Changespell Legacy is the third in a series about a horse, Dun Lady's Jess, who has been transformed into a human and now has the ability to be either women or mare. Along the way she has made friends with Jaime, Mark, Dayna, and Arlen and has become the lover of Carey, her former owner.

The present story starts with Arlen of Anfeald away from home while the Wizards Council of Camolen investigates a strange new phenomenon near Secondary Siccawei. Something happens to cause wild magic to flare up and the investigating wizards are all killed. Arlen is presumed to be dead and the only known survivor is a palomino stallion.

The Secondary Council moves its operation to Secondary Siccawei to be near the phenomenon and then shuts down the transfer booths. The Mage Dispatch service begins to bog down under the load and running the Anfeald courier service is keeping Carey and Jess very busy.

Jaime shows up for a scheduled visit and discovers Arlen is not there. Although grieving for Arlen, she assumes some of the burden of running the courier service. Jess and Suliya, a new courier rider, go to Secondary Siccawei in response to a message from Dayna. When she tells them that the council have rejected her recommendations and are essentially wasting time, the three women take Rumble, the palomino stallion, and return to Anfeald.

Dispatch reports begin to indicate that the strange phenomenon has started to grow and has appear elsewhere. Without any help form the council and unable to gain reliable information in any other way, Carey decides to interrogate the palomino by turning the horse into a man. Jess, remembering her own transformation, tries to talk Carey out of this idea, but hesitantly agrees when all other sources have failed.

Jess, Carey, Dayna, Suliyu, and Rumble tranfer back to Earth and, in the process, Rumble is transformed into a man. They gather at the Dancing Equine farm -- Jaime's home -- with Mark and try to plumb Rumble's memories.

Back on Camelon, Arlen has been delayed in reaching the council and perceives their death as it occurs. Realizing that he is now the only senior wizard remaining, he is trying to return to Anfeald, but has to travel slowly by coach and horse now that the transfer booths are shut down. He tries to performs as little magic as possible to prevent other sensitives from recognizing his signature while he lies low and tries to find out what is going on. In his travel, he encounters other instances of the strange phenomenon and learns that it is excited and grows whenever magic is used nearby. Then he is recognized and attacked, but overcomes his attacker. Now knowing that he is being hunted, Arlen avoids the main roads and public means of travel, but still heads toward Anfeald.

Jaime also begins to recognize a pattern. She is visited by two strangers who claim to come from Chesba to learn the truth about recent events, but later inquiries disprove these claims. Then the Secondary Council sends an investigator to determine who has used forbidden spells in the vicinity of Anfeald. Jaime knows that one of the usages would have been Jess and her party, but the other may have been the imposters. Are they following Jess and company with intent to cause harm? Things get rather tense thereafter.

Durgin has wrought a complex and suspenseful plot as a background to the continuing humanization of Jess. While she has not been an innocent regarding humanity -- after all, horses soon learn that there are good humans and bad humans -- Jess has been naive about the perversity of human nature. Now she is confronted by Carey's inability -- or unwillingness -- to generalize from Jess to all other horses.

After I read the first two novels in this series, I brought the books to the attention of my youngest daughter. She is a horse person, currently attending a course to prepare her as a horse trainer, and she does not like to read anything that is not required by her teachers. However, she became intrigued by my synopsis of these novel and has read and enjoyed both prequels. Now she is eagerly waiting for me to pass this book on to her. Overall, I think she is impressed by Durgin's grasp of equine matters and ways.

If you like animals, try Doranna Durgin's novels. She has a way with words as well as a good knowledge of animals and their owners. In this novel, she beautifully portrays a personality that is a blend of horse and human, with an uncommon wisdom from both sides.

There's just something about elves. Be it pointy ears, youthful appearance, their love of nature, there is just something about elves. Dark Debts is the story about a Wylden Elf named Kerraii who is captured by a Necropolis raiding party and brought to the City of the Dead where she is transformed into a Dark Elf femme fatale Nightblade.

