Review: Not Your Father’s Horseman

And it was. I got a copy of the first draft, and was thrilled when Val asked me to give it a blurb. From the original version I read, I knew this book would be a winner: a terrifying techno-thriller that embraces you in its spell. I was also excited for Val as she would be premiering it at Westercon 58 alongside Legacy of Morevi…

…then Val tells me “I completely revamped it. Started over, more or less, and it’s completely different.”

I was a little worried now because I was knee-deep in Legacy finals, so I wouldn’t be able to read the new version and give her a new pull-quote. Also, I liked what Val had before. Why change it? Will this change work?

Just finishing the novel this morning, all I can say is “Head’s up, folks, Valerie Griswold-Ford is here, and she is taking no prisoners!” She took a terrific story and made it bigger, badder, and ballsier!

The reality Valerie has created is an Earth, set in a modern day setting. In this world we have mobile phones, Toby Keith, digital cameras, cute guys in white boxers, hot chicks in tight jeans and camisoles, and magic… lots and lots of magic. We’ve got all kinds of magic: good, bad, and ugly. Reminiscent of Stan Lee’s X-Men Universe, magic is a ?sensitive? subject with the world. Some people dig it, some don’t. (An aspect of this series I sincerely hope Valerie explores in future volumes!) The reason mages work alongside Jimmy Buffett and satellite TV without a fuss is that everything is Balanced. The Balance is just that: Shadow Magic, Light Magic, and Earth Magic all work together to keep things copasetic.

Problem is, if there is a buck to be made, some corporation in the States is going to see just how far they can tip that Balance to one side before completely throwing the world out of whack.

One such corporation is Gene-Tech. Their slogan: We Play God for the Right Price.

Far away from Gene-Tech’s dark projects reactivated, Shadow Magic with agendas, and selective breeding experiments, Nikki Jeffries is celebrating her graduation from college. She is setting off to carve her niche in the world with a photographic study of the paranormal. Something just tells Nikki that “Death becomes her,” and a coffee table book of haunted houses and spooky graveyards sounds like her true calling?

At her first photo shoot, Nikki is about to discover exactly what her true calling is!

Valerie Griswold-Ford’s debut novel is part techno-thriller with sinister forces hard at work in genetically generating super soldiers of tomorrow, part dark fantasy as these super soldiers are actually part of a higher plan to resurrect the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She creates a believable alternative reality where magic exists openly and interacts with the world on a daily basis, provided the Balance is maintained. This world is so convincing that you begin to sweat a bit whenever that Balance is threatened. Along with earnest concern, Valerie evokes other emotions with every page, with every scene, and with every character’s action. And applying much of her know-how showcased in her articles for The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy and The Fantasy Writer’s Companion, Not Your Father’s Horseman sets up believable and dynamic magic systems steeped in mythology and legend that, while you know are fantastic elements, ring with credibility. On so many levels and with its many layers, Not Your Father’s Horseman is a delight to read and a wonderful start to what promises to be a terrific series.

With Not Your Father’s Horseman, Valerie Griswold-Ford has announced her arrival to the Fantasy genre. It is an arrival that will have you asking her, “That was very, very cool, Val! So, what’s next?” It also stands as a testimony that, yes, a book contract can motivate you better than a fire under your ass to create a terrific read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5