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Wizard Born #1
Wizard Born
When Eddan, an ancient sorcerer, is mortally wounded by a bitter rival, he escapes to Earth and gives himself a chance to be reborn as Jamie Sikes. The boy grows up oblivious to his nature, safe and secure, in a loving family. Or so he thinks.
Jamie is destined to become a sorcerer, and the more Eddan’s memories and power bubble up in Jamie’s consciousness, the more powerful he becomes. But he finds out it’s not all fun and games when he realizes that Eddan’s old enemy is hunting him down.
Jamie and everyone he loves are doomed unless Jamie can learn how to use every bit of the ancient magic Eddan instilled in him.
He wasn’t just born to become a wizard. He is a wizard born.
Jamie is destined to become a sorcerer, and the more Eddan’s memories and power bubble up in Jamie’s consciousness, the more powerful he becomes. But he finds out it’s not all fun and games when he realizes that Eddan’s old enemy is hunting him down.
Jamie and everyone he loves are doomed unless Jamie can learn how to use every bit of the ancient magic Eddan instilled in him.
He wasn’t just born to become a wizard. He is a wizard born.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2011
40 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Geof Johnson
21 books25 followersGeof Johnson was born in Florence, South Carolina, and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He eventually found his way to Florida State University, where he earned a degree in music theory and pursued a career as a songwriter and performer, recording eight albums of original material and winning numerous awards.
The last few years, Geof has devoted himself to writing fiction and has written seventeen novels.
The last few years, Geof has devoted himself to writing fiction and has written seventeen novels.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 23, 2012
I stumbled upon Wizard Born while perusing Amazon, and after reading the sample I purchased it. I'm very glad I did.
The story follows the birth and early childhood of Jamie Sikes, a young man born to become a sorcerer. The pace is slow, especially at the start, but not necessarily in a bad way. I was able to relate to the characters well enough that I simply enjoyed being a fly on the wall as Jamie, Fred, and Rollie became friends and grew up together.
About ¾ of the way through the pace quickened, considerably, and I must admit I no longer felt so connected to Jamie and his friends. Not because the writing became less effective, but Jamie's teenage life was reduced to mere flashes with minimal detail, especially when compared to earlier parts of the book.
My only real complaint, and it's a minor one, is the brevity of the climax battle scene between Jamie and Renn, the evil wizard. I kept thinking "Is that it?" To me, it was an opportunity lost.
I can't end this review without saying how MUCH I appreciate the author's choice to create characters who were good people with good American values. Bravo!
The story follows the birth and early childhood of Jamie Sikes, a young man born to become a sorcerer. The pace is slow, especially at the start, but not necessarily in a bad way. I was able to relate to the characters well enough that I simply enjoyed being a fly on the wall as Jamie, Fred, and Rollie became friends and grew up together.
About ¾ of the way through the pace quickened, considerably, and I must admit I no longer felt so connected to Jamie and his friends. Not because the writing became less effective, but Jamie's teenage life was reduced to mere flashes with minimal detail, especially when compared to earlier parts of the book.
My only real complaint, and it's a minor one, is the brevity of the climax battle scene between Jamie and Renn, the evil wizard. I kept thinking "Is that it?" To me, it was an opportunity lost.
I can't end this review without saying how MUCH I appreciate the author's choice to create characters who were good people with good American values. Bravo!
October 7, 2014
Really nice book.
I always like the growing up parts of those reincarnation stories, even through this isn't your classic reincarnation I was really happy to have found a book that has more of that only two or three chapters at the beginning
I always like the growing up parts of those reincarnation stories, even through this isn't your classic reincarnation I was really happy to have found a book that has more of that only two or three chapters at the beginning
August 6, 2016
A wizard, desperate to escape a foul sorcerer who is killing off all the others, escapes through a drawn door to our world. There he acquires and sells a house to a young couple who has had no luck conceiving a child. Once they buy the house, he disappears into the backyard ground, leaving behind only his clothes. Shortly afterward, the couple finds out they are pregnant - with Jamie. As Jamie grows up (and this takes a full 2/3rds of the book (my only complaint)), he has two best friends, Rollie and Fred. He also discovers that he has memories, of himself as an older man, fleeing from a terrible danger. I wished the final showdown would have lasted longer, but the book was very charming and heart-warming. Jamie's mis-adventures while trying to learn magic make for a very enjoyable read.
May 31, 2012
It's contemporary fantasy, but not epic, more like a simple life story with a bit of magic. It's written with short snapshot of the protagonist life, in order, no jumping through time. This build up the characters nicely. I liked this way of writing that is different from usual. The story is simple, there is no surprise or complex plot, I liked it because the writing make it easy and quick to read. It's different and I liked that too.
Buy it to read between two masterpiece for an interlude, you will not be disappointed.
Buy it to read between two masterpiece for an interlude, you will not be disappointed.
April 24, 2014
This book has an interesting premise. When I started the book, I honestly expected the growing up years to go a lot faster and then spend more time on confronting the issue the book establishes at the beginning. Turns out the whole book was the growing up years and 1 page was dedicated to the resolution of the problem introduced at the beginning of the book. To be honest, I was a little disappointed at how fast the bad guy got dispatched in the end. I do plan on reading the other books to see where the author takes it.
March 18, 2015
A wonderfully engaging character study of a boy growing up year by year with his loyal friends. He is no ordinary boy however as he know things about magic from his previous life as a wizard on another world. He knows he has to kill his enemy who wishes to remove all magic from all worlds. The most interesting part is how moral questions arise and are dealt with by the children, without involving adults. Together they vow a moral code which becomes the boy's guide for life, even though he knows his fate is to fight his ancient enemy when he catches up with him.
November 11, 2014
Decent read. Too little time was spent on the climax and conclusion. For about 80% of the book almost nothing important plot-wise happened. While I am all for slice-of-life situations, I felt having the climax and conclusion known from the start while having almost no buildup to them detracted from the overall story. No real plans to read anymore of the series.
March 25, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. This is a story about about a modern day boy, born in North Carolina, whom inherits a master socerers powers. The story takes you through the child's life, and while it's light reading, it is original and quite entertaining. I think Mr Johnson did a good job with this trilogy, and I'll be looking for more of his work in the future.
September 21, 2015
As a first book, it was good. I liked the story, yet it did not flow well all the time. There were some typos and some choppy parts, but you cared about the main character and wanted to find out what happened to him. I am told by two different people that I am very fond of that the next books get a lot better in these areas. Definitely worth the read.
June 13, 2015
Second time I have read this book. Still a great read. Check it out.
Well didn't realize it but this makes it the third time around and still a great read. Don't know what it is but once I start I have a hard time putting it down.
Well didn't realize it but this makes it the third time around and still a great read. Don't know what it is but once I start I have a hard time putting it down.
March 22, 2014
I quite enjoyed this book, although I do think it would have benefitted from not spending so much time on the mundane growing up parts of Jamie's life. That said the book was a fun distraction and I look forward to reading the others in the series.
December 17, 2011
A unique way of character development! If you like reading about wizards and magic, you will enjoy this book.
November 10, 2018
I read the first chapter and I could not stop reading. I ended up reading the whole series.
I just wish the author written more books leading through Jamie's, Fred and rallies lifes
I just wish the author written more books leading through Jamie's, Fred and rallies lifes
February 9, 2017
Entertaining enough. Would have liked it better of two of the main female characters weren't so unpleasant.
July 3, 2019
Wizard Born is a coming-of-age novel with a wonderful magical element. It’s about a young boy named Jamie who inherits the powers of an ancient sorcerer (unbeknownst to him) growing up in modern-day North Carolina. Jamie grows into his powers with the help of his loyal best friends Rollie and Fred, but faces the growing threat of an ancient evil. This story has a little something for everyone; magic, humor, young love, and the classic struggle between good and evil. I really enjoyed this book because I was so immersed in the story line, it felt like I was there right along with Jamie, Fred, and Rollie. The characters felt so real, relatable, and likable, that I really began to root for them. This book is definitely in the Young Adult genre, but I think that people of all ages can definitely enjoy it. If you love fantasy books and coming-of-age stories, you must give this a try. You won’t regret it.
October 9, 2018
Fantastic
I loved the book from the first page to the last, I hope Geof Johnson writes many more in the near future
I loved the book from the first page to the last, I hope Geof Johnson writes many more in the near future
May 8, 2022
Great book
Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone
Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone
March 6, 2023
Wow
Well written! This book brought me back to my school years! Remembering things I forgot! Well I was to busy working to date but I lots of good times! Thanks
Well written! This book brought me back to my school years! Remembering things I forgot! Well I was to busy working to date but I lots of good times! Thanks
January 18, 2016
After such magical title, it turns out to a book that is easy to forget and not so magical at all. It is instead filled with preachy moments, flat characters, predictable plot and dull chapters that is then concluded in a lackluster climax and unconvincing denouement.
Dialogue is stiff, cliché or unnatural. It is specially strange in the early parts of the book where young children speaks in rather robotic manner. Every characters failed to sound authentic and real, lacking any flavor, life and individuality. They sound too much alike.
The book is trying to be charming, spouting tidbits of daily scenes at us, but often it turns out stiff, unrealistic, and unnecessary. They are more of a distraction than anything worthy to read. If you want to read charming tales of daily life, then read the far superior classic: Anne of Green Gables. People there has no magic powers but it is a thousand times more charming than this garbage.
