An Emerging Threat is the first book in the seekers burden series. It is fast paced fantasy but I wish it would have slowed down a bit. While the story is engaging it seems as if we are being introduced to a new people or idea on every other chapter rather than letting them develop fully. Still this is a promising start and I will be reading the next book.

If you like JRR Tolkien, Terry Brooks or George RR Martin, this book is for you! The first book written by this author shows he is off to a great start. Just as the authors above have created their own worlds so, has Mark Lein with his tale of Oliver and his quest to save his! You will flip through each page and be left craving more! My only regret is that we have to wait for the next book!

'An Emerging Threat' tells the story of two very different characters setting off on separate yet simultaneous journeys to find out what is responsible for the darkness that is threatening their world.

First off I found it really easy to get into this story, as Lein's writing style is very accessible. I sympathised easily with the characters, particularly Oliver whose story gets off to a rough start. The fantasy creatures were well written and believable and there was nothing that took me out of the story.

I did find it a bit on the short side and as a result didn't see the characters develop as much as I would have liked but this is a problem that will easily be solved by reading the next book when it comes along. Though there wasn't a lot of dialogue, the book was rich with descriptions which helped bring to life the fantasy world Lein has created.

Overall I found this to be an enjoyable fantasy adventure which would be suitable for older children/young teenagers and upwards. I would recommend to fans of high fantasy, epic fantasy & YA adventure books.

I received a copy of this book, and the next book in the series, from the author in exchange for reading and reviewing. I had no prior knowledge of or association with the author prior to being contacted through Goodreads with the offer to read and review in exchange for a copy of the book.
I loved this book. I was drawn in immediately and could not put it down. The characters are very well developed and easy to care about. The story is well plotted and the world building is great. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an intriguing well written story.
Now I'm off to read the next book in this series, "Path of Darkness (The Seeker's Burden #2)".

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the synopsis and thought it sounded like a good read. It was even better than good....it was great. It reminded me of The Hobbit a little bit in that there was a seemingly weak guy going on a reluctant journey. But that is where the comparison ends. The author isn't trying to create his own version of The Hobbit; they just happen to be about a quest. However, if you are a fan of Tolkein, then you will really like An Emerging Threat.

The story is really well written and Oliver & Ethan's worlds are easily visualized by the reader. There are some cool gizmos and really scary sounding monsters in the story. It was a fast read for me and I felt that it went by too fast! I wanted to read more but there wasn't any. Mark needs to get the next book to me ASAP! I must see what happens to Oliver and Ethan and their journey. I must see what evil is controlling these nasty beasts and find out what is going on.

I received this book from the author and from Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock.

This is an interesting book. Very well written and I love how descriptive the author is in creating his world. It was a little slow to start out with and it ended by making you think...really think about who came from where and what and how it was all happening. In this book you follow the new threat that is beginning to show itself onto this relatively peaceful planet. The author shows you two characters and shows how this has affected each of them and how they are dealing with it.

Overall it was a good book and while I like that it makes you think at the end I would also like to have some clear resolution as well that is why I am giving this a 3 out of 5 fangs.

An Emerging Threat tells a story of Oliver, a young scholar, and Ethan, the prince of Astar. When the Citadel that Oliver lives is destroyed by unknown creatures and everyone he knows is dead, the boy finds a map that belonged to his Master with a various riddles written on it. He decides to take a journey to the Shadowmyst Island and, with help of two very friendly goblins, he goes on an adventure of his life. Ethan on the other hand is constantly fighting against some very scary creatures that are dangerous to the entire kingdom.
This is the first book in a series so the author does a very good job of introducing the characters and the world to us. It brings some resemblance to the books of Tolkien with the quest and introducing an evil force somewhere in the world but the similarities end there. Mark E. Lein does a fantastic job of bringing his own vision of a magical world. I really liked the creatures called Ash, they are very mysterious and I hope in the next books will be more informations about them. And about the scary ones that want to murder the entire world!
I really am sad that this book was so short and I hope that the second installment will come out soon, because after ending like that, I can't wait to see what's next for Oliver and Ethan.

I received a copy from author in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed it and could not stop reading from beginning to end.I had not realized to the end of the book that this was part of series. Please in future could you include that a book is part of a series in your info.(on Goodreads)Although not many pages I highly recommend this book.

We took a chance on this book and the new Audibile narration by Matt Ryan. We enjoy YA fantasy fiction, and this work took no time getting started with intense action. Listening to the narration (which was only $2.99 with the purchase of the Kindle edition) as we read made the characters much more real and helped us follow the "back and forth" of the plot line. We are looking forward to volume 2

As the first part of Mark Lein's trilogy, this novel sets the reader up for future fast action and adventure almost Tolkien style, but in a much more accessible manner.
Seeker trainee, Oliver, and Royal prince Ethan undertake their journeys from quite different starting points. It's interesting to see how they develop through the story, rather than spill every thought and feeling through the narrative, Lein makes good use of dialogue to give insight to the characters whilst allowing the reader to draw some of their own conclusions about their respective mindsets. I would however have liked to know more about the characters of Morcant and Fell. I really enjoyed the scene describing how their relationship came about.
The story begins and continues with action throughout. The fight scenes are well executed, but severe losses are incurred which takes its toll on our heroes. Lein introduces us to amazing settings, creatures and machines that could be easily envisaged on the big screen. 
I didn't want this short book to end when it did, though I'm guaranteed to watch out for the next in the series.

In An Emerging Threat, we meet two men who try to find the source of the darkness spreading across the Islands, a fantasy realm. One of them is Oliver, a young scholar. When the citadel where he lives is destroyed by strange creatures, and everyone he knows dies during the attack, Oliver is an orphan in the truest sense of the word. He has no one to turn to, no one to guide him – nothing except a map left by his master. He goes on a journey, following the map’s route, wanting to find the creatures that destroyed his life.

On the other hand, we have Ethan, who is warrior, a prince of Astar. It’s responsibility that drives him to find the source of the darkness spreading across his world. He has a strong sense of justice, a sense for what he believes is right. While based on the plot one would think Oliver would be more sympathetic (as princes can be stuck up, and Oliver is all alone, which draws sympathy) it’s actually Ethan who comes across as the most sympathetic character, and ultimately, my favorite. It’s understandable though. Oliver is an academic, brave in his own way but not driven by justice as Ethan is. He’s also often sad about what happened – which is, of course, a natural reaction. Both characters are entertaining in their own way, and I enjoyed reading about both their struggles and journeys, but for some reason, Ethan’s story just appealed to me more. I think it’s the “quest for justice” thing, or just that his personality seemed more interesting.

The world building is okay. We only get a little of it, and I assume more will be revealed in later books. The character development was all right, and the plot moved swiftly, but because it’s a short read and the pace was so fast, the book was finished before I could start to really enjoy it.

So far, the book offers a promise for more interesting things to come, and it’s a good start to a new series. Recommended to fantasy fans. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed "An Emerging Threat" and I can't wait for the sequel. The book was easy to read and flowed exceptionally well. Although short, Lein painted a complete world with many areas I would love to explore more. The pacing was excellent, as action balanced with adventure. Lein's writing style reminded me of John Gregory Betancourt, Angus Wells and Adam Yoshida. I find, with my busy schedule, I shy away from thousand page epics with endless, ever growing sequels. "An Emerging Threat" is good fantasy one can get through in a reasonable amount of time. I thought the magic system was really cool and well thought out. This was money well spent.

Actual rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author, via Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts: Harry Potter, Narnia, Lord of the Rings all have one major thing in common. They all are based in a unique world created by the author that sucks readers in and makes you wish you could live there too. I desperately wished for a letter from Hogwarts. I wanted to find a way into Narnia. I actually never wanted to go on any of the journeys/quests in Lord of the Rings, but the point is they help facilitate the imagination.

An Emerging Threat does this in its own way. The author created a unique world that is introduced bit by bit, during a high-stress, ever-changing time. The slow introduction of the world, while keeping an action-packed, fast-paced story line going is a joy to read.

The main characters, Ethan and Oliver, are interesting in their differences. Ethan is the strong warrior that can take care of himself and wants to fight for what he believes is right. Oliver is the academic that simply wants to experience more of what the world outside of his home has to offer.

The way the story is told, jumps between Oliver point of view and Ethan's. This does highlight their differences, but also adds to the story. The reader isn't stuck with liking or hating one person on the same journey. You get to read about two completely different men, experiencing two totally different situations in a crumbling world.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed An Emerging Threat. It was short (71 pages on a Nook), but by no means a quick read. There is some formal language that may slow you down a bit (it slowed me down). I would definitely recommend An Emerging Threat and look forward to the next book.

I won a free copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway. All I was asked for was an honest review of the book.

Oliver is a young Seeker who is all alone. He meets up with some Goblins during his journey for answers. Ethan should be the future king of the Astar people but he choice a life of fighting and gave up his right. He now struggles with being an outcast.

This is a great start to this series. Mark Lein has done a great job with making the reader fall in love with the story and never being able to put in down.

Thanks to the author Mark E. Lein, I received this book in return for a review.

An Emerging Threat is his debut novel and, the first in the Seeker's Burden series. The author has an excellent writing style that holds your attention from beginning to end. The book is fast paced, with lots of action from the word go. The world in which the book is set is an interesting combination of science and magic.

The first book nicely sets the stage for the plot to unfold in the coming book of the series and, ends in such a way that you are left waiting for the next book. Though the book is short in length, lovers of Fantasy and YA genre will enjoy reading it.

I would have given this book more than 4 Stars but there are a few shortcomings.

SPOILER ALERT: The following review contains spoilers.

I feel that characters of the two main protagonists Oliver and Ethan could have been developed more.

We know that Ethan is not on good terms with his father but, we have no idea what his relationship is with his brothers or, what kind of a relationship he had with his mother. There is just one sentence in the entire book about Ethan's mother saying that she supported his decision to join the Oskara Arch-Knights and, that she died shortly after. Throughout the book Ethan never reminisces about his mother or, thinks about his brothers. In fact, Ethan's brothers appear no where in the entire book.

It is a similar case with Oliver. We have idea what kind of relationship he had with his father and there is absolutely no mention of his mother at all. I also found it odd that Oliver leaves the Sun Fire Citadel without even burying his father and his teacher Magnus.

I found the character of Oliver to be too weak for my liking for the protagonist of the story. I hope that he develops into a stronger person in the coming books.

Another drawback is that there is a lack of dialog in the book. This was most evident when Oliver sets off for Shadowmist island with the goblin brothers Farl and Skrit. During the course of their journey they rarely talk and, it left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. I had hoped that Oliver and the brothers would talk during their journey so that we would get to know more about them and also, gain insight into Oliver's past. As this doesn't happen we know nothing about Farl and Skrit apart from the fact that they are the sons of the Goblin king Bosgar .

I also felt that in some places the story seemed to move along too quickly.

I cannot believe this is a debut novel. An Emerging Threat is the first book in the Seeker's Burden series. The story contained two primary characters, Oliver and Ethan, a scholar and a prince. It is a very fast paced fantasy which keeps you locked into the story. A very easy read that kept my attention. I am really looking forward to reading more by Mark Lein.