My latest read has been Paul Bennett’s opening books to his… thirty-five (?) book series. it came as a boxed set of the 2.5 books. i read on my Kindle Fire, so I’m not sure if the last book is actually shorter than the other, or.. if it’s something like my own series, where I write a bunch of books and then look back and think—- oh… I have an idea that I can maybe squeak… right in here… *nudges books to the side like elbowing through a crowd in Grand Central Station…* Additionally, the 2,5 book feels like an interlude book, where it is telling back story, much the way The Name of the Wind is recounting events that took place prior.

Okay- so the first 2.5 books tell the story/stories of Gerald, Anna, and Beverly, as the primary POV characters in this series. The books are well written, the world-building is solid, and the characters are well-developed and believable. Gerald is a wounded soldier who has distinguished himself in battle and seeks out his friend/mentor Fitz, who secures him a position as a groundskeeper in a remote estate. Before long, he crosses paths with Anna, who we soon learn is a secret, sequestered princess. The two of them bond almost immediately, and it is a delightful relationship and dynamic. They each bring something the other desperately needs in their lives. Anna needs a parental figure as well as a teacher, and Gerald needs something to care about. In his backstory, his family has been killed. I can’t remember the specifics, and it wasn’t critical to the first books, only that Anna serves as a kind of surrogate and breathes a fresh energy into his world. She accompanies him on the grounds and learns a wide range of little things, often supplementing this information with forays to the library for additional research on a subject. In one such instance, this is demonstrated when she knows what plants to use to make a poultice that draws out a poison (?) that saves Gerald’s life.

At the end of bk1, a knight rides up to the estate and offers her service to the princess (see the note below, re.. how do we know about this secret princess?). Beverly offers her sword and service, saying she has finally found someone worthy of her service. (How does she know that Anna has a remarkable reputation?) And she notes at the end, have you not heard… the realm has been invaded. (good cliff hanger:)

Book two backtracks slightly, telling Beverly’s story about how she was determined to become a knight, even from a young age. and that Gerald was brought in to be her teacher, until he had nothing left to teach her. It is clear that she is talented as a fighter and excels at just about every weapon and tactic that is thrown at her. She is also given an impressive war horse, who is almost a side character in places. I love horses, all good here! 🙂

The majority of bk2 covers some back story, visits from the king and his cronies. No one is impressed, and it’s a wonder the realm has not fallen long before this:)  Anna, Beverly, Gerald, and Fitz are the saviours, who discover ancient ruins (not sure where that well was, if it was at her main residence or when they were somewhere else– but there’s a grumble about that, below, logistic, rather than plot). She makes allies with the elves to help defend the realm, turning the tide of a major battle with the elven archery. Beverly and Anna both realize there is a flaw in the battle strategy the king’s idiotic battle commander has laid out, and Beverly goes in the opposite direction, convinced there is a second attack. she is right, and encounters an army of orcs. Here she demonstrates the extent of her fighting prowess, able to stand against a number of attackers. In gaming, we call this 1 v. X (x for many). The part I liked is that the orcs are given a distinct, different code of honor, and Beverly earns the respect of the orcs by demonstrating her prowess (as well as defeating an unpopular war leader:)

Anyway- None of them receives ANY credit for their contributions. And I’m sure every reader feels the sting of that. it was very deliberate and intentional and I’m sure that it is setting something up for later. In fact, not only is Beverly not rewarded, in true keeping with the inequality of gender perceptions… she is heavily reprimanded for what they perceive as a “failure.” (no spoilers here) and is told that the war council is no place for a woman and is dismissed. Again, I’m sure this is setting up later plot elements, so I don’t take any issue with that.

So, I don’t know when I will find time to read through thirty-five books to see how this all plays out, but I will continue with the series. YA books are a trade-off. They are easier to follow in terms of character and plot than the more intricate world-building and politics of adult fantasy.. but the flip-side is that there are often YA-y glitches that always catch me and rankle slightly. Like the use of the term voluntold.. which is a very modern word.. and other general continuity-logic aspects that are just very common to the genre as a whole;)

Grumble- the ruins-  This is a logistical grumble. A soldier is missing. Okay- this is two grumbles:)  First, it is immediately assumed that he is injured or something. No one questions whether.. hey- he ducked off to see a girl, or might have ducked off to the village the night before and gotten drunk, or injured, or killed etc.. but aside from that, a search party is immediately formed, and it is discovered that he had fallen down an old boarded (boards over it) well. all good. Beverly (I think) is the one who goes down on a rope to rescue him. While down there, she notices runes carved in the stone (?unsure on the specific detail). Anyway, they later go back down to investigate and discover an ancient ruin that seems quite extensive. NOW, if this were a well, as they seem certain that it was, wouldn’t water be flooding all of those rooms and areas? So- I’m left to guess that it wasn’t actually ever a well… but then, why would people for decades, if not centuries, have that belief, and no one would ever have discovered what was below them. It may be clarified in the later books.. I was definitely curious about what it was– there were definite elements of magic there– as in other places in the world. The king has a (not called a mage) but is essentially a mage, with renowned, actual, and impressive healing skills.

