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The Novice

by Taran Matharu

Published by Hodder, 2015

  • Coming-of-age
  • Fantasy

About this book

Fletcher was found as a baby and taken in by the village blacksmith. His life has revolved around learning how to become a blacksmith and selling iron work in the market. A stranger arrives in the village and brings with him an unusual book. Fletcher is intrigued by the book and from it he learns that he has the ability to summon demons, a skill which may help to save the empire of which his village is a small part. Rather than the discovery of his abilities making his life easier problems ensue almost immediately and Fletcher is forced to leave the village he has called home and seek out people who can help him enhance his talents.

Taran Matharu has brought a fascinating world to life. Those with the gift can call demons from another plane to bond with and serve them. Elves, gnomes and humans who have been fighting now need to join forces to fight the Orc army who are threatening their way of life. Creating a new world is never easy but the author's use of Wattpad to allow readers to engage with the text and advise has certainly enhanced the writing of this novel.

If you enjoyed Eragon by Christopher Paolini or you are a fan of The Hobbit then this is the book for you.

About the author

Taran was born in London in 1990 and found a passion for reading at a very early age. His love for stories developed into a desire to create his own, writing his first book at nine years old. Straight after graduating with a first-class degree in business administration, Taran was keen to explore a new avenue and get inside the publishing world, landing an internship in digital sales at Penguin Random House, from June to September 2013.

At 22, while taking time off to travel, Taran began to write The Summoner series as part of NaNoWriMo 2013. After posting the story on Wattpad.com, it received over 3 million reads in less than six months. After this was featured by NBC News, Taran decided to launch his professional writing career, and has never looked back.

Taran was the BookTrust Writer in Residence in 2017/18.  

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