The Summoner

By: Gail Z. Martin

Narrated by: Peter Ganim, Gail Z. Martin

Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

The comfortable world of Martris Drayke, second son of King Bricen of Margolan, is shattered when his older half-brother, Jared, and Jareds dark mage, Foor Arontala, kill the king and seize the throne. Tris is the only surviving member of the royal family aside from Jared the traitor, and he flees with three friends: Soterius, captain of the guard; Carroway, the courts master bard; and Harrtuck, a member of the royal guard.

Tris harbors a deep secret. In a land where spirits walk openly and influence the affairs of the living, he suspects he may be the mage heir to the power of his grandmother, Bava Kaa, once the greatest sorceress of her age. Such magic would make Tris a Summoner, the rarest of magic gifts, capable of arbitrating between the living and the dead.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and read by author Gail Z. Martin.

Listen to more Chronicles of the Necromancer.

©2007 Gail Z. Martin (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

How do I put this...

Well, to be brief: DO NOT BUY THIS. I think most of the critiques of the narration are accurate. This guy's reading doesn't flow very well. The pauses are in all the wrong spots, and he emphasizes words in such a way that the meaning of the sentence is altered. If it weren't for his (American) accent, I'd assume he wasn't a native speaker. Not to mention he doesn't use the voice that the author describes. He'll use a strange high pitch voice when the author mentions the character is whispering. Odd. The whole thing is choppy at best.

That being said, I'm doubtful that even a superior narrator could do much for this story. It's INCREDIBLY one-dimensional; there's no depth here at all. I felt like I was watching some second rate TV show where the characters have to complete a series of inane quests in order to save the world (think 24, or better yet, the TV version of the Sword of Truth - and yes, the plot in that show IS bad).

Additionally, there's a lack of any glimpses into the character's psychology. Essentially we get a laundry list of the facts that compose the story; there's no internal struggle or personal burden that the characters have to get past. This contributes to a lack of connection with the characters, and ultimately results in the reader not caring who lives or dies in this world because he doesn't know anyone who "lives" there. Dunno if that resonates with anyone else.

I could go on, with other things I don't like, but I'll close with one last point: To be honest, I wouldn't really mind these mediocrities, if there was at least one redeeming factor out there somewhere. I mean, couldn't you have a cool system of magic, or a vivid world, or, or...SOMETHING??? Not here.

Go check out the Mistborn trilogy if you haven't. It's about 27.54 times better than this. Give or take.

37 of 45 people found this review helpful

good story, decent narrator

Okay, I admit that this narration is not as wonderful as seen with huge series books like LoTR or Harry Potter, but I keep seeing very bad reviews of narration (as for this book) which, when I get into the book, are perfectly acceptable. I have to give the narration reviews a far worse review than the narrators themselves. My recommendation is: listen to the sample, if it doesn't really turn you off, ignore the narration comments. If I hadn't done that, I'd have missed some very good books.

12 of 15 people found this review helpful

Great story, terrable narration!

I really liked the story & want to follow the adventure, but I really don't know if I can stand to listen to Peter Ganim tell it any longer. All his pauses are in the wrong place & his voice depictions are terrible. Loose the haughtiness & just tell the story.

9 of 12 people found this review helpful

A huge let down

If this audiobook has any redeeming qualities at all it is that it has matched the narration, which is on par with Microsoft Readers Text-to-Speech function, with a book of suitable depth and quality. It is truly a match made in heaven.

11 of 15 people found this review helpful

ugh

I think the story is mediocre to weak and the narration is flat. Don't waste your hard-earned cash. Try "A Game of Thrones" by George Martin instead

6 of 9 people found this review helpful

Good Author Bad Narrator

The story is definitely fun. The first reviewer is right about the narrator...listen to the sample before buying and decide for yourself.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful

Loved the novel!

I loved this novel it's the 1st book in a 3 part series, and this one is great. It took me a long time to get used to the Narrators voice, I really did not like it at first; however, about an hour or so in the story had me so hooked the voice just faded to the background and I really did love the book.

best book series ever

honestly I don't know how to go on about how great this series and this author is. Just listen, read it, fall in love.

This book was so delightful and exciting

I would recommend this book to anyone it has made me so happy to feel like I was apart of its world I am so excited to read the second book the story was absolutely amazing always kept my interest and made me FEEL! Everything the characters felt. PLEASE if you are curious about this book I highly recommend it I promise you will enjoy it. As to the narrator! Absolutely amazing job I would live to hear him read more books such enthusiasm.

Interesting take

The world or setting is interesting, characters could have been more developed but the biggest problem was the narrator

Loved it

Engaging emotional at times. Love all the characters. Cant wait to read next one. Narrator gives each character more personality. I did really like this.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The most annoying naration ever

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

A different narator would have saved the book - he was awful wish I'd read it on my kindle

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Summoner?

Good plot

Would you be willing to try another one of Gail Z. Martin and Peter Ganim ’s performances?

No

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

Good Listen

What did you like most about The Summoner?

The storyline is superb you get so involved with the characters and they are portrayed brilliantly. I would recommend any of Gail Z Martins books total fan

What other book might you compare The Summoner to, and why?

This book stands on its own brilliant well written

Would you listen to another book narrated by Gail Z. Martin and Peter Ganim ?

Hmm think so as love her books

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Just what I was looking for

If you could sum up The Summoner in three words, what would they be?

Adult Garth Nix

Who was your favorite character and why?

Verhainian, he's all manly and stubborn yet still likeable

Which character – as performed by Gail Z. Martin and Peter Ganim – was your favourite?

Michale, very mysterious and intriguing

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Many parts of the book made me laugh out loud, even though the plot is a serious one, the characters are so well developed you can't help but feel what they feel

Any additional comments?

I had been looking for a saga or trilogy to match trudi canavan and robin hobb and stumbled upon this, I have since listened to the rest of the saga and would recommend all to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy.