In a land of constant darkness, survival should be impossible, and yet somehow the people are alive…
Emmet endures a pitiful existence, beholden to the whims of a vile innkeeper and the cruel indifference of those around him, but when a mysterious stranger offers him a chance to escape, he must decide if he is worthy of the adventure. The choice is made for him by a power that dwells deep inside – a power that he does not understand – because Emmet is not just a boy, he is the bearer of something much greater; something that longs to break free. Now, he must not only come to terms with his gifts, but also quickly find the strength to control them, for there are creatures doing more than just surviving in the darkness; they are thriving within it, and planning their resurgence.
An action-packed tale of courage, survival, friendship and self-belief, The Summoner and the Dark captivates its readers, inviting them to enter a world of daring adventures, battles and hope in the absence of light.
Targeted Age Group:: Young Adult
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
At around 11, I borrowed a Point Horror book from a friend’s sister and that introduction saw me jump head first in to that world of fast paced, succinct teen terror with wonderous baiting cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter, for the most part the horror living in the violence that could have been rather than what actually takes place. The wonder of reading really reached out for me at that age, when I was quickly understanding that there were parts of me that the world I lived in perhaps didn’t want to see, and in dire need of another world to escape to.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
For me, books have been a doorway to another world, that I can carry around, and jump into as and when I wish or need to. Emmet lives in a world of darkness and is crippled by self-doubt and a feeling of worthlessness that threatens to destroy him, but there is that spark within that tells himself he could be so much more. Jack is trying to find his place in this world, whilst actively masking his desperation to do so. Bhaskar is looking for redemption, refusing to see the good in himself that is so evident to everyone else. The nocturnes and hags are pure forces of evil, nurtured by the darkness that grows and surrounds them.
Book Sample
Jack sized up the room he had just entered. It was dirty and lacking in domestication, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The two men he found inside were quite something else, though. The older man reminded Jack of the Arrowhead miners; he had clearly not bothered to wash in some time, his shoulders were hunched and his suspicious eyes darted all about the place. The boy, on the other hand, was quite different. He was young, perhaps around eighteen, and tall, broad in the shoulders and possessed a head of clean but scruffy blonde hair. There was something in the line of his brow and the shape of his chin that Jack thought familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
‘You are in luck,’ the boy said warmly. ‘This is the first Cascasquian outpost along the border with Dryden, and my… colleague and I are both Cascasquian men, entrusted with the lookout.’
Jack let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.
‘Your chest is moving,’ the boy said, taking a step backwards and darkening with suspicion.
‘Oh!’ Jack exclaimed, ‘I'm sorry, this is Eyam, my companion.’
Eyam made himself visible to the men, poking his little head out from inside Jack's coat.
‘You travel with a bat?’ the older, dirtier man asked, speaking for the first time.
‘I do, yes,’ Jack answered.
‘And what of it?’ the boy added, turning to the older man impatiently. ‘Please, both of you, sit down.’
Jack took a seat and opened his coat, allowing Eyam to hop out onto the table.
‘Now, what is it that you wish to discuss so urgently?’ the boy asked, leaning back slightly against the stone wall and regarding the unexpected visitors.
Jack took a moment to consider where to start, and then decided it best to begin with the most vital information first, reasoning that the rest could be filled in later. He began to relay to them what he had heard in the cave.
‘This kingdom is in terrible danger,’ he finished. ‘Nocturnes are gathering, hundreds of them, maybe more, and they intend to attack Cascasquia.’
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