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Magic Times

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Everybody wants a little magic—but just a little can do a lot of damage!

A young man not overly burdened with brains hitchhikes to Ohio in search of his runaway girlfriend, but he finds a lot more than he’s looking for. Soon Jason is chin-deep in a bizarre and perilous predicament involving a witch, a crippled magician, a sinister businessman, a mysterious stalker, and a book of magic that could bring about the end of the world.

Harvey Click, best known for his lurid horror tales, explores a different genre with this darkly comic coming-of-age novel. He mixes a tablespoon of black magic with a teaspoon of zesty sex, a sprinkle of savory satire, a dash of dire danger, a splash of spicy suspense, a pinch of pungent irony, a cup of coarsely ground comedy, and a full measure of sheer madness.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 26, 2015

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15 people want to read

About the author

Harvey Click

8 books49 followers
Harvey Click earned an M.A. in English from Ohio State University, using his first novel as a master's thesis. He has written six other novels, four of them in the horror genre, and two collections of short horror stories. He has taught both English and creative writing for Ohio University, Ohio State University, the James Thurber House, and OSU's Creative Arts Program.

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for PattyMacDotComma.
1,793 reviews1,074 followers
August 4, 2015
I liked this. Just crazy enough. Not being a reader of fantasy, generally, I would have judged this book by its cover and missed it. Glad I didn’t. I do like Terry Pratchett’s wit and humour, and I’m quite happy to suspend disbelief for things like the classic The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien.

Here, Crick reminds me of Pratchett, David Foster Wallace, and even Dickens (for the memorable character names).

As in Infinite Jest, there’s a strange man in a wheelchair and a hypnotically beautiful woman (Wallace’s “PGOAT – prettiest girl of all time”). Jason himself reminds me of Mort, of the Pratchett stories, the naïve young hometown misfit who goes to the big smoke and is taken under the wing of some questionable acquaintances (especially DEATH).

Magic Times opens with Jason (18) hitchhiking out of West Virginia (dirt-poor coal mining state) where he’s picked up by a man in an ancient Hudson car.

“Call me Hatter,” the driver said. “Madison Hatter. What do you call yourself?”

“Jason.”

“Hmm. You off looking for the golden fleece, Jason, or just a good piece of ass?”
. . .

“Where you from?”

“Glum Fork, down ‘round Bald Hump, thereabouts.”

We follow our would-be hero, through all kinds of city scrapes, first searching for his girlfriend, who left Glum Fork without warning, and later seeking any dry, safe haven from whatever seems to be pursuing him.

He gets pushed and pulled one way and another with magic potions, witchcraft and brute force.

He gets talked into posing naked, into taking a job as a bouncer (under-age!), and all the while, he tramps back and forth, always hungry and wearing either grubby or not enough clothing and too-tight shoes.

As the story moves smoothly between reality, dreams, trances, and fantasy, Jason imagines a variety of far-fetched, happy endings for himself.

Plenty of philosophy, allegory and mythological references - easy to look up if you really want to, but not knowing them won’t spoil the fun. As with the adult humour and double meanings in The Simpsons, people who ‘get it’ will just enjoy the fun on more levels. Nothing’s too heavy.

I wasn’t crazy about the rites and the secret message at the end, but that’s my only gripe. The book was well-written and entertaining.

Thanks very much to the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity for my review copy of this book. It’s one that crosses over a number of genres and should find a lot of fans.
Profile Image for Chantal.
7 reviews
September 23, 2015
This is an unusual, very funny read.
At first I was told that this book was very hard to put into one genre, and I was like: right… how can that be hard. Well now I understand!

A good looking but not very smart boy is hitchhiking to find the girl he loves, and soon finds himself in bizarre situations.
Dark magic, magic potions and extremely beautiful women are some of the ingredients for this funny story.
I really enjoyed it!
Profile Image for Maxine (Booklover Catlady).
1,436 reviews1,436 followers
September 13, 2015
This book, a move in another direction from the pen of known horror author Harvey Click is like a hot pot simmering on the stove, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a pinch of the other.

Featuring everything from witchcraft to some sexy scenes, satire and hilarious predicaments, it's a real little surprise package of entertainment.

A young man not overly burdened with brains hitchhikes to Ohio in search of his runaway girlfriend, but he finds a lot more than he’s looking for. Soon Jason is chin-deep in a bizarre and perilous predicament involving a witch, a crippled magician, a sinister businessman, a mysterious stalker, and a book of magic that could bring about the end of the world.

A coming of age novel like no other, it being stated Jason is low on brain matter is a bit of an understatement but it makes him kind of endearing in an annoying kind of way. I found this book a lot of fun and really great reading once I got going. Very hard to classify this into any genre - dark fantasy/satire, oh I don't know.

It has a cast of characters that are both quite incredulous and also a load of fun. Certainly not a boring moment with this lot around. I enjoyed this book. It was a nice break from my usual reads. 4 stars from Booklover Catlady for Magic Times. A book that made me laugh and cringe all at the same time.

Please note I have LIMITED review copies of this book left for keen reviewers, please email me at booklovercatlady@gmail to enquire.

For more of my reviews, book talk and more find me at:

https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...

Profile Image for Elisa.
4,394 reviews44 followers
August 6, 2015
I received a free copy from the author and his publicist in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Harvey Click!
Magic Times is hard to describe. It is an unusual mix of genres that defies categorization. I wouldn't call it Magical Realism (like Jason describes the Conan the Barbarian-type book that he reads), because it is simply not realistic. I guess I would call it a dark comedy, with a lot of magic in it, but it is also an exploration of reading, writing and books in general. I especially enjoyed the part where Jason is aware that he may be a character in a novel, and all his discussions with Madison Hatter, the author who may or may not be writing a book about what is happening. The rest of the characters are quirky and so eccentric that they would not be out of place in a Fellini movie. The one thing that I didn't like was Jason himself, I found him so unlikable that it was hard to root for him. The blurb says that he is “not overly burdened with brains.” This is an understatement; he is just too self-centered for me to find him redeemable. In any case, the novel is well written and keeps the rhythm steady. It kept me interested even when the action was so implausible that it was bordering on caricature. It also made me laugh out loud and cringe – sometimes at the same time. This book made me curious to get to know Mr. Click's style better and I am currently reading another book by him.
Profile Image for Donnie Burgess.
Author 3 books12 followers
December 3, 2015
Magic Times is the story of a young man named Jason chasing his chubby girlfriend, Holly, from a small town to the big city. Having grown up in a backwater town, Jason soon realizes that, while Holly is Glum Fork pretty, she doesn’t hold a candle to Columbus (below) average. Jason’s journey is rife with unique and colorful characters, some of whom have his best interests at heart, while others may be working dark magic, manipulating him and playing games with his immortal soul – or worse, talking about marriage. The trouble is knowing which is which. Through his interactions with a wonderfully eccentric cast of characters, Jason soon finds that he may have been searching for something else the whole time.

Magic Times merges witty humor with the occult to create a compelling coming of age story. With its over-the-top characters and impossible situations, the story reads almost like a tall tale, yet Jason’s quest is so simple, and his character so grounded, that it still seemed relatable. Who hasn’t wanted to chase after their first love when he/she ran away? The story has a unique mix of tension and cheeky humor that I found impossible to resist. Harvey Click weaves a tale of comedy and tragedy that never takes itself too seriously, but manages to be downright philosophical along the way. More than just a story of unrequited love and one man’s quest to find his chubby girlfriend, Magic Times is a wonderfully written, satiric yarn that begged me to turn the pages.

Review by Donnie J Burgess for Reader's Favorite. See more notes on this story on my review page.
Profile Image for Carol Kean.
428 reviews76 followers
October 2, 2020
“Sometimes we all need a little magic, kid.”

That simple line sums up the reason I read novels at all, and this one in particular. That, and the fact that the author is Harvey Click. The characters are quirky, outrageous, authentic, and vividly drawn. The dialogue is spot-on from the first page to the last.

The opening is simple, straightforward, and classic. The year is 1979. An old blue Hudson stops for a hitchhiker. Hatter, the cynical, witty driver, picks up Jason, a young man on a mission. Jason's girlfriend absconded without a farewell, but this naive young guy from a small town in West Virginia is on a quest to find her. Holly has her shortcomings, but Jason is loyal and love is blind.

Columbus, Ohio, is a lot bigger than what Jason is used to. Con artists are quick to spot a fool who'd be easy to part from his money. It's painful to see how trusting Jason is, and entertaining to see how he finds his way out one frying pan after another and into the hottest fire of all, barely escaping with his life.

A philosopher in a wheelchair is the first to relieve Jason of his money. He does come through, however, in reuniting Jason with Holly. Things do not go as Jason had planned. Holly's father and new boyfriend complicate matters. So does Rue, the artist who wants to paint Jason. In the nude.

Harvey Click is the master of Deep POV, pulling the reader into Jason's head seamlessly and keeping us there whether or not we want to be with Jason on his journey. Jason can be crude, and his loyalty to Holly is quickly put to the test. For all his devotion to his pleasingly plump ("not fat!") first love, Jason enjoys the attentions of other women, one of whom "was out getting his clothes cleaned for him, the way a good woman should do for her man."

How does Harvey Click get us to care about this jerk?

Jason is what he is, a young American, unapologetic, unquestioning. He also starts to change. (I love the scene where he catches himself doing good deeds for Drew and thinking he'd better watch out before these acts of kindness become a habit.)

At first, books hold no interest for him. "Jason tried to pay attention to what she was saying because he figured with all of these books she must be very intelligent, but her words made little sense to him." In a library, "Seeing a great number of books always made him feel tired and depressed.... he wondered how many books it took to fill a huge building like this and wondered how there could be enough things worth saying to fill so many books."

Then he actually reads one. It may be little more than a comic book along the lines of Conan the Barbarian, but it's a start: "Jason had never before enjoyed reading, but now he was enthralled." He keeps reading. "Jason found it interesting that in those days everyone believed in magic. Maybe some of the dragons and monsters and other marvels the writer described were exaggerations, but clearly in those olden days magic was plainly visible just about anywhere you looked."

“Them was magic times,” Jason says, and he believes magic is still around.

Various sordid, grungy, beer-spilling, vomit spewing scenes unfold. If there's magic to be found, it's well hidden under unwashed sheets and ill-fitting uniforms as Jason takes a job at Mingler's club. Mingler warns him that Rue is dangerous and he'll be fired if he sees her again, but Jason can't resist.

In one of many epic scenes, Jason sleeps through a poorly attended book signing by a contemptuous writer known as Lawford Laughinghouse, but the reader hears every word. Academia is satirized and skewered to hilarious effect. Good thing the university didn't pay him much of a stipend, given the advice he offers students: "I urgently advise you to drop out of this so-called learning institution at once. Creative writing departments, and in fact English departments as a whole, are rest homes for those terminally afflicted with mediocrity.” Given what the academics say about his prose, they had it coming. The scholars are guilty of lines like this: ‘Although Laughinghouse faces the sad human condition with anguished curses, tenderness is present in every blaspheming word of his obscenely brilliant novel.’

The writer's role in the narrative, the story within a story, the question of magic versus the observer creating reality, and other age-old questions are woven seamlessly into the story. My Kindle is packed with highlights. Lines like this:

-- "I’ve come to believe that all the magic we need is faith and prayer and an occasional shot of whiskey—the rest is bullshit.”

-- We constantly alter the world by the invisible workings of our hearts. If you despise somebody, you can cause him misery or illness without speaking to him or touching him. A person overcome with morbid hatred poisons the people and events around him. Selfless love, the state that early Christians called caritas, exerts a healing influence, but unfortunately this state is much rarer than hatred.

The bombast and rhetoric fit naturally into the narrative, and Jason's gradual awakening is gratifying. He may never see the outrageous characters as we see them, but he starts to know himself. The ending is pitch-perfect.

I discovered this unbelievably underestimated novelist after a "Free Today" novel introduced me to Indie Author John L Monk, who used to be on Twitter, where he proclaimed Harvey Click to be a brilliant writer. Monk was right. Harvey Click is brilliant. His prose is riveting, well written, and full of genius. And it's much, much better than the stuff those academics read in the satirical chapter about academia and what happens to literary appreciation in the classroom.
Profile Image for Erth.
4,707 reviews
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.
Profile Image for Shannon Mcfarland.
669 reviews16 followers
August 10, 2015
This book was just plain crazy. But it was crazy in a good way that kept you hooked throughout.

I like fantasy books and books about strange goings ons. Well this one totally fit the bill.

Jason starts out in this story hitchhiking. You know how those kinds of adventures usually end up (insert the gasp). A very unique individual, Madison Hatter, stops to help/pick up Jason.

At this point, the real adventure begins. Jason originally set out to search his girlfriend who disappeared. While on this adventure, Jason is thrust into this unknown world that contains magic, weird individuals, threats, and eccentric jobs. Jason isn't the brightest bulb in the box and tries to cope with the hand he is dealt with the best he can and still keep his skin.

Jason soon begins to think that everything that is happening to him may be from a story and that he is the main character. Think The Truman Show. Everything that he is experiencing is a little bit out of the norm.

The story is well written and transitions smoothly.
Profile Image for Misfits farm.
2,109 reviews86 followers
August 4, 2015
A very unique book, somewhere between Alice in Wonderland (character-Madison Hatter) and the Wizard of Oz (someone on a journey). Jason , who is not the smartest chap, is on a journey to find the love of his life Holly and meets some interesting folks along the way who helps him, or not.
An easy enjoyable read that I am not sure fits into any genre. Some likeable characters, a simple story line and a smile along the way. Apart from the sex, could almost be adults version of a children's story with a few philosophies to learn on the way!
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
3 reviews
July 19, 2015
This is a strange and unusual novel. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the characters who later I discovered had greater depth than was at first apparent.

Magic Times isn't easily categorized as belonging to just one genre. It's a terrific read that combines the mystical, philosophical and hilarious into a story that's highly original.
Profile Image for Laura S.
69 reviews4 followers
January 1, 2016
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was the first one I have read by this author and I did enjoy it. I found his visualisation of settings (particularly the homes of the characters) very well done and easy to imagine.

I liked the eccentricity of 'Drew' the elderly wheelchair bound man endearing. However, as a polar opposite I found the main character Jason highly irritating; I'm not sure exactly where the 'magic' started and the pure hormones of a teenage boy began.

I liked the direction of action towards the end where the pace picked up; although I found the story did finish quite abruptly. Overall an interesting read but with some frustrations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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