The Blue are coming.
Read These Indies!
Independent authors need our help. They’re not asking for charity, just the opportunity to be read in a crowded marketplace. I’m trying to do my part. After all, I’m going to be an indie someday.
Let’s be honest… there’s some a lot of terrible indie writing out there. Thanks to AI such as ChatGPT, ad-nausea, it’s getting worse. Any writer wannabee now has access to tools that can actually polish a turd.
Despite my bitching, there’s plenty of good writing out there. Yet much of it is outside of the mainstream. While big publishers chase the latest trends and sign social-media authors, indies are busting their asses to write good books.
Anyhoo..I’m getting tired and will finish writing this later. If by chance you’re looking for a good indie to start with, keep reading for a Bloo review.
The Trouble with Prophecies
Jake Joy
Genre: Fantasy / Humor
Comps: Sir Terry Pratchett
Length: 360 pages (on my Kindle), 450 pages paperback.
Formats: Paperback, Kindle
Goodreads reviews: 4.4 stars
Amazon reviews: 4.22 stars
My rating: 4.0 grumpy wizards 
FYI… Jake Joy published a sequel to this in April 2025 titled King Hunters. I bought the Kindle version and am about halfway through. I’ll review it after I’m done, but it looks good so far.
*** No spoilers await you ***
The plot hits the ground sprinting. A lot of Fantasy novels front-load the narrative with backstory and world-building. Yet you’ll find no infodumping here. The exposition feels just right.
We are introduced to the two PoV characters in the first chapter…
Derrick is a 400+ year-old wizard in a 35-year-old body. He’s a master of spells and insults. He’s not evil, just indifferent. Derrick’s also a colossal pain in the ass.
Kelthi is a seven-foot barbarian on a mission to defeat the evil Monarch. Unfortunately, she needs Derrick’s help to do it. She’s not simple-minded, merely single-minded. This battle maiden has a job to do. Woe is the person who gets in her way – Derrick included.
From here, we follow Derrick and Kelthi on an epic journey. They meet an array of colorful characters along the way. Some join their quest. Each has something to say and a unique voice to say it. The dialogue is engaging and believable.
The characters sometimes speak in a way that’s over the top or on the nose. This is by design. The author is clearly taking the piss on the Fantasy genre. Thankfully, he knows when to put the Joker back into the deck.
Even so, the narrative and characters are more often breaking tropes than rolling with them. Sometimes the author is subtle, othertimes not. Yet the reader is always in on the gag. We get it – and the author trusts us to get it.
There is sadness among the humor. People are hurt. People die. There is serious and sometimes truly heartbreaking introspection from the main characters. Painful secrets lead to even more painful revelations. A few scenes brought me to tears.
Both dialogue and narrative also tackle modern social issues with a combination of feathers and sledgehammers. The sledgehammer bits are often delivered with a dose of irony. The prose is very self-aware, and doesn’t insult the reader. I wish more modern fiction was like this.
Despite its moral compass, “The Trouble with Prophecies” isn’t a morality play. It’s a story – a damned good one. 350 pages is enough for the world of Feydern and its inhabitants to spread out, and pull you in.
The ending is as enjoyable as the journey.
If you like the Discworld series, buy this. If you never heard of Discworld, buy this. If you dig the Fantasy genre, buy this. If you hate Fantasy, BUY THIS.
The author suggests an age range of 14 to 18 years. However, I feel this unfairly precludes “Prophecies” from a wider audience. There is something for just about everyone here.
That’s the trouble with prophecies. Even if you don’t care about them, they still care about you.
*****
Would you like to read The Trouble with Prophecies? Have you read it already? Let us know what you think.
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