• Modern Sorcery

  • The First Jonathan Shade Novel
  • By: Gary Jonas
  • Narrated by: Joe Hempel
  • Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (155 ratings)

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Modern Sorcery  By  cover art

Modern Sorcery

By: Gary Jonas
Narrated by: Joe Hempel
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Publisher's summary

A husband armed with a sword hacks apart his wife in a Denver grocery store. There are dozens of witnesses, and the crime is captured on the security cameras. To the police, it's an open-and-shut case.

To Naomi, the daughter of the couple, it's evidence of dark magic. She hires her ex-lover, a private investigator named Jonathan Shade to prove her father is innocent.

Shade specializes in paranormal cases, but he isn't buying it. Still, he takes the case, hoping to rekindle their relationship. Instead, Shade finds himself mixed up in supernatural intrigue with wizards, magically engineered assassins, and an ancient sorcerer returned to life who's willing to kill anyone who stands in his way.

Too bad Shade doesn't have any magic.

©2014 Gary Jonas (P)2015 Sky Warrior Book Publishing, LLC

What listeners say about Modern Sorcery

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I LOLed and earned several questioning looks

Jonathan Shade is a private investigator with a twist – he gets the cases with a paranormal twist to them.  Why?  He’s good at it, he’s the son of a powerful wizard family and while he does not have any magical powers of his own, he knows enough about it to solve mysteries.   When a husband enters a Colorado grocery store and hacks up his wife – both of whom are parents to his ex-fiancé – well, Jonathan has no choice but to get involved.

Naomi, his ex-fiancé hires him to prove his father’s innocence (the proof is in the camera evidence – he did it!).  Thus begins his involvement and near misses with death with members of the Dragon Gate Industry; owned and ran by wizards and other magical members of society Dragon Gate Industry. A long dead and legendary sorcerer appears to be back and is hunting Shade - Shade has that effect on people.

Shade has connections too – like Charon, the ferryman of the underworld now known as Sharon the librarian; Kelly, a genetically produced mystical assassin/warrior; Esther the ghost and more.

Shade is a laid back, smart mouth man who takes sarcasm to new levels; his friend Kelly is a butt kicking assassin/warrior who begs to kill; Esther his own personal ghost swoops in and helps save the day more than once!  Together this team of private investigators is top-notch, action-packed, and fun!

Gary Jonas creatively weaves a supernatural story that captures his audience with realistic dialog and action.  His characters are well-developed as is the plot.  He skillfully weaves a supernatural story around the myths of old intertwining the two and placing them in today’s society.

I enjoyed reading Jonathan Shade and look forward to the next in the series.  I am positive that the next book(s) will not disappoint!  I laughed out loud and earned several questioning looks, but it was worth it!

Joe Hempel did a superb job of narrating.  He took the character Jonathan and made it his own. As the listener I could not help but be swept away into the story as Hempel took control and became Shade. This is not something that is done easily but Hempel succeeds where others fail.

There were no issues with production.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

Dresden fans rejoice!!! There's a new paranormal- ish private investigator in town! Expertly voiced, from the homicidal Asian woman to the creepy ghosts, to the main male character! I almost didn't stop to review after book one! I bought this book on sale, as a whispersync, based on a Facebook ad. Well worth it, and thoroughly enjoyable! Loved it!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A Great Urban Fantasy!

I received book two and three through audiobook blast for free in exchange for leaving a honest review. I really liked the stories, so I went back and bought book one. Each book ranges from five to seven hours long, which is perfect for the days I do not want to start a really lengthy book. The stories kinda remind of the Dresden series, however, there are some differences. Johnathan Shade is a PI who often takes cases that involve the supernatural; however, he has no magical abilities and is immune to magic. This comes in handy when others are trying to harm him with magic, but on the flip side because he's immune to magic, it cannot be used to heal him if he's hurt.

Modern Sorcery is full of action, plenty of plot twists and of course Jonathan's signature wit and sarcasm. I love how Jonathan and the other main characters are developed throughout the series and each story has a tough villain that is not easily beaten and will challenge Jonathan and his team. Sometimes the losses will be great and not everyone will have a HEA.

