fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsbook review Gail Z. Martin The Summoner The Chronicles of the NecromancerThe Summoner by Gail Z. Martin

The Summoner is the first book that I have read by Gail Martin, but I was happily impressed with this first installment of The Chronicles of the Necromancer. I didn’t love it, and there seemed to be some rough patches throughout the book, but on the whole it was interesting.

Central to this story is a lust for power and what happens as a result. The main character, Martris “Tris” Drayke, is not very unique, but he’s interesting and is well developed enough to be worth following. I also liked the fact that Martin was not afraid to let him deal with consequences of trying to be a hero. Too often I have found authors who allow their characters to simply skate through mistake after mistake without any lasting harm.

The Summoner deals with a prince on the run from his power-hungry brother and his flight towards the only safe haven he knows. Along the way he begins to develop powers that allow him to interact with the spirits of the dead. This is not treated as being an evil gift, which is different from many other series where interaction with the dead is always linked with evil.

While fleeing for his life, Tris gathers a group of supporting characters of various skills and talents around him. Some of these characters get a little development, but for the most part they remain fairly cardboard. It’s not enough to really detract from the story, but it’s something that I hope will improve in the next book.

Ok, so why read this?  It’s fairly fun, has a little humor, a little romance, and some danger and tension. Not enough? Well, I found Martin’s willingness to let her characters get knocked around to be an indicator of her attempt to make the story gritty and avoid too much candy-coating. Things are not always easy for our hero and he often pays a price for what he wants to do. For me that was a refreshing change of pace, and coupled with the above-mentioned themes, was enough to make The Summoner worth reading.

Don’t drop what you are reading to pick this up, but add The Summoner to your list of things to read in the future.

The Chronicles of the Necromancer — (2007-2010) Publisher: The comfortable world of Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, is shattered when his older half-brother, Jared, and Jared’s dark mage, Foor Arontala, kill the king and seize the throne. Tris is the only surviving member of the royal family aside from Jared the traitor. Tris flees with three friends: Soterius, captain of the guard; Carroway, the court’s master bard; and Harrtuck, a member of the royal guard. Tris harbors a deep secret. In a land where spirits walk openly and influence the affairs of the living, he suspects he may be the mage heir to the power of his grandmother, Bava K’aa, once the greatest sorceress of her age. Such magic would make Tris a Summoner, the rarest of magic gifts, capable of arbitrating between the living and the dead.

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The Fallen Kings Cycle — (2011-2012) Set in the world of The Chronicles of the Necromancer. Publisher: Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this great threat, gathering an army from a country ravaged by civil war. Tris seeks new allies from among the living — and the dead — as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle. Meanwhile, the legendary Dread are stirring in their burrows after millennia of silence and no one knows what hand wakes them and whom they will serve when they rise. Now, Drayke turns to the Sworn, a nomadic clan of warriors bound to protect the Dread. But even the mighty Sworn do not know what will happen when the Dread awake. All are certain, though, that war is coming to the Winter Kingdoms. THE SWORN is the beginning of a new adventure set in the world of The Chronicles of the Necromancer.

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  • John Hulet

    JOHN HULET is a member of the Utah Army National Guard. John’s experiences have often left a great void that has been filled by countless hours spent between the pages of a book lost in the words and images of the authors he admires. During a 12 month tour of Iraq, he spent well over $1000 on books and found sanity in the process. John lives in Utah and works slavishly to prepare soldiers to serve their country with the honor and distinction that Sturm Brightblade or Arithon s’Ffalenn would be proud of. John retired from FanLit in March 2015 after being with us for nearly 8 years. We still hear from him every once in a while.