THE BONE DOLL'S TWIN

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

There are novels of science fiction or fantasy which weave an enjoyable tale, even though they may have shallow characterization or distracting lapses of logic.

Then there are some which, from the first paragraphs, convey the sense of overarching coherence: that not only will they give you believable characters and a plot that makes sense, but will conjure up a world that, though fictional, nonetheless feels real. Tolkien did that with his tales of Middle Earth. Ursula LeGuin did it with her Earthsea novels. J. K. Rowling may have done it with her Harry Potter series; I have read none of them so far, so I am unable to judge.

Lynn Flewelling has definitely done it with The Bone Doll's Twin. But this is no ethereal Tolkien fantasy; Flewelling's tale is down-to-earth, and in places downright earthy.1 Her characters are fully human, even if the Orëska wizards have a certain remoteness about them, due to their extended lifespans.

The tale concerns Skala, a kingdom living on guard against its ancient rival Plenimar. Prophecy tells that "So long as a daughter of Thelátimos' line defends and rules, Skala shall never be subjugated." But now a king, Erius, has taken the throne without challenge after being de facto ruler during his mother Agnalain's decline. That same year Plenimar attacked Skala's southern ports, and Erius drove them back into the sea. Since his ascension, female children of the royal line have suffered an unusual degree of misfortune: drowning in the sea, succumbing to illness, falling from tower windows. Many hold the prophecy disproven.

For the last nineteen years disease plagues and crop blights have been on the increase. Currently Skala is in the third year of drought, and many villages are decimated by famine. The wizards and seeresses of the land have determined that Illior their god is telling them it still holds and the line must be restored. As the story opens, Iya and her apprentice Arkoniel make the arduous journey to consult the Oracle at Afra. The visions she shows them are troubling, setting them on a path fraught with danger.

For by this time there is only one remaining female candidate among the nobles: the daughter who will be born to Duke Rhius, brother to Erius by marriage to his sister Ariani. At the time of birthing she bears twins: one male, one female. The witch Lhel, recruited by Iya, uses her magic to transform them so that the girl child, named Tobin, appears male. The true male child comes forth second. Lhel smothers it; but, distracted by the unexpected arrival of King Erius, she falters long enough to let it draw first breath. In that moment its spirit cleaves to the flesh. Thereafter, bound to Earth as a ghost and angry about that, it haunts the household until more of Lhel's magic partly placates it.

This restless spirit, whom Tobin calls Brother, has an important part to play in preserving the deception until Tobin comes of age. Then, if all goes well, the transformation will be reversed and she will take her rightful place as Queen of Skala.

But reaching that point will require both skill and luck. Erius grows more fearful of female influence by the year, to the point that he will not suffer females in his army. Once they fought alongside the men as equals; now they are relegated to menial jobs like Cook of Rhius's household. Also, the King's wizard Nylin leads the Harriers who patrol the countryside looking for other wizards. The slightest sign of dissent brings painful execution.

In this perilous milieu Tobin grows to his twelfth year. Then he is summoned to the port of Ero, Skala's capital city, to join the Companions, a corps of young nobles being trained in martial arts by Porion. This summons comes from the king; it cannot be put off. In Ero, Tobin will be under the scrutiny of Nylin, and though he has no wizardly magic in him, Brother has come along with him and manifests at inconvenient times. These manifestations Nylin might sense. As if that weren't enough, Lhel's transformation begins to break down. Tobin must flee the city unobserved and return to Lhel. His squire Ki finds the magical artifact he forgot to keep with him (the bone doll of the title) and undertakes the same night-long ride with it. Ki risks more than he knows, for Arkoniel has sworn a wizard's oath to kill him if he ever learns Tobin's secret.

It all makes for a most suspenseful and engrossing tale. I'll wager that it will leave you hankering to read parts 2 and 3 of the trilogy. Full marks.

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This page was last modified on 8 June 2014.