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The prequel to the explosive new fantasy trilogy, Summoner. Set in a time before The Novice, this prequel is the perfect introduction to the world of the Summoner.

Arcturus is just an orphaned stableboy when he discovers he has the ability to summon demons from another world. He is sent to Vocans Military Academy where the lost arts of summoning, spellcraft and demonology are taught to the noble children of the Empire. As the first commoner gifted with this ability, his discovery challenges the nobility and the powers that be. At the Academy Arcturus quickly makes enemies. With no one but his demon Sacharissa by his side, Arcturus must prove himself as a worthy Summoner...

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2015

295 people are currently reading
5530 people want to read

About the author

Taran Matharu

29 books4,604 followers
Taran Matharu is the New York Times bestselling author of the Summoner series, which has been translated into 15 languages and has sold over a million copies in English. He was born in London in 1990.

Taran began to write the SUMMONER series in November 2013 at the age of 22, taking part in ‘Nanowrimo 2013’ and sharing his work on Wattpad.com. The shared sample of the story went viral, reaching over 3 million reads in less than six months. THE CHOSEN is his first book in his new CONTENDER series, out now.



His books are published by Hodder Children’s (Hachette) in the UK, Australia and Commonwealth, Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan) in the US and Canada, Hachette Jeunesse in France, Heyne in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Crown in Taiwan, Record in Brazil, EKSMO in Russia, Jaguar in Poland, Ecliptic in Bulgaria, Alpress in the Czech Republic, Ithaki in Turkey, Forlaget Forar in Denmark and Unieboek in the Netherlands.

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5 stars
964 (45%)
4 stars
698 (32%)
3 stars
387 (18%)
2 stars
66 (3%)
1 star
19 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 137 reviews
Profile Image for Samir.
116 reviews231 followers
August 15, 2017
Nice introduction to the series. It has a bit of a Harry Potter vibe and I quite liked it. I want know more about the characters so I'm looking forward continuing.
Profile Image for Prabhjot Kaur.
1,134 reviews217 followers
January 29, 2021
Ever since I read The Novice, I had wondered about Arcturus's story because his story seemed much the same as Fletcher journeying from the commoners to be at Vocans and become the battlemage. Origins gave me exactly that. Of course it's a novella so not much was shared but I'd love to read more about Arcturus and Sacharissa's bond. And of course I'm not ready to say good bye to this brilliant world created by Taran Matharu.

5 stars
Profile Image for Sara Saif.
574 reviews240 followers
October 3, 2017
This didn't tell a lot that wasn't in the first book but it was nice to get a refresher of sorts on characters and the summoning process both of which I might not have grasped firmly earlier.
Profile Image for Daniel.
812 reviews74 followers
July 28, 2016
Lep pocetak za YA pokemon fantazijsku seriju. Jedino sto jos ne zna dal oce da bude grim dark ili klasican YA. Ali izgleda interesantno pa cu probati i glavni serijal.
Profile Image for Natari.
104 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2015
This book is obviously written for the younger audience. I know one should expect such with YA, but as an adult you feel yourself rolling your eyes at the type of language use or the way the hero speaks so blatantly. But then, I am impressed when adults can write like this. Not that Matharu is patronising, not at all. His words bring vibrancy to the world of Hominum, and his younger readers will not realise their vocabulary swell with the generals wearing their “tasselled epaulettes” on their shoulders as their hair falls down in an “aureate mane”. At 25 and a professional writer, even I don’t know these words.

The topics covered in this brief yet fantastic short story are numerous. Parents will revel in the world of Hominum as the new bed time story and classroom read for this generation helps to teach equality – whether race, gender, class, even species, as well as bullying, broken families and domestic abuse. Although a fantastical set world, Summoner will be one that young adults can truly identify with the characters and their lives.

Full review on natari-himi.com
Profile Image for Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm).
627 reviews84 followers
May 7, 2016
Orphan stable boy Arcturus life changes forever when he reads a scroll and discovers that he has the ability to summon demons. Arcturus with his demon Sacharissa, are sent to Vocans Military Academy to learn about his ability but as the first commoner with this ability he finds he has enemies. With only Sacha on his side, Arcturus has to prove himself as a worthy summoner.

Origins is the prequel novella in the Summoner series, which is fast paced, enjoyable and easy to read, and it was great to see Arcturus’s beginning. While he is similar to Fletcher, I felt Arcturus is more street wise and I felt more protective towards him. After this novella I am hoping for some romance between Arcturus and Elaine Lovett in the next book. One thing I found irritating was that almost all of the adult characters from The Novice and The Inquisition were in this novella. I would recommend Origins to fans of the Summoner series.

This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Profile Image for Azbaqiyah.
1,002 reviews
March 22, 2017
A perfect blend of Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter and POKE'MON!

That's why I love it!

I really amaze how the author manage to describe the mana stuff. It's sooo details and easy to understand!

Keep up the good work!

For all LOTR, Potterheads and Poke'mon fans, this book and it's series is a MUST read!
Profile Image for Bart.
1,371 reviews28 followers
August 13, 2015
3 stars.

Very pleasant prequel to the Summoner. I liked the concept of demons as familiars.
The story, however not that original, is a very cosy read.
Profile Image for Rian *fire and books*.
633 reviews218 followers
June 19, 2018
As I read Outcast before I knew this existed... whoops?

I’m thankful that this was made into a full novel, which I loved.
Profile Image for Laura.
1,040 reviews89 followers
July 11, 2017
A nice introduction to the series. A light and entertaining read. I liked the characters and the magic system and enjoyed the writing style.
Profile Image for Kirstie Ellen.
878 reviews126 followers
September 6, 2015
Origins

Prequel Fun
Origins takes place quite a few years before the first novel of the Summoner series, The Novice; and it’s really quite excellent. Revolving around the mysterious character of Arcturus (a professor in the first novel), we discover how he got into the academy and where exactly he fitted in, in the social spectrum of things. We find out some interesting things within the first novel that are also discussed within this book so it was fun to find out the more intricate details. It was very curious to see the relationships between the students of Arcturus' time and definitely is food for thought in regards to their relationships now, in the time of The Novice.

It’s quite a short book, ranging between 100 to maybe 150 pages, depending on the format you read, and so a very easy read to dive into if you find yourself quite a fan of this little world that Matharu has conjured up for us. There’s lots of magic, beasts, scary, important people making scary, important decisions, and a handful of epic fight-scenes. The politics of the world are mostly left out of this book but it does give away a reasonably important plot revelation of the first book so read this first at your own peril. Whilst I enjoyed this book, the first book, The Novice is at least 10 times better.

Another Novella? Do I need to Read this? And when?!
As with any novella, you don’t really need to read this to enjoy the series itself. I read The Novice before reading this book and immediately upon finishing it (and having small tantrum over the long wait for book number two) I went a-hunting for something else that Matharu might have written. And what a lucky day for me it was; voila! A novella. So doing something I never do (really, I never do this) I immediately downloaded this book (it’s free on iBooks people – go go go!) and read it. In what was basically one sitting. Based on my own personal experience I would say read The Novice and then, if you so wish, read this one. On the flipside, this is a perfectly good introduction to the series I suppose, but I like the suspense that would otherwise be ruined by reading the novella first – I also prefer the more gradual introduction we get to this world through the first book (but I am quite a fan of world building . . . so don’t necessarily take my advice there). So, long story short: this is a very quick read, it’s fun, it’s in exactly the same style as the first book, it’s free, and it gives us a little bit more information on all the big wigs of the first book (which I think will actually be insightful and extra-dramatic, inside-knowledge for the third book).

Summary
This has only gotten me more excited to read the next installment in the series because oh my goodness is this series good, or what. I want to call it middle grade level, but I’ve seen it categorised a lot into YA; it certainly had a more boy-ish draw to it than, Graceling, for example, but I can see the logic. If you think you’ll like this series but don’t want to dive into the first and much larger book, then definitely give this a go – it’ll set you up nicely for what to expect in the first book and it’s a good lot of fun anyway. My only wish is that the cover could be better (and matching), that would make me happy.

