Sunday, January 24, 2016

Matharu, Taran. The Novice. (Summoner Book One)

Matharu, Taran.  The Novice. (Summoner Book One)  Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2015  355p  $18.99  ISBN 978-1-250-06712-8      ms/hs  Fantasy    VG-BN      

The premise of mages who fight by summoning fearsome creatures from the ether is skillfully developed in this story of a young man and his friends who are learning to control their companion creatures while contending with opposition from all sides.  Although the protagonist seems almost to be the embodiment of a Chosen One trope, he is still a likable, relatable young man, and his friends are believable representations of their backgrounds; naturally, he falls in with the outcasts at battlemage school and with them becomes great.  Still, the writing is good and the story engaging, and the fact that the author admits he took inspiration from Pokemon and Digimon makes it that much more delightful to readers who have ever had an interest in either one of these things.  It is in no way a rip-off of either franchise.  Instead, it is reminiscent of Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera (which was also inspired by Pokemon but using the Roman legions instead of nebulous fantasy era), but geared for younger readers, and markedly less daunting as far as length.  It may not resonate well with adult readers, particularly those over the age of thirty, but it will undoubtedly please readers in and around its target age group.  The book ends on a cliffhanger that leaves many things in question.  Fortunately, the sequel already has a tentative publication date set.                    

Summary: The premise of mages who fight by summoning fearsome creatures from the ether is skillfully developed in this story of a young man and his friends who are learning to control their companion creatures while contending with opposition from all sides. 


Fantastical creatures-Fiction, Magic-Fiction                --Bethany Geleskie

No comments: