The Summoned King (The Kalymbrian Chronicles, #1)
Indiana high school senior James Madison Young can best be described as a Renaissance man: intelligent, of good character, and possessed by insatiable curiosity about everything from Krav Maga to robotics. One evening, he falls asleep while studying at the library. He wakes to find himself in another world, filled with magic, danger and romance. He has been summoned by court wizard Maynard to be the king of Kalymbria. Forced into marriage with the beautiful and magically powerful yet untrained Julia Roper for his queen, he must restore the lapsed Constitution in the face of opposition from a hostile Council of Advisors, and defend his new country from the evil machinations of the wizard Ruinga and her allied kingdom of Venicka. Rediscovering the lost art of enchantment may provide him with a powerful edge in his quest, if he can survive the assassins and conspiracies arrayed against him.
My Take:
James Madison Young is a promising high school senior with a bright future. Intelligent, of high moral character, interested in politics and history, and a talent for Krav Maga, he delves deeply into every study he can get his hands on. With a library of nonfiction texts from engineering to history filling up his Kindle Fire, he finds himself at the school library late one evening doing research, and falls asleep - only to wake up on another planet, where magic and danger abound.
He has been summoned by the court wizard Maynard to be king of Kalymbria. This country 'jobs out' their puppet leadership to protect the real leadership, the Council of Advisors, from blame for the odious legislation they pass, strangling the common people to fill their coffers and their indulgent lifestyle.
Immediately forced into marriage with a beautiful and powerful female wizard, James quickly finds himself the pawn of opposing forces set to tear this weary country apart. Hated by the council, hated by the citizens, and threatened by neighboring countries poised on the brink of invasion, James must refashion the government into a benevolent servant of the people, with no friends and no resources.
With a heart for the common man and a desire to establish a fair democracy modeled after the US, James must stand up to the corrupt Council and avert war with neighboring countries, all while trying to prevent his own assassination!
He has been summoned by the court wizard Maynard to be king of Kalymbria. This country 'jobs out' their puppet leadership to protect the real leadership, the Council of Advisors, from blame for the odious legislation they pass, strangling the common people to fill their coffers and their indulgent lifestyle.
Immediately forced into marriage with a beautiful and powerful female wizard, James quickly finds himself the pawn of opposing forces set to tear this weary country apart. Hated by the council, hated by the citizens, and threatened by neighboring countries poised on the brink of invasion, James must refashion the government into a benevolent servant of the people, with no friends and no resources.
With a heart for the common man and a desire to establish a fair democracy modeled after the US, James must stand up to the corrupt Council and avert war with neighboring countries, all while trying to prevent his own assassination!
Content:
Drug Content:
PG - There is a minor level of drunkenness involved with some pirates.
Violence:
PG-13 - There are quite a few characters killed by poison darts, or executed by hanging. One family is murdered at their dinner table, a decapitated head is left as a warning. A child is kidnapped. Assassination seems to be an accepted practice.
Language:
G - squeaky clean.
Adult Content:
PG - Rape and prostitution is discussed, but only from a legal consideration as to punishment. The king and queen, though forced into marriage, remain celibate until they mutually decide to consummate.
Christian content:
James is a devout Christian and works with a prophet from Kalymbria to bring the bible to this planet. Multiple characters convert to faith following miraculous evidence of God's power and guidance. The spiritual purpose behind James being summoned is explored.
Final analysis:
Sometimes reading a book for review is arduous, but this is not one of those times. I found The Summoned King to be like candy. Fantasy mixes with Faith in this high-stakes roller coaster ride. Fast-paced, action-packed, and filled with timeless truth, Neuendorf has hit a home run with this debut treasure. Looking forward to reading more about James and Julia in the pages to come. Five Stars!
About the Author:
Dave Neuendorf has been a lover of fantasy, science fiction, and political thrillers since the 1950's, when he would rather read than romp during recess in school. After decades of making notes of stories he'd like to write, he finally set out to create his own fantasy series in 2015. The first fruit of his efforts is The Summoned King, published in February 2016, as book one of The Kalymbrian Chronicles. Development of the series will proceed as time allows while he continues to pursue his day job as a Java software development consultant. He is also working on his first political thriller.
Dave has been married since 1976 to his one love, Patricia. He is the father of three sons, and grandfather of one young lady and one tiny gentleman, so far. He and his family live with their two dogs, a Samoyed and a Siberian Husky, in Aurora, Indiana.
Dave can be found on Facebook and at his author web site.
Dave Neuendorf has been a lover of fantasy, science fiction, and political thrillers since the 1950's, when he would rather read than romp during recess in school. After decades of making notes of stories he'd like to write, he finally set out to create his own fantasy series in 2015. The first fruit of his efforts is The Summoned King, published in February 2016, as book one of The Kalymbrian Chronicles. Development of the series will proceed as time allows while he continues to pursue his day job as a Java software development consultant. He is also working on his first political thriller.Dave has been married since 1976 to his one love, Patricia. He is the father of three sons, and grandfather of one young lady and one tiny gentleman, so far. He and his family live with their two dogs, a Samoyed and a Siberian Husky, in Aurora, Indiana.
Dave can be found on Facebook and at his author web site.
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