Tim Reed is a new author to me. ‘Summons of the Majestic’ is an epic quest-style fantasy read that ticks all the necessary boxes for fans of this type of genre fiction. Whilst it does certainly have moments of darkness, SOTM is easily accessible to younger readers though I don’t see why older ones wouldn’t enjoy it either. Hell, I’m 37 years old and I dug it!
The cover art is superb and captures the dream-like feel of the book. When Teepo and Dragma, the books two primary characters are expelled from their home they embark upon a quest to capture 50 Summons (spirit creatures of varying size, strength and ability). Teepo is a young Gromancer (a sort of summoning wizard), still learning the tricks of the trade. He is very naive initially, though he certainly grows as the book progresses. Dragma, his older, wiser companion and master is a bit of an odd sort. His relationship is quite strained with his young student and you often get the feeling that there is a certain jealousy from the fact that he suspects Teepo will probably grow to become an even greater Gromancer than Dragma himself. Dragma also seems to have other ideas and opinions whilst on their travels, often resulting in conflict and indifference between the two. Their argumentative relationship isn’t the only worry. The Murk is the evil that threatens all, relentlessly pursuing them across the Eight Islands. The Murk itself kind of reminds me of The Nothing from the Neverending Story, which is cool.
The most impressive thing about Reed’s book is the world in which they travel. It is filled with wonders and horrors both real and unreal. There are a host of other-worldly creatures that join them on their quest, sometimes willingly and sometimes not. I actually felt similarities with Pokemon in the way that Teepo collects the summons on his travels and uses them as an aide on his quest.
Some fantasy books can get bogged down with political waffle and endless description. Fortunately, Reed’s book doesn’t, instead moving the story along at an enjoyable pace from very early on, never staying in one location for too long a time and filling it with terrific beasts. I enjoyed ‘Summons of the Majestic’ a great deal.
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Summons of the Majestic, Synopsis
* Print Length: 391 pages
* Publisher: Mirror Matter Press
Teepo is an orphan and a boy who can Summon – a Gromancer. The problem is that his master, Dragma, is also a Gromancer. To have two in the same generation is a curse. And when a sacred tree sheds its leaves in their village, the curse deepens and doom is foretold. Teepo has but one option. Exile.
Together with his master, Teepo must venture out into the Eight Islands and follow the ancient Gromancer way. He must search for fifty spirits of elemental, physical and mental mind, in the fool’s hope of gaining a reprieve back to Paradise. But the way is near impossible. Darkness gallops on their heels; forgotten realms unzip themselves into reality; and the Darknova moves across the moon, heralding the return of an ancient evil.
Only with their shared bond can Teepo and Dragma hope to survive the gathering maelstrom. But after a while, as they gather forces around them, Teepo starts to suspect his master has an ulterior – more selfish – motive for collecting the Summons. If true, it could potentially leave Teepo alone as the last Gromancer alive…in a world stricken by chaos.
Tim Reed, Biography
Tim Reed whittles the week away by frowning over reports as a technical editor, but once the moon rises, he transforms into a werebeast of writer proportions. He has gobbled classic and contemporary novels for many years and uses them as inspiration for his own writing, mainly in
the horror, fantasy and sci-fi realms. He has been published several times in the short story and novella field, in the USA and UK, with works such as Spider From the Well and Running Free available as ebooks on Amazon.
His fantasy novel Summons of the Majestic has been picked up by Mirror Matter Press, for publication in December 2016. Horror/fantasy novel What Glimmers in the Wood will be published by Sinister Grin Press in the foreseeable future as well.
One day, he dreams of forming his own Inklings club, creating his own mythos or generally accepting $1 for film rights to any of his books. So no pressure.
In the meantime, he lives in relative tranquility with his wife in sunny London, musing on how to write messed-up weird fiction without having to resort to opium. He cites Tolkien, Blackwood, Herbert, Lovecraft and King as influences.
Outside of writing, Tim enjoys many hobbies – too many, for the writer within; these include most sports, being a snooty film buff, being an equally snooty theatre/museum goer, and building shrines to Bruce Campbell (one of these is untrue). He enjoys great food, good family and loves the little, peaceful things in life.
Please join the newsletter mailing list on his website for current and future writing news: http://www.timreedauthor.com.
Purchase Links Amazon
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