The narration was great and Joe's performance only gets better as the series progresses.

I will definitely be on the lookout to see if the other books in the series comes out in audio and recommend this series to any Dresden or urban fantasy fan.






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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Modern Sorcery

Which scene was your favorite?

I thought the mix of magic and mythology was blended masterfully. The plot and sub plots pulled you along page by page and it was easy to be caught up in Jonathan's world. Character development was three dementional and you felt as if you knew each one personally I want to know how the magical world collides with mythology.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Eclectic characters and a great plot

Set in modern day Denver, this urban fantasy audiobook kept me entertained with its eclectic characters and interesting storyline. Jonathan Shade works as a PI who specializes in paranormal cases; he himself can perform no magic, but to his advantage, this also means he is immune to all magic. His side kicks are Esther, a ghost from the 1920's who is "attached" to an old typewriter and Kelly, an engineered Sekutar warrior, who is also Shade's Martial Arts teacher. When ex-fiancée and wizard, Naomi, (who dumped Shade because of his lack of magic) asks for his help in clearing her father of murder, Shade's friends think he has gone insane when he agrees to help her; drawing himself and his companions into the hunt for the resurrected ghost of a powerful wizard who is possessing and killing people. This fast paced, entertaining story has humour, action, magic and some surprising twists. At first I thought I had missed a book, as the major characters all have some back history, but this is the first book in this series and there is no prequel that I could find. I actually liked the depth that the back history gave the characters, it's a little mystery within the story; how did Shade die, how did he get brought back and what did Sharon, his "librarian" friend, have to do with it? Shade is an appealing character with a sarcastic humour and some great one-liners that the narrator manages to pull off very well. Kelly's tough, no nonsense persona and "let me kill them for fun" attitude is also exemplified by the narration, as was her accent. Esther is one of my favourites, she is a fun, somewhat quirky character that you can not help but love. The only character I though lacked substance (no pun intended) was the ghostly villain, though well narrated, I found he just didn't have the same depth as the other major characters. Joe Hempel does a great job of narrating the book, especially with the female voices. He gets the emotions right and gives each character a distinct personality. I enjoyed this book; it had a good plot and the author is creating an interesting world with some captivating characters. I look forward to the next in the series. I received this audiobook at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

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Loved it!

Wow! I picked this book for it's narrator. I've always enjoyed Joe Hempel's work. I knew I'd like this book, but I didn't expect to fall in love with a new series when I have so many other books I was planning to listen to. I guess they will have to wait! lol

Johnathan Shade is a paranormal private investigator. He is hired to look into the death of his former girlfriend's mom and prove her dad's innocence. It looked like a simple open and shut case. The man was guilty. Not even close! Shade has to deal with wizards, assasins, and an evil sorcerer who is supposed to be dead! Great book with lots of action, magic, and a little mythology.

I definitely plan to listen to the rest of this series! Gary Jonas is an excellent author. I loved this book from the start. Joe Hempel does a great job with the narration.

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A worthy addition to the urban fantasy genre!

Set in modern day Denver, private investigator Jonathan Shade is hired by his ex-girlfriend Naomi Miller to look into the murder of her mother Cathy by her own husband David. Plenty of witnesses and the store camera all say there’s no doubt as to how it went down. However, Naomi won’t rest until someone looks into the paranormal side of things. Jonathan doesn’t think there was any magic involved, but he hopes the case will give him a chance at getting back with Naomi. As he digs into it, more and more mysteries pop up, along with enemies willing to kill him and his friends.

This was a very entertaining urban fantasy. I listened to it in two large chunks (had to sleep in between) and am already queuing up Book 2. First, I really enjoyed that all the major characters jump on scene with back histories. That definitely added depth to the story. Jonathan has this old history with Naomi that can’t be ignored due to present circumstances. Kelly Chan, Jonathan’s business partner, also has a a most interesting past, being a kind of supernatural guardian warrior called a sekutar. Then there is Esther, a ghost from the 1920s that is tied to an old typewriter. Later, the librarian Sharon comes into play, but she doesn’t work at a normal library. Each character brings a little something to the table as soon as they walk on the stage.

