A New YA Fantasy Series Worth a Quick Dive
I was introduced to the Summoner series in a time when I was craving to read and delve into a new world with very little time to spare. While the tagline "Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings meets Pokémon" really intrigued me, I feared it might turn out be an elaborate fanfic trying to fit in all the tropes. But in the end its epic and well thought out world trumped its small set of flaws and made way for a very interesting read.
Summoner is a Young Adult High Fantasy trilogy by 26-year-old newcomer Taran Matharu. The first two instalments of the series, The Novice and The Inquisition have already been published with the latter getting published earlier this year.
The story revolves around Fletcher, an orphan raised as a lowly blacksmith apprentice. Fletcher's story as a protagonist is something we're all too familiar with – orphan boy with good heart and bravery but no social standing suddenly finds latent abilities, goes off on an adventure, makes a trusty band of friends and becomes somebody heroic and important. But don't let this cliché dishearten you because like me you'd probably be busier with the fast paced plot and well-built world that surrounds our protagonist.
The plot gains momentum after Fletcher accidentally summons a demon, a feat only possible by the human nobles. This new discovery along with the local thugs hunting him down forces Fletcher to flee his northern isolated village and journey to the capital. Eventually he gets admitted to the Vocans Academy, a school for young Summoners to master their magic.
Vocans teaches Fletcher to control his demon Ignatius, a cute little Salamander. Don't be misled by the word "demon," they're not shadowy manifestations of evil sent from hell. Demons in this story are based on many mythical creatures like Golems and Griffins. The demon and the Summoner become part of each other's consciousness and hence the Summoner can control his demon in battle. It's much like Pokémon but minus the move screams and Pokéballs.
Along with the abilities and sciences of summoning, Fletcher learns at Vocans the prejudices of the noble, the evils of slavery of the Dwarves and most importantly the politics and conspiracies of the rich and powerful. And over all of this looms the war with the Orcs, a conflict so vicious it joined the warring races of Humans and Elves and put at halt the Dwarves' near civil war.
The Summoner books aren't just YA tropes glued to fantasy gibberish. It's a smart story with a complex plot and a compelling world. It is a wonderful mix of the humour and drama of YA and the politics, magic and fictional elements of a fantasy.
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