The Summoner: Book One of the Chronicles of the Necromancer

by: Gail Z. Martin

Published by: Solaris

Reviewed by Jennifer Johnson

The Summoner is the start of a fantasy series that will keep you spellbound.

This book is nearly impossible to put down because it is filled with all the elements necessary for any good fantasy story: kings and kingdoms; princes and princesses; dark sorcerers and white magic; strange beasts, lands, and characters; spirits and battles; evil lurking and danger around everywhere; family strife and loyal friends; and, of course, love and loss. Gail Z. Martin does a wonderful job capturing your imagination and firmly holding on.

The story starts in Margolan where you meet our main character, Prince Martris (Tris) Drayke. When Tris’s father is killed and the kingdom is overcome by his own brother and an evil sorcerer, Tris and a few of his loyal friends set out on a journey to exact their revenge and restore Margolan. Along the way the group has many adventures, discovers new things about themselves, and make new allies–all while being lightly steered in the right direction by a powerful collective of white mages known as the Sisterhood. The pressure lies mostly on Tris who must in a short period of time learn to harness the immense power of the summoner handed down to him by his grandmother, the great sorceress Bava K’aa. Without his power and ability to reign over spirits, there is no hope for defeating the great evil overshadowing the world.

Gail Z. Martin has created engaging characters that you can understand, relate to, and either love or hate. The Summoner is easy to read and, as in depth and convoluted as the story gets, it is never hard to follow or understand. It truly is a book well worth reading if you appreciate fantasy literature. You will be counting down the days until the second book is published because the excitement and anticipation is unbearable!

Armchair Interviews says: If you love fantasy, this is for you.