We’re officially halfway through the A-Z blog challenge, and today’s post is one of the few (maybe the only?) fantasy books in the Bookbag.

Necromancer Awakening by Nat Russo stands out as a fantasy story because of one detail: the protagonist, Nicholas, is a modern-day Texan who was transported to the land of Erindor, which couldn’t be less like modern-day Texas. Once there, he learns he will be trained by Mujahid to be a necromancer, a kind of wizard who can raise the dead to fight (or to do whatever they need the undead to do). Nicholas wasn’t chosen randomly to go to Erindor, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why he went.

Nicholas’s character offers several opportunities for humor, as he’s totally a fish out of water in Erindor and Mujahid (along with other characters) doesn’t quite know what to do with a Texan. Take, for example, one of Nicholas’s first walks through the marketplace.

They walked for several minutes along the eccentric route of vendor stalls, until the grating sound of a vendor’s voice drew Nicholas’s attention. He craned his neck to get a better look.

Flesh dangled from the vendor’s partially exposed jawbone, revealing a bloody mix of sinew and muscle. One of the man’s arms was devoid of skin and flesh, leaving only the bone behind. He had a rib cage and no internal organs whatsoever.

Nicholas couldn’t breathe. He grabbed Mujahid’s arm.

Mujahid shook his head. “It would appear some celebration is in order. I’ve managed to find the first necromancer in the history of Erindor who is afraid of the undead.”

“Zz…zzz…zomb…”

“Get a hold of yourself, boy. Keep telling yourself that nothing here can harm you.”

Nicholas looked into Mujahid’s eyes. “Is that true?”

Mujahid inhaled as if to say something, paused with his mouth hanging open, then shrugged.

“Oh god,” Nicholas said. He tried to keep his eyes off the other vendors.

Despite his initial fear, Nicholas learns to summon a penitent, a process that requires him to live the entire life of the deceased in a matter of seconds. He needs to hone his necromancy practice in order to get home, but the Archmage in charge has outlawed necromancy. In fact, if Nicholas hadn’t ended up in an underwater city where he received further training, he might not have lived long enough to get home–or to fulfill the greater role in Erindor he was destined to fill.

Also in my Bookbag: The Navigators

What N titles are in your Bookbag?