Published: Jan. 24, 2013
Words: 105,699 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781301722778

Short description

Award-winning author Doranna Durgin has nearly 40 published novels (MMPB, trade, and hardcover) and another 19 short pieces. Now available from the author, DUN LADY'S JESS is a re-released and award-winning Baen Fantasy. Dun Lady's Jess: all woman, all heart...all horse. (Changespell Saga Book One)

Extended description

Dun Lady's Jess: all woman, all heart...all horse.

“Horses, heroics, and magic–a great combination! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dun Lady’s Jess, a spirited and daring novel. I couldn’t put it down.”
–Kristen Britain, author of the Green Rider series (Read more) Dun Lady's Jess: all woman, all heart...all horse.

“Horses, heroics, and magic–a great combination! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dun Lady’s Jess, a spirited and daring novel. I couldn’t put it down.”
–Kristen Britain, author of the Green Rider series

When hikers Dayna and Eric find a naked and terrified young woman, they’re sure she’s the victim of foul play. But the truth is much more shocking: she isn’t human at all. She’s Dun Lady’s Jess, a horse transformed into this new shape by the spell that brought her and her rider, to whom she is utterly devoted, into this world.

Possessed now of human intelligence but still a horse deep inside, Jess desperately searches this world for her master and rider, using her fiery equine spirit to take on human idiosyncrasies–and human threats.

Other books in this series: Barrenlands, Changespell, Changespell Legacy

“….Dun Lady’s Jess is unique. Durgin has created a character who is utterly believable as both horse and horse-in-human-body. The setup is brilliant: the magic that causes the transformation is not in the horse, but external, and the creature that is Dun Lady’s Jess must adapt, must find an identity that works in both paradigms. Humans who encounter her, in either body, must also adapt to the reality that created her and that she represents. She cannot be, any longer, just another mare…she cannot be, ever, just another woman….”
–Excerpt from Elizabeth Moon’s Forward for Dun Lady’s Jess

“A thrill ride with a fantasy twist, neatly done by a knowledgeable author – short, sweet, and paced at a gallop, Dun Lady’s Jess can’t help but to win you over.”
–Janny Wurts

“Dun Lady’s Jess is a wonderful read for those who are horse fans and those who are just plain fantasy fans or fans of great writing.”
–Josepha Sherman, bestselling author/editor

“Dun Lady’s Jess is everything a great fantasy ought to be: Exciting, moving, and utterly original. Doranna Durgin has spun a marvelous tale, set it in a world that feels as real as our own, and populated that world with characters who will stay with you long after you read the final page. An excellent book, which I highly recommend.”
–David Coe, author of Winds of the Forelands & the LonTobyn Chronicle

“Jess is a tale of wonderfully diverse and riveting characters embroiled in extraordinary events, told with a deftness and care few authors can achieve. Once you begin, you won’t be able to put it down until you know what happens — and then you’ll wish it never stopped. I highly recommend it.”
–Diana Pharoah Francis, author of Path of Blood

“Dun Lady’s Jess is an adventure story with heart. It’s a unique idea, imaginatively explored. The characters are charming, and humanly flawed. The accurate equestrian touches are a pleasure to encounter, and Jess’ reactions, particularly while she’s still getting her feed under her, are surprisingly yet completely believable. Doranna Durgin offers the reader an unusual viewpoint of impressive versimilitude.”
–Vonda McIntyre, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of The Moon and the Sun

“Durgin never fails to entertain with solid characters, good action, well-conceived plots, compelling narrative — and her expert background in horses always provides a real — and realistic! — treat for readers. Jess is one of the most complex and likeable characters in fantasy fiction.”
–Jennifer Roberson, author of the Karavans and Sword Dancer series
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Tags

fantasy, magic, horse, shapeshifter, series, contemporary fantasy, shapechanger, award winner, backlist ebooks, backlistebooks, backlist, horse fantasy, changespell saga, fantasy about a horse

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Reviews

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Review by: Karen Gould on Jan. 25, 2013 :
What would a horse do if she suddenly found herself in a totally unfamiliar world, and suddenly possessed of human intelligence - not to mention, a human body? Many authors would fumble in telling such a story - either anthropomorphizing the thought processes of the horse, or underestimating the confusion inherent in the collision of "horse-think" with "human-think." Not Doranna Durgin. Her "horse in a woman's body" is a *horse* trying to understand what's happened... and also trying to understand why she can now think about abstract concepts like "understanding."

This was Durgin's first published book, yet it has all the elements that have made her one of my favorite authors: Vivid characters, sparkling prose, snappy pacing, and an engaging and multi-faceted plot. The "horse in a woman's body" part of the story is just that - only part of a story that includes adventures in alternate dimensions, crafty villains, stalwart friends, and acquaintances of uncertain loyalties. All this and a bit of romance, too.

I've read this book in the original version, and the slightly revised version. Both are excellent, the "revision" consisting of minor tweaks and smoothing of occasional awkward passages, rather than wholesale revising. I wholeheartedly recommend it (and the whole series, when available) to any reader who likes "action adventure" stories that don't skimp on characterization or a rich (but not overly expository) sense of "place" - and who enjoy a bit of fantasy enlivening the mundane world.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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