Prophecy

Gr 9 Up–High melodrama and absurdity abound in the search for a lost heir. Persephone is our paint-by-numbers heroine: violet-eyed, enslaved, armed, with a penchant for delivering useful exposition via soliloquy to her animal friends. Persephone is sprung from captivity by a glamorous thief, Azriel, who is part of the hunted—and magical—Methusian clan. While on the run from the evil Regent Mordesius, Persephone and Azriel enjoy lots of banter and a classic caught-bathing-in-nature scene to make sure readers know they are attracted to each other. In Azriel’s secret Methusian community, Persephone learns that she might be the prophesied future ruler of a united Glyndoria. Meanwhile, Regent Mordesius is a nicely creepy baddie of the Richard III sort, with a taste for hunting down his political rivals. Mordesius’s storyline gives greater scope to the tale. Mordesius has united Glyndoria under Erok rule, subjugating the other clans: the long-lived, itinerant Methusians, mining Gorgishmen, Parthanian mountaineers, and Marinese traders. His power depends on controlling King Finnius—who is mysteriously exactly the same age as Persephone! Also, there is plague! The plot is brisk, dramatic, and silly. The setting feels vague. Persephone’s enslavement feels queasily like antebellum America, while the four clans of Glyndoria are sprinkled with names of random etymological origin. In reality, cultures overlap or intersect, so what is the logic of the intersections in this fantasyland, where ethnic identity is crucial?