The Cavalier

Cavalier Trilogy

by Jason L. McWhirter

An ancient evil has awakened in the lands of Kraawn. An evil that threatened the lands long ago, now stirs deep in the Black Lands of the north.
Cavaliers, the guardians of the righteous, have long been the protectors of Kraawn. Trained in combat and blessed with the powers of the gods, these warriors roam the lands using their skills to fight back the power of the Forsworn, a trio of evil gods whose ultimate goal is to blanket the world in a mist of darkness.
But something has been slaying these warriors and now the lands of Kraawn are at risk, the path of invasion paved by the deaths of the only guardians capable of combating the dark powers of the Forsworn. But not all is lost. A young boy, a cripple raised in a small mountain town, will become Kraawn’s only hope.
Jonas Kanrene thought his life was limited to helping his mother survive in the desolate Tundren Mountains. Then one night a stranger arrives, a powerful cavalier, bringing with him hope, life,…and death, and becoming a catalyst for all the change that was about to dismantle Jonas’s world. Can the powers of good fight back the horde of evil amassing in the north? Can Jonas grow into the man, the warrior, the cavalier capable of stopping the Forsworn? One thing is certain. The lands of Kraawn will never again be the same.

Genres: Fantasy

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Jason McWhirter lives in University Place Washington with his wife and two dogs. He has been teaching history for twenty five years and half of those years were filled with coaching wrestling, soccer, and directing drama plays for his school. When he is not working and hanging out with friends and family he enjoys working out, traveling, fly fishing, wine tasting, and of course, writing. His love for fantasy started young and many middle school evenings were spent reading late into the night following adventurers as they tested their courage and strength against evil foes. He played dungeons and dragons, video games, anything where he could lose himself in the wonders of another world. This desire and craving to be immersed in worlds of magic and steel where anything is possible drove him to write his first fantasy book, The Cavalier, part one of The Cavalier series. He hopes to continue to teach and write and maybe one day create heroes and legends full time.

Reviews

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[Connor Folsom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and exciting read about personal struggle through the lens of a fantasy world and the journey's of its main characters. I absolutely love this story and it is a perfect read for any fantasy enjoyer as well as middle school to high school readers.

[Amanda Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome series

I am reading this series over again. I really enjoyed this one the first time. I have started the spin off series. This book is really engaging and captivating. I am going on to the next book.

[Luke Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me first qualify my three star review. If I could, I would have given this book 3.5 stars…but it just didn’t quit have what was needed to kick it up to a four star book for me.
Here is what I liked about The Cavalier. I enjoyed the story. It reminded me of a kid’s adventure story…something I would have read in high school and college, which most can agree is fun to take a jump back in time every once in a while. I thought the writing, for a self-published book, was clean and well done. I would agree with some other reviews that I read on Amazon and say that it seemed to cater to a younger audience, but with that in mind I still enjoyed it for the reason mentioned above. There were not many errors, which for a self-published book is pretty impressive. It flowed well and it didn’t feel bogged down at all. The art work in the book was awesome and it made me feel like this author cared about the product he put out. The book was full of action, but at the same time the author spent many pages developing the main character, which I appreciated. It helped build the skill set around Jonas so that later action scenes seemed much more believable. The dialogue was smooth and seemed realistic and I thought the author did a pretty decent job at fleshing out some of the characters, fight scenes, and settings. I didn’t have a difficult time picturing the scenes that the author had created.
Here is what brought the book down to three stars. For me, at this point in my reading, I need something uniquely different to really grab me, especially in the adult fantasy genre. This story is a pretty traditional archetype. You have the unknown boy who comes from meager beginnings and ends up gaining power and becoming the hero that we all dream about. Now, there is nothing wrong with this, it’s just that I need something more to kick a book up into the four and five star category. If I had read this book back in high school and college when I was new to the fantasy genre, then I would definitely be giving it four or five stars. I thought the author added some other unique and interesting things that really made me teeter on the 3 to 4 star rating, but as I mentioned above, I probably would have went with 3.5 stars if I could have. The plot line was also pretty typical, and somewhat predictable.
All in all I enjoyed the book and will be reading the second one and third one. It was a solid read that kept me interested, but at the same time lacked certain things that I personally need to consider a good book a great read.

[Lisa Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really a great book! I read it in a few days and had some late nights, struggling against the pull to go to bed and the stronger pull to see what was next for Jonas. I enjoyed the characters, although I hope more time will be spent on some in the other books, and thought the author did a great job showing women in a positive light. They were strong, capable warriors just like the men. This was a classic fantasy setting with nothing really especially unique. There was magic, swords, monsters, and of course orcs, elves, and other creatues typical of so many fantasy books. But in fantasy almost everything has been done...and doing something unique is very difficult. With that in mind I do believe that Mr. McWhirter did make an effort to add some new things to a typical fantasy realm. I enjoyed the boargs...wild creatures that almost reminded me of apes, but much quicker and definitely more dangerous. I loved the whole idea of the master swordsman mark and the God Mark...and I felt the relationships between the gods and the cavalier's was unique. I felt the word play in regards to the gods was interesting....were they really gods, or something else? The magic system was simple but believable. This was an action packed book with lots of violence...some pretty gory. I didn't think it was too gratuitous though as it added realism to the violent battles. I'm really exited to see where this story goes, and I hope the author spends some more time with some of my favorite characters...especially Allindrian. This is definitely a classic good vs. evil story where the good guys are really good and the bad guys are really bad...but I enjoyed that in this book and I felt that Mr. McWhirter's writing style didnt' make it feel like an after school special for kids. I still felt believable to me. I can't wait for the next book!

[Devin Mcwhirter · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love fantasy then you will love this book! What better plot line is there than the single underdog character rising up against all odds, sticking to his morals and ideals to fight off the evil that is ravaging the land? This books delivers a great character in Jonas. This book has lot's of character growth, magical weapons and armor, action packed training and fighting scenes, and some really unique and fresh characters and foes. The book flows fast and never seems to leave the reader bored...in fact I wanted to just keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. If you want a fantasy book that does not bog you down in three page descriptions of what the forest looks like and moves effortlessly through an intriguing and exciting plot, then this is your book. Good versus Evil...The Cavalier delivers. Loved it and can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

[D.harrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is very little to commend this book, the prologue is poor and it only gets worse. What follows, is an exhaustive litany of cliches which neither the monosyllabic dialogue nor the infantile plot can salvage. The protagonist is a cripple who staunchly perseveres through life, however, his handicap lasts all but ten pages! To claim the novel is basic is perhaps too large a compliment, it veers between a children's book and a foreign exchange student's blog. I cannot help but wonder whether if all the positive reviews it has received stem from the extensive acknowledgments section at the start of the book. Thankfully, I bailed before I wasted too much of my free time on a failed high school foray into creative writing.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The battle scenes were intense and gruesome. This series is awesome. I love fantasy, especially when authors aren't afraid to be graphic, vulgar, etc.. For awhile a lot of fantasy authors were afraid to show the dark side, but ever since Game of Thrones took off, a lot more are taking their books to the next level and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like Game of Thrones, the Night Angel trilogy, Red Rising, the First Law Trilogy, the Broken Thorn trilogy, The Stormlight Archive, etc., then you will enjoy this series.

The story advances pretty fast, there isn't a lot of fluff. All in all, it is a good read I would recommend to any fantasy fan, especially ones that love fantasy that is gritty and gruesome at times.

[Jason H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cavalier is first of all a great story wrapped up in classic fantasy. Character development is clearly important to the author as he allows his characters to make mistakes and struggle with their choices. Although the fight scenes crackle with intensity and suspense they have a purpose and serve to propel the reader through the story rather than just to add gratuitous excitement. One thing I particularly liked about this story was that it makes little changes to common fantasy themes and makes the whole piece seem both unique and familiar at the same time. A fun read and compelling page-turner. Really looking forward to the rest of the series!

[Benji · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It was a very exiting read with lots of cool elements. I really like the world that it takes place in and I love how heroic the heros are. I also love the many cretures and characters that feature in this book. Theres alot more to say, but you'll just have to read it to find out how truly epic it is. I can't wait for book two!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character Jonas is well defined and likable. I wanted him to succeed in his amazing journey. The main women characters were strong warriors along side the men, which a welcome addition to the story. Can't wait to read what happens next in this battle of good vs. evil.

[Tim Dargan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book with great character development and intense battle scenes. One that I would reccomend to anyone who likes fantasy!

[David Keyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this story.

[joshua macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

This has a!l the makings of a great trilogy. Blood , magic and heroes. I couldn't put this book down. Now on to book two