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The Buried Symbol: A Discovery of Magic (Runes of Issalia Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Jeffrey L. Kohanek (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,544 ratings
See all formats and editions
Buried away for centuries, a forgotten magic lurks...waiting to return
"Loved the system of magic! Excellent coming of age story." - Amazon ★★★★★

They tell Unchosen, "Accept your fate and you'll be rewarded in the next life."
The threat of execution is their recourse.

Rejecting his role as an outcast, Brock risks his life and obtains a false rune, marking him a member of the Empire's ruling class. Under a veil of deception and backed by natural talent, he then schemes his way into a school where the Empire's future leaders are trained.
Can he maintain this charade?

Within an academy of magic, science, and combat, he discovers secrets kept from society, among which is a forbidden magic he is able to wield.
He is determined to tame his frightening new abilities. One misstep could destroy him.

A classic underdog story, perfect for fans of zero-to-hero fantasy adventures filled with magic, mystery, and monsters.
Download and embark on your quest today.
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    Runes of Issalia
  2. Print length
    334 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 27, 2019
  6. Reading age
    13 - 18 years
  7. File size
    2309 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must-read fantasy that reveals people at their best, worst and most vulnerable." -Tometender Book Blog ★★★★★
"A hidden gem amongst an array of great fantasy books."- Observant Raven Book Review ★★★★★
"Loved the system of magic! Excellent coming of age story." - Amazon ★★★★★

"Though there are similarities to other story lines like Harry Potter, this series put a unique spin on it. Can't wait to read the next book!" -Amazon ★★★★★

"I stayed up all night and couldn't put it down." -Amazon ★★★★★

From the Author

The idea behind the Runes of Issalia series began with a magic system that had been bouncing about my head for years. When I decided to write the story, I constructed the entire world around the magic system. Yet, it had to be a world with a long history, composed of key events that were impacted by said magic. I even created a map, marking cities, ruins, geography, and former kingdoms within it to give my world shape. From there, the Issalian Empire was born and the Ministry with it.

The government having an inordinate amount of control over citizens lives was important to the story I wished to tell, so the Ministry became a theocracy with church and state as one. Throughout history, when this happens, you'll find a cult-like mentality among its citizens because the rulers define the laws of everyday life as well as what is required to be rewarded in the afterlife. And hence, vocation runes were created...leaving Unchosen as outcasts and without a place within Empire society. I won't say more about the plot, other than the elements above are critical to the story and that things are not always what they seem.

While the magic system, the Empire, the Ministry, and the plot was the core of the story, it would be a hollow shell without characters to flesh it out. As a protagonist, I modeled Brock after myself. In fact, the scene where he gets carried away in The Quiet Woman Inn was based on something I have done. While he a rule bender, Brock does so with good intentions. The compassion and integrity he displays are real. I love an underdog and he is the classic example of one. His friends - and his girlfriend - all play key roles in the series, supporting him in the first book before gaining their own voice in following books.

I sincerely hope you enjoy The Buried Symbol, for it is Brock's story, much like the origin story of your favorite super hero. In The Emblem Throne, book 2 of the series, that story expands to a wider scope...one with world altering consequences. The series then culminates in An Empire in Runes, where a final battle takes place to decide the fate of mankind.

Best Wishes,
Jeff

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07N6JV95B
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fallbrandt Press; 5th edition (January 27, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 27, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2309 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 334 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,544 ratings

About the author

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Jeffrey L. Kohanek

Jeffrey L. Kohanek

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LA WEEKLY: ONE OF THE TOP 10 AUTHORS TO WATCH FOR IN 2023!

I love fantasy, adventure, and magic. More than that, I adore my readers.

My books are written to entertain -- fantasy adventures filled with compelling characters, spectacular magic, thrilling action, constant intrigue, and a sense of discovery. I equate them to the "Marvel Movie" version of fiction, intended to be a fun escape.

I would love to have you join me and my quirky characters for one outrageous adventure after another. With over two million published words to my name, my author journey has just begun.

Best wishes,

Jeff

_________________________________

Jeffrey L. Kohanek grew up in rural Minnesota where comic books sparked his young imagination, inspiring fantasies of heroes with super-powers saving the day. His tastes later evolved to fantasy epics featuring unlikely heroes overcoming impossible odds to save worlds born from the writer’s imagination.

Now residing in Las Vegas, Jeff uses that imagination to weave tales of engaging characters caught in fantastic plots to inspire young adults and the child within us all.

_________________________________

"Would you like FREE books and access to exclusive content? Join my author newsletter, which frequently includes special offers and inside info on my books.

Join at www.JeffreyLKohanek.com and download numerous free eBooks today." -Jeff

"I LOVE to hear from readers and fans. Connect with me through email or social media."

Email - author@JeffreyLKohanek.com

Facebook - /JeffreyLKohanek

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,544 global ratings
That coming of age and questioning the status quo ...
5 Stars
That coming of age and questioning the status quo ...
I totally enjoyed this introduction to wonderful adventure. Fantasy Fiction that makes you think & an author that never grew up. The results ... an astounding adventure nothing like Harry Potter; but so similar to that coming of age and questioning the status quo - with a little bit of superpower, magic and runes mixed in. It will leave you feeling invincible again
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Top reviews from the United States

Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-paced, intriguing, academy-style YA read that is highly entertaining!
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
The Buried Symbol is the first book in Kohanek's Runes of Issalia trilogy. It is a story about being the underdog, facing ostracism, forming friendships and, last but not least, enjoying some sweet puppy love!

Having previously read and enjoyed Kohanek's 2 Wizardoms series, I thought it a good idea to give his other books a go as well, and I'll just say, this one didn't disappoint! Sure, this is YA, and the scope of this story (at least, as of yet) is more straightforward than that of his Wizardoms series, but The Buried Symbol is no less complex in its own right.

Brock is down on his luck, trying to make a living and helping his father run their tannery. But when his aunt passes away, he eventually decides enough is enough, and he wants to make more of his life. He acquires a rune, masking himself as a chosen, and travels to Fallbrandt to enrol in an academy of chosen. Needless to say, this all doesn't happen without a few hiccups, and the school bully certainly doesn't take a liking to Brock, who stops him from having his way with a girl.

The characters in this story are fun and diverse, and they complement each other nicely. I really enjoyed how their friendships are portrayed, not in the least the one between Brock and Tipper. Then there's Brock's love life, which doesn't seem to pan out so well for him. Like any adolescent, he seems head over heels with any girl who looks in his direction, but he also brings his bad luck wherever he goes, and terrible fates tend to befall every woman entering his life.

The Buried Symbol is a fast-paced, intriguing, academy-style YA read that is highly entertaining. I may also point out that I listened to the audiobook narrated by Tim Campbell, and his performance was excellent. I really enjoyed this book!
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C. Au
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read despite a few flaws
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
I think this story is about a 3.5 for me but I rounded it up because I did like it quite a bit aside from some issues I'll list below.

The story starts off great with an unmarked (bad in this world) boy trying to save his aunt. Even though he's forced to steal the money, he has a high moral code and will only steal from really evil people. I enjoyed his exploits involved and liked his relationship with his best friend and liked that he was willing to go the extra mile for people he cared for.

The book begins to stall out once he leaves the city for his adventure. While there are two incidents of note, the rest of the journey is a snooze fest to wade through with only one description of a glowing ridge to give the world a unique flavor. The description of the so-called desert they cross was minimalistic and felt unrealistic when two boys who never left their town are able to follow a road in this desert but yet part of it is covered over in sand and there's a brewing sandstorm. I just wondered what kind of desert was this? Is the road on the edge of a desert, or is it like Arizona with a lot of low lying scrub to keep most of the soil in place or is it like the Sahara with sand dunes? And nothing aside from a dream happens in this section of the trip which makes it boring to read. The description of pines afterwards was equally bland. With no real tension - the boy isn't chased from town as they discover what he did before he left, he's not in any fear of discovery along the way - this part is hard to get through.

The great news is that once he reaches the school, it becomes an interesting story again. There's mystery about this past war that the ministry is covering up. There's a secret power to unlock. And there's a bully to thwart. We also get to learn more about this world and the society.

The slightly bad news is that all the characters are pretty one dimensional - the main characters are totally lovable and have no bad faults or weaknesses. The bad guy is so bad and not really all that effective in his role as a bad guy. There should have been a bit more shoving between the two besides secret sabotage. He's really underutilized. Our protagonist also doesn't seem to have any trouble blending into an elite culture that he shouldn't really know everything about. And he's amazing at most everything he does. He should make mistakes or be bad at some things or talk just different enough to feel at risk of being discovered at any time. I was expecting more of a deal about the changes he went through as people saw him with the mark vs without but he never commented on anything and there was only one incident where his friend was refused service. For such an important aspect of this society, I expected a lot more for our hero to go through than get a mark and basically fit right in and nothing seems different.

Also the innkeeper's daughter seemed too forward to me and there's no mention anywhere of birth control or even worrying about the consequences of sleeping together which feels very alien to me.

A funny observation - the author loves 100 - hundreds of feet to the river, hundreds of feet across, one hundred feet apart, a hundred feet apart, a hundred feet from, a hundred feet uphill, over a hundred feet away, and additional line posted every 100 feet. I felt like that was the only unit of measurement the main character knew.

There are several instances of missing words scattered throughout the story but they weren't often enough to detract from the story. The grammar was otherwise pretty sound and the writing flowed fairly well.

Overall, I enjoyed the story enough despite the weak middle that I will buy the next book.
3 people found this helpful
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Piotr Jantos
5.0 out of 5 stars A very positive surprise
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book was a very positive surprise. I bought it somewhat reluctantly, not being a big fan of so called young-adult genre. The first few pages made me worried, too. Though, as I allowed myself to get immersed in the plot all my worries disappeared.

The concept behind the story is quite cliche, but then, are there themes that aren't so? The main character, a youth in his mid-teens is fighting against his fate, which is not that plain and simple as he was told to believe so. Together with his best friend he starts a journey to eventually discover himself.

Sounds like a typical young-adult, right? The execution, though, is splendid. By no means characters are one-dimensional. Even though, they still offer a lot of space for further development they are not irritating or boring. They are sketched skillfully and allow the reader to simply like them (or dislike in the case of black characters.

The story is quick and steady. There are not too many paragraphs that I found boring or redundant.

If I were to say whom the book is for, I would have to admit that any person that is interested in light fantasy will find it to his liking. By no means it is a saga that might overwhelm with overly high number of characters, plots, sub-plots and the like. This book is easy to read and yet, it gives quite a lot of fun. A really good job by Mr. Kohanek.
14 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Marguerite Keleher
5.0 out of 5 stars Runes of Issalia Book 1
Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
A little juvenile at the start, but by the half way mark I was engrossed. Like all of Jeffrey's books I can't wait to read the second book.
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CSt
3.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly adequate.
Reviewed in Germany on August 30, 2017
Verified Purchase
I would probably rate this book higher if I hadn’t read the story several times before. Better.
I don’t look too closely at the books I read, but I had this pegged as YA after the first chapter and had the plot after the second. According to the excerpt at the end, I even had plot points from the next book in there as well.

It wasn’t really bad, but it was not good enough to read on.
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Charles
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in Australia on June 23, 2019
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This is a book that I can recommend to my teenage grandchildren - I like fantasy and science fiction with a low body count (but I think that it might get higher in the next episode)
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Gary Hoy
5.0 out of 5 stars An easy read, with a good story and characters.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book immensely, the fact that it is right up my street aside, it is one of the best and unique stories I have read in a while, my only niggle here is that for such a unique story, the book was far too short, so much so that it felt rushed or skipped in so many places. Aside from that though it's a wonderful fast paced story with a little bit of everything, I just hope for the next installment (which I will most definately be buying), I hope there is a serious step up in the amount of magic being used. Well done and thank you, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book. :D
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Unique spin on the magic school genre
Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2018
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This book has a lot of great elements, such as the disparity between Chosen and Unchosen, as well as the social dynamics within the Academy. I also have the box set for the full trilogy, and I will definitely be continuing the series.
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