Channeling the spirit of Poe and reviving the art of poetic prose, McKenna’s novel captures the imagination and secures a place among the year’s best.
ALDEN, MN, USA, March 28, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — In an age where the echoes of the past merge with the whispers of the present, award-winning author James McKenna unveils a tale that defies the boundaries of time and reality. “An October’s Journey: Poe’s Final Gift” is a masterful blend of speculative historical fiction and poetic prose, where the lines between the 19th century and modern literary craftsmanship blur into a captivating narrative.
Celebrated for receiving the 2023-2024 Reviewers Choice Gold Award for General Fiction/Novel by Reader Views Literary Awards and being named a finalist in the Paranormal Book Awards division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards Competition for Supernatural Fiction, McKenna’s novel is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.
Set against the backdrop of an old Puritan town lost in time, a young attorney, Jonathan Brandt, embarks on a life-altering journey after receiving an enigmatic birthday gift from his friend, the legendary Edgar Allan Poe. Charged with defending a family accused of witchcraft, Brandt’s quest for justice becomes a labyrinth of mystery and intrigue, challenging not only his legal acumen but the very essence of his beliefs. “An October’s Journey” is an expedition into the heart of human conviction, a revival of richly woven language, and a tribute to the timeless genius of Poe.
Reflecting on the journey to creating his literary work, author James McKenna shares, “The inspiration for my book came from the admiration I’ve always had for the 19th century style of writing, where emphasis was placed on not only what was written, but how it was written. The graceful, virtually poetic style of prose found in novels of that period is, today, something of a lost art and I wanted to bring it back.”
Praise from critics and readers alike illuminates the depth and allure of “An October’s Journey,” underscoring its achievement as both a homage to the past and a masterpiece of modern storytelling:
“James McKenna has crafted a story that brings us back to the reality that how words are used has a direct effect on how readers respond to a work.” – Ashley Hooker for Reader Views – 5 Stars
“McKenna manages to pull off this storytelling feat with surprising grace, due in part to his marvelous creativity and ability to summon vivid images in the mind’s eye of a reader. This transportive magic, in turn, is owed to the author’s magnificent mastery of language, which immerses readers in the mood and cadence of a distant, more elegant era from the very first page. — Self-Publishing Review – 5 Stars
“The author did a great job of writing this to fit with the time period. The novel also fits well with other works by Poe himself since the religious and macabre themes tie in with the events of the story. Anyone who is a fan of Poe and his work will greatly enjoy this novel”. – Phil Bolos, Amazon Review
“What is remarkable is the way it is written, it reminds us the way Edgar Allan Poe used to write! Amazing uh! The plot becomes an enveloping story of beliefs and criticisms of the time in which it is developed, about magic and witchcraft, it has a dose of mystery that makes it easy to follow and stay immersed in it. No doubt a good read that I am sure anyone will enjoy. – Amazon Review
“Oh my gosh! What a book! The ending was a great surprise, and the epilogue brought a few tears to my eyes. The language…the style…is definitely 19th century! This type of writing is a lost art! How can someone in the 21st century even write like this? 5-stars isn’t enough, but that’s just my opinion.” – Amazon Review
AN OCTOBER’S JOURNEY, ISBN: 979-8852200068, Independently Published 2023, is available on Amazon and fine bookstores everywhere through their expanded distribution.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James McKenna is retired, living in southern Minnesota, and feels it is important for a person to keep active. That being said, he is an author whose style of writing is keenly reminiscent of that style made popular in the 19th century. He loves the richness extant in the English language normally found in novels of that era and believes that such richness could and should be used to make the reader’s experience as entertaining and rewarding as possible.
James also believes that there should be a graceful flow and sense of meter to each sentence that will carry the reader forward in a novel. It is a style, he says, that has been lost over time and must be revived. To James, sentences, if carefully written, can and should approach something very much akin to what he calls… poetic prose. In short, James believes that it is not just what you write, but how you write it!
Learn more about James McKenna and his work on Amazon and Facebook. Publicity contact: admin@readerviews.com.
James McKenna
Author
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