Sasha Soren

Random Magic: It’s a lot like our world, only...completely different. Click on Nevermore (above), to hear a random bit of trivia about Random Magic.

Cover blurb

Darkly comic (The Addams Family, Kind Hearts and Coronets) literary tale for intelligent readers; adults and in-betweens.

Best for: anyone with a sweet tooth for the eerily fantastic, book lovers and folks who prefer their -- rather offbeat -- humor black as coal.

When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes.

Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is.

Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Strüths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.

Book trailer



Reader pre-reviews

“Brilliant! Roald Dahl meets Hayao Miyazaki”, “Alice in Wonderland meets Monty Python!”, “in line of Pratchett or Adams”, “a delightful chase to locate Alice”, “great dialogue”, “LOVED it”, “it’s Lewis Carroll and Roald Dahl and Monty Python and...it all works!”

And some more...

“Zany, off-the-wall laugh riot”, “inventive and fun”, “vastly entertaining”, “tomorrow’s classic, today”, “sly dialogue...exquisite punning”, “fun dialogue banter, constantly turning words on their head to make sense of the non-sensical. And the imagination involved in the scenery and the wild characters strewn throughout Henry's journey are top notch, if perhaps drug induced,” “amazing gift for dialogue, especially comedic dialogue”

But also...

“Wildly and wonderfully imaginative”, “lots of fun”, “quirky escape for children and parents”, “extremely creative”, “keeps building into funny, twisted nonsense!”, “an original spin on mythology, folklore, and fairy tales”, “the right director could have a field day with this”, “thoroughly enchanting” and “madly in love w/​this story.”

Book blogs

"Random Magic is cute and quirky. I love the 'no guts, no glory' attitude of young Winnie Flapjack. Winnie is determined to see Henry through on his quest to find Alice -- no matter the obstacles. And those obstacles are many -- but funny.

Winnie and Henry's adventure is non-stop -- they move from one challenge to the next with their goal firmly in mind. Each challenge is met and overcome by Winnie using a little magic, a little daring and common sense -- well, common for the world she lives in.

I really enjoyed this world Ms. Soren created and all of the characters that occupy this world. I think Random Magic would make a wonderful family movie. I give Random Magic 4 out of 5 stars. :)"
- Michelle G., Michelle's Book Blog


"Random Magic stays true to its title, it's truly random yet magical at the same time...The world that Sasha created was amazing and totally entertaining.

Her writing style is very descriptive and quirky. Usually this type of book isn't my cup of tea but it was very interesting. It was definitely a fun-filled adventure...

Overall, a cute read -- this book would be quite intriguing if it was turned into a movie directed by Tim Burton, maybe a sequel to the actual Alice in Wonderland he's coming out with? Rating: 4.0 out of 5."
- Eleni, La Femme Readers

"Charming, interesting, and well-written. The author definitely has the skill to write something you don't want to put down (I don't think I put this book down the entire time I was reading it -- I wanted to know what happened next!)

I will heartily recommend this book to anyone looking to read something new and entertaining; it's got friendship, love, strength, wit, adventure, magic, and a red feather. You can't go wrong with those things!

I think it's a young adult book, but adults will love it, too. I know I did, and I suppose I count as an adult. ;) I'll give this 4-1/​2 out of 5 stars."
- Meri, Elbit Blog

"Random Magic is truly...random. The first chapter seems to be off the wall and hard to understand – but only at first. One must continue reading to fully grasp the quirky, eccentric, and brilliant style that is Sasha Soren(It also helps to have a dictionary handy).

I found Random Magic to be brilliantly written. At times it reminded me of Harry Potter (with the word play) and at other times it felt like something I would be reading in some philosophy class with all it’s metaphors and such. There is definitely more to this story than meets the eye. Brilliant." ***** (Five-star review)
- Allison, Well-Read Reviews

"What an adventure! Random Magic is unlike anything I've ever read. Sasha's talent, [attention to] detail, humor and wit sucked me into this fantastic story of magic, friends and folklore.

I feel like I've never read anything quite like this. It has that classic feel, intertwined with many fairy tale classic characters. Who doesn't love Captain Jack or temperamental spider chairs?

If you're looking for a fast read, this isn't for you. Charming and funny, yet thought-provoking, you will want to savor each chapter. Sasha adds a lot of emotion and personal touches to her style of writing. I can't wait to read this to my girls...

Of course, I will edit where need be, according to age, but it's a great story to share with your kids and will be a great treasure for my shelf!" ***** (Five-star review)
- Tina, Tina's Book Reviews - Willowdust Reviews

"What is that, you say? A book that can be described as Alice in Wonderland meets Harry Potter? YES, PLEASE!

Random Magic by Sasha Soren is a firecracker box crammed full of crayon-colourful, whizz-happy tricks...Random Magic is such a glorious idea. It's as if Ms. Soren was on an extreme sugar high during the 'lightbulb moment.'

It's full of whimsy and teacups -- you really have to suspend a helluva lot of disbelief to go with the flow of the story, but if you do, the magic carpet'll lift right off the ground and take you with it, whether you're ready or not."
- Aimee, My Fluttering Heart

"I don't know how better to describe it than whimsical and just plain FUN! I know I have seen that description out and about in the blogosphere when reading the other reviews about Random Magic, but I couldn't think of any other words to capture the heart of this book.

There is a bond and a friendship between the two main characters, Winnie and Henry, that just captured my heart and wouldn't let go. I couldn't help but read faster and keep the pages turning, I was so desperate to learn what happened to them. And let me tell you, there are some crazy adventures they struggle through.

One thing about Random Magic -- think back to when you were a kid, all those stories and fairy tales we used to read about, you remember those, right? Well, imagine a grand adventure where they are all true and you are Winnie Flapjack...

It truly takes you away, partly to the past and the comical adventures we read about as children (Alice in Wonderland), Sasha brings those characters to life and adds a few more interesting ones to boot, with an electrifying amount of humor -- plus the wit and sarcasm of Winnie who is brilliant, brave and powerful in her ambition and downright fearless in her conviction. She is a heroine that I want to be.

An entertaining romp...through Alice's looking glass of sorts and a mish-mosh world of creatures, imagine what you will, cause it's all there and more. The walls they hit and the characters they run into crack you up, I just wanted to be on this journey with them.

All in all, just plain fascinating characters that capture your heart, the entire time reading this I kept thinking this would make one wicked movie (a few others felt the same, see, I am not alone!!!) and started casting the characters in my head.

I knew I was in deep then, and I know I needed to spread the word on this magical delight! You want to read this book, you need to read this book! Five stars: Loved it - Couldn't put it down!" ***** (Five-star review)
- Brande, Book Junkie

Random Quotes

Tell me a story...



Click on Callie, the First Muse (above), and maybe she'll read you a random excerpt from the book.

Free Tarot Reading

Ask the Fates a nosy question...

In Random Magic, the mysterious woman they meet in the Garden of the Nine Muses is actually a tarot card, representing hidden knowledge.

Would you like to have your fortune told, for free? Please enter your question below, and may the cards speak true...



You do know this is for entertainment purposes, only, right? If you get bad news, kindly refrain from tossing yourself off a handy parapet, because traffic's hell as it is. Thank you so much.

Random Quotes



For folks who love to browse through new books right there in the aisle -- and you know who you are, over there perusing your interesting-looking selection plucked from the shelf while we make a valiant but doomed effort not to snoop over your shoulder -- a random sampling of quotes. No spoilers, as far as we can tell.

Please note: The app used to generate quotes for this section, Quogr.com, is currently in beta; it's a cute little widget but they're still working stuff out for display and formatting, so you might get the occasional wonky-looking character in the quote set.

We can't do anything about that, alas -- and obviously the text in the actual book is flawless!

Just hit reload for a fresh quote. If, on the other hand, you prefer to browse casually, without the words jiggling about on the screen, an excerpt is hanging around below, right about...aha, here it is:

Excerpt: Random Magic



“Right,” Winnie said, pulling two pond apples out of her knapsack. “Almost there.”

She tossed one to Henry.

“This isn’t...”

“Nope,” she said, looking over at Henry. She took a bite out of her apple and crunched away meditatively.

