The Novice
Book 1
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4.2 • 6 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
ONE BOY'S POWER TO SUMMON DEMONS WILL CHANGE THE FATE OF AN EMPIRE ...
Demons, magic and epic adventure - introducing the first book in the New York Times bestselling Summoner Trilogy...
Fletcher was nothing more than a humble blacksmith's apprentice, when a chance encounter leads to the discovery that he has the ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, he must travel with his demon to the Vocans Academy, where the gifted are trained in the art of summoning.
The academy will put Fletcher through a gauntlet of gruelling lessons, training him as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire's war against the savage orcs. Rubbing shoulders with the children of the most powerful nobles in the land, Fletcher must tread carefully. The power hungry Forsyth twins lurk in the shadows, plotting to further their family's interests. Then there is Sylva, an elf who will do anything she can to forge an alliance between her people and Hominum, even if it means betraying her friends. Othello is the first ever dwarf at the academy, and his people have long been oppressed by Hominum's rulers, which provokes tension amongst those he studies alongside.
Fletcher will find himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with nothing but his demon Ignatius to help him. As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands ...
BONUS MATERIAL: Find out more about Demons in an illustrated DEMONOLOGY - exclusive to this paperback edition.
'Friendship, loyalty, magic and political intrigue beckon ...' The Bookseller
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this first installment of the Summoner trilogy (originally posted on Wattpad), a young man discovers he has the ability to summon and control demons. Fletcher, a blacksmith's apprentice, finds himself in possession of a book that allows him to conjure a rare Salamander demon. Shortly thereafter, he is forced to flee his village, but a lucky chain of events takes him to Vocans Academy, where he is to train as an imperial battlemage. Fletcher is tested to his limits, bullied by the noble students, and subjected to constant scrutiny by the teachers, but he also makes new allies among the less-privileged students, including representatives from the dwarves and elves. Matharu's fiction debut is a solid offering, albeit one that features an odd mishmash of cultural influences twin dwarven brothers are named Atilla and Othello, Fletcher's blacksmith mentor presents him with a khopesh, and law enforcement agents are called Pinkertons. The story itself is strong, but it suffers from uneven pacing and an abrupt ending. Ages 12 up.
