| The main character in this story is Peter, a good prince destined to become king until a scandalous plot shows him guilty of murder. His mother, the queen, was a beautiful, wise queen. She taught him his manners, and the difference between kings and other men. She died in child birth, killed by the midwife who was obliged to do it as she was in debt for the life of her son. The king, Roland, was an ugly figure. He was often sad, and confused, compelling him to drink. It hurt his head when he thought to hard, therefore he made Flagg king in all but name, letting him make all the decisions. Unfortunately, this was exactly what Flagg wanted. Flagg was a magician, and he had wreaked havoc in this country hundreds of years before. This time though, he didn't just want to mess up the country, he wanted to ruin it. His pawn was Peters little brother Thomas, who is as stupid and confused as the king.
As a child, Peter was allowed to attend a feast with his father. His mother, Sasha, coached him in manners, telling him they were very important as he was to be king. After the feast she told him that he performed beautifully except for one thing, he hadn't used his napkin. She gently reprimanded him that after he is crowned a king grows invisibly. Peter remembered this forever. He never went without a napkin again. Sasha also had a beautiful dollhouse that Peter would play with for hours. In this dollhouse everything worked. The stove heated up, the loom wove, and the lights lit up. He got to be very talented on the loom. Flagg, in the meantime, was spending time with Thomas. He showed him many things, amazing things, frightening things, important things. One of which was a passageway that led to the back of a dragon's head. King Roland had killed this dragon himself, and had it hanging in his sitting room. By going to the back of it through this passage way, you could look upon the king himself. By this method, Thomas watched Flagg poison his father. Flagg took a poison that would burn you from the inside out and put it in the kings wine, bringing it to him late one night.He then took mouse, killed by the same poison, and a packet of that poison, put it in a box that he had stolen from peter, and hid it in a secret place in Peter's room. When the butler found it Peter was convicted of murdering his father and sentenced to life at the top of the spine, a tower that overlooked the kingdom. He bribed the guards into giving him a napkin with each meal, and his mothers doll house. He also managed to get out a letter to his friends and servants, praying that they were still faithful to him. Meanwhile, Thomas was crowned King and let Flagg do the same thing that Roland let him do. Thomas the light bringer became Thomas the tax bringer to the kingdom, due to Flagg raising taxes so high no one could afford to eat. Peter's letter got through to those who were still faithful to him, and a rescue mission started to fit together. Peter used threads he ripped out of the napkins and wove them into rope using the loom. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - depressing/sad FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - ruler Political power play Yes Political plotlets - factions fight within govt for control Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Descript. of chases or violence - 20 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen Main Adversary Identity: - magical being Age: - long-lived adults Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can cast all sorts of spells How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book. How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Terrain Earth setting: - during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - use of artificial tools - impregnation/reproduction - descript. of private male anat. How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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