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Fire of the Jidaan #1
Mage's Burden
For over two thousand years, the Realm of Talwynn has known peace. But now, the evil sorcerer Mordak has broken free, and the time for battle has come once more.
Brunar, a noble Mage, turns to the magick of six powerful and ancient weapons, the Jidaan. Using the power of these mystical spears, Brunar finds those Chosen to fight as Guardians of Talwynn, but only five of the six accept their destiny. Gart, a farmer with scars on his face and his soul, angrily refuses the call of the Jidaan. Nevertheless, Brunar plunges forward, teaching his new students the ways of magick and combat.
Afire with insanity, Mordak makes an unholy bargain with a Daemon-God. Filled with unfathomable power, he unleashes his hideous army of creatures and undead soldiers across the land. When Mordak’s forces murder Gart’s family, Gart sets out alone, swearing revenge.
As war erupts in Talwynn, Brunar prays that his teachings will be enough to save the Guardians. . .and the Realm.
Brunar, a noble Mage, turns to the magick of six powerful and ancient weapons, the Jidaan. Using the power of these mystical spears, Brunar finds those Chosen to fight as Guardians of Talwynn, but only five of the six accept their destiny. Gart, a farmer with scars on his face and his soul, angrily refuses the call of the Jidaan. Nevertheless, Brunar plunges forward, teaching his new students the ways of magick and combat.
Afire with insanity, Mordak makes an unholy bargain with a Daemon-God. Filled with unfathomable power, he unleashes his hideous army of creatures and undead soldiers across the land. When Mordak’s forces murder Gart’s family, Gart sets out alone, swearing revenge.
As war erupts in Talwynn, Brunar prays that his teachings will be enough to save the Guardians. . .and the Realm.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2014
325 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Whit McClendon
16 books58 followersHello! I'm Whit McClendon, a fantasy author and martial arts instructor. My favorite genres are fantasy/sword-and-sorcery, sci-fi, detective thrillers, and the occasional paranormal thriller. I'm west of Houston, Tx, and I enjoy reading, writing, teaching martial arts, and playing lacrosse. Oh, and pugs...love me some pugs!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 10, 2015
While on the surface Mage's Burden seems to cover familiar fantasy territory, the characterization and descriptions really shine. This book is definitely the introductory segment of a multi-part story and serves to set the stage for fierce conflicts to come rather than providing a self-contained story. The protagonists have great personalities that I want to see more of; conversely, the villain is wholly evil and McClendon does not sugar coat his evil in any way, with sometimes shocking effect. All in all it is storytelling done right and I can't wait to read the next installment.
September 18, 2018
Book 1 of the Jidaan Trilogy
A good start.for the epic battle of good vs. evil. Though one guardian short the other 5 guardians learn to use their power and head off to fight evil. The last guardian is someone your heart will break for. Good plot and great writing.
A good start.for the epic battle of good vs. evil. Though one guardian short the other 5 guardians learn to use their power and head off to fight evil. The last guardian is someone your heart will break for. Good plot and great writing.
December 21, 2021
Talk about a quick read. Bjark is such a great character. He’s definitely a lovable giant. I am most drawn to Gart though. He’s the most interesting of all the characters and I’m excited to learn more about him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2015
MAGES BURDEN (BOOK 1 OF THE FIRES OF JIDAAN SERIES) WHIT McCLENDON
What if you accidentally woke an evil after 2000 yrs. of captivity? That’s what happens when a hapless traveler wakes Mordak up and he starts to wreak havoc on the world. Far away a mage is given the task of gathering a special group of guardians that are chosen by the Jidaan.
The story is thrilling and scary at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of this series and can’t wait for the next book. The characters are real as everyday people called to duty to rid the world of this monster bent on controlling the world and destroying all mankind. The story telling is top notch and I really rooted for all the characters. I give Mages Burden five gold stars.
What if you accidentally woke an evil after 2000 yrs. of captivity? That’s what happens when a hapless traveler wakes Mordak up and he starts to wreak havoc on the world. Far away a mage is given the task of gathering a special group of guardians that are chosen by the Jidaan.
The story is thrilling and scary at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of this series and can’t wait for the next book. The characters are real as everyday people called to duty to rid the world of this monster bent on controlling the world and destroying all mankind. The story telling is top notch and I really rooted for all the characters. I give Mages Burden five gold stars.
April 26, 2017
Peace is fleeting. This realm has known peace for so long that they have grown a bit stagnant and they have grown lax in their training and their defense. Then Mordak gets free and the evil sorcerer wants to create as much carnage as he can. How can a world fight back against this when they are so unprepared? Enter ancient magical weapons called the Jiddan which can help but the problem is that they can only be used by trained Guardians, people who have no idea who and what they are and have not trained. This story is finding those Guardians and convincing them to help or the whole realm will burn. This book had me interested enough to add the other books to my wish list. This is pure fantasy and you learn what motivates these people to help fight back. An amazing little world created in this book.
September 3, 2017
I was provided an arc for an honest review.
I totally enjoyed this book. I was drawn to this book from beginning to the end.
