The Novice by Taran Matharu
Book 1 of the Summoner series
Read by Dominic Thorburn
Genre: epic fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
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About The Novice:
When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.Source: Info in the About The Novice was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22297138-the-novice on 13/02/2017.
As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.
My Thoughts:
This book is a very slow start for me. I wanted to read this book because I like the premise. I also like the cover art, it entices me to read, however, once I start reading it I find myself needing breaks from it so I put it down and then pick it up again on a later date. Another contributing factor for this book being a slow start is reading about the bully. I just get so angry that I just have to have a break from it. If I was Fletcher, I would have shot Didric a long time ago... several times... However, once it got going it went relatively quick for me.
This is the first Dominic Thorburn book I've ever listened to and I like the way he reads. I specially like his interpretation of the Orc incantation!However, I don't know why he would give the Dwarves a Scottish accent though...
Ignatius quickly became my favouritest sidekick right from the start. He is the red Salamander with the arrowhead-tipped tail!
I like the story telling quality of this book. Although the genre is very congested with "coming of age" epic fantasies which is what this book is, the author still managed to stand out from the crowd. Kudos to Taran Matharu!
But here is the kicker, it ended with a huge cliffhanger which did not endear this series to me at all!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 2
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 3
Plot = 4
Narration = 4
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries
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Books In The Summoner Series
![Summoner 0.5: ORIGINS Summoner 0.5: ORIGINS](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435154436l/25256980.jpg)
![Summoner 0.6: A FINE WELCOME: OTHELLO'S JOURNEY Summoner 0.6: A FINE WELCOME: OTHELLO'S JOURNEY](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456692103l/29243642.jpg)
![Summoner 1: THE NOVICE Summoner 1: THE NOVICE](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EYW4C6USbfv_h3Io04IwNFe64rvBBD5pHRKTIMEDUkpV6f31D1aVkKOpkyN5sCC7iRfux10baTKiTuv-Xti98nT0M85N3r60hN_qDP01KgXVIK7IRDhoI_7Pc-hKpalez9iRvZMb7mHp/s400/Summoner-cov.jpg)
![Summoner 2: THE INQUISITION Summoner 2: THE INQUISITION](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446573037l/25689056.jpg)
![Summoner 3: THE BATTLEMAGE Summoner 3: THE BATTLEMAGE](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474294667l/31687423.jpg)
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Taran Matharu is a New York Times bestselling author. He was born in London in 1990 and found a passion for reading at a very early age. His love for stories developed into a desire to create his own during early adolescence, beginning his first book at 9 years old. |
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