Happy reading!
Profile Image for Dhiksha.
4 reviews
April 21, 2015
I was introduced to the Summoner world through wattpad, and The Novice and later the Origins were some of the first books that really captivated me. I loved the universe of summoners and demons, and I was insanely excited about the Origins ebook. My reaction at finding out it was available as a free ebook on the kindle store



So naturally, I downloaded it that instant and retreated into my little reading-shell for a couple of hours while I devoured it.
It was everything I expected and more. Arcturus was a character I was pretty curious about and the Origins, for me, was great. I really admire the way Taran Matharu has depicted this kid as what he is, a kid. The story sucked me into the swirling vortex of Summoner and the beautiful writing style held me there.
Bottom line: A definite must-read for anyone who loves fantasy and stories that kill your feels.
Will definitely read the Novice.
Profile Image for Debrac2014.
2,336 reviews20 followers
August 16, 2015
I really enjoyed this prequel to the Summoner trilogy! Arcturus is a commoner who can summon a demon. When discovered, he's sent to Vocans Military Academy to learn the art of summoning demons.
Profile Image for Kamilya Basyrova.
361 reviews4 followers
July 12, 2017
про Арктура читать было интересно, но уж больно его история похожа на историю Флетчера. да и персонаж тоже. хотя увидеть всех взрослых детьми было весьма любопытно.

спойлеры.

помощник конюха Арктур прочёл свиток, отобрал демона сахариссу у Чарльза, попал в школу, изучил азы. оказался первым призывателем-простолбдином, то есть феномен и угроза власти аристократов. потом Чарльз и рук захотели его убить, натравив на него вендиго. не смогли. а хотели потому, что он - незаконный сын отца Чарльза, лорда фавершема. обедия, отец Захарии форсайта и нынешний ректор, прикрыл Арктура, велев не рассказывать об этом секрете. так что теперь у Арктура есть ещё браться и сестры, и вообще простолюдинов призывателей оказалось много.
ещё они подружились с элейной ловетт и Элизабет не помню какой. видно, что они с элейной влюбятся. а ещё принц Гарольд и родители Флетчера Эдмунд и его будущая жена тоже там были. очень мило.
7,004 reviews83 followers
November 21, 2018
4,5/5. Good prequel to a great series. I read it after reading the first three books and I still enjoy it even if all the basic introduction to the world were a bit repetitive since I already knew most of it. It still can be read during the series, or start directly with it and you won’t be lost or bored in any way, and even if you don’t read it, you won’t be lost reading the others as well. So a good add-on to the series. A series that every fans, or future fans, of this series should read because it really worth it. Of course it’s a novella so it doesn’t have the depth of a novel, but there is still a good back story to this book on its own.
Profile Image for Thea Wilson.
248 reviews80 followers
July 5, 2017
I literally finished reading this last night and was amazed at how much I really enjoyed it. It's a short little prequel to the main Summoner books but it's perfectly formed and is a wonderful and rich story in it's own right.

Arcturus was a stable boy who found he had the ability to summon demons in the way that is usually only held by the upper classes, the first born nobles. After a run in with a noble boy that leaves Arcturus in accidental possession of the boy's demon and a subsequent face-to-face with the king himself Arcturus finds himself literally winging his way to the school for summoners, something normally held for nobles only. Can Arcturus cope with being among those that only see him as a thief and a peasant, can he hold his own and become the summoner that the king believes he can be?

For such a limited and small novella the writing is particularly good, the world building is just enough to give you an overall impression of the world and how it works, the social systems and the demon realm. The characterisations are great, Arcturus is great character with a good deal of depth and charm which makes him very easy to like and to root for, you want the boy to do well, to beat down the bullies against him and to become the summoner he should be. The pacing of the novella is also great, it has a good flow and it's perfectly fitting for the story.

Overall this is a great little tale, worth the read in my eyes and I hope it really is the perfect introduction into the main Summoner books of which The Novice is ext on my radar to read.
37 reviews6 followers
May 7, 2015
Oooooh yes! This was a little gem and I loved it - I only wish it was longer! Here we have the back story of Arcturus, who by know you may know from your spell casting lesions in The Novice...and if you don't you get to know him a whole lot more and continue your journey.

Even though I cant actually pronounce his name I really like Arcturus and it was great to have his back story which was spoken a little about in The Novice but here we get to experience it and in a similar was to The Novice it really felt as a book (I hope that's understandable to people!). I love that we got to see more of the King and the future king, some of the characters that feature in The Novice as their younger selves annnnnnnnnnd more demons!

There was also a beautiful symmetry between Arcturus and Fletcher I felt, there's a strength and a humility to both, a kindness that was really reflected well.

We get a little bit of action to, which had me gripping the kindle thinking shizzle what's going to happen....so I read on and found out clearly and it was fun, little intense and I wanted it to continue!!

If you have or if you haven't grab a copy of this eBook and get reading!
Profile Image for Aoife.
1,483 reviews652 followers
March 23, 2017
I was so happy after finishing The Novice to realise there was a novella and, at 100 pages, this novella is decent sized and gives just the right amount of story.

Origins takes place when Summoners realise that commoners and not only nobles have the chance to summon demons and perform magic. Arcturus, who is Fletcher's mentor and teacher in The Novice, is the main character in Origins and the novella gives the reader a look at Votans in a way the other book didn't. The Novice is set in a time where the learning needs to be rushed and it isn't in Origins so the reader is really able to get a feeling for the school and the magic lessons - plus the prejudice that was held against the commoners and dwarves even before it was learned they could do magic.

As I said, the novella was a great size for an extra few hours of enjoyable reading. I just really love this world that I'd happily jump into the next novel in the trilogy if I had it in my hands!
Profile Image for Pallabi Dutta.
148 reviews32 followers
February 18, 2016
3.5 stars
I had downloaded it on my Kindle ages ago and still hadn't gotten to reading it. (FYI, it's free on amazon so go ahead and download it).
Surprisingly I liked it. But I felt that many more things could have been added but then again it was just a prequel. And mostly the thing that was going through my mind was wow I don't remember much from The Novice and after that I went to re-read or maybe glance in from chapter to chapter just so I will have a good idea about the plot.
I can't wait to read the second book in the summoner series.
Profile Image for Connor.
709 reviews1,681 followers
April 14, 2016
This was a short little prequel to the series, and I really enjoyed it. I think you could read it any time, but reading after the first two books worked well for me. It was awesome to see the adults of Fletcher's life as children just beginning their own journeys, and knowing the things I know after The Inquisition allowed me to make a lot of connections that were happening within the story.
Profile Image for Mauri.
435 reviews
March 11, 2017
I loved reading about Arcturus as a teenager. His origin story is similar to Fletcher, but it was a wild ride for such a short story. I wish the author would write a series about Arcturus! Some violence, minimal mild cursing, and such a fun look into the earlier lives of a lot of the adults in the Summoner Trilogy.
30 reviews
September 1, 2015
He keeps bloody teasing me. Mr. Matharu your series is the number one that I have been looking forward to. Once I am done I am reading it all over again. Please, if you care, give me the second book. I look at the titles and I am more excited than my own girlfriend (which has never happend before).
Profile Image for Tushar Patel.
67 reviews48 followers
March 11, 2018
3.5 Star

This is a prequel of a story Summoner series, it is well written story and introduction of the world, its give some Insight how the world function. can't wait to start The Novice!!!!
2 reviews10 followers
November 5, 2015
I read this before reading the novice and found it really good and a nice introduction and it eplains some hings from the novice a bit more!!!
Profile Image for Johanna.
57 reviews5 followers
August 15, 2016
I love the backstory you get with this novella. I wanted to know more about this particular story when I read the first book so it's great that this exists!

