DEMON SUMMONER

In this dark fantasy series opener, a newly orphaned teen contends with diabolical men and precarious demons in war-torn 17th-century Germany.

Eighteen-year-old Gustav, returning from a chore, discovers that mercenaries have stormed his family’s home. His father doesn’t survive, but Gustav goes in search of his missing mother and sister. The teen is ill-prepared for the raging war out there, rife with soldiers and mercenaries like the ones who attacked his family. Luckily, Martin the Feldsher (a field surgeon), takes him on as an apprentice. Martin is more specifically a “Black Feldsher” who deals with demons as well as humans. These distinctive field surgeons perform a “secret ritual” to amp up soldiers (from both sides), allowing demons to possess the human fighters. This entails summoning demons, of course, which an experienced Black Feldsher can control. So who’s the demon that seemingly bonds with Gustav? The teen must be summoning the creature, though he simply doesn’t know how he’s doing it. Later, Anike, another apprentice, joins the two; she’s actually a thief whom the Holy Roman Empire’s Imperial Count has enlisted to snatch Martin’s “Book of Demons”—and maybe kill the surgeon and Gustav, too. Walters grounds this fantasy with a rich historical backdrop, unfolding near the end of the Thirty Years’ War. The story moves at a steady clip, pitting Martin and Gustav against intimidating horned and clawed demons and men who rival the creatures in malevolence. At the same time, characters evolve, from Martin as Gustav’s father figure to the teen’s flourishing relationship with Anike. But the highlight is the spirited banter between Gustav and the flippant demon, who doesn’t like people touching its horns and loves dining on human flesh. This ever expanding narrative touches on the demons’ origins along with one villain’s sinister political agenda, all culminating in a searing cliffhanger that deftly sets the stage for the sequel.

A lively and absorbing tale that mixes real-world history with supernatural creatures.