The Legend of Black Jack

De: A. R. Witham

Narrado por: A. R. Witham

The thrilling fantasy adventure debut novel, read by the Emmy-winning author A. R. Witham.

Jack Swift can tell you every element on the periodic table, recite Treasure Island verbatim, and would remember in perfect detail every word you'd ever say to him. He has been alone for a long time, so he has buried himself in books, using them to plan his escape.

But no textbook could ever prepare him for the land of Keymark.

At 3:33 a.m. on his 14th birthday, Jack is kidnapped by a hideous monster to another sphere of existence. Now there are two moons in the sky, and he is surrounded by grotesque creatures and magical warriors training for battle. They want the impossible: Jack must use his abilities to save a life or be trapped in this bizarre world with no chance of rescue.

Jack doesn't have secret magic, a great destiny, or any experience.

So why do they all expect him to become a legend?

The Legend of Black Jack has been described as classic portal fantasy, a stand-alone coming-of-age adventure, and a descriptive, wholesome, heartwarming story. It contains a smart, empathetic hero, lovable characters, loads of action, and a thrilling grand finale.

Welcome to Keymark. Don't forget your map.

©2021 Andrew Robert Witham (P)2022 Andrew Robert Witham

Excellent adventure tale for Middle school and up!

This was great fun and well narrated by the author. I'm honestly surprised have not read his books (based on these reviews) but it just makes me realize just how difficult it is for a new author to get their works out. So I'm doing my part and sharing my reviews about this book.

I don't want to summarize the story because I think this is a tale best read without any expectations. But it's a tale where I could picture being next to a campfire while a talented storyteller weaves his tale. Okay, so it's a long tale so one couldn't do it all in one sitting. But it's a great adventure tale suitable for older middle school kids and above. Some of the violence and death and destruction might be a bit much for more sensitive kids, but I think it would otherwise be just fine. I'd probably recommend this story to kids who have read at least the first 4 books of Harry Potter.

I really liked Jack and felt bad for all of the suffering he had to deal with after his dad's death, but the special power the author gave him was a really cool one (blessing and a curse?). When he ends up in another world, I like that he approaches learning about it from a scientific standpoint, even if things he's known all his life doesn't always apply. I also like that although he doesn't know who he can trust, he keeps an open mind and observes, and I absolutely love his lizard friend. I like how he was able to adjust and realize that he wasn't dreaming anything and that the creatures he was seeing were real. Rooker was also one of those smooth talker guys you just want to slap, but even he started growing on me, particularly because of the way Jack treated him. In fact, I think that was probably why Rooker made some of the decisions that he made at the end.

Overall, this was such a fun adventure story suitable for middle school kids and above. There are battles, explosions, pirates, knights, treasure, dragons, and yes, even a girl (though she is not wilting flower!). I absolutely loved this story and have already started the Crimes of Rooker Flynn because I enjoyed it so much. I highly recommend this book!

A rip-roaring adventure.

Make sure you have nothing else to do, because this sprints along at a gloriously exciting pace, and you won't want to stop.

This story is in the very best tradition of portal adventure. What you get is a young Jack hurled into a magical world of fabulous peoples, with its fate in his young hands. Add gruesomely accurate tellings of combat and subsequent surgeries, a little dash of heartbreak, and a healthy helping of humour. Together you end up with a story that most jaded fantasy readers will heartily enjoy.

Loads of fun, and the author does a tremendously good job of narration.

Well worth your time.

A delightful fairy tale for adults

This story makes you feel like a kid again, and I was so impressed by A.R. Witham’s performance having not been an experienced narrator before. If you want a portal fantasy adventure with some more darkness and grit than you may remember from childhood tales, this could be a perfect refresher!

A very fun read

This is a very fun story with feel of a fairy tale. The characters are written so well you begin to feel an attachment to them very early on. I felt my enjoyment wane at one point but I think the story was just throwing so much at you I was starting to get a little overloaded. The story settled in though and found a balance between the action and some time with the characters. I will be checking out the next book in the series soon.

Exceptional

Such a fun entertaining Adventure!!! The perfect palette cleanser read. Full of magic, pirates, knights, and battles. From the moment we meet Jack you can’t help but love him!

Jack is an exceptional young man whose world is torn apart. Then he gets captured by talking Rhino Wizard….