The book has a really good balance of action, character development, and time for contemplation and problem solving. I was never bored and I never got battle fatigue. As the story moves away from the initial murder, we learn about a long-dead powerful wizard that may some how be involved. Of course, figuring all this out means digging into the secrets of the wizard community, and they are a prickly bunch. Jonathan heads over to Dragon Gate Industries (DGI) to chat with Al, who was at the murder scene. I liked that it was hard to tell where Al stood on all this. I was kept guessing throughout the story if he was a friend or foe. And he wasn’t the only character that had me guessing! Others, such as Anselma (head of DGI) and Cantrell (who has a Western drawl) seemed they could go either way.

Then there is Kelly Chan. Wow! She runs this martial arts dojo and also acts as Jonathan’s personal body guard. Her sekutar powers allow her to take injuries that would completely disable mortals. She has opinions. She’s not afraid to share those opinions. Sometimes her method of sharing means shoving you up against a wall and putting a weapon in your face. No worries. She’s just making sure you’re listening. I really enjoyed her character. She brought a lot of blunt humor and blunt force trauma to the tale.

We have great characters and a great plot. This is where some authors stop. It’s not a bad place to stop, but I definitely appreciate that this author took it to the next level. He gave us a worthy bad guy. This bad guy isn’t easily tricked or trapped or defeated. Nope! Our heroes have to put their heads together and set aside some grudges with part-time enemies in order to stand a chance against this guy. Also, not everyone gets out unscathed. I truly appreciate that last bit because it makes the story poignant. That added weight makes me care for the characters that much more.

Go check out this series. If you’re looking for a new urban fantasy to satisfy your craving, then you won’t be disappointed in this one.

I received a copy at no cost from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

The Narration: Joe Hempel did some fine work on this one. I have listened to several of his books by now and I think this is his best work yet. It’s obvious that he enjoyed narrating this novel as much as I enjoyed listening to it. His character voices are all distinct and his female voices are believable. He had to do some accents as well and they were done well. Kelly Chan has a light Asian accent and the ghost Esther has a 1920s vocabulary of sayings and a distinctive accent. Hempel also did a great job of imbuing certain scenes with the right amount of emotion.

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Noir pulp fiction with a magical touch!

If you could sum up Modern Sorcery in three words, what would they be?

Paranormal noir fun.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, the villain in the story had special powers that made him very hard to oppose. Plus the lightly romantic aspects were interesting to see what developed.

What about Joe Hempel’s performance did you like?

His voice, pacing and characterizations brought the book to life. I felt like I knew the people and liked them.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Magic has a dark side.

Any additional comments?

I'm glad there are going to be sequels, I loved the characters and the magical world the author created.

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This Audio-book keeps you under it's spell!!

Modern Sorcery is the 1st in a series of books by Gary Jonas. I am very late to the party. My favorite narrator Joe Hempel does the narration on this great little book. The story is fun and engaging. You enter a world where all the things of magic are real. Jonathan Shade is a a Private Detective in this world trying to help is ex-girlfriend clear her fathers name after he murders her mother. The story has plenty of action and suspense. I highly recommend this book.

Mr Hempel has great talent as a narrator. He brings something special to each book he does. The characters becomes living breathing people for the time the book is running through my headphones. If you have not heard his work you are in for a treat.

This review copy audiobook was provided by the narrator free of charge via Audiobook Boom.

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Wonderful Characters

Where does Modern Sorcery rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10

What was one of the most memorable moments of Modern Sorcery?

I really enjoyed the book overall. Jonathan is hilarious and his jokes had me laughing out loud all the time. I also enjoyed Kelly's character and could easily see whole books featuring just her

Have you listened to any of Joe Hempel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Joe Henpel did a superb job of giving the characters their own unique voice, making it very easy to follow, and differentiate who was speaking when. He also told the story - rather than merely reading the book aloud

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

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