ABANDONED. High Fantasy with waygates NOT Wheel of Time

[Megan]

I read this book between 1999 and 2003. I'm sure it was published in the 80's or 90's. The protagonist is male, I think when he discovers his magic, it burns through him like a fever. He ends up with horse-like features as a result of his magic. Pointed ears, square teeth, rounder eyes. He just kind of accepts it. There is a nexus of waygates or something similar that he finds and they are integral to the story. There is a farm or a ranch of some sort in the book as well, and the older couple that lives there are like family to him. The book makes a point to tell us that the woman is not pretty, but she is kind and people love her because of who she is.

Please help me. It's been driving me insane and I keep trying to remember other details but they are lost in my head somewhere.

Thank you!!

[Michele]

Megan, would you say this is a YA book or meant for adults? Do you recall if it was a new book at the time you read it, or an older one? Any memory of the cover, or whether it was hardcover or pb, or whether it was long, short, or medium length?

[Megan]

Hi! Thanks for the response. I’d say it was several years old when I read it. I don’t remember the cover but I do think it was similar art to things such as The Heralds of Valdemar or some of the Xanth books. Or Acorna. Art styles of that era. Definitely YA.

[SBC]

The character becoming horse-like after magic burns through him reminds me of what happens to one of the characters in one of the later books in Jane Lindskold's Firekeeper series - I forget which one - but the Goodreads plot description of the final book, Wolf's Blood explains about how the magic plague affected them and also that there are gateways between worlds involved. They're adult books, and later than your timeframe, but I'll throw them out there as a suggestion.

[Megan]

Those look like good books. They’ll go in my pile. But sadly not what I’m looking for. Thanks though!!

[0possum]

Maybe Jack Chalker? I can't tell you which (if any) it might be. The general art style seems similar and there are waygate type things and aliens and/or animals in most of his series.
Jack L. Chalker

[Kris]

No response, moving to Abandoned folder.

Megan (OP) was last active on the site in August 2019.