T. Thorn Coyle

I loved this book, and am stoked for the rest of the series to come out!

This is basically an alternate-history tale, with magic stirred in for some extra kick. It's set during the 60s and focused on two organizations: the Association of Magical Arts and Sorcery and the Black Panther Party. The AMAS is all about training sorcerers and making sure that everyone with magical talent knows to keep their abilities hidden. The BPP is all about helping and protecting people, even when that means show more putting yourself - and your abilities - on the line.

I really enjoyed Thorn's multiple-first-person-narrators approach in her previous novel, "Like Water," and she weaves the voices well here too. The narrators all have different voices and different attitudes, and letting them narrate things from their own points of view helps us see exactly how they got to where they are, and why they're acting the way they are.

The magic is awesome, and the rising tension between the BPP and the police resonates all too well with events today. This is a book that is inspiring without being cheesy, thrilling without losing sight of how people actually think and act. So good! show less

This is not a book of magic as spellcasting and it's not Wicca 101. This is a book for people who are serious about the challenging and rewarding path of The Great Work, the transformation of self through communion with the Divine.

T. Thorn Coyle is quite simply one of the most talented and sophisticated of Pagan teachers, and in this book she presents life-tested techniques with an attitude of both seriousness and joy.

This is a book about how to use magical-spiritual practices as the show more foundation for transforming the personality through meditation, purification, self-examination, facing inner demons and shadows, and cultivating an ever-deeper connection with the Divine. Although her perspective and theology are distinctly Pagan, most of the the techniques can be applied by people of other faiths, especially if one is willing to translate her terms into ones one more comfortable and familiar. Thorn herself frequently mentions practices from a variety of mystical traditions as possible options for approaching specific parts of the work.

Thorn's style is conversational but never condescending. She presents advanced spiritual concepts simply and clearly. In fact, this text helped me achieve several breakthroughs around topics I've studied before but never grasped until now. show less

Mouse’s Folly was included in a recent cosy fantasy StoryBundle (late 2024). I haven’t previously read anything by the author and opened this book when I was in the mood for a light-hearted read, misfits with noble intentions etc.

The story’s told in first person by Mouse, bar a few paragraphs in third person. Overall, it serves as an introduction to the world and various characters. Being a rag-tag band, there were quite a few characters. As they were all introduced in quick show more succession, I found the descriptions a bit laundry-list and didn’t remember them very well.

The storyline is cute and straightforward, although (avoiding spoilers) I wasn’t clear about how some elements fitted together in a cause-effect/consequence sense. Mouse doesn’t get much chance to influence what happens but he is, after all, a mouse. He does hint at some personal backstory issues though we don’t (yet) see those on page. Presumably we find out more further into the series.

Overall, a cute introduction to a fantasy world. show less

Thorn Coyle writes books which are generally lacking for magical practitioners, covering ideas and a tradition (originally Feri) often glossed over in what's currently on the shelf. Kissing the Limitless is a text meant for any person involved in magic(k) who wants to take their practice to a new level and truly "advance." And that advancing can be for anyone at any level of practice who is willing to make the time and effort to work through her exercises and take responsibility for what show more occurs.
The text is divided into three sections: The Star Goddess, The Divine Twins, and The Peacock Angel, spirits/deities from Feri. While each section is ostensibly meant for newer, intermediate, and advanced practitioners, the material in each is meant to build on the other and will serve anyone at any level very well.
It's heartening to have a Pagan/magical book which at no time talks "down" to the reader or repeats the same trope which can be found in a thousand other titles (or Geocities web sites). Coyle presumes that her reader already has some grounding in these ideas so she is not hampered by having to hash out yet another 101. The author also does a good job bringing in philosophical ideas and applying them to magical practice, which takes one's work to a level where it becomes interwoven with the practitioner's life. This should hopefully be the goal of anyone who practices magic in some form: making their life a seamless whole, and something which can better the world around them.

Kudos to Thorn for writing such an excellent book. show less