Dun Ladys Jess

This book is totally different from anything else I have read. The title character is a horse who becomes a woman when she is magically transported from her own world to ours. The author knows horses extremely well and writes a completely believable horse-in-a-womans-body. I couldnt wait to find out what happens next. Will she find her rider? What will their relationship become if she is human? Will she be a horse again if she goes home? They MUST go back to their own world...but WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I highly recommend this excellent book!

I really enjoyed Dun Lady Jess. It was different . I liked all the characters good and bad. story was far fetched but thats what made it enjoyable to read.

Apart from the Harry Potter books, Ive read few fantasy novels. My one exception: the books of my friend Doranna Durgin. Of course, as shes been my friend for over 20 years, you cant expect me to be wholly objective in a review. So Ill just tell you what I like about her very first published book, Dun Ladys Jess, which has been reissued in a beautiful new edition by Canadian publisher Red Deer Press. Beautiful dun mare Lady, and her rider, Cary, are running for their lives when Cary invokes a spell that sends them hurtling to an alternate reality--a reality that does not include magic. Not only that, but Lady has been transformed into a human woman. Shes found by Eric, a kind-hearted environmentalist, and his friend Dayna. They quickly realize that Lady is in a state of mental confusion. Wary about turning her into the authorities, they take her to Daynas home to try to figure out what to do next. They meet up with their friends Jaime, who owns a horse training facility, and her brother Mark. And when Carey shows up--thats when the fun begins. This book has everything I look for in great storytelling: endearing friendships, action, adventure; suspense, thrills and fun. Im not kidding when I say itll make you laugh and cry. Theres a reason this book won the Compton Crook Award, and its hard to believe this could be someones first book because Doranna got everything right. The characterization, the action, and most importantly, the mindset of Dun Ladys Jess--a horse changed by magic into a woman. Read it. Youll love it, too.

I liked this book so well, I have purchased the 2nd in this series of Changespell Saga and it is proving to be just as spell binding. Doranna Durgin has a wonderful imagination and what a way with word. You feel yourself being in both World, our normal earth and the world of Magic. I had to rate this one 5 stars!

I thought the idea of a horse consciousness in a human body was a fascinating concept. It is well written, there were some good words that I had never read before and had to look up, and the dialogue between characters is well done. It is an adventure while overcoming language/psychological barriers.

A glorious blend of fantasy, mystery, and romance. From a land where magic is commonplace to our own world ( where I believe magic to exist ) and back again, revealing that some things are always the same. If you love fantasy or stories about horses you cant go wrong with this one.

I really enjoyed this book and its premise. What WOULD happen if you turned an animal, ANY animal really, into a human without warning? How would the animal think? React? Would it eventually come to find its human body in some ways superior to its animal one, or would it always want to turn back into its former self? What if it was a domestic animal such as a dog or, as in this case, a horse? Would it still carry that love for its master? Could its master accept its new form? Would something more form? Just a few questioned spawned by the first half of this book. The second half was no less exciting to read, but it was mostly your standard sword and sorcery. Lady/Jess was such a great and compelling character. The other characters were mere satellites around her, even Carey. I loved this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.

Cross world journey complicated by shape changing and magic. What more could you ask for in a rousing story that keeps you turning the pages?

This was a truly unique story, told from a different perspective. The lead character is a horse in one world, who is changed into a woman in modern day Ohio. Her senses, her expectations of the world, and her growth into an amazing and brave person, are narrated in a believable manner. The author paints a picture of a horse as a being with personality and value, and yet, does not diminish the idea of being human. The actual plot, which involves a courier and his horse escaping their world to protect a magic spell, enlisting the help of humans from our world to return and right the wrongs committed by the spell, is fast paced and well thought out. A unusual story, well executed.

Original concept nicely developed. Simple, direct writing style that reads easily but dont be deceived; its refreshing and well executed, not presumptuous. This story kept my attention through the end. A bit of a weak ending but Im sure the author was already thinking on to the second in her series of three books in this story. I really enjoyed and liked the character Jess. Following her development is quite interesting.