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Jesus Chan and the Return of Mayan Magic
He doesn’t have a plan for his future. But can he fulfill an ancient Mayan prophecy from centuries past?
On a work trip overseas in Germany, Jesus Chan’s life turns upside down when he accidentally steals one of four ancient Mayan texts from a library. Back home in Mexico with the relic and afraid to lose his job at the museum, he unwittingly unleashes a shadow jaguar who tells him about his people’s lost abilities.
In order to restore magic permanently, Jesus sets out to collect the three remaining texts from distant cities before the spring equinox just weeks away. But others want the artifacts, and he’s not the only one with magic…
Can the young magician collect the ancient Mayan texts and unleash the magic of his ancestors forever?
Jesus Chan and the Return of Mayan Magic is the fast-paced first book in the Indigenous Magic urban fantasy series. If you like ordinary people turned into heroes and unique magical abilities, then you’ll fall under the spell of Marcos Antonio Hernandez’s new tale.
On a work trip overseas in Germany, Jesus Chan’s life turns upside down when he accidentally steals one of four ancient Mayan texts from a library. Back home in Mexico with the relic and afraid to lose his job at the museum, he unwittingly unleashes a shadow jaguar who tells him about his people’s lost abilities.
In order to restore magic permanently, Jesus sets out to collect the three remaining texts from distant cities before the spring equinox just weeks away. But others want the artifacts, and he’s not the only one with magic…
Can the young magician collect the ancient Mayan texts and unleash the magic of his ancestors forever?
Jesus Chan and the Return of Mayan Magic is the fast-paced first book in the Indigenous Magic urban fantasy series. If you like ordinary people turned into heroes and unique magical abilities, then you’ll fall under the spell of Marcos Antonio Hernandez’s new tale.
- GenresFiction
228 pages, Paperback
Published May 28, 2022
About the author
Marcos Antonio Hernandez
17 books111 followersMarcos writes from the suburbs of Washington D.C. He didn’t always know about his passion for writing but has always known about his passion for reading. He began by carving out time every day to develop the habit of writing until the foundations of his first novel had been built. He reads everything he can get his hands on but particularly enjoys science fiction/fantasy. When reading is not possible, he has his headphones in, listening to audiobooks.
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in chemical engineering and a minor in physics, Marcos has been lucky enough to have not one but two dream jobs. He began flexing his creativity muscles during his time as a food scientist at a dessert think tank, specializing in helping clients find solutions to their frozen dessert problems (read: professional ice cream maker). After leaving this career, he began a new career as a strength and conditioning coach (what he calls his “retirement”). He has been a coach for over five years and enjoys interacting with a diverse range of people.
Marcos believes in training his creativity muscles through storytelling. Like exercise, he believes in showing up every day to get the work done. His hope is to learn from every experience and let it shine through the stories he tells.
After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in chemical engineering and a minor in physics, Marcos has been lucky enough to have not one but two dream jobs. He began flexing his creativity muscles during his time as a food scientist at a dessert think tank, specializing in helping clients find solutions to their frozen dessert problems (read: professional ice cream maker). After leaving this career, he began a new career as a strength and conditioning coach (what he calls his “retirement”). He has been a coach for over five years and enjoys interacting with a diverse range of people.
Marcos believes in training his creativity muscles through storytelling. Like exercise, he believes in showing up every day to get the work done. His hope is to learn from every experience and let it shine through the stories he tells.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 23, 2023
A pretty entertaining adventure with a pretty cool and unique Mayan theme.
What stands out the most is the fact that it legitimately stars characters of Mayan descent in a Mexican setting, and unapologetically so. The story just so happens to be told in English, is all! That's how we get a unique cast of characters with different levels of closeness to Mayan roots. And then of course, the Mayan magic slowly creeps into the world until it's center stage.
It's strange that a large part of it (short as it is) involves a series of heists aided by magical abilities. That is the purpose of most of the story, until it gets to the actual all-out war for Mayan power.
The rest thus involves two extended battles involving real people, shadow projections, and shadow beasts (oh my), which though entertaining as action scenes, at moments can get muddled and overwhelming due to so many entities (and duplicates of characters) fighting at once.
The writing in general is serviceable, though often there are awkward moments where characters show up and seem very out of place in what is currently happening, or more than one moment where a character's motivation seems to be clear but they end up conveying a different emotion on the very next paragraph, and they end up tripping over themselves tonally. I would dare say this is where an editor could help.
But overall, it's an enjoyable story that uses a very entertaining Mayan subject that is unique and seldom seen elsewhere, and for that alone I would recommend checking it out. I'm also looking forward to how the story continues, because I feel this world has a lot of potential to explore.
What stands out the most is the fact that it legitimately stars characters of Mayan descent in a Mexican setting, and unapologetically so. The story just so happens to be told in English, is all! That's how we get a unique cast of characters with different levels of closeness to Mayan roots. And then of course, the Mayan magic slowly creeps into the world until it's center stage.
It's strange that a large part of it (short as it is) involves a series of heists aided by magical abilities. That is the purpose of most of the story, until it gets to the actual all-out war for Mayan power.
The rest thus involves two extended battles involving real people, shadow projections, and shadow beasts (oh my), which though entertaining as action scenes, at moments can get muddled and overwhelming due to so many entities (and duplicates of characters) fighting at once.
The writing in general is serviceable, though often there are awkward moments where characters show up and seem very out of place in what is currently happening, or more than one moment where a character's motivation seems to be clear but they end up conveying a different emotion on the very next paragraph, and they end up tripping over themselves tonally. I would dare say this is where an editor could help.
But overall, it's an enjoyable story that uses a very entertaining Mayan subject that is unique and seldom seen elsewhere, and for that alone I would recommend checking it out. I'm also looking forward to how the story continues, because I feel this world has a lot of potential to explore.
July 14, 2022
a fun and exciting read
This book is a pretty quick read, not only in length (about 220 pages) but in action! Loved how fast paced and thrilling it was with lots of likeable (and despisable) characters. It was clearly well researched and it was great learning so much about Mayan culture and mythology and weaving it into its own magic system. Highly recommend!
This book is a pretty quick read, not only in length (about 220 pages) but in action! Loved how fast paced and thrilling it was with lots of likeable (and despisable) characters. It was clearly well researched and it was great learning so much about Mayan culture and mythology and weaving it into its own magic system. Highly recommend!
March 12, 2023
Great story of adventure through the magical world of a Mayan heritage. I loved how the author tied modern Mexican culture back to its Mayan roots. He very eloquently weaves the rebirth of Mayan magic into the exciting coming of age story of a young Mexican struggling to find his place in the world. Highly recommend to all ages.
December 15, 2022
Great read
I enjoyed the Mayan fantasy storyline. It is refreshing to see a historic twist with a fantasy theme. Character development was good and I am to hear more from Jesus Chan.
I enjoyed the Mayan fantasy storyline. It is refreshing to see a historic twist with a fantasy theme. Character development was good and I am to hear more from Jesus Chan.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews