The Defiant Mage: Defender of the Kingdom: A LitRPG Progression Fantasy Adventure

by Shane Hammond

Jack “the Mountain” Mason was once the strongest mage in Marlinia.

Level 68. War hero. Demon killer.

Then his mana dried up.

Now he’s carved out a quiet life in a remote village, far from battlefields, royal courts, and anyone desperate enough to ask him to save the world again.

Until Princess Roxanne rides back into his life.

The girl he once protected is all grown up, dangerously beautiful, and convinced Jack is the only man who can save her kingdom from the Silver Pikes, a rogue mage guild led by a devious entity with god-like powers.

Jack should be the perfect man for the job. There’s just one problem.

Taking it means confronting the power he lost—and finding a way to reclaim it before Roxanne’s faith in him costs her everything.

At least he won’t be facing this alone.

Roxanne still sees the hero he used to be. Aria, a sharp-tongued merchant beauty with a talent for turning danger into profit, sees a bargain worth betting on. And Estelle, a love-starved demigoddess fading from memory, sees a man powerful enough to restore her place in the world.

Together, they’ll face unruly dragons, black-cloaked menaces, a hostile war fleet, and more than a few demons—some real, some personal.

The kingdom needs the Mountain again.

And Jack may just get his second chance to be the hero he once was.

642 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2026

About the author

Hey there! I'm Shane, and I love writing fantasy. I've been reading fantasy all my life, and I've always wanted the chance to tell the stories that I wanted to share. So here I am! With my stories, you can expect a fleshed-out and detailed world full of interesting characters that you can't help but root for. Thanks for checking me out, and I hope you enjoy my work!

Reviews

[Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent but not great

The story is decent enough. It’s completely predictable and exactly what you expect, which isn’t a bad thing, but there’s nothing to surprise you.

Only thing that was ridiculous was the MCs plot armor. Pretty sure he has thicker armor than a neutron star! Dude gets blasted through multiple castle walls, floors, and some ceilings, but he just kinda shrugs it off! Not even a magic shield for some excuse, he just tanks it because he can….

[Ben Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looks like this will be a good series.

This book has everything I normally expect from Shane. Amazing characters, a cool setting, and a great story. I won't say this series is the best series out of all his other works, but it has the potential to one of my favorite series from this Author.

[User Name · Rating 3 out of 5]

This single book has the chance to be a trilogy itself. The action and the stakes were so much bigger and the reason for the OP MC was a good choice for this book. The LIs as well were very good at their characters and were better on assisting the MC rather than just for romance. The actions were well made and the inclusion of magic made the scenes even more explosive.

[kwhgen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent start, it's just not for me DNF. Technically well written and the characters are likeable. The plot was set up nicely and wasn't far fetched. So why did I stop? Well, I have trouble reading stories where the author hobble the MC so much that they have to continually use some convoluted plot armor or dues ex to keep the MC alive. It takes all the fun out of reading about a OP protagonist.

[Rodney M Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book

It’s not a bad book with some interesting fight scenes. However, the main character completely missed the opportunity to maximize his goddess’s power. I don’t understand why they don’t even discuss it.