The Summoner (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: second moon, Lord Janoss, Knights of Mandrake, Master Brandir (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For the first time in print comes the story of Davian, brother of a disgraced former member of the Sacred Order of Permeation, also known as the Summoners, has waited eons for the chance to finish the task his brother Scapin failed to complete. But he must contend with a haughty ghost, a brash and beautiful female who may be the most powerful Summoner ever born, and a growing darkness within his own soul, the very same temptations that destroyed his brother three thousand years ago. Will Davian prove to be a better man?

About the Author

Gregory Bernard Banks began his pursuit of a writing career in 1997, after spending years studying his other creative love, graphic design. In the past, he's served as moderator for the Zoetrope All-Story Writers Workshop, as a site administrator for Scrawl: The Writer's Asylum, and as webmaster for the WRITER and MARKET Literary Search Engine. He's currently co-Webmaster for the Speculative Literature Foundation, and as both Community Leader and freelance graphic designer at Lulu Enterprises, he now helps other authors make their own publishing dreams come true. Banks is also a frequent contributor for Audacity Magazine (AudacityMagazine.com) with his column, "A Sedentary View", and continues pursuing his dream of landing a 7-figure book deal by the time he's 80. His list of publishing credits includes The Rose & Thorn, Story House, StoneGarden.net, Creative Brother's Sci-Fi Magazine, The Writers Post Journal, AlienSkin Magazine, and The Speculative Fiction Centre 2005 Anthology "Horizons".His second short story collection, "Phoenix Tales: Stories of Death & Life," was published in March of 2005 through his own publishing imprint, WheelMan Press, and has received much critical acclaim. The collection contains stories that have been quarter- and semi-finalists, respectively, in the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest, and the book itself is a finalist in ForeWord Magazine's 2005 Book of the Year Award. His third collection, "Like Salmon: The Geek Chronicles," is scheduled for a September 25th, 2006 release.Banks lives in the rapidly growing city of Stockbridge, Georgia with his parents, his computer, and far too many books to count.

Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (November 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440471282
• ISBN-13: 978-1440471285
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Big bang for your buck, July 11, 2008

By	L. Langston (Surprise, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Admittedly, I am not a huge science fiction fan; however, Mr. Banks has done an outstanding job of creating a fast-paced story that held my interest from beginning to end.

Although it is a short story, the quality of writing has not been sacrificed. In fact, there is an unexpected twist in the story that caught me quite by surprise.

For sci-fi lovers, I believe you will find "The Summoner" worthy of five stars. It is certainly a five-star price!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy with a nice spice of sci-fi!, January 30, 2009

By	Michael J. Mcfadden (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mr. Banks has written an excellent fantasy tale here, with just a touch of a science-fiction element in the background. The story builds from a start thousands of years in its past when the power of great magicians resolved a war against an alien species invading across dimensions. With that as background he jumps to the future where the resolution is threatened and the powers of the mages are needed once again.

Rather than focus on the grand scale of active battle as many fantasy and science fiction writers do, Banks builds his story around the central character of one of the most powerful of the mages, his love, and his apprentice. The conflict between taming the universe(s) through science and working with the power of those universes through tapping into their magical ether and shaping it through magical will is handled adroitly as the story builds smoothly toward a final climax that calls back memories of its beginnings.

Quite an impressive scope for a short story and handled quite well. Hard-core science fiction fans may not care for the overriding strength of the fantasy element, but magic/fantasy lovers and those who appreciate the blending of genres will love it!

This is the first of Mr. Bank's efforts that I've read but it probably won't be the last. Well done!

Michael J. McFadden
Author of Dissecting Antismokers' Brains (which, btw, is neither fantasy NOR science-fiction! LOL!)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Summoner, July 20, 2008

By	S. Miller "liandanson.wordpress.com, Monster ... (N.C.) - See all my reviews

The Summoner was a delightful, engageing Sci/fi short story. Greogory Bernard Banks creates a wonderland of fiction and fantasy where new rules apply.

Magic in all it's glory comes with a price. In this instance the Kerith pay for the power it magic gives with their sanity while others pay for it in blood, love and family.

With a nice twist this short story keeps you enthralled to the very end and wondering if there will be a sequel in another dimention.

I recommend this book to all Sci/fi and Fantasy readers.

Sondi Miller
Kindle Author of
How Do You Sign an E-Book
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