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Enden
They have grown strong in the shadows, the kingdom of Oldon. The land is void of hope and of strength against them. The human kingdoms grow corrupt everyday, so that the lines between good and evil are slurred.
One young man from a small village in the valley could change all of that. He fights with the passion of a warrior and the luck of a magician. And when the barbarians force him out of his home, the journey begins.
Trained by a knight, shadowed with secrets, and against the kingdom he once called home, Jonathan is an outcast, a rebel. But more than anything, he is a leader.
Enden is a world filled with wars, famine, sieges, torture, and death. But the greatest battle of all is to survive. Only one thing is certain. Something is rising, in the distance near the edge of the world where forgotten secrets brew. Something has risen. And it is coming.
It is coming.
One young man from a small village in the valley could change all of that. He fights with the passion of a warrior and the luck of a magician. And when the barbarians force him out of his home, the journey begins.
Trained by a knight, shadowed with secrets, and against the kingdom he once called home, Jonathan is an outcast, a rebel. But more than anything, he is a leader.
Enden is a world filled with wars, famine, sieges, torture, and death. But the greatest battle of all is to survive. Only one thing is certain. Something is rising, in the distance near the edge of the world where forgotten secrets brew. Something has risen. And it is coming.
It is coming.
336 pages, Paperback
Published November 28, 2017
4 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
David Duane Kummer
19 books235 followersMy name is David Kummer. I'm a young writer who leans towards horror, mystery, thrillers, and young adult fiction. My books are fast-paced, easy-to-read, with shocking twists and unpredictable endings.
My new series is The House on the Hill, a new type of haunted house trilogy focusing on one family and the small town under attack. It's creepy enough for horror readers, but character-focused and plot-driven, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys a good mystery novel.
I grew up in Madison, Indiana, a small town on the Ohio River, with lots of history and settings around here that influence my books. Now I live in New Albany with my fantastic wife. When I'm not writing, I'm a full-time English teacher for 9th graders and I enjoy spending as much time as possible outdoors.
You may have read some great authors before and some fascinating books, but this is the first time you've had an experience like this. Try something and let me convince you.
Email: davidkummer7@gmail.com
Twitter @DavidKummer7
Facebook: @davidduanekummer
Instagram: @davidkummer3
Get a free book and sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bPgy4n
My new series is The House on the Hill, a new type of haunted house trilogy focusing on one family and the small town under attack. It's creepy enough for horror readers, but character-focused and plot-driven, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys a good mystery novel.
I grew up in Madison, Indiana, a small town on the Ohio River, with lots of history and settings around here that influence my books. Now I live in New Albany with my fantastic wife. When I'm not writing, I'm a full-time English teacher for 9th graders and I enjoy spending as much time as possible outdoors.
You may have read some great authors before and some fascinating books, but this is the first time you've had an experience like this. Try something and let me convince you.
Email: davidkummer7@gmail.com
Twitter @DavidKummer7
Facebook: @davidduanekummer
Instagram: @davidkummer3
Get a free book and sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bPgy4n
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 31, 2016
This book was more interesting that I thought it would be just from the title. Sometimes book about king and queens and medieval times are not very good so I was not sure about this book, until I tried it! This book was really good and I'm glad I gave it a chance. It was very exciting to me and I liked the characters build and develop through out the book as well. * I received this book from the author---this is my honest review*
March 15, 2017
I truly enjoyed David Kummer's Enden. The story takes on a grand scale as the characters fight for what they believe and we see humans, elves and dwarves comes together like some non-mystical version of Lord of the Rings. No doubt it is not a rethinking of the Lord of the Rings, but it's own unique fantasy novel. If you enjoy stories of kings and knights, elves and dwarves, this is a great fantasy novel to keep you entertained.
April 20, 2017
So I'm going to discuss the negatives before I discuss the positive things about this book.
If you're considering reading this book, remember it was written by a kid in high school! He did most of the editing along with his family so; you're going to find some mistakes here and there. I'd find occasional words like "dids," or some words that don't often go together like "frozen sweat," but again remember this is a 450+ page fantasy book written by a kid in high school! When he's older and can afford to, I'm certain this kid will hire a copyeditor and create something even grander than this.
