Joey Madia, New Mystics Reviews

 (Jr Publishing, 2025). ISBN: 9798992173307 I received this book as an ARC and first reviewed it for Reedsy Discovery. The Anvil's Whisper is the story of a humble blacksmith and swordsmith named Yordan whose life is turned upside down through a serious of visions and mysterious encounters that lead him into exploration of his spiritual beliefs as mirrored and amplified by myriad religions and spiritual systems that come into conflict in the world in which he lives. The book employs all of the best fantasy tropes, from the blacksmith as metaphor to symbolic beasts, to ideas of fate and destiny and the juxtaposition of authoritarian rule and the life of the simple farmer and artisan in traditional fantasy times. There’s a spoiled prince, alluring peasant girls and warrior women, and a cast of interesting characters from a broad economic and cultural spectrum. There are scenes of violence and torture and moments of deep philosophy and contemplation and plenty of symbolism enrichi...

  (Precocity Press, 2024). ISBN: 979-8-9892043-7-3 From Waffle House waitress to millionaire investment professional (achieved by the age of 40), Stephanie Geller is a modern success story. Throughout this series of anecdotes that travel back and forth through time, grouped thematically with section titles such as “Work Hard, Play Hard” and “Not Everyone Gets a Trophy,” Geller proves that Authenticity is key and, if you prefer high heels, your footwear never has to change as you go from rags to riches. From its short, sharp, whimsically rendered sentences to its road-less-traveled humor and celebrations of victory in loss, You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up: Stories of a Badass Life is proof positive that how we choose to live and tell our story truly matters. There are divorces, deaths, and more than a few debacles in both her childhood and adulthood (with an adolescence that plays as pure cinematic 1980s teen dramedy). Through it all, Geller is never afraid to embark on the Hero’s ...

  (2022). ISBN: 9798799180546 I don’t believe that anyone will argue with the statement that we live in deeply troubled and wildly complex times. No matter where you reside on the politico-economic–sociospiritual spectrum, you are probably facing an unprecedented diversity of challenges. As a 53-year-old, I can say that I lived a good part of my life in far simpler times, with far reduced stakes and far less daily stressors. So… say what you will about the thousands of self-help and spiritual books on the market—there are substantial benefits to engaging with the best works of the acknowledged luminaries in this genre in these Interesting Times. If you have read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic , Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements , and the works of Wayne Dyer, Brene Brown, Carolin Myss, and Gay Hendricks, then I am sure you have found considerable treasures tucked within their pages. Concepts such as Awareness, Intention, Authenticity, Grace, and Listening to Source and Your Highe...

  (White Bird Publications, 2021). ISBN: 978-1-63363-512-8 Authors, publishers, story analysts, reviewers, and readers often speak about a book being a “real page-turner.” Rarely do we elaborate on what that means. To me, having decades of experience in these areas, it’s about two things: (1) posing and answering Big Questions (without doing so too quickly), and immediately posing (and answering) new ones and (2) taking full advantage of the human mind’s tendency to think in terms of inevitability . In the case of Arthur Herbert’s page-turner (I got up early or stayed up late most days while reading it), The Cuts that Cure , the inevitabilities lie in the trajectories of the individual characters (based on their considerable flaws) and on how masterfully Herbert keeps storylines separate and motivations secret for so long. That’s precisely how the posing and answering of Big Questions also serve to keep the reader engaged. The opening scene finds the protagonist, Dr. Alex Bra...

  (Iridescent Publishing, 2013), ISBN: 978-3-9524015-2-1 By Joey Madia What is the nature of reality? What is the value in Metaphor? Is there a single Truth to human existence or are our truths as unique as the number of people who populate the planet, or stars in the sky? William Azuski’s engaging array of characters tackle all of these questions and more in the metaphysical thriller Travels in Elysium . Akin to Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose and John Fowles’ The Magus , Travels is rich in geography and symbolism and invites frequent pauses (facilitated by its short chapters) for contemplation. At 539 pages of small, densely packed type, the book is as physically daunting as those of Eco and Fowles and just as metaphorically rich in material. The descriptions of the Greek island and its people and culture are needfully concrete—they anchor the reader in a solid landscape from which the story and characters launch into spiritual, metaphysical, and ate...

\ Every now and again I am sent a book for review that breaks down the partitions that I have constructed to separate the various aspects of my professional life. David Karmi’s Survivor’s Game is one of those books. I am going to review this book specifically from the point of view of my role as an artistic director and as resident playwright for two theatre companies that specialize in social justice and story-based education for young audiences and as a writing teacher and the author of the novel Jester-Knight . Survivor’s Game is specifically named to evoke popular adventure books for young readers like Hunger Games . From there one instantly thinks of the Harry Potter series, Chronicles of Narnia , and other best-selling series where young people come of age through life-threatening circumstances. These much-needed stories at the core of modern culture serve as essential rites of passage. The very popular George R.R. Martin series A Song of Fire and Ice (whic...