest from the Fantasy/Science Fiction Alliance, and his story “The Death Sentence” was published in Fission #4 by the British Science Fiction Association. Peasant Magazine published “Rhymes with Orange,” while 2 other stories are set to be published in 2025. Dresner’s debut novel, A Prologue of Deception, book one in the Talisman Series, was acquired by Golden Storyline Books and will be released in print and eBook in 2025.
When not writing about goblins and manticores, he works in book design and occasionally pretends he knows how to cook.

Reviews

[Tela Puente · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank the athor and the Publishing company The Corwyn Chronicles for the free copy of The sixth edition of the 10 year anniversary copy of A Goblins Mind.

I loved all of the details of the landscape and the den. I loved the descriptions that it gave about the people in the book.

In the beginning Dr. Harlow seemed like a normal therapist trying to help her patients like Nessy and her hoarding problem. But later in the book it was like she was slowly losing her mind with everyone disappearing, the lack of sleep. After a while she visited Biff on the mountain side and she was hoping that Biff the goblin was responsible for the disappearances but she connected the dots after getting answers from Biff. That he was not responsible.

I liked how short this book is. I was able to read it in a single day, but I do have questions.

1. Does Biff the goblin get to go home or was he already home and just trapped in his mind until the potion worked?

2. I understand that Nessy was the potion to remove the extra personalities from Biffs mind. Where did Nessy keep the extra personalities?

3. Why didn't Dr. Harlow just kill herself instead of getting on a row boat when she realized what was truly going on?

I enjoyed this book. It is truly quirky, mysterious, and plain weird, but it works. It breaches the subject of multi personality disorder and it shines light on the subject. I know you can't just drink a potion and your personalities are gone, but Biffs parents didn't understand his mental stability and wanted Biff to be a normal goblin child. So I am giving this book a five out of five rating because it hits with unspoken problems with the society now a days and even back in 2014.

[Felina Pittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This narrative unfolds like an inspired version of an adult Grimms Fairy Tale with a psychological mind-game twist. The fantasy story has an interesting line-up of characters, magical, mythical creatures like a goblin, wizard and unicorn whom Dr. Harlowe treats as patients.

Overall, this is a very fine and creative piece that offers you a brief escape from your mundane troubles. The novel's plot is enthralling, and it is a light and quick, easy read. Kudos to the writer for his originality and fertile, rich imagination!

[Lavena Spade Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique perspective fantasy novella. You have the therapist on an isolated island with a prince, princess, a lord , a unicorn woman hybrid and a goblin. Going back and forth between the crisis with his patients, missing items, and real and imagined happenings, this book had me going back and forth trying to figure out the puzzle of what was happening and people started disappearing.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially, I wasn't sure what to think of this book. It looked like another story with silly mythical creatures, but it hooked me right away. A lone psychologist living in rough quarters treats a number of fantastical and quirky patients, including a goblin boy. The patients all correlate to the goblin's imaginary friends, but the psychologist isn't sure how the goblin boy knows so much about his other patients. However one by one they go missing, and the only one who seems to remember they ever existed is the psychologist. This is a fun, quirky tale and the ending is something quite unexpected. I received a complimentary copy of this book from t he author via Voracious Readers Only.

[FD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing, I absolutely loved the final twist.
It made me think a lot, and I certainly did not anticipate the ending.
Excellent length, brilliant writing.
Love it

Thank you voracious readers for the advance copy

[Delilah Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc review

This was an Absolutely amazing fantasy mystery story. I loved the plot of the story and the characters and how the book was written. It has all you can think of when it comes to a fantasy mystery novel. Great job 👏

[Lexus Edblom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the usual heroic or noble characters that dominate fantasy fiction, Dresner centers the narrative around an unlikely anti-hero whose cleverness and sarcasm make for an entertaining and surprisingly relatable read.

The world-building is vivid, filled with dark humor and richly detailed lore that gives goblins, often sidelined in fantasy, their own complex culture and motivations.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Goblin’s Mind follows Doctor Harlow, a sharp-witted therapist living in a secluded forest who treats the most peculiar of clients. Through his sessions with a compulsive half-unicorn hoarder, an arrogant wizard, a lonely young goblin, and even royalty, Harlow navigates strange personalities, tangled problems, and his own isolation. Each chapter plays out like a self-contained therapy vignette, yet threads of mystery and personal reflection run underneath, hinting at Harlow’s own unfinished business and the curious island he inhabits. The tone swings between deadpan humor, gentle empathy, and surreal fantasy, making the reader feel both entertained and unsettled.

I enjoyed the way the writing marries dry wit with moments of quiet melancholy. Dresner has a gift for making absurd scenarios feel grounded. A unicorn discussing her belt-buckle attachment issues becomes, in his hands, both hilarious and strangely poignant. The banter between characters is crisp and revealing, with dialogue that often says as much in what is left unsaid as in what is spoken. At times, I laughed at Harlow’s sardonic observations. Other moments caught me off guard with their tenderness. There’s a rhythm to the prose that makes the conversations feel alive, and yet the pacing never lingers too long in one mood before shifting to another.

I also found myself appreciating the undercurrent of loneliness that runs through the book. Harlow may be the one guiding others, but Dresner never lets us forget he is just as mortal as his patients, grappling with uncertainty and longing. The island itself feels like a character, its stillness and strange boundaries adding to the sense that everyone here is a little trapped, including the good doctor. Some of the surreal touches, like the recurring dream imagery and the letter that keeps reappearing, worked beautifully to keep me curious, though a few left me wishing for more payoff. The blend of slice-of-life pacing with the quirks of high fantasy felt fresh.

I’d recommend A Goblin’s Mind to readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy with a strong conversational voice. If you like your worlds a bit odd, your humor a bit dry, and your moments of heart snuck in between the jokes, this is worth picking up. For anyone who enjoys the idea of a therapist’s couch deep in an enchanted forest, Dresner delivers something charming, sly, and quietly moving.

[Kaycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A witty and fun short story. It jumps right in from the beginning, which I love, and drops the reader into the middle of a forest where a therapist has set up their office. Several patients visit and a mystery unravels as the patients start to disappear.
There were two negatives in my opinion. The first being that the story was written in present tense, I usually avoid books written this way but gave it a chance anyway (I also don't count it in my rating since it's just a personal preference). The second is that I was a little unsatisfied by the ending. It felt a little abrupt for the world created, and it just left me wanting a little more. To avoid spoilers I won't say too much, but the story really hits a high up to the last few pages and then just ends. I do recognize that it could have been on purpose, but I wish it wasn't so.
Overall, wonderfully written and clever.

[Mc Chanster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid read!

I thought this was a creative and interesting premise - I've read / watched things similar and to be honest, I did kind of guess the twist at the end. Still, I enjoyed it and I liked how the author slowly allowed things to unravel. The cast was a unique set of characters and I commend the author for their world building. Overall, a good read!

Thank you Voracious Readers and JD Dresner for my copy! I received an ARC of this novel and am voluntarily leaving a review. All above thoughts and opinions are my own.

[SC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

This story has such an interesting premise that as far as I'm aware hasn't been explored before. It is also short and sweet , to the point , and intriguing.

The story keeps you wanting more, urges you to figure out what's happening and it does have a brilliant twist! There were humourous elements to the story as well through the characters.

I had a good time with this novella and recommend it to be added on any TBR!

[Kyla Mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, short read with a nice little twist at the end