The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin

Welcome to the World of the Necromancer

I’m Gail Z. Martin, author of The Summoner.  I’d like to share an overview of the book, answer some frequently asked questions, and talk about the second book in the series, The Blood King, which comes out in January of 2008.  Go to my web site at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com on or after June 21 for a special sneak peek look at The Blood King!

Overview:

In The Summoner, the dwellers of The Winter Kingdoms live with the dead.  Ghosts walk freely, intervening for good and ill in the affairs of the living. A fragile truce stands between mortals and Those Who Walk the Night, the vayash moru.  Restless and raging spirits have had no solace since the death of the last great Summoner, and no one to reconcile grievances between the dead, the undead and the living.  Tris Drayke, the new Summoner, may die before he can come into his full power.  Fleeing for his life when his family is murdered, Tris is pursued by an evil mage and haunted by malicious ghosts. 

Three true friends flee with Tris when they witness the king’s murder.  Three new friends, an adventurer with a dark past, a healer with a tragic secret and a swordswoman with reasons of her own, join them on the journey.  Tris must outrun the usurper’s bounty hunters and find the sanctuary of a friendly court to raise an army and reclaim the throne.  His greatest danger may be his own untrained magic, which he must tame in order to avenge his family, quell the restless spirits, and defeat the reborn Obsidian King.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q:  What’s a necromancer?

A:  A necromancer is a wizard or magic user who can communicate or conjure the dead. 

Q:  Aren’t necromancers always evil?

A:  Any power can be used for good or abused for selfish ends.  Many books have chosen to make the necromancer the villain because of our mortal fear of death and our tendency to fear things that we don’t understand.  In the case of The Summoner, Tris Drayke, the main character, discovers that his rare magic can be a potent source for healing, balance and reconciliation.  In the world of The Summoner, people view death as another state of being--not an end.  The residents of Tris’ world believe in ghosts and often interact with them--if the spirit has the power on his/her own to become visible.  A Summoner steps in to help conflicted souls make the passage to the afterlife, finish up old business--such as saying goodbye, reconciling a grievance or seeking justice, or carry a message to the living.  Think of how many people wish they could have just one more conversation with a departed loved one.  In Tris’ world, with the help of a Summoner, you could.

Q:  How can there be rules about how magic is used?

A:  Why shouldn’t there be?  We place constraints on ourselves in the real world so that the less powerful aren’t completely at the mercy of those who are naturally stronger, faster or meaner.  Our laws are supposed to be blind to whether you are rich or poor, socially connected or unimportant.  We choose to place those constraints on ourselves because it promotes civilization.  Magic users without self-imposed constraints would be bullies and tyrants.  The evil ones reject those constraints that function for the common good.  Bad things happen when the constraints are ignored.  An ethical magic user will accept that just because he CAN do something doesn’t mean that he SHOULD or that it would be ethical. 

Q:  How does magic work in your world of The Summoner?

A:  There is a common misperception that magic has to involve something Satanic, such as selling one’s soul to the devil.  In the world of The Summoner, there is no devil, per se, so that’s not a possibility right off the bat.  I envision magic as a rare talent--like having perfect musical pitch, being a gifted athlete or being a mathematical genius.  Those gifts seem magical to me because I don’t possess them.  Yet they’re perfectly natural.  In Tris’ world, there are currents of natural energy that some people are born able to draw from.  Those people are magic users, and they have the inborn ability to draw from those natural currents of energy and use that energy to transform land, spirit, fire or water--the four primal elements.  So magic in Tris’ world is a natural—although relatively rare—ability.

Q. What’s coming in Book 2: The Blood King?

A.  It’s not giving too much away to say that the next book finishes the story, bringing Tris and Jared to a final confrontation.  We’ll tie up loose ends of unresolved situations—and maybe even relationships—that get started in The Summoner.  And some loose ends don’t get resolved until book 3--or longer!  Along the way, expect to learn a lot more about Carroway, Soterius and Carina, as well as some surprising insights into a few of the other characters.   

Q.  What’s on your web site?

A.  I view www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com  as a place for readers to connect with me and each other between books, and to linger a while in the world of the Winter Kingdoms.  I’ve got discussion forums, articles on aspects of the world, audio updates, event calendars to find me at signings and conventions, and lots of other cool stuff.  Please drop in!