This story filled me with nostalgia and reminded me of classic stories of adventure and fun. I would classify this with stories such as Jumanji, the never-ending story, The Pagemaster, and The Chronicles of Narnia. I was enraptured with Jack's band of characters and the many adversaries and adversities that he overcomes.

I cannot wait for more from this author! The Legend of Black Jack is a perfect story of found family and coming of age with a wonderful adventure thrown in for good measure. Truly a delightful read and a contender for one of my best books read this year.

Great Audiobook for All Ages!

Jack Swift was a brilliant young child when his dad disappeared & in foster care when on his 14th birthday he was kidnapped by a monster & magically taken to another world.

It’s a swashbuckling action adventure that you won’t want to miss!! Chapter 18 WOO, hold on cuz it’s a thrill ride.

An easy fun fantasy narrated by the author who must be a bard in real life. Great narration! Listen to this book.

a great read

wonderful adventure. kept me wrapped in the non stop action. great story from start to end.

I loved this book!

The Legend of Black Jack is about a young boy who is transported to a world of fantastical creatures, heroic knights, magic, and evils he must conquer. There is real danger for Jack Swift in this book, and A. R. Witham isn’t afraid to sometimes steer into some pretty horrific monsters. I loved so many elements in this book. It plays out a little episodic in ways, as Jack meets new friends along his journey, we get time with each of them as he learns more about himself. None of the Chicago references were lost on me, a Chicago-born kid of the ’90s. Toward the end, the ideas start revealing how interesting and unique they are in ways I won’t spoil here, but I constantly said, “oh man, that is so cool.” I listened to the audiobook, and Witham’s narration is very passionate and delivered excellently. He does a great job giving every character a unique voice, which comes off in a way only an enthusiastic writer can deliver. You can tell this story means a lot to Witham, and it aids the experience immensely. I highly recommend the Legend of Black Jack for anyone looking for a young adult/Middle-grade novel that harkens back to the glory days of the ‘80s and ‘90s storytelling. You know—the kind we fondly remember yet still have nightmares about. Excellent work!

What a fun and awesome fantasy debut!

**fantastic narration by the author, with only a few spots having some issues with changing volume.

The author very kindly sent me a review copy of the audiobook version, which is performed by him expertly. I really enjoyed the narration.

This book opens up very grounded within our natural world. It bears the nostalgia of the boy who lived, or the land behind the wardrobe, in a sense that felt very cozy like an old middle grade friend. The story follows a young teenage boy named Jack, who has an eidetic memory with a hankering for knowledge. That doesn’t stop him from having a long way to grow up, nor does it stop him from having a lot more to learn. And it certainly doesn’t stop him from being sucked into a wholly fantasy world with dangers and bloodshed.

The author does a phenomenal job of having the reader learn and grow with the character. It’s one of the things that resonated with me the most in the feel-good, middle grade way, even though the writing and content is most definitely young adult. To really understand and progress the way the author intends, you truly have to feel and grow as Jack does, to come of age, and the author hands it all right to you.

The fantasy world is beautifully fleshed out, and I absolutely loved the diverse cast of characters and creatures this book features. Some felt wonderfully Narnian, while there’s even some you’d never think of! The writing is great, the description is wonderful, the action is top notch, and the heart and emotion hit precisely the way it’s meant to. I would gladly read many more.

Personally a 5/5* for me, an absolutely banger of a fantasy novel. Have you gotten your hands on this one yet??

Wild Ride!

Wow, this book was a ride!

I had heard about this book from a few people on youtube and it was on my list, but I wasn't in a hurry to get to it. I wish I had read it ages ago! When I finally got around to it, I loved it!

The story is about Jack, who has an amazing mind being wasted away in tragedy until one day he is plucked out of bed and out of his world and into another. In this new world, there is fantasy and adventure, and not just a little bit of scary! You get found family, you get a portal world, you get so much with this book that you almost feel like you've run a marathon after a reading session.

It was a quick read, easy to get through, and totally appropriate for a child who reads Harry Potter or Percy Jackson but ALSO it's great for an adult.

The author does his own audiobook narration and he does a great job of portraying the urgency of the story as well as the heartfelt moments about Jack. The volume is a little off in places and you can sort of tell where he leaves off and picks back up between sessions, but honestly, none of this deterred me from having an absolute blast in reading it or in listening to it.