Merchant Magician

By: John Champaign

Narrated by: Gus Morgan

Exiled from his family of traders in mystical goods and services on his 23rd birthday, the merchant magician must make his way in the world: meeting mermaids in San Francisco, Midwestern leprechauns, Icelandic dwarves and the girl of his dreams, who happens to be a cultist devoted to the rise of the great old ones who will consume the world in ash and fire when they awaken.

Blending real-world negotiation theory with a coming of age story in an urban fantasy setting, this book will appeal to fans of Jim Butcher, Charles de Lint, and Neil Gaiman.

©2021, 2024 John Champaign (P)2025 John Champaign

Excellent voice of narrator

Gus Morgan is a good narrator. Pace was good, voice pleasing, easy to understand. plot was confusing!! Strange shifts of place, time and characters.

Cozy and Sweet

I have followed Champaign’s work for a long time, and this is my favorite of his books! It takes on some of the mundane parts of life in a magical world, following an individual whose "magical ability" is cutting deals. The main character is earnest and fair, and the world he lives in is fascinating and funny. I was especially tickled by the presence, in the world, of an extremely pedantic dwarf and a deeply nerdy leprechaun. I would recommend this to fans of Drew Hayes’ "Fred the Vampire Accountant" and Becky Chambers’ "The Long Way to a Small, Angry, Planet."

The narrator adds a lot of warmth to the main character, and makes some of the fantastical characters seem accessible.

Fell asleep...

Fell asleep multiple times.
The narrator has ZERO range for distinguishing voices. Seriously, none at all.
The last series by this author was alright.
I'm DNFing this one after 8 chapters...