The outcast

Summoner: The Outcast is a prequel to Matharu’s Summoner series. It follows Arcturus, a commoner working as a stablehand at a tavern. One night Arcturus decides to investigate a rude noble boy’s pack, planning to rob him and flee for better living conditions. Finding a roll of leather with odd

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writing on it, Arcturus reads the seeming gibberish aloud. And summons a wolf demon. He then promptly gets knocked out by the noble who had been returning to collect something.
When it is revealed that it was actually Arcturus who summoned the demon, something supposedly impossible for a commoner, he is whisked away to Vocans, the seat of Summoner training. Here, Arcturus learns the truth of his heritage, and here he begins to make friends and gain confidence. And here is where he nearly dies, as elements unhappy with a commoner among the Summoner ranks decide to effect their own change.

That's not all, either. The countryside is brewing with discontent over the King’s greed, and rebellion is in the air. When a trip to one of his noble friend’s country estates for a brief vacation ends with the group split, and trapped in the jungles the neighboring orc tribes call home, Arcturus and his friends must do every they can to reach Vocans again, and hope it's still standing once they arrive. Can they manage to thwart the rebellion before it's too late?

Confession time- I have all the Summoner books and haven't read them yet. They've been patiently waiting their turn on my massive TBR mountain. So, I decided to start with the prequel, and I loved it! This definitely has a feel similar to Stroud's Bartimaeus books, or Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Demons here are more like the daemons of Pullman, though initially summoned and bound in a fashion akin to Stroud's works. The demons are animal-like and clearly intelligent. Summoners can 'infuse’ their demons, taking the demon essence within their own body.

I really liked Arcturus as a main character. He has a good moral compass, and a good head on his shoulders. You can definitely see him grow and evolve from start to finish. Elaine, the youngest noble at Vocans, was too cute with her tiny Mite demon. I think my favourite characters were the soldiers they end up with, though. First Caulder, and Rotheram, and later Percival. These were people Arcturus understood better than the nobles, and I felt they had well-drawn personalities.

Themes of classism and racism make the backbone of the story, with several of the nobles irate over the inclusion of Arcturus at Vocans. They see it as defiling something only the nobility can do, though after the explainer we get towards how the summoner’s gift is passed along, it seems like someone else would have long ago suspected people like Arcturus exist.

The race elements are literal, with humans looking down on dwarves. This is only increased when Ulfr thinks Harold used and betrayed him. There's a lesson of how difficult change actually is. Even though Harold thought he'd won, and resolved things well, he learns it's all been a sham. I'd love to see more of this story, with these characters. And I definitely hope to read the other Summoner books soon!!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan/Feiwel & Friends for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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