Fimbulwinter (Daniel Black Book 1)

Very entertaining story although it is a bit of a leap from down & out human to an all-out powerful Merlin with the only training being while he was traveling to Odin's plane. Also, the end got a bit hectic and moved way too fast compared to the first part of the book.

I accidentally One-Click purchased this book after someone suggested this book, I'm so happy that I did. At first I contemplated trying to get a refund as I only intended to wishlist it but I was almost at the end of my current book and the reviews were all so positive I figured "you know what John, give it a shot even if the cover is boring". I honestly wasn't expecting much from this as the book doesn't at all indicate that it's high magic nor even fantasy. That said this is the book I'd have written when i was a teenager trying to escape from the dregs of High School (you know, IF I could write).

I can't wait for the second book!

While this book is not master piece of fiction, it is not meant to be. Instead it is an incredibly entertaining and light hearted book that demonstrates the authors interests in physics magic and the mechanics of magic in the context of his fantasy world. It is erotic and probably a little sexist in it its explicitness however being a man myself i'm unashamed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some people say that Mr Brown goes too far with the raunchy however I would say that it is meant for light hearted entertainment and that he doesn't push the boundaries further than is common for the genre.

The story is about Danial Black who has a number of challenges to overcome and meets them with style. He is definitely a winner and always comes out on top and the details of how he does it are more than sufficient to make the story thoroughly enjoyable even though we know the outcome. Because of how enjoyable I find this series I would lump this work with that of my fravourite authors. I would put this fantasy on the enjoyment scale with R.Fiest, R. Jordan D. Russ and others... It is different but meant to be and is just as enjoyable.

This is a fast paced book with great actions scenes and an interesting main character. There a few steamy that are good and doesn't deviate from the story. The only complaint that I have is that some of the characters come of as a little bland.

First I loved this book! Yes, it lacks depth. It still has many errors, even after a few new releases for correction. But it was a fun fast paced read! The author does not spend a lot of writing on detailed description or explanation of the world the main character finds himself in. Instead the writing style is more about delivering a fast paced and fun story which I found to be well worth the reading.

(4.5 stars) I think the author needs a good editor, but otherwise strongly recommend reading this book!

If I were seventeen years old again, this book would have been a dream come true. Poor sap gets sucked into a world where his munchkin meta gaming knowledge of magic makes him the most powerful wizard around. His charge by the goddess Hecate is to protect her last true worshipper, but that story aspect is quickly forgotten as Daniel Black desperately tries to survive a world tumbling into the chaos of Ragnarok.
This was a fun book, I will admit. The main character is likable, despite his god-like powers, as he fumbles around trying to learn the scope of his abilities while protecting his leather-bound sex-kitten charge and her horny hearth-centric companion. That aspect of the book is one of my only real gripes about it. The meta-magic aspects were thought out, but not overly verbose, but the inane amount if magic-fueled sex in this book is bordering on Laurel K. Hamilton levels of ridiculousness.
It makes me wonder if the author had spent as much time developing the female leads in this book as he spent on Daniel's magical experimentation, this book could have been so much more.
The second major annoyance was the dialogue. I enjoy 80's level of cheesy one liners as any one who grew up in the era I Schwarzenegger and Stallone, but when characters from a medieval society use modern terminology and phrasing, it really annoys me, knocking me out of the 'fantasy' aspect of the story. I get it when Daniel uses it, but when the Cerise starts cussing like a modern day chica and the Goddess Hecate uses the term 'munchkin', I literally gritted my teeth in frustration.
Again, I did enjoy the testosterone drenched teenage male fantasy in all it's ridiculousness, and will likely buy his next one, but it would be nice if the author would spend more time developing his characters than exploring the many ways sex can be enhanced by or utilized for getting off his constantly desire drenched female characters.

good writing, fun story line little too short like the next to be longer. I like the adult themes, the two main girls in the story are funny and sexy without being to ditzy. Can't wait for the next one.

Warning: keep away from feminists. The author takes a somewhat over the top approach to sexuality in his story, and if that's not something you can handle, you won't have much fun with this book. Outside of the borderline gratuitous sex, I found the story quite interesting. The main character's ability to solve problems is enormous, but the solutions are generally clever rather than ridiculous. The way that magic works in-universe, and particularly the way Daniel abuses the system is a refreshing break from stories in which easy solutions are ignored in order to advance the plot. Writing powerful characters in a way that allows for interesting conflict is not easy, but Mr. Brown seems to have a knack for it. I eagerly await the next installment.