Her backstory in the City of the Dead is told through flashbacks as the story progresses. The political climate within the city, although a major contributing factor, is touched upon briefly so as not to bog the flow of the story down with unnecessary information.

Kerraii is constantly being tested by her political rival Skulk, who while she seems to be besting him on a regular basis, has deeper motives and and hatred for her replacing him at DeathSpeaker Saren's right hand.

Kerraii is revealed as a dark and brooding soul with one thing on her mind... survival. Battle with the Atlanteans, imprisonment in a Magestone Mine, and the revelation that she has been betrayed by not only Skulk but also by Saren drive Kerraii to repay her Dark Debts and try to join the Black Powder Rebellion and Snow, the Arch-Mage Karrudan's assassin.

This book is an awesome read, and includes details about the famous Death Pits of Necropolis and of the provocative, erotic, and scantily clad Nightblades of the DeathSpeakers.

This is a good example of science ficture literature. Part of the series that was spawned by the popular TV program, this latest title follows protagonist Liam Kincaid as he once again battles the Taelons as they are planning to release a retrovirus on the unsuspecting people of Earth. If they survive, they will develop the Shaqurava that, until now, only the Taelons possess. The ending is somewhat predictable, but fun to read anyway. Check out Augur's computer variation of Lili. She's a hoot!

The book resolved quite a few open issues with regard to the origins of the Taelons and their connection to the Jaridians and the Kimera. The series was not very good at this. As a matter of fact, the series created a more questions in its fifth season that it neglected to answer. I enjoyed the book and hope to read more by this author and others writing about this sci-fi series.

Heritage is the 5th EFC book, and almost certainly the best.

While "Arrival", "The First Protector" and "Requiem for Boone" focus on event before the show, and "Augur's Teacher" focuses on an original chracter, "Heritage" is purely about Liam.

The basis is that Zo'or's latest project is to give humanity shaquarava through a virus, shortly after the season two episode "Second Chances". (Shaquarava are the glowing things on Liam's hands, for those unfamiliar with the series) Not knowing that Liam is one-third Kimera, and has shaquarava of his own, Zo'or orders that Liam is administered the virus. The virus gives Liam access to some of his genetic memories, including the knowledge that it was the shaquarva that turned the Atavus into Taelons, and started them on that nasty treacherous path of theirs.

Hayley Simmons (from episodes "Second Chances", "Thicker Than Blood" and "Take No Prisoners") is a major player, and there are bits of Liam/Hayley romance. While it is questionable that Zo'or would attempt to give humans shaquarva (which could allow humanity to join the Commonality), this is a minor flaw.

The plot is mainly plausible, executed with a minimum of techno-babble, and makes sense in context with the rest of the series. There are excellent explanations for the Taelons' hatred of the Kimera and how the Taelons and Jaridians differ. All characters are very, umm... in character.

Anywho. It's a great book.

As a multiple dog owner, avid science fiction fan and sucker for good old fashioned romance I found myself enchanted on all three levels by this book. Even though I usually have multiple books going at once and happily hop back and forth between them, this one was read at one long sitting--and lying as I took it to bed to read through the night. Not since I discovered Taylor Caldwell years ago as a teenager have I so enjoyed a story featuring human-animal communication. I especially related to "Druid," the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, who brought back many memories of my own beloved Pembroke Corgi, Gus, who succumbed to cancer this past summer. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a loyal canine companion is bound to be as taken by the rightness of Durgan's portrayal of human-dog relationships as I was. The human-human ones also ring true. The story satisfies throughout and its ending is just offbeat and upbeat enough to leave one feeling happily satisfied.

A FERAL DARKNESS is Durgin's first contemporary fantasy, after several traditional fantasy novels. Having read this one, I must say she ought to continue with contemporary settings! Her understanding of characters and their motivations and fears makes this a must-read book for those who like contemporary novels with supernatural settings and challenges. Brenna and Masera are very real individuals, and Brenna's bonding with Druid, the stray dog who is more than just a dog, proves Durgin's understanding of the human-animal bond. Druid is not a typical fantasy animal, talking telepathically or otherwise, but a very real companion. A touch of romance adds a nice extra to an entertaining and compelling story. I read this book in one fell swoop, and wish it had been longer!