If you like reading about sorcerers and Daemon-Gods this is the book to read.
I was able to connect to the characters from beginning to end.
I would highly recommend this book to all my fellow readers
I totally enjoyed this book. I was drawn to this book from beginning to the end.
If you like reading about sorcerers and Daemon-Gods this is the book to read.
I was able to connect to the characters from beginning to end.
I would highly recommend this book to all my fellow readers
September 18, 2017
Ancient horrors always seem to come back. Great evil never seems truly trapped or contained. Yet is total vanquishment possible. Seeing the different elements required from humanity to surpass such odds form is as always inspiring yet agonizing. Off to next book myself.
September 2, 2017
This is one of the better fantasy book I have read this year . The author takes us on a journey of epic proportions . It starts off like any good fantasy the good versus the evil that is coming . We have the one that is fighting his powers and takes a tragedy to realize his power . As the Mage gathers his guardians to fight the evil Mordak . Gart is one of the main characters and he is suffering, you can really feel his frustrations and you want to hug him as he fights the powers that well inside him . He is such a complex character . The other characters in the book are vivid and very complex . You will like them all .
This is a well written fantasy book . The author takes us on a journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat and devour every page. I really like the way this author writes, his description in each page makes you feel like you are right there fighting the war and training with them . If you like fantasy books you will love this first book of the series .
This is a well written fantasy book . The author takes us on a journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat and devour every page. I really like the way this author writes, his description in each page makes you feel like you are right there fighting the war and training with them . If you like fantasy books you will love this first book of the series .
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April 28, 2017Wow! Totally blew me away. Loved it. I can't wait to read the next one.
June 27, 2018
Mage's Burden by Whit McClendon is a really big book. Big characters, giant plot, wondrous descriptions really kept the pages turning. There is a huge cast of characters here that are consistent throughout the story line, both good and evil. Although this is the first book in the series, it does not end in a cliff hanger, per se. More, it ends in the natural progression of where you would expect things to go after such drastic, and tragic, events.
So..well scripted, perfect descriptions, entrancing story equals 5 well earned stars.
So..well scripted, perfect descriptions, entrancing story equals 5 well earned stars.
June 27, 2017
This book grabbed me from the very beginning. It has great characters from Brunar, the Mage to Mordak, the big bad. The Guardians themselves are as diverse as the world they live in. This is a wonderful start to a larger battle of Good vs Evil and I can't wait to read the next one. It reminded me of why I started reading fantasy so many years ago. It was like coming home after a long absence.
December 2, 2014
This is an excellent read !! I highly recommend this book. Proper grammar and punctuation don’t distract from the story line as I found in John Grisham’s writing. The imaginative spelling of several words is perfectly suited to the genre.
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February 22, 2016 I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It drew me in immediately and kept me enthralled right to the end.
The characters are well fleshed out and feel very real to me.
I'm looking forward to reading the second and third books in this series.
The characters are well fleshed out and feel very real to me.
I'm looking forward to reading the second and third books in this series.
February 22, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It drew me in immediately and kept me enthralled right to the end.
The characters are well fleshed out and feel very real to me.
I'm looking forward to reading the second and third books in this series.
The characters are well fleshed out and feel very real to me.
I'm looking forward to reading the second and third books in this series.
June 24, 2017
Wondeful fantasy world. I myself am very character and emotion driven when I read a book and this one had all of that. A very well built world, characters I got attached to and a very, very evil power to fight. Glad I found this and will be reading more!!
September 18, 2014
Whit McClendon has written an amazing fantasy. It has just the right proportions of world-building, character, and action. I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait for the next book.
May 4, 2016
Whit slowly pulls the reader in with captivating imagery into the world that he has created!
November 5, 2022
It was okay
This book was okay. It almost seemed to be out of order. The beginning of the book was good, and had good pacing. The rest of the book was long, summarizing sections interspersed by some moments of action. The book felt like it turned into an academy book towards the end. It was almost like the plot structure of the book was backwards, with the climax in the beginning and the build-up at the end of the book. Except it wasn’t really a build-up, it was more like falling action throughout the middle and end of the book.
I didn’t like the frequent character viewpoint shifts. The POV shifts to Mordak were especially tedious. The words vile, evil, hideous, etc., were overused. Yes, I know he’s vile. You don’t have to say vile Mordak every single time he appears on the page.
The book had a good idea, but I feel like it could use a developmental editor.
Also, one thing that annoyed me was the way the spears were described. The spears all had stones set into their pommels. Really? Pommel? Spears don’t have pommels; swords have pommels. Spears have hafts.
This book was okay. It almost seemed to be out of order. The beginning of the book was good, and had good pacing. The rest of the book was long, summarizing sections interspersed by some moments of action. The book felt like it turned into an academy book towards the end. It was almost like the plot structure of the book was backwards, with the climax in the beginning and the build-up at the end of the book. Except it wasn’t really a build-up, it was more like falling action throughout the middle and end of the book.
I didn’t like the frequent character viewpoint shifts. The POV shifts to Mordak were especially tedious. The words vile, evil, hideous, etc., were overused. Yes, I know he’s vile. You don’t have to say vile Mordak every single time he appears on the page.