The sorcerer Daniel Black takes an alternate universe and begins to rehab it. This story line sounds kind of puny. but E. William Brown kickstarts it with comedy, even-handed justice, and a lot of common sense. The plots of the story are clear, and some are intricate. The sorcerer's "apprentices" are, well, hot babes with definite expressions of gratitude. This is not a deep read, but it is enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concepts throughout the book. I was slightly put off in the beginning by having a ton of information dumped at me quickly followed by the main character being thrust into a magical world and pretty much just taking everything in stride and questioning almost nothing. But the book definitely developed into something better and I believe that this is a good start into what has the potential to be an amazing series, I think the next book will be better and I can't wait to start reading it.

Ever since Richard Wagner, the twilight of the Norse gods has been a favorite subject for fiction and drama. In this story, the Greek goddess Hekate calls on a modern day computer geek and war gamer Daniel Black for help. It seems that her last worshipper has been trapped in the northlands when Loki breaks free and calls all sorts of monsters, demons, and evil creatures to his side for his all out attack on Valhalla. Since Daniels life has fallen down the toilet, he agrees to act as protector for the endangered witch. To help with the job, he is allowed to gain tremendous magic powers. Among these powers, he chooses the power of healing, both of himself and of others. What he soon finds out is that one of the illnesses that he is now impervious to is sexual satiation. If that were the only theme of the book, we would have an excellent piece of soft pornography, but there is much more to the book. The main premise seems to be: What happens to the ordinary people of the world while the gods are recklessly destroying each other? This is the first Ragnarok novel I've read where the author realized that one of the major dangers in Fimbulwinter would be frostbite. Another point is that as all the monsters being called out by Loki headed for their assembly point, they would murder any human beings they met along the way.
There are a lot of good ideas being explored here. Some about sexual relationships,some about the nature of magic, and some about primitive mythology. If you are a fan of fantasy adventure, you will want to give this book a try.

Great read, very fast paced, so absorbing that I had to finish it in one sitting. Definitely looking forward to the next installment.

I have a feeling that the goddess Hecate had a lot to do with the Daniel Black's run of bad luck that drove him to become her champion. Of course, I am a natural born cynic.

The feudal system was well thought out, with an emphasis on obtaining food and shelter, and gave a realistic ratio of farmers to nobility. Too many novels of this type end up with everyone a lord or lady, and no one to do the actual work. This author gets it right.

I also noted that one of the restrictions on the protagonists' magic is that he cannot create food from magic. This restriction grounds him in the real world (as real as a fantasy world can be).

I also appreciated the fact that Daniel can use his powers in novel ways, as long has he has time to study and work at it. I'm looking forward to seeing his abilities grow throughout the series.

After doing some book research I purchased Fimbulwinter and had it in my library for a while before actually making time to read it. After completing the book, I realize waiting was a mistake; I very much enjoyed this book.
Our hero, Daniel, is offered a do-over by some magical spirit; since Daniel's life is in the toilet: he lost his job, he catches his wife cheating on him and he finds himself in the hospital after a serious car accident, what's not to consider?
The storyline is great, a modern guy transported back in time to a Middle Ages European fantasy world, but he has great power and knowledge, sweet!
William Brown does an excellent job of describing how Daniel attempts to solve problems with his advanced knowledge. What I especially liked is the supporting cast of characters, all of which fit in nicely.
The writing style is similar to Elliott Kay (Good Intentions & Natural Consequences), high praise in my opinion.
If I were to be critical, on occasion the conversations may have mentioned a new world word which would not have any meaning in the Middle Ages, hardly anything to get hung up on. Other than that, I thought the book was a little short and read much too fast, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Book two: Black Coven is purchased and ready.

Not the typical fantasy story. The main character doesn't find a magic sword/ring/dragon and he doesn't meet a wizard/guide/spirit to train him. It's a fast paced story about a guy from our world who is thrown into the role of a capable wizard. Sex and cussing happens, so if you can't handle that, this isn't the book for you.

Great world building. The author uses the Scandinavian and the Greek myths and he knows them very well.
The charecters are at least 2 1/2 dimensional which is unusual in such a book.
All in all, if you have no objection to very explicit sex and a great deal of very violent violence, you should try this series.
There are three volumes in this series. There will be a volume 4 and probably a volume 5.
If you liked Frankowski's Conrad-series you will probably like this series though Fankowski's series is about technology and Brown's series is about magic.