The Last Summoner

by Nina Munteanu

Every Choice Has Its Price...

…Vivianne Schoen, the young Baroness von Grunwald, makes the startling discovery that she can alter history—but not before she is branded a witch and must flee through a time-space tear. Now in an alternate present day France ruled by Teutonic Black Knights in a fascist regime, she must decide how to remake history before she is captured by the devil himself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

406 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2012

About the author

Nina Munteanu is a Canadian ecologist and SF, fantasy and eco-fiction writer. She has published eight novels and a dozen award-winning short stories translated into several languages. Her novels are mostly eco-fiction and thrillers that explore humanity's tense co-evolution with technology and Nature.

Nina is also editor of several publishing houses and ezines. She teaches writing at the University of Toronto and George Brown College. Her three textbooks "The Fiction Writer", "The Journal Writer" and "The Ecology of Story" are used in colleges, universities, and writing institutions throughout the world. Her latest non-fiction book "Water Is..." explores the many identities of water (www.TheMeaningOfWater.com). Find more on Nina and her work at www.ninamunteanu.ca.

The books that appear on my bookshelf are all books I recommend. You will not find a book on my shelf or a book review from me that is not a recommended book; if I don't like it, it won't be here.

Reviews

[Kevin Albin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous and wonderful story! Not my normal read but Nina and I agreed to read each other's books. Right from the beginning of The Last Summoner, I was transported into this other world and lost all sense of time and place. Tremendously descriptive and clearly with heaps of research that has created a fine tale that keeps you turning pages. As with all great stories, I feel a sense of emptiness now that I have finished reading it. I go in search of more from Nina Munteanu!

[A.A. Jankiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a copy of The Last Summoner after having heard about it from the author at Limestone Genre Expo. The book trails Vivianne Schoen the young Baroness von Grunwald who discovers she has the unique ability to alter history and that she is part of a group of beings called Summoners. The plot follows this journey of discovery leading her to a very dark future in which the Germanic forces won the battle of Grunwald in 1410.
Much like François in the novel, I have always done my best not to become attached to a plot or characters, aware of the inevitable curtain call at the end. Despite this, I could not help but truly immerse myself in this story of time travel, alternate histories, romance, and adventure. It tackled some of the harder to ask questions like is immortality really worth it and presented it in a raw and true fashion. As sad as I was to reach the final pages, the ending was satisfying and as such didn’t leave me with a sense of incompletion.
I highly recommend this novel to fans of science fiction, portal fantasy, alternate histories and the like. I think there’s something of value in these pages which needs to be read and you will not be left disappointed.

[Costi Gurgu · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those in love with science fiction at its best, “The Last Summoner” it’s a complex story of ignored responsibilities and their dire consequences, of love and betrayal that span centuries and multiple worlds. Time travel, multiverse travel, immortality, alternate history in which the Nazis have won, not in the twentieth century but way earlier, in the Teutonic age. Angels and mutants, utopias and dystopias, even a Tesla occurrence, everything a science fiction reader could ever desire in a book. A masterfully told compelling story with great characters. Nina moves flawlessly from a medieval story to a modern one and everything in between.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...a master of metaphor"--Craig Bowlsby, author of Commander's Log

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I thought it was pretty awesome. Had a bit of a dislike for structure but that's a personal thing.

[Claudiu Murgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting writing in which both characters and plot are well defined. A must read!