Posted on Thursday, 05.08.08 at 08:54 in
Fan/Flame Mail~
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This section will feature fan and hate mail (hopefully more of the former than the latter.)
It will also contain any reviews or other media coverage Heretic receives.
For the moment, Shannon has included quotes from people who’ve read it all the way through. Please note that some of these folks have read both Warlock’s Wake and Heretic, so they are referring to both books in their comments.

“You have a lot of amazing writing in here. The scenes with Tristan and Mary are some of the best writing I’ve seen anywhere. You do such a good job of controlling the passion, of building it, of making us hang on every word. Writing at its finest.”
- Sandy, Freelance Editor, Novelist
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“Heretic is a welcome divergence from the norm of typical ‘fantasy’ novels. I would dub it a ‘realistic fantasy.’ I say this because some of the good guys die, and some of the bad guys flourish. There is a yin and a yang for everything in the book; the magic causes detriment to the user’s health, and could ultimately kill them if abused. As the author says in the book, there is a price to be paid for every decision that is made. As for the book itself, the story takes off quickly with great character and storyline introduction. All of the characters, even the minor ones, are strongly written in such a way that I found myself loving and hating the characters more strongly than those in any other book I’ve read. It is a true page turner, and I found myself shirking other tasks in order to read it, always telling myself I’d read one more page, one more chapter. Then, I finished entirely too soon and found myself wanting to pick up the sequel and follow this wonderful story down its brilliant path. I need to know where this story ends.”
- Seth, Veterinarian
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“I could not wait to read Shannon’s debut novel, and Heretic definitely delivered all that I knew it would. Tom’s writing reminds me of Stephen King, with a sick twist of Clive Barker thrown in for good measure. Heretic surpasses gender and genre. Fans of horror, fantasy, suspense and adventure novels will love Heretic, as it is a page turning, suspenseful adventure full of cleverly combined horror and fantasy.
“I hated having to put Heretic down, and looked forward to every moment I could find to steal away to read it. From the first page to the last page, Heretic kept me wanting more. Shannon’s ability to use words as a brush to paint a picture in the reader’s mind brings to life the characters and places the reader in the middle of a spell bounding tale. An exciting journey from beginning to end, Heretic never disappoints.
“I cannot wait to read it again and am anxiously awaiting the sequel!”
-M.B. Schramm, Hospitality Coordinator
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“Heretic ranks among any of the books that I’ve read from David Eddings, Robert Jordan, or Raymond E. Feist. From beginning to the end, Heretic never stopped amazing me. I will definitely buy a copy when the book is published so I can read it again.”
-Ted, Network Administrator
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“And then there is me…avid book reader yes, but usually more of the Oprah’s Book Club, Gothic Vampire and the occasional impossibly perfect Hero/Heroine type. My one distinction, I am merciless when it comes to good reading and will not tolerate a poorly written book. If you don’t have me hooked by Chapter Three, it’s over. When I was asked to read Heretic I was thrilled with the chance of reading a full length novel written by Shannon. He has held me captive with his words for over a year now…but I was quick to point out that this is not my normal genre, and I would be brutally honest in my opinion of it. Shannon asked only that I read it, put friendship aside, and let it tell me the story.
“When a book is good, the heart and soul of a writer can easily be seen in their writing. This is so in Heretic. I am the one who stayed up all night reading and missed a day of work because once I started; I could not put it down. It is beautiful, raw, and honest. More importantly, if you care to look, deep inside, you may find yourself written there.”
-Ellee, Purchasing Agent
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“I do not like fantasy fiction books, but when I picked up Shannon’s book, I could not put it down. When I finished the first part, I could not wait for the second. I had to know what happened. As I read the book I found myself thinking of the characters as my friends. I also found that I learned about myself. This book allowed me to evaluate and validate some of my morals and beliefs. Thank you, Shannon, for writing such a poignant story.”
-S. Layman