Grumble- One of the sections is told from the dog’s POV. It’s clever and poignant. This follows Tempest’s story. In the main books, he is the loyal guardian to the princess/not-princess. It tells the harsh and brutal life of a dog that is destined for the fight pits. In the true YA style, there are points that stretch credulity– like how a puppy that is possibly only 2 months old (still with its mother) survives a boat wreck. But, in Shakespearean fashion, it isn’t too difficult to move beyond that and willingly suspend disbelief:)  There is one brief section where the narrator head-hops and tells things that Tempest could not possibly know and is clearly from someone elses’ POV. not long enough to be a chapter, and that would break the canon that’s been set out— that an intuitive who can bond with Tempest can see his story and related it- so it is clear SHE can only see through the dog’s perceptions.

Grumble- another YA convention. The main character is illegitimate. I’m fine with that. The king is not her father, and she has been raised in complete secrecy. All good there. But then, suddenly, more and more people know she exists and that she is a princess. We never meet the mother (who seems to have disowned the child she bore as the fruit of an affair. Now, this affair seems to be the result of a marriage that has gone cold and a husband who had turned to mistresses and other narcissistic, unlikeable behaviour (he’s not a nice guy, and he doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities. No problem with that).  But- if the queen has turned elsewhere for love and comfort– would she not feel some stronger attachment to the child of that union? There is no real explanation for why the queen had disowned her love-child (my term).

Grumble- papa- not a nice or pleasant guy, generally shallow and not overly smart/savvy as a ruler, trusting his sycophantic advisors who repeatedly botch things but still heaps out rewards and praise for these incompetent boot-lickers who perpetually connive against the good guys (characters in the books) and claim credit they never deserved or earned. All good there. I get it. In today’s day and age, we live it. We see it on the news every day, where advisors are hired with literally zero qualifications for their posts (I’m thinking Paul was prescient in this call lol;)…. And- not unusual for a standard medieval-style fantasy landscape. The part that gets me: Anna, the princess, is smart and savvy and sharp-minded. She regularly surprises others at the insights that seem beyond her years. All good there. The grumble comes from. She has a very solid and healthy father figure. There are references to her dislike of the king, she later SEES the above aspects playing out. (I read on audio book, and missed the part immediately before this because I’d dozed off. But- there was a reference to how horribly her father and his pals behaved when they came to visit– I had the impression they did something terrible, and that she couldn’t wait to get away and didn’t seem to want to ever see the man again. Again, all good. right in character. But then later, when she is coming to the rescue of a botched military strategy.. the POV, Beverly specifically notes that Anna seemed to be basking in the king’s attention. WWWWWWWWWhaaaaaaat? I could understand it if she had been pining for a father. she has one, essentially, Gerald, to whom she is absolutely devoted and looks to for protection and guidance as well as teaching. Also- she never once seems to ask: who is my real father… a smart savvy kid might be curious about that, especially thinking– someone’s got to be better than these messed-up people. and- if she is still seeking a father-figure, she’d imagine that her real father likely didn’t know about her, and would be ecstatic to learn of her existence and take her away to somewhere wonderful. (my interpretation there:)

Grumble- I’m sure this is plot-relevant and another YA foible.. but– for all his prowess etc..why is Gerald never knighted? I get that he is a commoner and it is raised as a point iin bk2… when everyone is being rewarded and his huge contribution doesn’t even get mentioned. BUT- it had been noted that a knight can “make” another knight. Beverly is granted her own order, the order of the hound. so, she has the power to bestow knightbood, and in fact she does, she is shown knighting another woman (I forget the name at the moment).. so why wouldn’t she, or her father who is also a knight, I believe, never look at Gerald, especially right on the battlefield after heroic deeds, have taken their sword and tapped him on the shoulder. I know we are meant to feel the injustice of a social system that rewards birth over merit.. but the part that rankled is that these very smart and independent-thinking forward-thinking people don’t say screw that… rise sir knight. 🙂