Fletcher was nothing more than a humble blacksmith's apprentice, when a chance encounter leads to the discovery that he has the ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, he must travel with his demon to the Vocans Academy, where the gifted are trained in the art of summoning.
The academy will put Fletcher through a gauntlet of gruelling lessons, training him as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire's war against the savage orcs. Rubbing shoulders with the children of the most powerful nobles in the land, Fletcher must tread carefully. The power hungry Forsyth twins lurk in the shadows, plotting to further their family's interests. Then there is Sylva, an elf who will do anything she can to forge an alliance between her people and Hominum, even if it means betraying her friends. Othello is the first ever dwarf at the academy, and his people have long been oppressed by Hominum's rulers, which provokes tension amongst those he studies alongside.
Fletcher will find himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with nothing but his demon Ignatius to help him. As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands ...
Eye-scratchingly traditional fare
The Novice was, I understand, a Wattpad phenomenon before it was picked up by Hachette. I guess I was expecting something different, then. Something new. Instead, I waded through a fantasy so generic it made me want to cry. Fletcher is (of course) an orphan outsider who by chance summons a demon (while reading a book, literally because 'why the hell not?'). Accused of a crime he didn't commit, he flees his backwater village and enrols in Summoning school. Fletcher must master his new abilities while navigating inter-class and -racial tensions. Meanwhile, an Orc war drags on...
I love fantasy, but I hunger for innovation. Here, its features were eye-scratchingly familiar. The plot is so heavily signposted that, despite the book's cliffhanger ending, I'm pretty sure I know what's going to happen next. Dwarves and elves etc are fine - but do something new and exciting with them, please.
Amy, 10/08/2015
