The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer, #1) in Goodreads Sci-Fi/Fantasy Authors

Jul 31, 2009 Andrew rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, action-adventure, epic, neof

First of all this book should be burned, I am a book lover, so I do not say that lightly.

The writing is bland, no emmotional high lights or sweeping prose, a 13 year could have written this book.
The plot which revolves around a young prince who is exiled cause his big brother killed the king, and them he has to start a rebelion, all the while tying to control his powers of the dead. You can see the plot coming from miles away, the story scream GENERIC, and there is no big battle of even decent c ...more

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Jun 04, 2007 James rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, edition-verified, read-and-reviewed, fantasy, sff-series-winter-kingdoms

[Note: This review was originally written in 2007.]

I opened to the title page of The Summoner, where the author had written in my copy, "Thank you for believing." I gave her comment only cursory thought at the time, but it only took the reading of a few pages before I began to believe in Martin’s well-developed fantasy world and in her ability to lead her readers through it with an enchanting grace that obscures the fact that this is her first published novel.

This epic fantasy quest begins with [Note: This review was originally written in 2007.]

I opened to the title page of The Summoner, where the author had written in my copy, "Thank you for believing." I gave her comment only cursory thought at the time, but it only took the reading of a few pages before I began to believe in Martin’s well-developed fantasy world and in her ability to lead her readers through it with an enchanting grace that obscures the fact that this is her first published novel.

This epic fantasy quest begins with a bloody and violent coup d'état on "Haunts", an evening of festivities when the line that separates the living from the dead blurs and ghosts walk freely among the living. The King of Margolan and his family are slain by order of the heir to the throne, Prince Jared, and the cruel and avaricious prince seizes power. After routing those loyal to the old king, King Jared is left with one small matter remaining: Jared’s younger half-brother, Prince Martris Drayke, has survived the coup and has escaped along with a handful of trusted friends.

"Tris" and his tiny band of followers prove to be elusive and, as the young prince begins discovering the true strength of his heritage, he learns that some of his greatest allies do not dwell in the lands of the living. Tris slowly gains the knowledge and control he will need in order to master the powers of a summoner -— a necromancer. He also learns difficult lessons in the laws, limits, and responsibilities that come with such potent magical power. Meanwhile, as he continues his mission to find a means to remove his half-brother from Margolan’s throne, Tris learns that Jared may not be his most dangerous foe. Another sorcerer of great power, one of the immortal vayash moru, is allied with the Margolan usurper and is setting in motion his plan to awaken and unleash the Obsidian King, thereby plunging the world into a reign of darkness. Tris finds that he must prepare for battles of both physical and magical nature. We learn, as do the young necromancer’s allies, that their fates are deeply intertwined and all will share together in triumph or defeat.

Although one might be tempted to describe a great deal of The Summoner as standard fantasy fare, such a generalization would be a misstatement and an injustice. Martin’s work easily rises above the standard due to the care she has taken in presenting the interaction between the living, the dead, and the undead. The background and detail evident in several of these encounters suggest that they could be easily expanded into novels or novellas and, perhaps, a prequel will appear someday. For now, however, we can be thankful for this breath of new life Martin has summoned into the fantasy genre. After the first few pages, I thought the author’s greatest strengths were a knack for character development and the creation of splendid settings. I was wrong. As I progressed through the tale, I soon found myself adding to my initial list of the author’s skills, admitting gladly that Martin’s command of foreshadowing, suspense, and intricate plot development are also noteworthy. The world, the characters that populate it, the social structures, and the laws of magic are all well conceived and skillfully presented by the author. The Summoner is the first volume of what Martin calls "The Chronicles of the Necromancer" and will be continued in The Blood King, due for release in January 2008. If The Summoner is indicative of what adventures lie ahead in this series, Gail Z. Martin is certain to keep her readers entranced from page one to the finale. ...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Blodeuedd Finland rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Another good fantasy book, but then I knew that from the start. It was the kind that I enjoy, a good adventure, friends on the run and wicked bad guys.

I do like this kind of fantasy where the young man (or woman) is on the run or something like that. He dodges bad guys and tries to come to terms with his power. And there are always a good set of side characters. I can't say who my favorite here is cos they all have different things to offer, but I do think I want more of the young captain of the ...more

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May 21, 2009 Writtenwyrdd rated it liked it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, wiccan-pagan-witch

Decent read, the prose has a bunch of "As you know, Bob" telling in it, and there are a few overlong and distracting info dumps in the narrative, but overall a solid read. It is rather predictable, having the standard sorts of things for a good-vs-evil epic fantasy tale; but that is part of its charm, even though some folks on Amazon complained that made it predictable. (Duh. Epic fantasy = standard sort of tropes.) Epic fantasy is what it is.

I will agree with some of the haters that this book ...more

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Mar 03, 2008 Tracy rated it liked it

Shelves: read-and-liked-it

Fantasy readers craving a good quest with an interesting cast of characters will find page-turning fun in Gail Z. Martin's The Summoner. The hero of the story is the Prince of Marjolan, Martris Drayke, a second son of the king content not to inherit his father's throne. But Martris, who goes by the short name Tris, lives in fear of his elder half brother Jared, who is a wholly reprehensible person. A violent womanizer and abuser of people in general, Jared unleashes a vicious coup at the opening ...more

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