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Heart Mage

Heartwood Mage

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When they hanged mage Baron Homburg and his family for treason, they missed one of his sons. The fourth son, ten-year-old Dale, witnessed the execution of his family, and something inside him broke. Two things happened that one, Dale became a borderline sociopath, and two, his mage abilities manifested at almost full strength, especially his wood or forest magic. That night he used his new wood magic to hang the earl who ordered the killing of his family.
Now he has only one thing on his mind, killing all those involved in killing his family or seeing them brought to justice. But he also wants the inheritance of his father’s title and lands. The only person who can give him that is the king, so he must petition the king for restitution.
Before he can petition the king, he finds out that the king plans to kill him. Because if the kingdom finds out who’s responsible for the murder of the Homburg family, the minor nobles and landowners would revolt against the crown screaming for justice. Those guilty are the king’s greatest supporters, which he would have to hang. The king cannot allow that to happen.
Seeing that the nobility is against him, Dale goes into hiding and changes his name to Eric Heartwood. Eric begins killing his enemies rather than negotiating a peaceful settlement. Eric decides that since nobility doesn’t play by the rules or laws, neither will he.
But Eric has a lot to learn about people and their motives. It seems almost everyone will lie, cheat, steal, and even kill to get ahead in the world. So Eric follows suit, killing those who oppose him, until he meets a kindly merchant and his wife. They show him kindness, which tempers his blood lust, but not by much.
Follow mage Eric Heartwood as his powers grow and he is confronted by enemies at every turn. He tries to reconcile what he feels is just and what society says is just. He finds that most times, it’s just easier to kill your enemies.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2023

536 people are currently reading
230 people want to read

About the author

James Haddock

19 books246 followers

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5 stars
1,296 (61%)
4 stars
552 (26%)
3 stars
191 (9%)
2 stars
42 (2%)
1 star
15 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
17 reviews
September 30, 2023
Don't hold your breath for sequel.

Great story as usual. To bad this author hardly ever creates a sequel. You're always left wondering if there will be ever a continuation of the story.
Profile Image for Blair Peery.
Author 2 books
March 1, 2024
Heartwood Mage, by James Haddock. What a weird book. The main character (Dale/Eric/Braid) is god-level powerful, with not a single problem that he cannot magic away with zero effort. And he steadily gets more powerful as the book goes on. He's a male Mary-Sue. Oddly, I did read the whole book, even while I wondered why. It does have a cool title and good cover art, right on the money for middle-of-the-road fantasy.

Then it hit me: this is just like those LitRPG books, minus the artificial game aspect and the horny harems. What they have in common is that the young protagonist progresses through the levels 1) by making smart and logical choices, and 2) by being inherently more powerful than anyone else on the planet.

I'll admit it, it was kinda fun... but mostly to see if the author was going to give the main guy ANY difficulty at all to rising through the ranks as fast as a meteor. (Hint: he didn't.) I did finish this novelty, so it gets 1 star instead of nothing, which is what I give for books so bad I never finish them.

Will I read the next book in the series? Not a chance. Cheers!
323 reviews5 followers
September 29, 2023
Fantastic as always!

James you know I love your books, and loved this one just as much as the rest. Sadly I am still waiting to read the 3rd book in the Derelict Duty series, the Cast Down World second book, and several of your other books that would be wonderful to read a continuation of their story. I know you’re busy, but please take time to put us out of our misery! Take a moment to write some sequels. ❤️
Profile Image for James Crutchley.
26 reviews4 followers
September 23, 2023
Very good book

This was a very good story. Read it cover to cover in one sitting. I hope the author continues to write more stories like this.
52 reviews
September 23, 2023
Good!

I enjoyed this book very much I had read it pretty much without stopping til the end. Which was too soon wish is was longer. I gave it a five for being so good.
114 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2023
Interesting book

Enjoyed author's books. Some more than others. This book is one of the better ones. Felt as if different author for most of the book except for final chapters. Please finish wizard's alley as it feels incomplete. Even fifteen to twenty chapters would be good.
19 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2023
Another great addition

Like all his previous books this is a very entertaining story with great characters. Thank you for remembering the Lord!! Keep writing these and when you get the chance we are still waiting on some sequels; maybe some of the storylines could be combined for the sequels. God Bless.
103 reviews
October 16, 2023
Really good story!

Ok so first the story is absolutely great! I love the pacing and how there are some time jumps but not big enough it loses all meaning. I'm extremely glad to see an MC that isn't afraid to do what needs to be done! I can't stand when am MC refuses to kill a murdering raping slaving pos just because (life is sacred) or some crap! I highly recommend this book if you like a strong MC in every way.
I will be following this author waiting for more!
Profile Image for Cherry Mischievous.
596 reviews289 followers
April 8, 2024
My Thoughts:
I like the story. I like the premise. And the story telling quality is compelling. I know the story is a bit blasé. But this is a fiction book. I'm an escapist reader. I like my reads to take me away from reality. So they do not have to be totally truthful.

There are little plots and resolutions along the story. It follows our main protagonist as he adventures on to find love and betrayal. Happiness and pain. I think that the author is wrong in calling him a psychopath because he is capable of empathy. He is just neurodivergent.

Louise in A Game Of Ghosts by John Connolly is a sociopath. Bill in Tuesday's Child by Dale Mayer is a psychopath. And I think our hero is none of those.

Daniel Wisniewski has a deep bass of a voice and it suits our hero.

Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (8 hrs and 17 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
922 reviews18 followers
June 26, 2024
I was able to enjoy this book but I feel compelled to warn other readers of something incredibly stupid about the beginning of the book. The book starts with a "the story so far" sort of summary. Then the story starts as if that summary isn't there. Maybe there was an error in publishing or posting this book and that was supposed to be the dust cover blurb. If so it was a terrible blurb. Blurbs are suppose to entice not summarize the first 3 chapters.

Personally, I find OP MCs interesting because I find the question of how to apply power and the consequences arising from the application power interesting. Here the MC is a very powerful mage from the start and grows even more so as the story progresses. There are equally powerful mages but they are fairly few and far between. Plus the MC learned early in life to not trust anyone so he hides his power and strikes from shadow so to speak. As a result the MC doesn't have many challenging fights and I am fine with that as that means the MC is smart and competent.

In short, I know not everyone shares my tastes but if you like highly competent MCs you will likely enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Travis.
2,885 reviews48 followers
December 17, 2023
Heartwood Mage is a decent story, though having complained about super heroes being overpowered in my last review, it's probably not exactly consistent for me to claim I liked this one, when all the story is about boils down to an overpowered mage, but nobody said what we like is consistent I guess. For what it's worth, I'm always a fan of stories where the wronged party gets his just revenge, and this story has plenty of that, and then some, so if you're like me, you'll probably like this story. If lots of revenge killing doesn't interest you, then you might want to give this one a pass.
For what it's worth, I'd not mind reading more in this series, especially since I'd like to see the kinder gentler side of Eric once he settles down in his new town.
195 reviews4 followers
March 15, 2024
A fun read overall.

I ended up really enjoying this one.

It had a kind of simplicity to it. Almost like a light novel. The characters were only so complex. The plot had a certain simple semi-predictability (especially the umpteen betrayals). The main character's powers somewhat simplistic in how he engaged, trained, and grew them.

I just wish that more people could see how cooperation and mutual trust carries more benefits in the long run. My biggest complaint would be that. Everyone either betrayed, would have betrayed, or were oppressed and didn't have the chance yet. With few exceptions to that.

However, in that simplicity and predictability there was a chance to relax and enjoy the ride. Like a fun light novel I found myself not caring about the rhetorical "short comings." I even find myself hoping for a sequel.

PS- Yes. The MC has bouts of 'murder hobo' where he kind of just kills whatever is in the way. Though he doesn't lose himself in it.
51 reviews1 follower
January 27, 2024
First time in many years I pulled an all-nighter for a book!

The plot is very nice, although a bit commonplace. A young boy is wronged by the king/nobles, his family killed, and he awakens to a great magic power. Then, we follow his life. Revenge, learning, growing, rage, kind of love, reality, responsibility.

The book is packed with content and not useless fillers, no information dumping but giving information when needed, the characters are well developed when need (I hate books that go on to describe every single character and their background story, only to use them in one scene and then never again -- waste of everyone's time).

Overall, I loved this book and will wait for the next part. In the meantime, I'll pick a couple more books of the author. I hope to be also pleasantly surprised.
98 reviews
March 21, 2025
Rate the books you read for everyone else. This book, Heartwood Mage, is another winner!

It’s very important that we spend the few moments it takes to rate the books we read. Many people, like myself, put a lot of stock into reading what others have written about a book; likes, dislikes, quality, etc. We especially owe it to those authors who allow their books to be on Kindle Unlimited. What a great deal that is! Help others by leaving your two cents worth 😉

Heartwood Mage is yet another classic from James Haddock. His books are fast-paced, easy and fun reads that will have you cheering the good guys on, booing the bad guys and laughing all through the book. I am very glad I stumbled across this author. I wished I had done it sooner but if you haven’t read any or many of his books, what are you waiting for? Give your brain a present and buy some today.
Profile Image for Tony Hisgett.
2,999 reviews37 followers
September 25, 2023
The book was very easy to read and having a sociopath as the main character was interesting, however like many of the author's heroes, Eric was just too powerful and overcoming problems was too easy.

Also the story followed a similar pattern of a rapid rise, then a disaster which starts what is almost a brand new story.

Overall its not a bad story and I have given 3 stars, but I do have concerns about the author. The book ends with the promise of a sequel, but whether it appears is probably in doubt. At the moment he must have at least half-a-dozen uncompleted series on the go and I’m beginning to suspect none of them are ever going to be finished.
25 reviews
November 11, 2023
Great read!!

I loved this book for its straight to the point, matter of fact style of writing. The main character is great and other characters are strictly supporting cast, as it were, which was fine by me. I appreciated the lack of paragraph after paragraph of inner dialogue spoon feeding me a characters every thought and feeling. The author gives us credit for being able to infer these things from the characters dialogue and actions as it should be. Well done except for some minor typos which is why the 4 stars but it actually 4.5 stars. I look forward to reading more from this author
32 reviews1 follower
March 1, 2024
Not a huge fan of this novel. In some ways the protagonist fits the mold of many fantasy stories. He is the single overlooked heir of a noble family. He has inherited wonderful magical abilities that set him apart from his peers. Yada, yada, yada. In the end, I was most disappointed by the vague magical universe in which the protagonist lives. There appear to be no rules governing magic, and no real boundaries for the hero. Whatever he needs in the moment he is able to magically do. Every opponent is powerless against him because he is able to create a magical solution simply by imagining it. To my regret, I found it boring.
Profile Image for Ford Miller.
715 reviews6 followers
October 9, 2023
Great, simple, fun fast paced read!!!

I've yet to be disappointed by this author. The ease of his writing in the simplicity of his stories makes his books engaging, fast paced, and fun to read. Every one of his books always has a great lead character with supporting cast, I love the old school values and good morals that all his books have, making for a feel-good story. Of all the books I've read the only thing I wish is that there was more to the series and he keeps writing. This is a great book I would recommend... from young people too old.
190 reviews
January 27, 2024
Another home run!

As usual, I loved this book.. I'm not going to lie and say everything was a new idea or a new concept per say, but it was in a new way.. I love how this author re-imagens a world over and over in a different way. For example, he has used traveling long distances before in other book, moving in shadow but in this book moving through trees.. it's just so kool to see how an author and re-make things in various way.. I love his books, his characters are people I would love to know or be. Keep up the good work.
2 reviews
February 21, 2024
Hardwood mage ( read on ku)

Omg what a find not read this author before but will look at his other works. I don't often write a review as my preferences are my own but I liked the pace of this book although the protagonist was very OP, side characters were just that no over wordy back stories just enough to explain their existence, no states, no harem( the main character starts as a 10yo and remains teenage) the book blurb gives you a good read in so no spoilers here. Try it.

38 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2023
very Nice Read

First, I am very fond of all JH’s books. I’ve read them all except for the High Reaches and Cast Down books. They are easy read, fun, not complicated with the underdog always coming out on top and ahead. The characters grow up between the pages and although their moral compass may not always in the direction you may think is best, it is a steady direction grounded in the character’s development in life. This book is no exception.
Profile Image for Barry Mead.
2 reviews
November 9, 2023
Good story

Fast paced in that it doesn't dwell on pointless parts of progress and isn't too brief to leave a question hanging.
Moves along well, will be nice to see more on this character and perhaps the only lack is a true trusting and loving relationship with anyone.
Given the character it would seem necessary to be a long walk to that but feasible and I hope there'll be more to this story and such companions and partners to really build on the world.
Excellent so far.
3 reviews
December 10, 2023
spelling errors a plenty

So many spelling mistakes and other odd grammar errors. Plus the story had more to offer but just didn’t deliver. Loved the dry attitude and writing of this though, normally a dry writing style is a bad thing but with the sociopathic attitude our MC has and his morally gray look on life it made it feel like it was an actual journal the archmage of eastmoore
2 reviews
July 22, 2025
Very little peril, easy obstacles.

Every once in a while I like to read a book that has a good story and a hero who's gold-hearted and so supremely over the top competent and powerful that basically nothing is a challenge for him or her. If you're in the mood for such a book, you might consider a James Haddock. It's a fun and engaging romp and you can read it without wrinkling your brow even once. Lightweight? By design.
46 reviews
September 30, 2023
Beware of insulting a Sociopathic Mage!

What to do...when your Family is hung in front of your eyes by a corrupt Earl? Revenge. Revenge is a dish best served...cold!! Join our revenge filled 10 year old Mage for a fun jaunt in staking his tormenters. It is entertaining.
Out of Five Stars......this is a Six Star read!!
We want more.....!!
15 reviews
October 2, 2023
Once again lost some sleep!

But it was worth it! Another amazing world and characters created by Mr Haddock. If you enjoy fantasy, magic and adventure give this and any of his books a shot. Thanks for writing Mr Haddock! And looking forward to whatever stories and adventures are to come.
514 reviews5 followers
October 5, 2023
Excellent beginning to a series. As a series I do see a potential issue in that the MC is getting to powerful to fast, but then all good things must eventually come to an end. The Protagonist has a wonderfully unique type of magic that is significantly different from any other in the thousands of fantasy books I've read. Congratulations on this notable accomplishment.
14 reviews
October 8, 2023
Awesome read

I very rarely rate a book as I am an avid reader and would spend too much time rating instead of reading but felt that this time I should in hopes of enticing the author into one or two follow up books.

Thanks Mr Haddock for all your books
Still hoping for follow ups on your other books
32 reviews
October 8, 2023
Another great story

James you've done it again, I loved this story. I just saw this book and stopped reading the book I was in to start reading yours. I've read most of your books multiple times, I totally enjoy the way you and Whiskey Follows write. Thank you for your stories. Sincerely, Rick Shiverdecker
361 reviews4 followers
October 10, 2023
Good book

He came into his power to young. It affected how he did things. Emotionally he's there but it's buried deeply within his personality. It's really good that he met good friends that became a second family. He basically has it out for the bad guys. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews

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