This is a book I found in the local library. I didn't look for it. It just happened to be on the same shelf as another book that I was deliberately looking for. That's one of the fun things about a local library. You can browse the shelves freely, with nothing but the Dewey Decimal System arranging the books in front of you (no algorithms!).
Anyway, the premise of this book is a schoolgirl discovering that she has inborn powers of clairvoyance when a terrorist organization tries to kidnap her for them. This leads to a Meele a Tois between said terrorist organization (basically the Illuminati), an international crime-fighting organization known as L.A.N.C.E. , and the private army of robots commanded by superhero Arthur Keep. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it?
It it, kind of, but the way it is presented removes any feeling of info dump or confusion. The only confusion here is the budding Seer's own confusion. See, Elaine is a first-person narrator, so the reader experiences her confusion at the sudden 180 shift in her peaceful and boring life. The information provided to her (and thus the reader) comes in a steady and easily digestible stream, though she finds it frustratingly slow, which is understandable. Personally, I found it was surprisingly easy to keep track of everything.
There are a couple things I want to address. They are concerns I had when I started reading this book. 1.) Will Reddington, Elaine's love interest, would be a hot-seductive-dangerous stereotype, and lack anything else of a personality. 2.) Elaine's clairvoyance would never amount to much, and just serve as a macguffin to make people fight over her and keep her involved in the plot; she herself would just be an observer of the plot.
I have read a book with a similar premise to this: a girl with psychic powers who is involved with secret agent type schemes and whom the villain wants to recruit for her powers. It was one of the worst books I have ever read. Even now, years later, I can remember it clearly, and I use it as the standard for books that deserve an "F" by my grading scale. I am not joking at all. However, with this book, Pendragon's Heir, all of my concerns were unfounded.
Will Reddington has a full-developed character. He has an existence separate from Elaine. He never tries to seduce her, and has his own character arc unfold alongside hers. He has a purpose in the narrative beyond "being an attractive love interest".
Also, Elaine develops her powers over the course of the story, thanks to mentoring by a much older and experienced Seer (so she's not a unique special person either). At the start of the story, Elaine's powers are latent. They manifest as images that superimpose themselves over her literal eyesight. By the climax, she learns multiple uses for them, from spying on enemies to combat clairvoyance. Furthermore, all these uses have clear rules and limitations. So the clairvoyance is never used for an I Just Know sort of situation.
As for being an observer to the plot, defying that idea is part of Elaine's personal conflict throughout the book. All four of her parents (two blood parents and two step-parents), want to keep her away from the fighting, because she is a civilian without training or experience in combat. So she is basically grounded in her father's tower for most of the story and surrounded by his army of robotic knights. She has to endure a good deal of combat training and physical conditioning, bond with her father to develop a level of mutual trust, and execute some covert maneuvers to prevent her caring-but-overprotective father from sidelining her. The climatic chapter is even titled, "Where I refuse to be sidelined no matter what". In other words, Elaine tries very hard to avoid being reduced to an observer.
Did you notice the phrases "father's tower" and "small army of robotic knights"? Yes, those are literal statements. Elaine's blood father is Arthur Keep, an eccentric gazillionaire inventor who is the world's biggest fan of the King Arthur Mythos. Arthur Keep lives in Keep Tower, which is styled like a medieval European fortified tower (albeit with modern construction and technology) and one of his inventions is a type of combat robot who can either become literal armor for a human or move independently. Also, they are named after the Knights of the Round Table. Arthur's fatherly petname for Elaine is "princess", because that is basically what she is, legal heir to the Keep Incorporated kingdom.
Aside from that, Arthur Keep is definitely based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Tony Stark. He prefers working in his laboratory to doing anything business-management related, rarely takes anything seriously, is a public superhero in powered armor he invented himself and grabbles with trust issues, except when it comes to his wife, a very professional and business-savy woman to whom he delegates any and all CEO duties, to the point where she IS the CEO of Keep Incorporated. The book was published in 2019, after many MCU movies featuring Iron Man.
The first chapter is a bit slow and boring, but this is a necessity to show the contrast of her life before and after the initiation event of the plot. It is not a "make the protagonist a lowest common denominator" sort of chapter. It is actually more focused on introducing her budding clairvoyance, which becomes immediately relevant. It also leads to my final point.
This is a Like Reality Unless Otherwise Noted sort of fiction story. Just because it takes place in a fictional version of America does not mean that it is exactly like the real life version. At no point does Elaine state that clairvoyance itself is fake/impossible/fiction.
No. Elaine knows that clairvoyance is a real thing. Everyone in her setting, even and including the muggles, know that clairvoyance is a real thing. Superheroes and Fair Folk are real things too. There is no Masquerade at all. It is such a refreshing set up that I have to mention it.
When I was growing up, every single fantasy book I read that took place in the modern day included a Masquerade. Every fantastical thing had to hide from the non-fantasy humans for some reason, or no reason at all. It was some implied rule of fantasy literature that the modern era had to be exactly the same as real life, with all the fantasy elements partitioned into some hidden area. Mixing them was taboo, both in-universe and out. I think it had to do with some meta-idea of the reader "discovering" the hidden fantasy world as they read the story.
That is not the case here. When Elaine protests about having clairvoyance, it is because she doesn't believe that she, herself, has the power of clairvoyance. It is common knowledge in her setting that clairvoyance follows bloodlines, so if neither of your parents are clairvoyant then you aren't either. It is a rational idea, and I prefer it to a protagonist who denies a plainly visible truth (i.e. Flat Earth Atheist).
Aside from all that, it looks good on a technical level. I don't recall much in the way of spelling errors or grammar issues. I give authors more leeway on grammar when they use a first-person narration, because really, how many people think in perfect grammar?
Trickster Eric Novels gives Pendragon's Heir an A+
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Check here for my next book review: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (D&D adventure module
Click here for my previous book review: Ancient Wisdom for the Modern Warrior
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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