Matharu, Taran: - Taran Matharu is the author of the Contender trilogy and the New York Times-bestselling Summoner series: The Novice (Book One), The Inquisition (Book Two), The Battlemage (Book Three), The Outcast (the prequel), and The Summoners Handbook; the series has been compared to the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series. Taran Matharu lives in London.