“I’ve never seen that before,” she said, apropos of nothing.

“Seen what?” Henry said, and then he saw.

The bridge was gone. The only thing in sight were two cliffs, and they were on the wrong side.

“Don’t tell me we’ve got to get to –- “

“Yep,” she said. “Now...what’s going on?”

Two figures had appeared where the bridge should have been.

One was a man with a pointy hat. The other wasn’t. It was a woman with a healthy head of blue hair.

No. Snakes, Winnie thought.

Wrong again, she realized, as they got closer; it was just concentric coils of...night sky.

The woman’s skin was pale, the surface interlocked like the scales of a fish. Her eyes were wrong, somehow. Perhaps because they were missing.

Ah. No. There they were. All ten of them. Embedded in the hairline at the top of her forehead like a chain of stairs.

Her partner kept jiggling his leg under a long, dark cloak. Jitter, jitter. Tiny red frogs emerged from the ground near the man’s feet. His companion, by contrast, was so self-possessed, she might as well have been a statue.

Winnie walked towards the edge of the cliff. Testing the waters. Young pointy hat cleared his throat.

“Ne oll,” he said. “othrer’s gld.”

“What?” Winnie said. “Speak up, I can’t hear you.”

“Sorry,” he said, blushing shyly. “It’s my first day.”

He cleared his throat. “New toll,” he said, “Sorcerer’s Guild.”

“Is that right?” Winnie said coolly.

“Mmhmmm.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Well,” he said, looking terribly young, “if you want to carry on, you have to pay the toll.”

“Which is?”

“A riddle,” he said, sniggling in delight.

“Life is a riddle,” Winnie said sarcastically. “This
is just a toll.”

“Funny you mention that,” the woman said.

“Why’s that?”

Two bridges had appeared over the chasm. They sparkled about as much as grey bones can sparkle.

“Yes, well, that’s one of the choices, really,” the woman said. “Life or death.”

Winnie narrowed her eyes. “What d'you mean?”

“Right, well, one of the bridges is life, one is death. You’ve got to choose the right one, you see.”

“Or?”

“Or. I leave it to your imagination.”

“Don’t have one. Spit it out.”

The young man shuffled uncomfortably. “Well, you, er, this is extremely awkward, but...you – pfffft -- die, you see. Right off the...”

He thumbed over his shoulder to indicate the cavernous depths below. “Pffft,” he said again, “whoo-hooo...clck...”

“Okay, I get the picture.”

“I feel just terrible about this, sorry,” he added apologetically. “Only way we can fund the annual Gee Whiz Ball, I’m afraid.”

“Grmph,” Winnie said. “Well. Get on with it.”

What a day. Well, what a half a day. What a half an hour - no, it was more than that --

“Hey, wait,” she said. “Let me just get this straight. We can either take the left bridge, or the right bridge?”

“Yes.”

“And they’re both magic?”

“Yes.”

“And one – exists...” she said carefully.

“Temporarily,” the pair said together.

“Right. We can walk across it,” Winnie said.

“Just so.”

“But the other one looks just fine, but...”

“Halfway across, it will dissolve and you’ll fall to a horrific death.”

Who’d said it? Winnie couldn’t tell. Seemed like they were finishing each other’s sentences.

“Uh-huh,” Winnie said. “Maybe I’m wrong, but that doesn’t seem like a very logical way to go about collecting tolls.”

“Ah.” he said. “No, it’s the lisp, you see. Souls.”

He meant souls.

“Euw.” Winnie said. “Well, Henry...”

She turned around. Henry had turned a shade of pale that looked unnatural outside of London.

“Can one play for two?” Winnie asked casually.

The pair of riddle-asking gits looked at each other.

Winnie sighed. “Look, we haven’t got all day. Double the stakes just means you’ll get your toll quicker – two for the price of one, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“So,” she said. “Let’s get on with it. That okay with you, Henry?”

Henry’s teeth wouldn’t stop chattering.

“I think that’s a yes,” Winnie said. “So...”

Henry fainted.

“Huh,” said Winnie. “What a time to take a nap.”

Find out what happens next: Random Magic
(Kindle release: Oct. 2009; Print version: Jan. 2010)