It’s been a handful of years since readers crossed paths with Lukien the Bronze Knight (2005, The Sword of Angels), The Forever Knight is John Marco’s returns to the character; a tale of revenge, redemption and personal discovery set on a dark fantastic landscape. While this novel is set in the same world as The Eyes of God, The Devil’s Armor, and The Sword of Angels, this novel stands on its own to the point that Mr. Marco is even calling this a soft reboot of the character and world.
The first thing in Marco’s latest novel to distinguish itself from its predecessors is the authorial voice. This time around, John chose to tell Lukien’s tale through Lukien’s own voice utilizing the first person narrative technique. There’s a more intimate feeling to the story, although not quite a coziness, because Lukien is far from being the proverbial happy camper. He’s held his true love as she died, turned his best friend into an enemy, helped the Inhumans secure a place of safety (Grimhold), overthrown a madman, and gained another spiritual familiar in the form of Malator, the Akari. All of this happened in the novels The Eyes of God, The Devil’s Armor, and The Sword of Angels. This past baggage is not necessary for readers unfamiliar with those books to know since John sprinkled enough of Lukien’s past throughout the narrative to give him the weight of a burdened, tired-of-meandering, and on the cusp of breaking character for new readers to jump into the narrative.
So what is the plot of the novel? The revenge, redemption, and quest for purpose are all intertwined. Lukien is a life-long soldier, he is best at fighting and killing. The people of Grimhold, where the man known as the Bronze Knight has taken residence, are aware of this. Although they love him and look up to him, they realize Lukien needs to move out and find a new purpose for his life. After a bit of urging, the former knight departs along with a young girl, Cricket, as his squire. Joining both is Malator, the spirit bonded to Lukien who inhabits the Sword of Angels. Lukien’s quest for purpose intertwines with Cricket’s hope to find her lost memories and discover who she truly is. Along the way, the trio encounters desert nomads who speak of a land in need of a Knight Errant. When Lukien eventually arrives in this land (after a most uncomfortable encounter with a giant named Wrestler), Lukien is none-to-pleased with what he discovers. A ruler, Anton Fallon, haunted by a monster and hounded by an equally infamous ruler, Diriel of Akyre for owed money. Lukien’s bounds of humanity are tested, his understanding of his past comes more into light, and he rediscovers the ability to focus on what made him great – a leader of men at war.
I’ve been a fan of John Marco’s since I read his debut novel The Jackal of Nar well over a decade ago. With each book I’ve read by John, I’ve discovered something new in his writing, a different shade of what his abilities as a storyteller are. In The Forever Knight, John’s written his shortest novel to date, but by no means does that indicate is any less powerful a novel. The first person narrative works very well within this smaller, more tightly focused tale. Reacquainting myself with Lukien’s story, through Lukien’s own voice was a most welcome return.
The main players here are, of course, Lukien, Cricket and Malator with much of the narrative being pulled forward by Lukien’s inner dialogue, his conversations with Malator and conversations with Cricket. On the whole, Lukien’s narrative worked best when it was just him speaking. The interplay between Lukien and Malator paralleled the interplay between Cricket and Lukien. Very often, Lukien would ask questions of Malator, questions the Atari refused to answer. The same occurred when Cricket asked Lukien certain questions; she hit a roadblock with the Bronze Knight. At times; however, some of the withholding of information felt forced for the sole reason of holding suspense and allowing the narrative to unfold.
The rulers of the two kingdoms who come to battle each other aren’t exactly the best examples of leadership. Anton Fallon is a man with a shady reputation and the land of Akyre, run by Diriel an equally crazed man who is a self-appointed Emperor. While Diriel comes across as power hungry, Fallon comes across like a crazed, paranoid meth addict. Both of these rulers come across as selfish, vainglorious, and withered human beings, perhaps two sides of a similar coin, though a little more space given to Diriel would have been nice. Either way, Lukien and Cricket are less than pleased with what they discover in Akyre.
The one person Lukien meets with whom he can most closely sympathize is the knight Marilius, essentially the commander of Anton Fallon’s army. In him, Lukien finds parallels, a man with honor in a position he doesn’t necessarily find comfortable. Though it isn’t blatantly said by Fallon or Marilius, Lukien picks up on a special relationship between the two men, something Marilius wishes to hide. Lukien eventually convinces Marilius to not be embarrassed or hide who he is. This is one of many instances in the novel where Lukien is shown to be an inspiration to many of the other characters he encounters, either through his reputation or his actions.
Diriel’s army in Akyre is fueled by mummy powder, a drug like substance that turns men into zombie-like slaves, purchased from Anton Fallon. Coupled with that conflict is a monster living in the crypts where the mummy powder was found. The monster is haunting Fallon and Diriel wants this monster as the final component of the army he feels will help him conquer the world. In all these locations, Marco evokes great atmosphere, be it the dark labyrinthine crypt where the monster lives, the decaying land of Akyre, or Fallon’s opulent gilded palace. Each place in the novel has its own character and individuality.
The conclusion to the novel brings closure to the tale John set out to tell at the start of The Forever Knight, but it also serves as a launching point for another stage of Lukein’s life with Malator. Lukien’s tale has a lot more to offer and with the proverbial dangling carrot left at the end, I hope to read more about Lukien and where his Atari companion Malator go.
Recommended
© 2013 Rob H. Bedford
DAW, 300 pages
April 2013
Hardcover, 978-0-756-40751-3
http://www.johnmarco.com
Sample Chapter: http://happynerdjohn.blogspot.com/p/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html
Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) provided by Author