The book had a good idea, but I feel like it could use a developmental editor.
Also, one thing that annoyed me was the way the spears were described. The spears all had stones set into their pommels. Really? Pommel? Spears don’t have pommels; swords have pommels. Spears have hafts.
October 13, 2018
A 2000+ year old mage puts together a team of Guardians to save the world from destruction.
The villain was a devil worshipper who was entombed 2000 years ago.
Meet the guardian's who though magical do not believe in magic.
Will Brunar the mage get his Guardians to become a team?
Will they become one with their magic & strength and stand for the world?
Find out in this 1st part of the Jidaan series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The villain was a devil worshipper who was entombed 2000 years ago.
Meet the guardian's who though magical do not believe in magic.
Will Brunar the mage get his Guardians to become a team?
Will they become one with their magic & strength and stand for the world?
Find out in this 1st part of the Jidaan series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 3, 2018
Peace has been around for two thousand years but now an evil which had been caged as his arrives back again. Peace will be broken and war will takes its place. It is time for heroes to arise to destroy it. Will they succeed? See what will happen
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 22, 2019
Pretty awful. I didn't get past the first chapter.
Firstly, the writing is at Dragonlance levels, i.e. the spelling and grammar are OK, but the writing sucks badly.
Secondly, the stereotyping of the 'dark-skinned ones', with a clicking language, and Bantu sounding language as the evil, vicious, torturing barbaric pursuers was ... tacky, at best.
Firstly, the writing is at Dragonlance levels, i.e. the spelling and grammar are OK, but the writing sucks badly.
Secondly, the stereotyping of the 'dark-skinned ones', with a clicking language, and Bantu sounding language as the evil, vicious, torturing barbaric pursuers was ... tacky, at best.
September 13, 2022
old fashion thrill with new concepts to think about
Enjoyed this first of three books in this series. Reminds me of the books I read as a youth but with new concepts and intriguing characters to follow. The emotional build up with the main characters and also with the supporting characters is very well done. Now I have to hunt down the other two books in the trilogy!
Enjoyed this first of three books in this series. Reminds me of the books I read as a youth but with new concepts and intriguing characters to follow. The emotional build up with the main characters and also with the supporting characters is very well done. Now I have to hunt down the other two books in the trilogy!
September 2, 2017
The start of an epic fantasy series that has a select few chosen to fight again a rising ancient evil. The concept isn't anything new but I did like the different characters and their unique strengths.
I voluntarily reviewed an arc from the author.
I voluntarily reviewed an arc from the author.
February 18, 2018
A classic tale of a reemerging evil and the chosen few who must fight it.
The author has intriguing descriptions and unique characters. I enjoyed several moments in this book but was a little distracted by some of the editing issues. It is set up well for the next book.
The author has intriguing descriptions and unique characters. I enjoyed several moments in this book but was a little distracted by some of the editing issues. It is set up well for the next book.
December 17, 2018
A problem of depth
This story has potential, but on one hand, it gets bogged down far too often for its own good. On the other hand, it remains at too high a level. Characters for the most part lack nuance. I did not enjoy the read.
This story has potential, but on one hand, it gets bogged down far too often for its own good. On the other hand, it remains at too high a level. Characters for the most part lack nuance. I did not enjoy the read.
September 19, 2019
very interesting reading. Evil awaken after 2000 years and will try to repeat itself.Only the Mage Brunar can hope to stop it if he can replace the 6 Guardians and train them. Well worth reading.
July 31, 2020
A really great start.
A long road lies ahead for the guardians. As this story develops one can see adventure and light coming forth to send evil into exile.
A long road lies ahead for the guardians. As this story develops one can see adventure and light coming forth to send evil into exile.
November 25, 2014
The cover of the book is incredibly bad a**! I was really excited to read this book because the book's cover is so incredible. Too bad the story isn't anywhere near as interesting as its cover. From the very beginning of the story I couldn't get past the cliche fantasy tale spinning with predictable characters and equally predictable outcomes. Without providing any spoilers, you will see the end of the first book coming from away. Plus, the author needs a little help with his writing. My friend highly recommended this book, but when you have read the best of the best in the fantasy genre, the closest thing I'll compare this book to are the ghost-written Conan novels. Do yourself a favor and skip this book.
November 27, 2014
I caught this book in the sword and sorcery section as being the top pick, so I thought, "What the hell? I will download a copy of this from Amazon." At first I enjoyed the book and how the author created this landscape to match the hero's journey. It, sadly, fell apart pretty quickly. I found the weird use of punctuation hard to get around. Couldn't get attached to the characters. Did little for me. If this were a movie, it would go straight to Netflix. Recommendation: don't read Tolkein or Martin before reading this book, which is exactly what I did.
November 25, 2014
More of a statement than a question: my main problem with this book is that it reads like a first draft. Grammar and sentence structure makes the book difficult to read. I mean, beneath the lack of editing is a classically structured fantasy book (and Lord knows I have read my fair share of them...) that begs to be edited and revised by someone who knows what they are doing because the author obviously doesn't.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews