The Summoner - Book One in the Chronicles of the Necromancer
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Synopsis
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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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I bought this book, like many others, on the strength of its blurb and the fact the cover was beautifully done and catches the eye. I was pretty disappointed by the actual content. There is virtually no character build up, so that they appear shallow and lacking personality. There are also questions about why the hell some of them are there in the first place... Harrtuck and Carroway, take a bow.
The plot is unoriginal as already said, but the fact the 'hero' is a Necromancer is a nice idea. Necromancer's usually appear only on the 'dark side' and to have one on the side of good would have been interesting... if it wasn't so boring. How can you take an idea like that and manage to make it boring?! Its a wonderful achievement on the part of the author.
The plot is poorly constructed, the coincidences that spatter the pages are embarrassing at best and the cliche's that seem to bind this book together just made me want to cringe.
All that being said, I read the whole thing. It may seem strange to slate a book like I just did, but to be honest I found it strangely compelling. Whether its clever writing (which i highly doubt), the urge to seek something mildly original among the pages, the desire to see if Harrtuck and Carroway have a purpose other than to flesh out the fight scenes, or the hope that Gail Z Martin may, somehow, manage to rescue the most boring necromancer ever to grace a book, i really don't know.
The plot is unoriginal as already said, but the fact the 'hero' is a Necromancer is a nice idea. Necromancer's usually appear only on the 'dark side' and to have one on the side of good would have been interesting... if it wasn't so boring. How can you take an idea like that and manage to make it boring?! Its a wonderful achievement on the part of the author.
The plot is poorly constructed, the coincidences that spatter the pages are embarrassing at best and the cliche's that seem to bind this book together just made me want to cringe.
All that being said, I read the whole thing. It may seem strange to slate a book like I just did, but to be honest I found it strangely compelling. Whether its clever writing (which i highly doubt), the urge to seek something mildly original among the pages, the desire to see if Harrtuck and Carroway have a purpose other than to flesh out the fight scenes, or the hope that Gail Z Martin may, somehow, manage to rescue the most boring necromancer ever to grace a book, i really don't know.
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book left me frustrated with my own inability to finish it. Neither the characters, plot or style even pretend originality. The sole saving grace was to be the idea that the main character was a necromancer, and the only feature that saved this plot from total overdone banality. However, this is only the first time a necromancer has appeared as the protagonist in heroic fantasy (that I have read), but they have cropped up more and more frequently in other fantasy genres, courtesy of Anita Blake and others. I would not rank this combination as successful here, though perhaps it might have the potential to be in more skilled hands. Suggesting that Martin is in any way similar to Gemmell is laughable as none of the characters in The Summoner have the depth of a puddle compared constructs such as Druss. I bought this book on the strength of such reviews but what I got was a poor copy of authors I love, and a story that can only be described as boring.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I got both this book and the second one in the series (The Blood King) from the library together after reading an excerpt in the back of another fantasy novel I was reading. What was actually the start of an interesting fantasy tale was spoiled for me by the trite writing style and, well, some of the dialogue I just couldn't take seriously. I don't know if I've been spoilt by reading the likes of Steven Erikson and Jacqueline Carey but this really put me off. I did finish the book (and the second) as it would have to have been terrible for me not to bother but I certainly won't be bothering buying the series (I only buy books I have read and wish to read again and again).
I will say that it was nice to read about a necromancer who is on the side of "good" for once, given that most fantasy necromancers tend to be portrayed as "evil". I did think the writing/dialogue got a little better in the second book so I may borrow the third to see how the story goes.
If you like your fantasies sophisticated then this novel is not for you.
I will say that it was nice to read about a necromancer who is on the side of "good" for once, given that most fantasy necromancers tend to be portrayed as "evil". I did think the writing/dialogue got a little better in the second book so I may borrow the third to see how the story goes.
If you like your fantasies sophisticated then this novel is not for you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Traditional Fantasy
Good and evil, light and dark, a dark-one imprisoned but on the verge of escape. Regicide. Kings and princes, nobles and peasants. A healer with a pouch of herbs. A trainee mage. Read more
Published 2 months ago by bobstr
The summoner
This is a replacement as pages fell out of previous copy. love this book. would recommend, to anyone who loves syfy and fantasy
Published 4 months ago by Leanne
A terrible example of overwriting and dull plot
I'm going to start by giving no illusions as to what I thought of this book: it was awful. The main problem with Gail Z. Martin's first novel is that the writing is terrible. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Leo Elijah Cristea
The Summoner - Gail Z. Martin
I think I might have rated this book a little more highly if I hadn't read so many examples of near perfect fantasy so recently. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Gordon
Unfortunate mix of fantasy and romance
A promising start to a fantasy series. Unfortunately, the characters lack individuality and the different points of view all appear samey. Read more
Published 15 months ago by S. Mogensen
Fine if you're not looking to read 'outside the box'.
I bought this for the Kindle after receiving it for Christmas and reading the books sample.
As other reviewers have pointed out there's nothing that makes this book... Read more
As other reviewers have pointed out there's nothing that makes this book... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Ms. Emily Watson
Fast paced and fun to read
I have bought this book a bit on a whim and I admit, I couldn't put it down. I am a big fan of Trudi Canavan's writing and was looking for something to fill the gap after I... Read more
Published 18 months ago by M. Waller
Pleasant surprise
I wasn't quite sure whether to get this book having seen such a range of reviews but I thought I would give it a go as it sounded interesting. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by N. Fallon
Brilliant!
I was told to read this book by my cousin and im glad i listened! Its such a good read, and easy to pick up. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by E. Bolland
a damn good read
I enjoyed this tremendously , having finished all of the Trudi Canavan books , all of Feist and so many more , was looking for something new and this certainly filled that... Read more
Published on 6 July 2009 by life student
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