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rachelmanija is looking for books about amnesia here. Novels specifically, so no comics, manga, anime, doramas, TV shows, etc.rachelmanija is looking for books about amnesia here. Novels specifically, so no comics, manga, anime, doramas, TV shows, etc.Simon is a kitchen boy in Osten Ard, home to Prester John, the high king. An orphan, Simon has been raised since birth by Rachel, who runs the kitchen. Very tall and absentminded, Simon is clumsy and not very good at much of anything. Nevertheless, he catches the eyes of Morgenes, Prester John’s doctor and biographer, and becomes his apprentice. Soon Prester John dies, and when his older son, Elias, takes the throne, his younger son, Josua disappears. Soon, Simon learns that Josua did not disappear to start a rebellion, but rather was imprisoned by Elias. Simon and Morgenes free him(after which, he promptly goes off to start a rebellion) but are soon discovered by Pryrates, Elias’s priest and advisor. He practices black magic, of course.
Morgenes sacrifices himself so Simon can escape and Simon begins his life on the run as he slowly heads to join Josua. Along the way he is joined by Binabik, a troll, and a boy named Malachais, who Simon had quarreled with at the castle. Eventually, Simon learns Malachais is actually a girl, and after they reach Josua’s forces, he learns that she’s actually Miriamele, Elias’s daughter, who left himto join her uncle, believing(rightly) that Elias is no longer himself and is completely under Pryrates control. Insert war, rebellion, token Doomed Love backstory, prophecy and the magic sword.
Honestly, so far, the story is relatively standard high fantasy. Very well told, but fairly standard. There is, however, an enormous amount of potential, and given that the book is 20 years old, I’m more than willing to handwave most of the standardness as not having been as standard at the time it first came out. Simon starts out your typical whiny-brat coming-of-age fantasy hero, but he pretty much literally gets kicked in the head and shoved face first into the mud over it. That and a few harsh reality checks do a good job of getting him past it by the halfway point, which is pretty promptly for the character type. Binabik and Morgenes are good mentor figures, and Josua is, so far, pretty cool, but I’m not putting any money on his not somehow going bad or getting off by the end. I do wish, though, that there was more in the way of strong female characters. Miriamele shows promise, and seems smart and capable, but doesn’t get to do a whole lot, largely because we only see her through Simon’s eyes, and he’s rather distracted by mooning over her. Rachel is a fine character, but does even less than Miriamele, and the only other female characters who are more than extras, I might forget about if Williams didn’t remind me of them.
Anyway, I doubt the series will go down as a favorite, but it’s solid and very much worth following up on.
Simon is a kitchen boy in Osten Ard, home to Prester John, the high king. An orphan, Simon has been raised since birth by Rachel, who runs the kitchen. Very tall and absentminded, Simon is clumsy and not very good at much of anything. Nevertheless, he catches the eyes of Morgenes, Prester John’s doctor and biographer, and becomes his apprentice. Soon Prester John dies, and when his older son, Elias, takes the throne, his younger son, Josua disappears. Soon, Simon learns that Josua did not disappear to start a rebellion, but rather was imprisoned by Elias. Simon and Morgenes free him(after which, he promptly goes off to start a rebellion) but are soon discovered by Pryrates, Elias’s priest and advisor. He practices black magic, of course.
Morgenes sacrifices himself so Simon can escape and Simon begins his life on the run as he slowly heads to join Josua. Along the way he is joined by Binabik, a troll, and a boy named Malachais, who Simon had quarreled with at the castle. Eventually, Simon learns Malachais is actually a girl, and after they reach Josua’s forces, he learns that she’s actually Miriamele, Elias’s daughter, who left himto join her uncle, believing(rightly) that Elias is no longer himself and is completely under Pryrates control. Insert war, rebellion, token Doomed Love backstory, prophecy and the magic sword.
Honestly, so far, the story is relatively standard high fantasy. Very well told, but fairly standard. There is, however, an enormous amount of potential, and given that the book is 20 years old, I’m more than willing to handwave most of the standardness as not having been as standard at the time it first came out. Simon starts out your typical whiny-brat coming-of-age fantasy hero, but he pretty much literally gets kicked in the head and shoved face first into the mud over it. That and a few harsh reality checks do a good job of getting him past it by the halfway point, which is pretty promptly for the character type. Binabik and Morgenes are good mentor figures, and Josua is, so far, pretty cool, but I’m not putting any money on his not somehow going bad or getting off by the end. I do wish, though, that there was more in the way of strong female characters. Miriamele shows promise, and seems smart and capable, but doesn’t get to do a whole lot, largely because we only see her through Simon’s eyes, and he’s rather distracted by mooning over her. Rachel is a fine character, but does even less than Miriamele, and the only other female characters who are more than extras, I might forget about if Williams didn’t remind me of them.
Anyway, I doubt the series will go down as a favorite, but it’s solid and very much worth following up on.
branchandroot