'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title. VERDICT The appealing characters, fast-paced plot, focus on racial politics, and interesting demon varieties (demonology addendum included) make this an enjoyable read.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton Until I read the second one in the series, The Inquisition, which is, unbelievably, even. Fletcher's a sympathetic character whose impulsive behavior leads him to make understandable mistakes. Taran Matharu’s first book book in the Summoner series, The Novice, was the best book I’ve ever read.

Rowling's 'Harry Potter' (Scholastic) (the novel even has a nasty professor with a prejudice against commoners and other races) are unmistakable, but readers won't mind. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' books, Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' (Knopf), and J.K. Fletcher and his small group of allies also become involved in a plot that threatens all of Hominum. Their studies culminate in a year-end tournament that determines their student rankings and the opportunity for a senior military position. Dwarves are despised and treated as second-class citizens by many humans in Hominum. At the Academy, Fletcher, a commoner, endures scorn from the more skilled second-year students of noble birth, especially a pair of snobbish twin siblings, who are particularly cruel to Sylva, the elf chieftain's daughter, and the dwarf Othello. Trained mages are needed in Hominum's ongoing war with the orcs and in the armed truce against the elves.

Through a chance encounter with a mage, Fletcher finds himself attending an academy for battle mages. After Fletcher and Ignatius, his ferretlike demon, attack the local bully, Fletcher is forced to flee his village. Gr 7 Up-Fletcher, 15, an orphan raised by a blacksmith in the Hominum Empire's northern village of Pelt discovers he has the ability to summon demonic creatures in this exciting fantasy trilogy opener.

The Novice by Taran Matharu