And he makes an ally on the way of a younger, good looking guard with an idealistic mind. Only it seems like it has not been really freed and he might need to take action again. Jack killed a tyrant in his youth and supposedly freed the country. But the magic of other magicians works differently. He commands smoke and winds and lightning. And our MC Jack Swift, a magician in a world where magicians have strange powers. And again we find an unsual, unique and imaginative setting, gritty and dark and really interesting. Ginn Hale has proven before that she can worldbuild with the best of them. This short novella was almost able to cure me of my dislike for everything short - I mean like short stories or novellas. Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy, Short Story, RomanceĬontent Warnings: Violence, Death of Secondary Character, Betrayal, Mention of Child Abuse, Torture, Murder, Mass Execution So while this is really not a fluffy story, it isn’t in your face dark as well.Īll in all, I think this is a great story and if you like shorts and fantasy, I’d suggest you check this out. I appreciate a lot that the darker side of the story takes place off-page and is only mentioned to give explanations and more depths to the story or the characters’ backgrounds. The world building is complex, the characters intriguing, and the plot unexpected on several occasions.

The story is written from one of these characters, Swift, who has to face betrayal and loss, but unexpected help might just melt his stony heart and give him a wish to live. It is no surprise that they are not the sanest or nicest of characters. They come from terrible backgrounds, were abandoned, abused. Well, they are painted like it in the media but the truth is that they are really not. What I find really refreshing is that these former teenagers are no heroes. They all have different ways (magic) and we witness in this book what happens to them and to the society when not everything changes only because one bad sovereign disappears (something that is repeated again and again in our own history in this world). Swift & the Black Dog is set in a complex and unique fantasy setting with a former tyrant who was killed by four teenage wizards ten years ago. Um, turns out the same story was already published in the anthology Charmed and Dangerous, which I had, in fact, already read, but never mind, this shortie is so good that a second read was no hardship at all.

Since I’m a fan I just one-clicked when I saw that there was a short story by her that I thought I hadn’t read. It’s a different craft and, to be honest, I don’t think everybody is good at both. I’ve been a fan of Ginn Hale for a while now and I’m always super happy when authors not only write great novels but are good at writing short stories as well.

Wicked gentlemen by ginn hale