Witchy Eye

Witchy Eye Series, Book 1

De: D. J. Butler

Narrado por: Courtney Patterson

A brilliant Americana flintlock fantasy novel set in a world of Appalachian magic that works.

Sarah Calhoun is the 15-year-old daughter of the Elector Andrew Calhoun, one of Appalachee's military heroes and one of the electors who gets to decide who will next ascend as the Emperor of the New World. None of that matters to Sarah. She has a natural talent for hexing and one bad eye, and all she wants is to be left alone - especially by outsiders.

But Sarah's world gets turned on its head at the Nashville Tobacco Fair when a Yankee wizard-priest tries to kidnap her. Sarah fights back with the aid of a mysterious monk named Thalanes, who is one of the not-quite-human Firstborn, the Moundbuilders of the Ohio. It is Thalanes who reveals to Sarah a secret heritage she never dreamed could be hers.

Now on a desperate quest with Thalanes to claim this heritage, she is hunted by the Emperor's bodyguard of elite dragoons, as well as by darker things - shapeshifting Mockers and undead Lazars, and behind them a power more sinister still. If Sarah cannot claim her heritage, it may mean the end to her, her family - and to the world where she is just beginning to find her place.

©2017 D. J. Butler (P)2020 Tantor

Fantasy Alternate History

This is a very odd book.

It is an alternate history fantasy set in North America. I do not recall hearing a specific date, but from the internal clues, it must be early in the 19th century. (It does seem unlikely that even poor people would still be using matchlock muskets in the early 19th century, though.)

Specific diversions from history include Martin Luther reconciling with the Catholic church and forming an order of monks that seem to be a replacement for the Inquisition (probably removing the 30 Years War, but this is only inferred, not stated). England has become an explicitly pagan country, though there seems to have been some colonization effort by English-speaking Christian settlers. Oliver Cromwell was a necromancer, and his New Model Army was necromantically raised. (My sense is that the author really dislikes anything that opposed or threatened the Catholic church; the specific diversions from history villainize every group of that persuasion.)

Most of what would have been the US in 1820 (or so) is now ruled by an elected monarch, and the electors are not just English settlers, but also French, Dutch, German, Cahokian (the mound builders have been defeated but not eliminated), and perhaps some native nations. There is also mention of the Igbo, which would imply there is an organized society of black immigrants (whether voluntary or forced, though we see no explicit slavery).

The protagonist is Appalachian (at least by upbringing, this involves a major early plot point that I won't spoil) and she is being sought by major powers in the land. And there are definitely major magical powers in the land.

This is a coming of age-ish, chosen one fantasy with a unique premise, and it rather feels like I should love it. Unfortunately, I don't. The background, while unique, doesn't hang together very well. The government is a bit too unlikely for verisimilitude. And many of the characters are too close to caricatures to really engage me.

The narrator generally does a good job, but near the end of the book, we get an attempt at a Dutch accent (with some Dutch words), that really doesn't work well if you have any background with the language. Absent that, the narrator does an excellent job.

I think this book would be really entertaining for some audiences, but the series doesn't really work well for me. I will probably be stopping here, but I hope the real audience for this book finds it.

It was ok not one I would spend a credit on book 2

It was ok, I could not really get into the story until the end.

Great Historical Fantasy

Much like Tolkien re-enchanted England with LoTR, Butler brings the diverse and rich heritage of America to us. Religion, mysticism, occultism and history become one in Witchy Eye and you won’t be able to stop reading once you orient yourself in this reimagined land of the free.

Fantastic narration and story

I’ve lived in Appalachia, and the narrator nailed the accents. The story is really interesting and flows well. I look forward to reading more.

tonally odd but fun

this book is tonally odd but fun it takes real history skews it adds magic and beast men associated with the areas mentioned u enjoyed it a lot but it was hard to get past the odd tone

Awesome book

This was my first book from author D. J. Butler and it didn't disappoint. The story was engaging, magical aspects new and fascinating, and the narration was excellent. I'm looking forward to starting book 2. Highly recommend this one.

Witchy Eye is Amazing!.

This is now in the running for my favorite book of the year. DJ Butler has crafted a world that's familiar yet so different that it is its own thing. I loved the characters, the magic and the pace. The pilot's been done before, yet it kept me engaged the whole time. Looking forward to continuing the series in the next installment.

Rough Start

The first few chapters are rough, but it gets better and finishes strong. Strong believable characters.

Refreshingly Unique & Entirely Enthralling

This story vs others is like the difference between Miyazaki and Disney. Unlike many examples of this sub-genre (Flintlock Fantasy/Alternate History) this story is not based around any cheesy or predictable plot lines such as star crossed lovers or conflicted ingenues yo-yoing back and forth between love and hate. Nor does it contain the “leveling up” nonsense plot line of young dumb dumb progressing to master adept with the usual cast of helpmates. Sure, there’s some of that, but it’s much less ham fisted than most and there’s plenty of other side stories of equal interest. Basically, more than one character is interesting and worth caring about. This story is full of unique individuals with fascinating backgrounds who must adventure through a mythical America that has the perfect balance of real and fantastical characters. There was never a point where the story risked losing the reader in some over the top descriptive world building or boring fictional mythology. The author made it seem effortless to show and not tell the various peoples, their respective cultures and religions and managed not denigrate or condemn any particular group in favor of any other when using historically accurate religious or mythological backgrounds. As a consequence this story feels more grounded in reality while also being entirely fantastical and engaging. I look forward to the next few books. Go ahead and spend that credit! The narration is very good as well.

Jarring Worldbuilding

Every time I start to get into the story, there's some detail in the background world building that jars me out of a willing suspension of disbelief.

This is an alternative history, and I understand that alternative histories will cast historical people to play different roles than they did in history. However, Butler's versions of some historical people are so far from reality, I don't see why he didn't just make up characters to fill these roles.

Having studied the historical people extensively, for me the alternative versions are too unrealistic. The creatures and magic are fine. What Butler does with Franklin, Penn, etc... too bizarre to believe.