Review, Giveaway, and Excerpt: Necromancer by Graeme Ing

5

September 18, 2014 by mmileti

Link back to the tour: http://fireandicebooktours.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/dark-fantasy-book-tour-giveaway-necromancer-by-graeme-ing-9814-92214/

Virtual Book Tour Dates: 9/8/14 – 9/22/14

Genres: Dark Fantasy (and General Fantasy)

Release Date: August 23rd, 2014

Direct Link to Book on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22874129-necromancer?ac=1

About the Book:

A primeval fiend is loose in the ancient metropolis of Malkandrah, intent on burning it to a wasteland. The city’s leaders stand idly by and the sorcerers that once protected the people are long gone.

Maldren, a young necromancer, is the only person brave enough to stand against the creature. Instead of help from the Masters of his Guild, he is given a new apprentice. Why now, and why a girl? As they unravel the clues to defeating the fiend, they discover a secret society holding the future of the city in its grip. After betrayals and attempts on his life, Maldren has reason to suspect everyone he thought a friend, even the girl.

His last hope lies in an alliance with a depraved and murderous ghost, but how can he trust it? Its sinister past is intertwined in the lives of everyone he holds dear.

Can only evil defeat evil?

Book Excerpt:

“This is dangerous,” I whispered. “I know what I’m doing.”

Did I? I handed her the lightstick and crept forward, nudging loose stones with my boot to clear the way, never taking my eyes from the archway. The room was filled with heaps of rubble. The spectral rope snaked behind a huge fragment of a fallen buttress lodged against one wall.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

I drew a sizable ball of magic from my core and blasted a massive Dispel into the room, bathing the entire area in a purple flash.

The grak leaped onto the ceiling, sending rubble clattering in all directions. It scuttled toward me, upside down, hundreds of barbs along its ten legs clinging to the bare stone ceiling. A razor-ridged carapace protected an abdomen the size of a barrel, yet the thing stretched eight feet in length, counting its forked, bony tail and oversize head. Two spheres of flylike eyes reflected a distorted version of my look of horror. Saw-toothed pincers clacked repeatedly and its antennae quivered, probing the air in front of it.

I stumbled backward, my heart thumping in my ears.

Kristach.  I’d hoped it’d be smaller.

My Review:

In Necromancer author Graeme Ing captures the reader’s attention from the very first chapter. The novel begins in the chaos of a battle with the undead, and the plot manages to stay consistently fast paced and action packed throughout the rest of the story. Though I did not find the protagonist to be an exceedingly sympathetic character, it is the monsters that Maldren faces that make Necromancer truly memorable and captivating. It is refreshing to see an author start with common fantasy/horror elements like necromancers, wights, and walking corpses, and use this theme to create original and imaginatively chilling creatures. The horrors that Maldren faces are diverse, and only grow more grisly and disturbingly imaginative as the plot progresses.

Ing takes a “show not tell” approach to world building that slowly reveals its intricacies to the reader. I tend to enjoy this method of world building as it allows the story to keep its quick pacing and avoids the dreaded information dump in which the plot is halted while the setting and particulars of a culture are described. There are some readers that would rather have everything explained up front, and may feel disoriented by a world that is not immediately described in detail. Luckily, I really enjoyed how the glimpses Ing showed of the workings of Maldren’s world became a mystery that made me more engaged in the story. I found myself wanting to know more about religious beliefs, the city’s many guilds, and the nature of Ing’s magic system.

I was also impressed by Ing’s character development throughout the story. At the beginning of the novel Maldren could often be arrogant, but he grows into a more likeable protagonist by the story’s end. I also really enjoyed the Ing’s balance of Maldren’s personality with that of his young apprentice Ayla. Though Ayla is also flawed in some ways, she is overall a sympathetic character and I really enjoyed the rapport between her and Maldren.

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone that likes fantasy filled with dark imaginative creatures, a little mystery, and a lot of adventure. Necromancer is an entertaining and fun read that the reader will find hard to put down. It is packed full of action and innovative world, and plenty of awesome magic. Ing’s novel is definitely my favorite portrayal of necromancers to date, and I will certainly be reading more of his work in the future.

My rating: 7/10

Thank you to Fire and Ice Book Tours and the author for giving me a copy for review and allowing me to be a part of Necromancer’s book tour!

Purchase Necromancer:

Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Necromancer-Graeme-Ing-ebook/dp/B00MS70N6O

Amazon Paperback http://www.amazon.com/Necromancer-Graeme-Ing/dp/1500585726

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/necromancer-graeme-ing/1120159579?ean=2940046294293

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/necromancer/id909909878

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/necromancer-14

About the Author:

Graeme Ing engineers original fantasy worlds, both YA and adult, but hang around, and you’ll likely read tales of romance, sci-fi, paranormal, cyberpunk, steampunk or any blend of the above.

Born in England in 1965, Graeme moved to San Diego, California in 1996 and lives there still. His career as a software engineer and development manager spans 30 years, mostly in the computer games industry. He is also an armchair mountaineer, astronomer, mapmaker, pilot and general geek. He and his wife, Tamara, share their house with more cats than he can count.

Connect With The Author:

Website http://www.graemeing.com/

Blog http://www.graemeing.com/blog/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GraemeIngAuthor

Twitter https://twitter.com/GraemeIng

Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/106761802400693987858/about

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6571955.Graeme_Ing

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Graeme-Ing/e/B00A1IOUD4

Giveaway:

Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! This giveaway will run the length of the tour. Open internationally.

Click the link below to enter the giveaway. It will bring you to a Rafflecopter form to fill out for your chance to win!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d202c3a165/