Magnus Opum [Kindle Edition]

Jonathan Gould (Author)

Book Description

Do you ever get one of those moments when you want to lose yourself in a book that is totally magical, brimming with imagination and fantasy, and entertaining from start to finish? This book by the very talented Jonathan Gould is the very thing that delivers on all counts.
- cnkbookreviews.blogspot.com

A story about a little person in a very big world.

Magnus Mandalora never thought he would leave the safe confines of the small homely village of Lower Kertoob. He certainly never expected to end up in the middle of a long-running war between the saintly Cherines and the beastly Glurgs. But when circumstance places him in such a dubious position, he finds himself on a rollicking adventure where nothing is quite as it seems.

Magnus Opum is an epic fantasy that's slightly skewed - Tolkien with a twist.

At the end of the day, the story of Magnus Mandalora of the small homely village of Lower Kertoob is fun, funny, educational, and a master work of both parody AND satire rolled into an easy-to-read family-friendly story.
- Jeremy Rodden, author of Kindle bestselling cartoon novel - Toonopolis: Gemini (Toonopolis Files, #1)

For more stories that stand out from the crowd, check out these other books by Jonathan Gould
*** Doodling: The unexpected adventures of a man who fell off the world (because it was moving too fast). Douglas Adams meets Lewis Carroll (with just a dash of Gulliver's Travels).
*** Scribbling: More strange and unexpected adventures for Neville Lansdowne.
*** Flidderbugs: A political satire, a fable, or maybe just a funny little story about a bunch of bugs with some very peculiar obsessions.

Product Details

• File Size: 308 KB
• Print Length: 205 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007QGNO1I
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,263 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't get into it. May 7, 2012

By Deletia

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I couldn't get past the first few chapters. The story was okay, nothing out of the ordinary as far as I got. There were just too many cutesy made-up words (cottages are kertottages, etc) that didn't add anything to the story. There is much talk of pflugberries, for example (a mainstay of the village diet), but no explanation of what makes them different from any other berry. It distracted me & put me off. I felt like I was supposed to be in a magical world, but I had too many weird words thrown at me and not enough supporting detail. Some things were explained & detailed. I'm sure he was just providing background & ambiance; the method just didn't work for me. The races also seemed stereotyped-- "all X are like this; all Y do that." It wasn't engaging enough to hold my interest. I wanted to like it... I generally enjoy young adult books & I love Tolkien (which has similar themes, at least judging by the little I read of this).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun parody with great life-lessons April 15, 2012

By Jen V

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's my opinion that mentioning Dr Seuss at all is not really doing this book justice. I was definitely more reminded of Lewis Carroll or Terry Pratchett or even a bit of Piers Anthony (though Gould is able to make his silly jokes without essentially pointing at them and going, "HEY! HEY! I MADE A JOKE OVER HERE!" like Piers Anthony does).

I enjoyed the winks and nods to Lord of the Rings, including the secluded race going on an adventure, the beautiful people vs the ugly people, the all-knowing old man with a white beard and twinkling eyes, etc.

***spoiler***
Points are given for them completely not needing that old man, unlike in other books where the old man is essential, by the way. Screw all-knowing old wizard dudes.
***spoiler***

Gould's descriptions are amazing, especially when it comes to nauseating you. You have been warned. Do not read the middle of this book directly after eating!

If you enjoy epic fantasy adventure, and you'd like one that shows why other fantasies adventures are a bit silly while throwing in some important life lessons, this book is for you.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Fantasy April 28, 2012

By A. F. Stewart

Format:Kindle Edition

Magnus Opum by Jonathan Gould is whimsical fantasy novel, that trips along the path fantastic. It takes a quiet approach to its storytelling, but also regales the reader with a frothy sprinkling of satire and wit.

The book begins with an unlikely hero, Magnus Mandalora, an unassuming character from Lower Kertoob. An unexpected event turns his life askew and sends him off into the world. He embarks on a spy mission of sorts, finds friends and unlikely allies, and uncovers enemies, danger and escapades galore.

The narrative style follows the traditional epic quest, but folds in an absurdist quality, balancing the plot on a decidedly quirky edge. The characters are both amusing and appealing, and carry the reader blithely along on the adventure. On the surface the story portrays itself as a conventional, if fanciful, fantasy, with a touch of light farce, but by its end has flipped a few fantasy traditions on their head.

I enjoyed reading this book very much with its clever turn of phrase and endearing characters. It never renders too much idiosyncrasy, or becomes overburdened with cuteness. It strikes a perfect balance of odd and sincere and I give it an enthusiastic recommend.

More About the Author

Jonathan Gould has lived in Melbourne, Australia all his life, except when he hasn't. He has written comedy sketches for both the theatre and radio, as well as several published children's books for the educational market.

He likes to refer to his stories as dag-lit because they don't easily fit into recognisable genres (dag is Australian slang for a person who is unfashionable and doesn't follow the crowd - but in an amusing and fun way). You might think of them as comic fantasies, or modern fairytales for the young and the young-at-heart.

Over the years, his writing has been compared to Douglas Adams, Monty Python, A.A. Milne, Lewis Carroll, the Goons, Dr Seuss, Terry Pratchett, and even Enid Blyton (in a good way).