Jeff Wheeler has dominated the bestseller chart for historical fantasy for a while now. He does not write historical fantasy in the sense of a story set in the real, historical world, like my novel, Enoch’s Device, or D.B. Jackson’s Thieftaker series. Instead, Wheeler writes what I call “historical” fantasy, much like Guy Gavriel Kay. His stories take place in a fictional world that is barely distinguishable from our own, except all the names have changed. There’s magic too, which adds to the fantasy aspect, but it’s very subtle. Suffice it to say, I was eager to check out the first novel in his latest fantasy series, Knight’s Ransom.
In Knight’s Ransom, Wheeler reimagines the story of Sir William Marshall, a twelfth-century knight who became one of the most famous in all of history. The story even begins with the main character — a boy named Marshall Barton — nearly hanged on a trebuchet outside the walls of his father’s castle. Just like the real William Marshall.
The boy, who most people call Ransom because he was held as a hostage by the king, is saved, of course. Otherwise, there would be no story. Ransom is raised by his captor, King Gervais, the ruler of Ceredigion, Wheeler’s fictional England. Gervais is not long for the story, however, and after he dies, the kingdom falls into the hands of Devon Argentine, a former usurper and Wheeler’s stand-in for Henry II.
The story is mainly told from Ransom’s point of view, although there is a diary entry written by Claire de Murrow after every chapter. She’s the girl who gave Ransom his nickname, having been held hostage with him at Gervais’ castle at Kingfountain. Claire is the book’s best character, with the most colorful voice written in a wonderful Irish accent. As Ransom grows older, she becomes his love interest, but other than her diary entries, she is absent for much of the story. One can only hope she plays a more prominent role in the sequel.
The book follows Ransom as a boy, into knighthood, as a tournament champion, and ultimately into prominence as a knight in the service of the king’s oldest son, Devon the Younger (the doppelgänger of Henry the Young King in our history). Like actual history, Devon the Elder and his sons end up in a civil war, with Ransom caught in the middle of it all.
My one reservation with the novel is the personality of Ransom himself. He’s a stoic and often humorless character who is frequently unsure of himself, particularly around women. And while his fighting prowess overshadows all others, he’s not a bold, brash character like, say, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. Though I doubt Uhtred is what Wheeler was aiming for. The real William Marshall was apparently stoic too, so perhaps Wheeler hit the mark.
Ransom is also loyal to a fault and dutifully chivalrous. Although more than once, I wished he’d at least entertain giving into temptation, particularly when it comes to the younger Devon’s beautiful Occitanian (French) bride. But alas, Ransom’s heart is with Claire, if only he could ever be near her. Also, Wheeler writes “clean” fantasy, so there’s no sex and no swearing. If you read the reviews, many of his readers appreciate this aspect. But I may have enjoyed the story more had it been a bit less clean.
The novel’s magic comes in the fact that Ransom is “Fountain Blessed.” This means he has almost superhuman prowess in battle, is hard to kill, and has a danger sense that would make Peter Parker proud. There is also a mysterious enemy, a cloaked woman with magical abilities whose identity is only revealed at the end of the story.
The most exciting parts of the novel were those taken from actual history: the betrayals, the battles, and the warring between Devon and his sons, with a cunning Occitanian king perhaps pulling some of the strings. There is plenty of conflict to keep the reader engaged, and more than a few times, I found myself compelled to read an extra chapter just to see what happened. That said, I would have liked to see a bit more magic, for, at times, I found myself wondering if I’d rather be reading historical fiction about the real Sir William Marshall.
That said, Wheeler has developed several series around his Kingfountain world, and his success cannot be denied. He’s become one of the most prominent fantasy authors on Amazon, if not beyond. I’ll continue to read his tales, if for no other reason than to see what the bestselling authors in my genre appear to be doing right.