The Novice

By: Taran Matharu

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

He can summon demons. But can he win a war?

Fletcher is working as a blacksmith's apprentice when he discovers he has the rare ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must travel with his demon, Ignatius, to an academy for adepts, where the gifted are taught the art of summoning.

Along with nobles and commoners, Fletcher endures grueling lessons that will prepare him to serve as a Battlemage in the Empire's war against the savage Orcs. But sinister forces infect new friendships and rivalries grow. With no one but Ignatius by his side, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of the Empire is in his hands.

©2015 Taran Matharu (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Very predictable, good narration

Any additional comments?

The positives = good story, some interesting magic tweaks, interesting characters. The bad = very predictable story, rushed ending, poor ending, character growth not consistent. I did binge listen to the story, which does highlight some things. The beginning is interesting and engaging. The fight scenes are not well done, I never got a feel for things. The ending was complete marketing, and poorly done. The narration does help this book though, and I think I will be searching for more of Ralph's work.

I don't think I will be getting the second in the series, unless I am looking for a time waster book + a spare credit.

The story equivalent of lukewarm milk

The Novice begins with an interesting concept, and proceeds to bludgeon it to death with stereotypes and contrived racism.

If you like books where all the characters are shallow, all the bad guys are elitist bigots, and all the heroes are vanilla altruists, then this one is for you.

The pace of play kept me engaged until the end, but all my hopes for a plot twist went unfulfilled.

Entertaining but not art

First you need to understand that I tend to be a tough reviewer who hardly ever rates a book a five. I think fives are for masterworks that years later you can remember and discuss with someone in a random conversation if a friend mentions the book or the author. Fours are for really good books. Threes are for books that were entertaining at the time but I won't remember the story line or characters a year later when I see the books cover in my library. This book is like a cross between Harry Potter and Pokémon. It has all the usual races of elf, dwarf, human and monsters. It was an easy listen and entertaining all the way around, but I would not consider it a work of art. The book comes to an actual conclusion of sorts so you don't feel ripped of by absolutely having to buy the next book in the series. I am growing Tired of books in a series that cannot be read as a stand alone story. The sequence of occurrences in the book seem Jammed together in a few places because the relationships tend to make jumps that would clearly take more time to develop than the author allowed. The time training is sketchy compared to mastery of skills as well. This is a lighthearted listen and worth the credit and time to listen but I would recommend it to a younger audience than the 50 year old man I am.

Book 1 of 3

I read all 3 books. The trilogy is okay. Give it a try if you like epic fantasy told in 3rd person featuring teenage protagonists (humans, dwarfs, and an elf) and endearingly loyal domesticated demons, including canids, griffins and salamanders. See my review of book 3 for more details.

very good listen

some books cover the tropes you love and cover them well.
this is one of those books. a few small twists on the traditional fantasy works. enough to make the world feel good and unique, but not so much it feels strained.

A bad version of an Adult Pokemon book

The beginning starts off ok but it gets worse from there. Predictable plot lines ana an ending that you can see a mile away, it was a huge disappointment. Unfortunately I bought the second book first on a sale then purchased this one. So I had to see it through....

This story read like an episode of Pokémon.

The villains in this story were cheesy to the point of comedic. If they were just evil, they were mustache-twisting enemies. If they were nobles, they were just 2 dimensionally arrogant and smug beyond all reason. The main character had two kills and a wealth of survival experience under his belt, but can't muster enough confidence to ignore the chattering of children. It boggles the mind.

Pokémon with demons

Just felt like i was reading a Pokémon story. Why use Shakespeare character names and names of real world figures as character names. It irritated me a lot, and I felt it messed with my ability to connect with the character. If you like teen fantasy, Pokémon and angry school teachers, you might enjoy this one. I didn't. The narrator did a good job though.

A solid average work of art

I found after chapter one that I was certainly not going to like the narrator, Ralph Lister. The content of the book however was very fun. A unique world that had a few elements I love such as: A magic school with rival competition, magical creatures that need to be captured and leveled up, and a protagonist who starts low-born with nothing who must rise above the status quo and overcome problems.

However, the actual execution of the story is where I had a lot of displeasure. The author might be young or new? The writing wasn't the worst thing I have ever read but it was certainly not the best. I would have to say the way the book is written is plainly average.

This book is not something I would recommend to someone, UNLESS they have already read a lot of my normal recommendations. AND they extremely enjoy books about magic school, Pokémon like pets, and teenage level war, love, and intrigue.

If there was an award for most tropes per page...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

This is the most trope filled fantasy book I have ever partially read. It was like someone followed a bulk fantasy checklist:
Main character orphan? check
Blacksmiths apprentice? check
Bully with no redeeming qualities and lots of money/power? check
World stolen directly from World of Warcraft? check

I will try and continue listening to this when I run out of other books.

Has The Novice turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, the voice actor giving everyone as grating an accent as possible was almost charming after awhile.

What three words best describe Ralph Lister’s voice?

everyone is cockney

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It sounded like it had good punctuation

Any additional comments?

I usually do not give bad book reviews, especially when I haven't finished the book. But I found myself skipping to the next chapter allot, and so far I do not believe I have missed anything.