The Outcast

The Story begins very much like the first book The Novice in how our protagonist stumbles upon his new ability. It does a good job in expanding upon some of the backstory throughout the trilogy. Given its stand-alone nature the story is pretty solid in the beginning and most of the end. There is a part concerning a baby, not Fletcher, that the author in attempting to tie in way too much makes the story a bit ridiculous and completely pulled me out of it. Once through this section though the story became entertaining once more.Overall the series is good and will likely be enjoyable through a couple reads. A reader should know though that if you only buy the first book or the second book you're going to get two books with Cliffhangers that are rather annoying and only there to make you buy the next book. In my opinion this could have been a prequel to a 2 book series. The first book could have ended differently completing the plot arc while not having a completely smack in the face ending. The second two books of the trilogy are pretty much one solid story split at the perfect point for another smack in the face Cliffhanger ending.As good as the writing is there is also a bit too much perfection in the circumstances of our protagonist. There's just way too much happenstance that ties in events characters and solutions. It makes the reader aware of the author's presence.

This is the real beginning of the The Summoner series. I loved going back and reading how it all it began...and it starts with Arcturus who inadvertently summons a demon. Sound familiar? Well, this is the secret that the king and his court have been trying to keep secret...the secret that actually exploded with Fletcher in the Inquisition. No spoilers here. However, I do recommend that the you read the Summoner series first and then The Outcast.What I loved the most about Outcast was learning more about Arcturus... learning his history, discovering his strengths and weakness, the doubts, questions, his sense of survival and the mind battles he had within himself. Yes, we get to meet some of the “future old characters” in the series. We meet a very young Elaine Lovett, Othello’s father and other dwarves and Fletcher’s real parents.What more is there to say? The world was already built, the “new” old characters developed on their own and the story telling is fast paced and unfolds almost effortlessly with each turning page. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy the adventure...and I did.

The pace is always lightening quick in this series and this book is no exception. The character development and plot move at an even pace and provide only the occasional misdirection to keep things flowing yet interesting. The characters and chapters move from one dramatic situation to the next in a way that never provides a good stopping point and requires the reader to continue on never putting the book down. The authors dependence on deus ex machina can sometimes become weary, but the quick pacing doesn't let the reader focus on any particular irritation. I am hoping there is more coming from the author in the form of prequels or sequels. Lastly, if you are a fan of cover art, the dusk jacket is artistic enough to make you want to frame it. Good luck and God bless!

Set a generation before the events of the original Summoner trilogy, by the same author Taran Matharu, this volume chronicles the challenges that face a commoner who is gifted with talent, insight and deep loyalty. Themes of classism, racism and despotism, which are strong enough in the trilogy, come under a more acute analysis here. I believe this book can launch much needed discussions among young readers on those topics and on the topic of friendship, generosity and self-sacrifice for the common good.

Can’t speak much on the book itself. Got it for my son. And as of now he cannot read the first 4 chapters since they have been replaced with “The David Story” by Robert Alter. No clue how this would have happened. Amazon said they are sending a replacement and we should have it tomorrow evening. But a book about David and Saul instead of a book about summoning demons made me laugh quite a bit.

I really enjoyed this book, that is why I gave it 5 stars. Taran Matharu has a great talent for storytelling. His characters come to life from the moment they are introduced. He also has the ability to keep you wanting to turn the next page, he allows you to let your imagination go and really absorb the situation and therefore connect to the story. Very well done.

Outcast was a fun read and had errors throughout. It was interesting to read about a developed characters beginnings. I enjoyed the overall plot and look forward to the next book.

Phenomenal piece of work here. The writing is absolutely amazing, and that goes for the rest of the series as well, of course. The only thing I would add is more books, because it is truly hard to put these books down.

I’ve fallen in love with these books and you all need to read them! The Outcast is a prequel but I am glad I read the trilogy first.As I’ve already said I loved this book! It was great to be back in this world and get to see some of the adult characters in the trilogy as teenagers. Like the trilogy the book is fast paced and totally engrossing. I loved the world building, the friendships and the fierce female characters that we get to see.At the beginning of the story we see the main character Arcturus, who is a commoner, accidently summon a demon and discovering that he is a summoner, which until then is only an ability that nobles have. Because of his ability the king decides to send him Vocans academy to train him as a summoner.Arcturus is kind and brave and I loved reading this book from his point of view. His demon, Sacharissa is one of my favourite characters! She’s loyal and protective of Arcturus and goes above and beyond to help and protect him. She is absolutely adorable! I loved the relationship between her and Arcturus.This book deals with the social divide in society where the wealthy (nobles) think they are superior to the commoners. We do get to see that not all nobles are like this and Alice and Elaine are definitely my favourites! Elaine especially is probably one of my favourite characters throughout all the books. I loved how protective Arcturus was over Elaine but we also got to see that she is strong and brave and can take care of herself.As I said before one of the main themes throughout these books is friendship and The Outcast was no exception. It was the love of their friends that spurred the characters on to keep fighting to not give up. There isn’t much emphasis on couples and I loved that about these books. We see glimpses of it but the platonic friendships are much more emphasised.

If you liked Fletcher then you will like the young Acturus and this book. A nice story, not mind blowing but sometimes good is enough.

fast and reliable

I have read all of this series and fully enjoyed them. A brilliant read and I am looking forward to the next series.

Taran Matharu has done it again - a fantastic read. I found the first 3 unputdownable. The sheer pace with which they rattled along was dizzying. This is a worthy prequel - the same great blend of magic, fantasy, political intrigue and adventure. It's not for the squeamish - it doesn't pull its punches on the horrors of battle - but thankfully, neither does it dwell on them gratuitously. Most of the characters are 3-dimensional and very believable; while there are some almost comically odious characters, that's probably not too far off life. I particularly like that the protagonist faces decisions where there isn't always a clear right choice and that events that befall him are never predictable.