4/5 stars
Profile Image for Nicole Gozdek.
Author 8 books55 followers
July 26, 2017
Mit "Die Dämonenakademie" hat Taran Matharu sich nicht nur in das Herz vieler seiner Wattpad-Leser geschrieben, sondern er konnte auch einen Verlag mit der Trilogie überzeugen und erobert nun die Leserherzen von Fantasyfans weltweit. Darunter auch meins. Zwei der Bände der Trilogie sind schon erschienen und um die Wartezeit auf den 3 Band zu verkürzen, der erst im Januar 2018 auf Deutsch erscheint, musste ich natürlich auch die Spin-off-Geschichte zu Fletchers Lehrer Arcturus lesen.
Vorab: Es handelt sich um eine Novelle. Die Geschichte ist nicht sehr lang. Dennoch habe ich leider mehr als eine Woche gebraucht, um sie zu lesen, was jedoch an meinem Privatleben und fehlender Lesezeit lag.
Dennoch habe ich festgestellt, dass ich nicht ganz so begeistert von "Wie alles begann", der Vorgeschichte, war wie von den Romanen. Das liegt vermutlich daran, dass ich grundsätzlich eher lange Geschichte vorziehe, aber auch an einem ganz anderen Grund: Arcturus ist eben nicht Fletcher und sein Dämon, eine Canidin namens Sacharissa, ist nicht Ignatius. Das Gespann hat es gegen meine beiden erklärten Lieblinge aber auch verdammt schwer, zugegeben.
Insgesamt mochte ich die Geschichte dennoch. Für Fans der Trilogie ist sie ein schönes Extra und das nicht nur, um die Wartezeit zu überbrücken. Auch die Hintergründe der komplizierten Beziehungen der erwachsenen Figuren aus Fletchers Elterngeneration in der Trilogie werden hier beleuchtet.
Ist die Kurzgeschichte ein guter Einstieg in Welt von "Die Dämonenakademie"? Da bin ich nicht ganz so sicher. Ich kenne ja die ersten beiden Bände bereits, aber selbst ich musste mir noch mal ins Gedächtnis rufen, wer wer ist. Ebenso wie die Charaktere, die Welt der Dämonen - damit meine ich sowohl den Äther als auch die Akademie und die verschiedenen Dämonenarten - und die Magie können nur kurz angerissen werden. Daher würde ich empfehlen, mit der Trilogie zu starten und erst anschließend die Geschichte zu lesen, wie der jugendliche Waisenjunge Arcturus seine magischen Kräfte entdeckt, als erster bürgerlicher Dämonenbeschwörer überhaupt an die Dämonenakademie kommt, die fest in der Hand der mächtigen Adligen des Landes ist, und sich dort schlägt. Und mehr möchte ich gar nicht zum Inhalt sagen, um nicht zu viel zu erzählen. Fans von "Die Dämonenakademie", lest selbst!
Profile Image for Jenny.
689 reviews21 followers
November 30, 2017
https://snowyy13.wordpress.com/2017/1...

Ich finde die Dämonenakademie Reihe so super, dass ich jede zusätzliche Kurzgeschichte nicht auslassen kann. Die Welt, die Charaktere und auch die Dämonen haben so etwas einzigartiges, dass ich es nur jedem Fantasy Lover ans Herz legen kann.

In dieser Kurzgeschichte begegnen wir unserem guten Freund Arcturus, der seine Geschichte erzählt, wie er als Bürgerlicher in die Dämonenakademie kam. Normalerweise haben nur die Adligen die Gabe einen Dämonen zu bändigen, doch wie der Zufall will, passiert es ausgerechnet diesem Waisen. Und die Folgen sind größer als erwartet.

Uns begegnen erneut wieder dieser überspitzte Hass gegen die Minderheiten in dieser Kurzgeschichte. Arcturus hat es nicht leicht in der Akademie. Sehr schnell macht er sich auch Feinde, dem er ein Dorn im Auge ist, da er für sie eine Abnormalität ist. Dies kannten wir ja schon aus Fletchers Geschichte. Zum Teil auch, dass diese Schüler, später auch die Lehrer sind, die Fletcher und seine Freunde so verabscheuen.

Wir begleiten Ellen Lovett, Arcturus, Raubler und auch andere Charaktere die in der normalen Reihe vorkamen, wie sie sich zu ihrer Schulzeit geschlagen haben. Und genau wie in den Büchern liebe ich Ellen Lovett. Sie ist die jüngste mit ihren 13 Jahren in der Akademie, aufgeweckt, freundlich und mutig. Sie und Arcturus ergeben ein fabelhaftes Team. Und durch deren Interaktionen miteinander musste ich schon öfters laut lachen.

Der Schreibstil ist wie immer grandios. Ich hatte das kleine Büchlein binnen weniger Stunden beendet und wurde wieder einmal in eine tolle Geschichte hineingeworfen, die trotz ihrer Kürze fantastisch ist. Schreibstil, Handlung, Charaktere, alles top!

Fazit:
Jeder Fan der Dämonenakademie sollte definitiv diese Kurzgeschichte von Arcturus lesen. Wie der Titel schon besagt: Wie alles begann. Wie er als erster Bürgerliche in eine adligen Militärschule ging und wie sich von da an alles geändert hat. Ich kann von dieser Welt nicht genug bekommen!
5 von 5 Sternen!
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