A dog groomer becomes more and more enmeshed in a mysterious and really spooky world where a sprit of evil has released a new and much more virulent form of rabies into the world. Out of the night, a short-legged dog, an unlikely hero, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, enters her life. He, and a pair of Basque magicians, bring real interest to this fantasy romance.

Doranna Durgin's depiction of her lead character's life as a dog groomer, and her portraits of the dogs in the story read like real life. This book has the best realization of what a corgi is like in any fiction.

Read it for the fantasy and the magic. Read it for the romance. Read it for the dogs. Read it. You will be glad you did.

I ABSOLUTY loved the story, very engaging and powerful. I however didn't like how she wrote in a few spots, and I felt the begining was weak, but the powerful story line mostly made up for that.

I read this book awhile ago, and loved it. Being an animal lover, I appreciated the care with which the author described the horses, and how much personality they had; they were an actual part of the story, rather than just beasts of burden (this is true to one extent or another of all her writing). I also appreciated the fact that while she included a romance, sex wasn't particularly present. I get tired of some fantasy authors who seem to think that if they throw enough sex in, it compensates for lacks such as plot, character development, or action; also authors that just plain write it in all the time. Finally, she had a somewhat original and creative idea; others have written about animals becoming people or vice versa, but none that I've ever read had as much realism in that description, or as much consideration of what that would actually mean for the individual involved (especially if it is an animal becoming human). All in all, I loved this book and would highly recommend it.

This is the first novel by Durgin and is unusually well written for a first work. It is also the first in a series about a horse, Dun Lady's Jess, who becomes a human. Her owner is Arlen of Anfeald, a senior wizard of Camolen, but her master is Carey, head rider of the Anfeald couriers.

Arlen has discovered a spell for crossing over to other dimensions and needs help developing a checkspell to prevent unscrupulous exploition of other continua. He sends Carey to Sherra, a member of the Wizards Council, with a full report on the new spell. Warning Carey that other wizards know of the new spell, Arlen provides a stone carrying the spell and orders Carey to use it if danger appears.

Carey and Lady are ambushed and Carey is shot with an arrow, pulling Lady hard to the right. As they plunge over a cliff, Carey invokes the spellstone and they go elsewhere.

Lady, transformed to a human, lands in a meadow in Ohio with her tack lying atop and around her. She is found by Eric and Dayna, who take her home with them. Since Jess is new to the human business, she is a strange, possibly crazy, woman. At first she seems to be mute -- after all, horses don't talk -- but soon learns how to make the funny sounds that she has heard all her life. She calls Dayna and Eric by name, and tells them her own, and then goes on a orgy of word learning. When Eric brings in the tack, Jess says the saddlebags belong to Carey. When she identifies herself as a horse, also belonging to Carey whom she has lost and wants to find, they take her to Jaime at the Dancing Equine Dressage Center, where Jess meets Mark, Jaime's brother.

While Eric tries to find Carey by calling nearby hospitals, Jaime questions Jess and then puts her to work in the stables. A stranger shows up looking for a dun mare with black points and identifies himself as Derrick, living at the LK hotel. Jaime notices that the description would match Jess if she was a horse. Moreover, Jess displays an unusual ability in reading horse body language. Jaime is beginning to suspect the unthinkable.

Jaime tells the others about Derrick at the LK hotel, where Dayna and Mark work. Using her passkey, Dayna finds Carey, drugged and helpless, in Derrick's room as well as a bow and quiver of arrows. She is almost caught by Derrick, but escapes and returns to The Dancing to tell of her discovery. They return to the hotel while Mark is on duty and rescue Carey. Then things start to get interesting.

Eventually, Jess, Dayna, Eric, Jaime and Carey cross over to Camolen. They are accidently accompanied by Ernie, a gunman hired by Derrick, and land in the middle of a siege.