The ending was sudden but strangely dull and anticlimactic. We are shown bit by bit how despicable and dangerous our villain was, but they meet, and after some melodrama and corny stuff, our hero killed him without breaking a sweat. After that disappointing finale, I have no interest at the following chapters. I read just to see what it was, and it turns out to be some unrealistic, corny and horrible wrap up which leaves you even more dissatisfied.
It has possibilities to be great but its potential is never brought forth. Instead it becomes a truly disappointing piece that is really not worth reading.
Dialogue is stiff, cliché or unnatural. It is specially strange in the early parts of the book where young children speaks in rather robotic manner. Every characters failed to sound authentic and real, lacking any flavor, life and individuality. They sound too much alike.
The book is trying to be charming, spouting tidbits of daily scenes at us, but often it turns out stiff, unrealistic, and unnecessary. They are more of a distraction than anything worthy to read. If you want to read charming tales of daily life, then read the far superior classic: Anne of Green Gables. People there has no magic powers but it is a thousand times more charming than this garbage.
The ending was sudden but strangely dull and anticlimactic. We are shown bit by bit how despicable and dangerous our villain was, but they meet, and after some melodrama and corny stuff, our hero killed him without breaking a sweat. After that disappointing finale, I have no interest at the following chapters. I read just to see what it was, and it turns out to be some unrealistic, corny and horrible wrap up which leaves you even more dissatisfied.
It has possibilities to be great but its potential is never brought forth. Instead it becomes a truly disappointing piece that is really not worth reading.
January 19, 2012
This book starts with an interesting premise which is that an ancient wizard reincarnates his essence into a new born baby (James, if I remember correctly) in order to escape a powerful, evil enemy. Then the story goes back about a year to follow James' parents. Then James parents deal with their own parents. Then they buy a house. Then they get pregnant. Then they talk about furniture and jobs. Then they make friends. Then the friends move away. Then the dad argues with his parents. Then the mom's mother moves in to help with the baby. Then other stuff happens. Then Carl builds a gazebo. Then some more stuff. After about 30-40 pages of this (something like that, it's hard to estimate an accurate page count when you read on a Kindle) I just gave up. This feels less like a novel and more like the author's notes for the novel, particularly the pre-history of the character.
January 26, 2014
This book isn't badly written and it has an interesting plot. And yet, I struggled to plough through it and finally abandoned the attempt at chapter 31. What defeated me was the detailed description of the daily life of growing toddlers. When chapter 31 opened with "Sixth grade was full of challenges..." and then started talking about girls flirting with the main character I threw in the towel.
It's extremely rare for me not to finish a book as I read constantly and have very wide ranging interests, but I just couldn't take another chapter about children growing up. This may appeal to some readers but I had expected an urban fantasy and this most definitely doesn't deliver.
It's extremely rare for me not to finish a book as I read constantly and have very wide ranging interests, but I just couldn't take another chapter about children growing up. This may appeal to some readers but I had expected an urban fantasy and this most definitely doesn't deliver.
March 30, 2017
This is one of the few fantasies I know of that can completely stand alone. There may be sequels (haven't checked, because I can't afford to buy more books now), but there wouldn't have to be.
There's almost nothing to dislike about the story. The plot is basically the life story, up to senior year of high school, of the three main characters and their relatives. There is good character development of multiple people. Jamie, the young wizard, has to hide his powers from everyone except his two best friends, while gradually increasing in skill for the final confrontation with his nemesis, a wizard from another planet.
There is no real magic system, though Jamie at least finds that knowing physics and other sciences helps him figure out how to manipulate the world around him. He's not infallible, but his character is consistently helpful and considerate.
I'm not a big fan of humorous stories, but this one incorporates humor without making the story a comedy. There's a teen romance that is satisfying, at least to me.
I think many teens and younger kids should like the story, and there's nothing there to make me hesitate recommending it for YA readers.
There's almost nothing to dislike about the story. The plot is basically the life story, up to senior year of high school, of the three main characters and their relatives. There is good character development of multiple people. Jamie, the young wizard, has to hide his powers from everyone except his two best friends, while gradually increasing in skill for the final confrontation with his nemesis, a wizard from another planet.
There is no real magic system, though Jamie at least finds that knowing physics and other sciences helps him figure out how to manipulate the world around him. He's not infallible, but his character is consistently helpful and considerate.
I'm not a big fan of humorous stories, but this one incorporates humor without making the story a comedy. There's a teen romance that is satisfying, at least to me.
I think many teens and younger kids should like the story, and there's nothing there to make me hesitate recommending it for YA readers.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews