Outcast by Taran Matharu - OPTIONAL

Outcast by Taran Matharu (Summoner: Prequel), 384 pages.  Feiwel (Macmilan), 2018.  $19. 

Language: R (55 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: R (lots of fighting and danger)

MS, HS – OPTIONAL

Arcturus is desperate to escape is abusive slave labor job in a country inn.  When he finds a summoning spell in an arrogant young nobleman’s bags, he uses it and summons a demon.  Now he’s been kidnapped and taken off to the capitol – because summoning the demon can only mean that he is the bastard son of a noble, and though he is a discard, he is still needed in the kingdom’s battle against the orcs. Arcturus manages to make a few friends in his new situation, but he gets caught up in a plot by the king to brutally suppress a group of rebels. 

An interesting look back at the Summoner world.  It brings some depth to Taran’s back story.  A definite must for fans of the series.  I hope that from here, however that the series jumps forward again to Taran or beyond him.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian