Review: Great start to an epic fantasy
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2014
The Spirit Summoner, by Matt Campbell:Darr Reintol is only a village boy in the land of Ictar who dreams of travel and adventure. When Nadiq Waq, known as both prophet and crazy, finds him and tells him that he has immense power and is needed in the defeat of the evil Devoid, Darr is understandably shocked. The people of Ictar had believed that the stories of the Soul Seekers were myth, but Nadiq convinces him that his help is urgently needed. Darr then embarks on his journey, where he and his companions are forced to fight in the Currents and learn to listen to the voices there.Mr. Campbell’s writing is sure and true, with great transition and plotting. Cohesive yet intricate, the story moves easily. Mr. Campbell has it in him to write a truly great story, and has obviously spent much time clearly defining the world his characters inhabit. However, it is sometimes too much for the reader to take in at once: we need to be spoon-fed the entirety of the Soul-Seekers, Archons, Currents, Zephyrs, etc., not told about them all at once in expository conversations.Also, though Darr is imminently likeable, we know from the beginning (despite his seeming quandary) that he will be going on this mission and that he will be needed to save the world. A little more subtlety, a little more real sense of who Darr is as a person, would have been appreciated. If we want to compare to the Hobbit, then think about Bilbo, who does things that we don’t always agree with, and isn’t always good and noble. But we care about him.  And some shades of gray, some areas of ambiguity are desperately wished for in Darr and his siblings.Fans of epic fantasy will find this book follows along familiar territory, and will be impressed with the incredible world here. This is epic fantasy for a new generation, and I hope that Book Two will find Darr in even more interesting situations.