There are some things I wouldn't have done. He begins the book with some world building involving maps and details on them. He also opens the book with (in the voice of a historian) and details all the cultures and intricacies of the factions. I think one of them was that a Lord in one kingdom was the equivalent of King in another. I do not believe that he needed to do all of this. It would have been better explained seeing the error and confusion of cultures occur in the story. I also think if you're going to have something told in the voice of a historian, have one walk up in a dusty library and open an ancient tome then point to the kingdom's history directly.
BUT HERE'S THE THING, watching his process and seeing his world building directly, is interesting. This kid has a hell of an imagination!
He has a tendency at the beginning of the book to fall back on adverbs "He looked at his dad stupidly," would sound a lot better if it was something like "He raised an eyebrow in the direction of his dad and let a dumbfounded look spread across his face." BUT DAVID gets there by the end of the book. You can read this and witness the kid grow as a writer.
It's not a bad a story either. The one gripe I did have was the book blurb mentions Magicians, but I didn't find any magic-users in it. Maybe I always secretly hope for wizards, or maybe I glossed over it somewhere. I do read kind of fast but, I'm -pretty sure- I didn't read much about magic.
So why should you read this book? Well, don't read this if you expect Tolkien and Jordan. He's not quite there yet but, he grows so much by the end of the book. Adverbs start being set aside for verbs and punchier sentences. The story has some twists and when he wants to this kid can turn a good phrase!
So it's interesting to witness him grow as a writer, but more importantly, you'd be supporting an author whom I believe will be writing 20 years from now. You can tell David likes the genre and he likes to write.
Also, I'm blown away that a kid this young could write this much and try to build the world with all these different cultures. If this is what a high school kid with minimal editing assistance can do, imagine what he's going to be able to write a few years from now.
So I'm going to rank it as four stars because I can't hit 3 and a half and I don't think it deserves a three. You won't find a perfect book in this, but you will witness a author who is probably going to grow into something grand. I hope he keeps writing!
If you're considering reading this book, remember it was written by a kid in high school! He did most of the editing along with his family so; you're going to find some mistakes here and there. I'd find occasional words like "dids," or some words that don't often go together like "frozen sweat," but again remember this is a 450+ page fantasy book written by a kid in high school! When he's older and can afford to, I'm certain this kid will hire a copyeditor and create something even grander than this.
There are some things I wouldn't have done. He begins the book with some world building involving maps and details on them. He also opens the book with (in the voice of a historian) and details all the cultures and intricacies of the factions. I think one of them was that a Lord in one kingdom was the equivalent of King in another. I do not believe that he needed to do all of this. It would have been better explained seeing the error and confusion of cultures occur in the story. I also think if you're going to have something told in the voice of a historian, have one walk up in a dusty library and open an ancient tome then point to the kingdom's history directly.
BUT HERE'S THE THING, watching his process and seeing his world building directly, is interesting. This kid has a hell of an imagination!
He has a tendency at the beginning of the book to fall back on adverbs "He looked at his dad stupidly," would sound a lot better if it was something like "He raised an eyebrow in the direction of his dad and let a dumbfounded look spread across his face." BUT DAVID gets there by the end of the book. You can read this and witness the kid grow as a writer.
It's not a bad a story either. The one gripe I did have was the book blurb mentions Magicians, but I didn't find any magic-users in it. Maybe I always secretly hope for wizards, or maybe I glossed over it somewhere. I do read kind of fast but, I'm -pretty sure- I didn't read much about magic.
So why should you read this book? Well, don't read this if you expect Tolkien and Jordan. He's not quite there yet but, he grows so much by the end of the book. Adverbs start being set aside for verbs and punchier sentences. The story has some twists and when he wants to this kid can turn a good phrase!
So it's interesting to witness him grow as a writer, but more importantly, you'd be supporting an author whom I believe will be writing 20 years from now. You can tell David likes the genre and he likes to write.
Also, I'm blown away that a kid this young could write this much and try to build the world with all these different cultures. If this is what a high school kid with minimal editing assistance can do, imagine what he's going to be able to write a few years from now.
So I'm going to rank it as four stars because I can't hit 3 and a half and I don't think it deserves a three. You won't find a perfect book in this, but you will witness a author who is probably going to grow into something grand. I hope he keeps writing!