While the novel is fantasy, there are a few points that strain even that loose standard. The spell itself provides the ability to speak English, yet the rapidity with which Jess learns to speak and read is truly fantastic. However, Durgin provides an explanation at the very beginning: the intercontinual transients are connected to their home dimension by a thread of magic that powers any spells invoked in the other continuum. Apparently that also powers magical talents -- such as language learning -- possessed by the travellers.

This is truly a horse lover's fantasy. While very ignorant of horse affairs, I feel that the horsey thinking underlying Jess's personality rings true with my experiences. Durgin really knows her horses.

Great plot, great characters. But at the end of the book, I wasn't quite satisfied. I couldn't put my finger on it but there was something missing in the overall book that is there is others that I have read.

Reandn is a respected guard in the king's service with a lovely wife and an adopted son. When little boys started disappearing around the castle, Reandn was put in charge of the investigation. Then his son disappeared, followed soon after by his wife. When he finally found out the cause of the disappearances, he was suddenly transported to a far end of the kingdom, by magic. But magic doesn't exist anymore. The unicorns left and took the magic with them when Reandn was just a child. As Reandn tries to make his way back home, he comes across a young woman who believes that the unicorns are going to bring magic back into the world, and she needs to help them. But Reandn knows that magic is harmful and will do whatever he can to stop magic from returning.

Doranna Durgin does not waste a lot of time creating a fantasy world. She dives right into the story, bringing the characters alive and developing the plot. She uses the traditional fantasy world, the medieval type world, and adds magic to it, and then takes it away by removing the unicorns. Durgin's books are not long, and are not exceedingly involved or complicated. She keeps her books simple, and they make for an easy, enjoyable read.

I found this book exciting, and one of the best I've read in some time. It's an intriguing novel and I found the characters delightful and full of fun. The book kept me hooked until I finished, one I will definitely read again. A wonderful novel, and I hope to read more that this author has to offer.

I was impressed with the other reviews of this book and went out and bought it, not a total mistake; though after finishing the book I feel there was a lot that seemed to be edited out of the finished product. The hardest time that I had with the book were all the lapses of time between each chapter. (i.e. going into battle [end chapter], [next chpter] out of battle and on the road again) This example goes to a little extreme however it is not far off. I felt that there were too many circumstances that were barely brushed over, if not skipped entirely, that would have only added to the overall storyline. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book, there was just things lacking. I know that this review does not tell anything about the story, there are many other reviews that summerize the story, this is a review about the fluidity of the book. The way that the book was, either edited or written, leads me to think that Doranna Durgin was aiming possibly for a more young adult audience.

I did fully enjoy the elements of fantasy within the novel. The magick, myths, and the fact that Kelyn was human and made (many) mistakes and was not a goddess incapable of error. Ironwood, great use of the magick (or lack thereof).

Overall, try your local library first before running to purchase. If after you have read it, and you still love it, add it to you home library to enjoy over and over. I will certiainly try another book by Doranna.

Wolverine was a legendary warrior. He was also Kelyn of Ketura's father. He had left her mother before she was born. Kelyn cared nothing for the Wolverine or his legends. She wanted nothing to do with him. She grew up in the mountains of Ketura learning to survive, like her father before her as her mother wished. She had to practice much harder than the others of the village due to her occasional bouts of clumsiness. Where others did things gracefully, she was awkward. Where others learned quickly, she had to practice often and thoroughly.

When her mother died, the village witch told her that she must find her father if she wanted to find herself. So she began her journey. Kelyn did not wait for trouble to find her. She followed trouble to find the Wolverine. Once found, a battle of witches, barbarians, and sorcery began! Kelyn also found out WHY she was often clumsy. However, she could not understand why that clumsiness vanished at times of danger and battle. One thing was for certain, the Wolverine could not deny she was his daughter and he had definitely met his match!

**** Excellent! Like watching Xena and Hercules side-by-side! I plan to look up other books by this amazing author! Highly recommended reading here! ****

This is one of many books by Durgin I have read. She is a great writer. I don't have time alot of time to read, but I make time for Durgin's books.

The story is about a young warrior who searches for her father after her mother is killed. She ultimately finds herself on the journey. It is packed with adventure and an array of characters and personalities. Don't pass this one up.

"Tales of the Slayer" is a collection of short stories based on the premise of the Slayer myth as created by Joss Whedon in his critically acclaimed tv series "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and the not-so-acclaimed movie of the same name. According to the legend, "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer." The Slayer is a girl, usually in her late teens, who has superior strength, fighting, and healing abilities and uses those abilities to fight vampires and demons. When one Slayer dies, the next is called.

This collection of short stories tells the tales of some of those slayers. From a Slayer in Ancient Greece to a young African-America Slayer in 1950s Florida, each story details a portion of these girls' short lives as the Slayer. Written mainly by genre novelists, the majority of these stories are well-written and range from humorous to chilling to poignant.

Some of the stories are particularly touching such as my favorite story, "A Good Run," which tells of a Greek Slayer in 490 BC who must protect a messenger during the first marathon, the Battle of Marathon between the Greeks and the Persians. The story follows the thoughts of this Slayer as she runs along with the messenger, protecting him from evil as he heads toward Sparta to ask for the support of Spartan troops for Athens.

The only downside to this collection is that Slayers rarely live long lives so many of the stories deal with the death of these Slayers. Some are particularly depressing or horrible such as in "Die Blutgrafin" and "Silent Screams."

I recommend "Tales of the Slayer" to anyone who is, was, or will be a fan of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." It can also be enjoyed by fans of vampire stories or the fantasy genre since, as long as you know the premise, the stories will make sense even to someone who has never seen an episode of "Buffy." This book is labelled "Volume 1"; I sincerely hope that "Volume 2" is in the works.

For any fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and especially for fans who love Slayer mythology, this is an excellent read. With short stories spanning the lives of eight different Slayers, each set around a different historical event, there's little not to love about this anthology.

The writing is strong and the tales are very engaging. If you're looking for something to tide you over in between new episodes, I highly recommend "Tales of the Slayer."

An anthology of stories about 7 Slayers in the line of Slayers who have fallen in the past, this book is a must for any Buffy fan and even non-fans. It is written by different authors each writing the tale of a Slayer. This should interest those interested in the mythology of Buffy.
The tales of each Slayer brings the reader around the world from Germany to Greece and more , each with a intriguing tale of each Slayer. The tales center around sometimes during their duty, their last battle or the day they learned of their destiny.
My favourite among these tales included The White Doe a tragic tale of the Slayer being killed by her love and Silent Screams the tale of a Slayer who was left by her Watcher to die.
This book is a great anthology of the different Slayers living in a different time and place than ours. It demonstrates the different personalities and styles of each Slayer and the author of the tale. I look forward to Vol. 2

It's not often I have to force myself to finish a book. But that was the case with "Tooth and Claw". I found it to be a weak story, the characters uninteresting and/or annoying, and plain and simply totally boring. This is the first time I have tried this author, and I won't be in a hurry to try her again if this book is anything to go by. If you want to read a new trek adventure try something else. No adventure to be found here.

I must immediately add Doranna Durgin to my short list of favorite Trek authors, and I hope she writes a few more in this universe. Her writing style is casual and humorous ("Worf Lite," for example. Read the book to learn what that's about.), and she sticks very close to canon with her characters, particularly with Worf and Riker. But...that doesn't mean she's afraid to step out of the box and have Picard do something surprising and refreshingly *un*-diplomatic to get the job done. I was impressed.

I had a very nice time visualizing all three kinds of aliens and the various flora and fauna encountered on the great hunt the Tsorans called the "kaphoora." Add to that plot twists involving sabotage on many levels, and to *that* add Geordi's struggle with alien technology and another one of Data's goofy "experiments" in humanity, and you have a swift and entertaining Next Gen tale.

This is one of the best Star Trek books I've read in a long time. It was one of those "can't put down, read in one sitting" novels for me. I found the Federation characters to be right on the mark (Riker was as damned arrogant and annoying as I found him to be on the television show - but that's a good thing...he was written true to character!) and the alien characters were interesting, especially the parts about their culture and their daleura and kaphoora.

One of the things I loved about this book was the kaphoora. It reminded me of things I've read about ancient cultures such as the native Americans and the way warriors in those cultures achieved manhood. It's nice to read a Star Trek novel that takes the characters out of their normal element (off saving the galaxy) and puts them in something foreign to them.

Hopefully, this won't be the last Star Trek novel that Ms. Durgin writes!

Doranna Durgin has created a wonderful sequel to DUN LADY'S JESS with CHANGESPELL. In this novel, someone is changing animals into human slaves, with some not so nice results. Jess is struggling with both human and equine thoughts and feelings about the man she has come to love, her rider, Carey. And Camelon is coming under attack by a rogue magic-user who is trying to take control of were-magic for his own evil gain.

This is a book not only about magic but also about love as Jess fights to come to terms with the feelings she has for Carey. There is plenty of action and adventure as Jess and her frineds come under attack and as the Council of Wizards tried to find the rogue magic user and put him out of commission before all is lost.

Highly recommended, especially for those who loved DUN LADY'S JESS.

This is the second in a series about a horse, Dun Lady's Jess, who has been transformed into a human and can be either woman or mare. Jess now wears spellstones in her hair, and mane, that can change her into either form. She can trigger the spellstone to change her into a mare, but cannot change back to a woman by herself.

Jess is training horses and testing riders for Kymmet Stables when she receives an urgent message from Arlen. He has found a man who may be a transformed horse. Jess and Ander, a friend, ride to Anfeald to assist Arlen. Upon arrival, Jess quickly determines that the man had actually been transformed from a mule. No one knows who changed him, how he was changed, or why. Although the wizards know that two people are performing major wizardry in the area, none recognize the magical signature.

Unknown to Jess, Ander is highly attracted to her and intends to compete with Carey for her attention. While Jess remains totally oblivious of the situation, the resulting tension between the two men complicates the plot.

Soon Jaime arrives from Ohio to testify at a hearing to free Willand, an apprentice wizard who is presently being confined in a null magic zone due to her misdeeds during Jaime's initial visit to Camelon. After Jaime testifies how Willand had gleefully tortured Arlen and herself, the Wizards Council denies her release, but she escapes shortly thereafter. And then another changespell victim is found nearby, this time a pursan, a large feline, transformed into a woman.

Since the Anfeald couriers are overworked, Jess transforms to Lady and rides out with a message to the local peacekeepers, but is ambushed along the route and tranquilized with a narcotic dart. When Carey learns that Lady is overdue, he rides out with Ander, discovers the ambush scene, and recovers several darts. They bring the darts back to Arlen, who finds a tag spell placed therein which has already caught Carey and Ander. While not bearing the signature of Willand, Arlen suspects that she designed the trap and immediately destroys the darts.

Lady wakes up within a stall in an unknown barn. Other animals, including predators, are also confined in the barn. Eventually the changespell wizards, lead by Willand, come to examine her. They intend to use her transformation ability as a guide to improve their changespell. The situation does not look good.

This novel provides an opportunity for Jess to further comprehend humans, particularly her beloved Carey, and for the humans to further understand her. It also vividly underscores the unusual circumstances that allowed Jess to adapt after her transformation, which has not been successfully replicated. This work most realistically portrays the various animals and, in some ways, attends more to the animals than to the humans. Nevertheless, the good guys are never neglected and are well drawn, but the bad guys get very little time on stage. Tough!

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves animals, mysteries, and magic.

I really liked this book, and I think it was a good sequel to its predecessor, Dun Lady's Jess. There's adventure, romance (a bunch), and a lot of character development that made this book really great. I enjoy Doranna Durgin's style of writing and the fantasy universe of Camolen that she has created. Another book in this series would be welcome, and I recommend this one highly.