Chronicles of the Necromancer is a four novel long fantasy series by Gail Z. Martin which consists of the novels The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven and Dark Lady’s Chosen. Book one in the follow up series, The Fallen Kings Cycle, is scheduled to be released in early 2011.
The series is set in the Winter Kingdoms which is split into seven different countries. The first book opens in the country of Margolan during the Feast of the Departed, and follows second Prince Martris "Tris" Drayke as he flees the castle after learning that Crown Prince Jared's men had assassinated the rest of their family.
Not to be confused with The Necromancer Chronicles by Amanda Downum.
Provides Examples Of:
- Agent Scully: Vahanian verges on this originally, though it's mentioned several times that ghosts appear visible to all once a year.
- Amnesiac Resonance: Tris's Instant Expert and mastery of his newfound summoner powers turns out to be this. His grandmother give him extensive training, but erased his memories to protect him from Jared.
- Arranged Marriage: Kiara has one with Jared that was arranged at her birth. She ends up with Tris instead, which still holds true to the arranged marriage because it was to the heir of Margolan and not to Jared specifically.
- Author Appeal: The inclusion of
vampiresvayash moru is most likely this. - Awesome Moment of Crowning: Subverted, as it's never actually described in more than a few dismissive sentences, but Tris' coronation finishes the second book.
- Being Watched: Usually mentioned several times whenever there are ghosts present. Vahanian's first encounter with Gabriel, who is one of the more powerful vayash moru, begins with pages of this trope.
- The Blacksmith: Vahanian was one when he was younger.
- Break the Haughty: Uri becomes much meeker and trustworthy after nearly being disposed by Malesh and saved by Vahanian.
- Character Title: The Summoner is Tris, and The Blood King is the Arontala/Jared partnership. The fourth book, Dark Lady's Chosen, refers to Vahanian.
- Deus ex Machina: When the heroes have made a mess, the Goddess appears to clean it up. More than once.
- Embarrassing First Name: Carroway has one of these. His first name isn't even mentioned until the second half of the series.
- Fate Worse than Death:
- The ghost of the assassin sent by Jared is met by the Formless One, described as "too terrible to comprehend".
- Another spirit, Crevan, gets a fate worse than this when he meets what's waiting for him in the afterlife — Shanthadura. The second example is described in full.
- Fisher King: Margolan becomes a dreadful dystopia with Jared in charge.
- Four Lines, All Waiting: The last book in the series alternates between Tris, Kiara, Carina and Vahanian, and Cam.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Tris attempts this at the end of book two in order to save his country and his beloved, but the spirit of his grandfather, who was also a necromancer, manages to keep him from dying.
- Hot-Blooded: This is a common trait in the Isencroft royal family, and the kingdom as a whole.
- Just Following Orders: Subverted. Tris make it clear that those that willingly served Jared will not receive mercy.
- Mind Rape: Arontala tries this with Tris, when he's shown the loss of Kiara.
- My Nayme Is: Martris and Jared Drayke.
- Necromancer: Tris is a non-evil one.
- Only in It for the Money: Vahanian's original motivation for guiding the heroes.
- Our Vampires Are Different: Vampires in the Winter Kingdoms are usually called vayash moru. The process to create a vayash moru is slightly more complicated than simply biting the victim — the victim must also drink some of the creator's blood as well. They are susceptible to sunlight, but the older the vayash moru is the longer it takes for it to kill them. The do need blood to live, but it can come from either humans or animals. Vayash moru are as likely to be evil as their human counterparts.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: The Vyrkin can switch from wolf to human form at will.
- Pregnant Badass: Averted and lampshaded with Kiara, who wonders why she's suddenly acting like a helpless maiden and chalks it up to hormones.
- Punctuation Shaker: Bava K'aa is Tris' grandmother, and her name features an apostrophe for no apparent reason.
- Really 700 Years Old: Vampires don't show signs of age, so you can't tell whether one is twenty or two hundred just by looking at them.
- Shoot the Messenger: King Jared has no problem with killing those that bring him bad news.
- Soul Jar: The Soulcatcher.
- Title Drop: Royster, the librarian, in book two.Royster: Chronicles of the Necromancer. Catchy, isn't it?
- The Usurper: Jared; he's even called this. However, he himself considers Tris to be one, and has it pointed out by Arontola that his thinking is backwards.
- Youngest Child Wins: Jared's mother was hated even after her death, and his father was grieving for years and too preoccupied to care about him. He uses this to justify his hatred of his half-brother, who had a comparatively sheltered upbringing.
- You Will Know What to Do: Bava K'aa to Tris before he faces the ghosts of Ruune Videya.