December 26, 2016
I had the chance to review an early copy of David Kummer’s Enden which promises to be the first in a larger series. There are a number of things to appreciate about the novel which I got as part of the review section for my Inside the Inkwell blog. One of the first things worth noting is that the author is still a high school student. That’s significant to know because of the level of mythopoeia surrounding the story. I read a pretty large number of books each year and focus my efforts on Sci FI and Fantasy; Enden might be the most Tolkienesque story I’ve read this year.
As a fellow fantasy author I appreciate the replete notes and indexes. It goes a long way to building the world. The writing does have a Tolkien flair as well which has pros and cons. It may turn off some younger or first-time fantasy readers, but a familiarity even with just the Peter Jackson movies will make the text more accessible to readers and help envision the settings, races, etc. I did find (and appreciate) the level of magic, which also hearkens to LotR rather than Forgotten Realms and that makes it more important/more powerful by comparison, IMO.
I mentioned that I had an early draft to review. There were some formatting glitches and consistent grammatical errors. I did mention them to the writer who discovered it had been the early draft; some of them have been fixed through revisions, but I can’t speak to it in the final version. I also don’t care for the cover; readers of my indie writing blog may be familiar with this amongst my other pet peeves, but don’t let it deter you, especially if you’re looking for a new, up-and-coming author to follow and a new realm to explore.
There are great seeds planted for a great series. Time will tell where it all goes and with such a young author things will only continue to build the world of Enden one page at a time.
August 31, 2017
I sat on this review of Enden for a while. I haven’t written a 1 star review yet for S13 and it wasn’t a prospect I was looking forward to. I don’t believe there is a way to give an author this feedback without inevitably disheartening them, but I will do my best to help David Kummer.
Enden is a high fantasy novel that follows Jonathan, who plays the cliched hero: teenage farmboy who watches his family die then begins his path to heroism.
Full review of Enden here
Enden is a high fantasy novel that follows Jonathan, who plays the cliched hero: teenage farmboy who watches his family die then begins his path to heroism.
Full review of Enden here
August 1, 2017
Uncaged Book Reviews:
Enter this book with an open mind and be prepared to not to put it down until the end. For a novel written by a young author is it completely breathtaking, heart stopping and spell binding. A tale that is so well weaved together that you not see the ending coming. A must read for any true dark fantasy reader. And series that just made to my go to re-read shelf. I simply cannot wait for the continuation. Reviewed by Melisa
Enter this book with an open mind and be prepared to not to put it down until the end. For a novel written by a young author is it completely breathtaking, heart stopping and spell binding. A tale that is so well weaved together that you not see the ending coming. A must read for any true dark fantasy reader. And series that just made to my go to re-read shelf. I simply cannot wait for the continuation. Reviewed by Melisa
May 11, 2017

Hello my fellow Bibliomaniacs, TBBManiacBrandi here with my first ever review !
In choosing a book to read As my first step into book reviewing I saw this book on the list and a young adult/ fantasy fan I was very excited to get my hands on it. And after doing a bit of research on the Author , David Kummer , I was looking forward to reading what this young man had in-store for his readers.
The author starts book 1 with a very detailed history and a map of Enden, a war torn kingdom with Elves, Dwarfs, Humans , and monsters. I for one enjoy a good history lesson as a preface ,especially one so Tolkien-esque so it was one of my favorite parts of the book. But for some readers who prefer to jump right into the story itself this may be an issue as I feel it's a necessity to read it before you get into the tale.
The story follows our rebellious protagonist, Jonathan. A teenaged boy discontent with the state of his nation and family life and itching to do more than spend his life tending to the family farm. When barbarians raid his village he is faced with the choice to flee or fight. Jonathan choosing the latter embarks on a journey to save his people.
This writing in book was very descriptive and relatable .It felt as though I were a fly on the wall inside the tents, riding alongside Jonathan and his fellow warriors and fighting in the battles. It gave me the feeling that I was watching a film rather than reading letters from a page.
This book fits very well into its targeted audience of young adult readers . Due to the battle scenes I wouldn't recommend the book as a bedtime story for young children despite its fantasy setting. But that is more dependant of the individual child and parent rather than the actual content of the the book.
Overall this book is a terrific choice for lovers of fantasy and young Adult books. And anyone like me who's always looking for the next book series to dive into. I truly look forward to the next book.
Review Rating : 4 stars
More Information
Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published date:November 28, 2016
Genre: Fantasy/ Young Adult
Hello my fellow Bibliomaniacs, TBBManiacBrandi here with my first ever review !
In choosing a book to read As my first step into book reviewing I saw this book on the list and a young adult/ fantasy fan I was very excited to get my hands on it. And after doing a bit of research on the Author , David Kummer , I was looking forward to reading what this young man had in-store for his readers.
The author starts book 1 with a very detailed history and a map of Enden, a war torn kingdom with Elves, Dwarfs, Humans , and monsters. I for one enjoy a good history lesson as a preface ,especially one so Tolkien-esque so it was one of my favorite parts of the book. But for some readers who prefer to jump right into the story itself this may be an issue as I feel it's a necessity to read it before you get into the tale.
The story follows our rebellious protagonist, Jonathan. A teenaged boy discontent with the state of his nation and family life and itching to do more than spend his life tending to the family farm. When barbarians raid his village he is faced with the choice to flee or fight. Jonathan choosing the latter embarks on a journey to save his people.
This writing in book was very descriptive and relatable .It felt as though I were a fly on the wall inside the tents, riding alongside Jonathan and his fellow warriors and fighting in the battles. It gave me the feeling that I was watching a film rather than reading letters from a page.
This book fits very well into its targeted audience of young adult readers . Due to the battle scenes I wouldn't recommend the book as a bedtime story for young children despite its fantasy setting. But that is more dependant of the individual child and parent rather than the actual content of the the book.
Overall this book is a terrific choice for lovers of fantasy and young Adult books. And anyone like me who's always looking for the next book series to dive into. I truly look forward to the next book.
Review Rating : 4 stars
More Information
Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published date:November 28, 2016
Genre: Fantasy/ Young Adult
March 9, 2017
Okay. The first eight percent or so of the novel is up front world detail material. This means readers choosing a ‘look inside’ might not notice anything of the actual main content itself – so potential readers beware. I read absolutely none of it because it feels like a homework assignment. The real content starts much farther down – and using the ‘look inside’ you’ll barely get a taste of what the story is.
So, to be clear on the plot – this story follows one of two brothers in a remote village that gets sacked by barbarians. It’s well done – showing the thought process as the brother fights against an unending tide, tries to figure out clever ways to help his people, and eventually loses. To be even clearer, this is not a happy world where everything is sunshine. Because there’s… politics.
It’s set up pretty early that the power in the kingdom lies in the hand of an extremely old king. He’s not expected to live long, his son isn’t, and so on down the line. It’s also implied early that events will probably cascade out of control and create an absolute mess in kingdom while forces from outside lay siege. It’s almost classic – the kingdom is busy tearing itself apart under pressure. I won’t say how much comes true – but it’s an interesting read.
As far as magic – there doesn’t seem to be any. There are dwarves in the opening but they don’t show up until later in the book. The elves are alluded to but get no screen time. We’re dealing with a kingdom closer to Middle Earth without Gandalf or any of the other wizards (There were a bunch!). It’s an easy read – the setting is simple to plug into for anyone who’s read a ‘kingdom’ style story – but it’s part of a series. It’s hard to say how well it’ll turn out when there’s much more potential story out there.
I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
www.frustratedego.com
So, to be clear on the plot – this story follows one of two brothers in a remote village that gets sacked by barbarians. It’s well done – showing the thought process as the brother fights against an unending tide, tries to figure out clever ways to help his people, and eventually loses. To be even clearer, this is not a happy world where everything is sunshine. Because there’s… politics.
It’s set up pretty early that the power in the kingdom lies in the hand of an extremely old king. He’s not expected to live long, his son isn’t, and so on down the line. It’s also implied early that events will probably cascade out of control and create an absolute mess in kingdom while forces from outside lay siege. It’s almost classic – the kingdom is busy tearing itself apart under pressure. I won’t say how much comes true – but it’s an interesting read.
As far as magic – there doesn’t seem to be any. There are dwarves in the opening but they don’t show up until later in the book. The elves are alluded to but get no screen time. We’re dealing with a kingdom closer to Middle Earth without Gandalf or any of the other wizards (There were a bunch!). It’s an easy read – the setting is simple to plug into for anyone who’s read a ‘kingdom’ style story – but it’s part of a series. It’s hard to say how well it’ll turn out when there’s much more potential story out there.
I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
www.frustratedego.com
December 25, 2016
David Kummer's new book "Enden" was a fun fantasy. David writes very in-depth storylines with fun characters. His writing is thorough and true. His characters are true to the heart. I liked this book, but find his horror and thriller books to be more exciting and fun to read.
December 13, 2016
An entertaining read. No magic in this book, but the characters and plot make it one of the best fantasy novels out there. Well worth the money.
April 1, 2017
Enden is a young-adult fantasy adventure, with its protagonist, Jonathan, a farmer’s son from a remote settlement with a talent for archery. In the aftermath of a barbarian raid on his village, Jonathan attracts the attention of the king’s grandson.
It’s a tradition of the YA genre that the rebellious but otherwise unremarkable teen rises to prominence through luck and coincidence, and Jonathan certainly fits the bill. However, the character failed to gain my sympathy; Jonathan gave me the impression of an entitled pain in the rear for most of the book, more concerned with how everything affects him than anything else that’s going on around him. I do grant that this is a stereotypical teenaged attitude, but it switched me off the character, which is a bit of an issue with a protagonist. Ideally, even an anti-hero should have something that draws a reader in, even if only horrified fascination.
The other thing that made it difficult for me to really get into this book was plausibility. The populations are small enough that gossip about one boy picked up under odd circumstances by a prominent knight can spread fast and far, but there is enough of a population for an enemy army of 100,000 or more to be gathered, trained, and equipped, and not least, supplied as they travel across the kingdom fighting. Horses were able to travel at a gallop almost indefinitely. Items like that kept pulling me out of the story.
For me, this book had some undoubted strong points, not least the fact that the text was thoroughly and competently copy-edited, but the story as a whole didn’t enthrall me.
Reviewed for By Rite of Word.
It’s a tradition of the YA genre that the rebellious but otherwise unremarkable teen rises to prominence through luck and coincidence, and Jonathan certainly fits the bill. However, the character failed to gain my sympathy; Jonathan gave me the impression of an entitled pain in the rear for most of the book, more concerned with how everything affects him than anything else that’s going on around him. I do grant that this is a stereotypical teenaged attitude, but it switched me off the character, which is a bit of an issue with a protagonist. Ideally, even an anti-hero should have something that draws a reader in, even if only horrified fascination.
The other thing that made it difficult for me to really get into this book was plausibility. The populations are small enough that gossip about one boy picked up under odd circumstances by a prominent knight can spread fast and far, but there is enough of a population for an enemy army of 100,000 or more to be gathered, trained, and equipped, and not least, supplied as they travel across the kingdom fighting. Horses were able to travel at a gallop almost indefinitely. Items like that kept pulling me out of the story.
For me, this book had some undoubted strong points, not least the fact that the text was thoroughly and competently copy-edited, but the story as a whole didn’t enthrall me.
Reviewed for By Rite of Word.
March 17, 2017
If you like reading Dark Fantasy, then you will love this compelling story of Enden, a world of Lords and Kings, Dwarfs and Knights. In book 1 of this series, the dwarf-human nation of Ormdel, and the nations of Byrum, Oldon, and Kelorman all join forces in a war against the invasive Barbarians intent on destroying the villages and kingdoms in their path. The hero is a young man named Jonathan who is ripped from a normal peasant life and taken under the care of his mentor, Sir Richard, who transforms him into a valiant warrior.
I’m not a reader of Fantasy, but I found this story to be an exception. The characters are so realistic; and the fight scenes are vivid and well described as they try to end the evil that threatens life as they know it. I find Enden to be a well-written book created by a very talented author. I highly recommend this book as well as all of his books.
I’m not a reader of Fantasy, but I found this story to be an exception. The characters are so realistic; and the fight scenes are vivid and well described as they try to end the evil that threatens life as they know it. I find Enden to be a well-written book created by a very talented author. I highly recommend this book as well as all of his books.
January 1, 2017
Epic adventure
It's an interesting adventure about one young man who can change the world. Well, his word and his kingdom. The characters in this book are well developed, and yes, it's an epic novel, as it is long, but it is worth the read. Filled with knights and battles, and the search for tomorrow, this is a grand story. A good read to start off the new year.
It's an interesting adventure about one young man who can change the world. Well, his word and his kingdom. The characters in this book are well developed, and yes, it's an epic novel, as it is long, but it is worth the read. Filled with knights and battles, and the search for tomorrow, this is a grand story. A good read to start off the new year.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews