Customer Reviews

Split Heirs

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a nicely done comic fantasy book. The characters are fairly shallow, the cliches are rampant and yet the book is an well done poke in the ribs at traditional "serious" fantasy. At times it comes off like a cross between a Monty Python script and the "Who's on first" conversation.

My only complaint is that it takes a little bit (50 pages or so) to ramp up to the truly funny scenarios, and thus initially gives the mistaken initial impression of not being all that entertaining. Once it's warmed up though it's a good fun read.

This is a funny and twisted comedy about royal triplets separated at birth who grow up with some very odd misconceptions. I liked this book quite a lot... the characters are written well enough that they survive the normally brutal treatment of being in a farce, and a lot of fantasy cliches are thrown in for good measure. My favorite part, however, is the tragic love story of Dunwin and Bernice... it's a baaad story ewe are sure to enjoy... and it sets up my favorite line in the whole book: "I'm not a sheep any more, and you're not a little boy - it just wouldn't work!"

Split Heirs is a rarity in its genre, and even rarer in its quality writing. The fast measure of the narrative and the colourful characters never give the reader a moment to put it down. Farcical as it might be there is something quite entertaining in it all. Perhaps it's the elaborate scenarios or the comic characterisations, but in any sense it is a highly recommended book for anyone who likes the fantasy genre, but would like to read something quirkier and fresher than the usual 'run of the mill' SF Fantasy novels out there.

When starting Split Heirs, I expected to just read another ordinary fantasy novel set in medievil times. Not unlike several that I had read before. But to discover an entangling, funny and complicated (you may wish tto take notes) story of 3 triplets (one girl, two boys) seperated. One boy becomes an average sheepherder. Another a magician's apprentice, while the girl is mistakenly kept to be prince of the kingdom!!

Split Heirs (1993) is a standalone humor fantasy novel. It is set in Hydrangea, a country conquered by Gorgorian barbarians. The conquerors were flea-bitten nomads and the conquered were decadent and refined citizens. Hydrangeans were so highly-refined that the wizards were useless for anything quick and nasty.

In this novel, King Gudge is now ruler of Hydrangea by right of conquest. He has beheaded the former Hydrangean ruler -- King Fumitory the Twenty-Second -- and married the daughter of the former king. Gudge then got his new queen pregnant by the usual Gorgorian practice of raping her. He hasn't stopped beheading Hydrangeans, finding it a quick way to cut off unwanted conversations.

Queen has retired to the north tower of the palace in the ancient ritual of isolation of the pregnant queen. Strangely, none other remembers this ancient custom, but who knows all the ancient rites? Currently, the queen is in the process of parturition, having just delivered the second child with one more to go.

Old Ludmilla is the queen's handmaiden. Ludmilla is older than anyone else known to the queen. She is also the midwife for these births.

Prince Helenium, Prince Helianthus, and Princess Avena are the names bestowed on the newborn children of King Gudge and Queen Artemisia. They are each tagged with miniature portraits of their royal namesakes.

Odo is a shepherd living near Stinkberry village. He keeps his sheep on the mountain over the village. Odo is almost as old as Ludmilla and has had intimate relations with the crone many decades ago.

Clootie is the pseudonym of the only surviving Hydrangean wizard. The others were beheaded. He now lives in a thoroughly dry cave near Stinkberry village. Clootie is busily developing quick and dirty methods of creating havoc among the barbarians. He will be prepared to unleash his magic against the invaders any decade now.

In this story, the Gorgorians believe that multiple births mean multiple fathers. Since the penalty for adultery is death by wolverines, Queen Artemisia is determined to send the younger children to her brother Prince Mimulus, now known as the Black Weasel, brave and dashing heroic leader of the Bold Bush-dwellers. Unfortunately, Old Ludmilla gets agitated and carries off the two boys.

On the way to the Black Weasel, Old Ludmilla becomes lost and is found by Odo. He takes her back to his hut and they renew their close relations. Unluckily, Old Ludmilla dies with a smile on her face and Odo is left with two very young children on his hands.

Odo fetches his favorite ewe to nurse the boys and then ponders the lack of names. Old Ludmilla hadn't properly introduced him to the newborns, so he comes up with two names from his past. He names the boys Dunwin and Wulfrith for his errant uncles, who were hanged in Lichenberry.

Later, Odo decides that the boys are too much for his lifestyle and sells Wulfrith to Clootie as an apprentice or maybe lunch. Clootie takes the boy back to his cave. After watching Clootie execute his magic, Wulfrith learns a little magic himself, although he tends to be a tad erratic in his results.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Queen Artemisia sends a message off to her brother to discover what happened to the two boys. The response is less than satisfactory, since Old Ludmilla had never arrived in the forest realm of the Black Weasel. So Artemisia keeps telling everybody that the remaining child is a boy named Arbol.

Prince Arbol grows up to be an almost typical Gorgorian youngster. He can outfight -- with fists or swords -- and outspit anyone else his age. Arbol is the terror of the palace guards, having a tendency to toss them down the stairs if they get in his way.

Then Clootie misplaces Wulfrith and follows Dunwin home under the understandable belief that he is really Wulfrith. In the ensuing conversation, Clootie proves that he is a wizard by changing Bernice -- a relatively calm and peaceful ewe -- into a dragon. Dunwin leaves home pursuing his beloved Bernice as she flies away.

This tale misrepresents every imaginable aspect of heroic fantasy. The girl thinks she is a boy and outdoes all her male friends. The boys are greatly impressed by their guardians and become a wizard and a shepherd. The Bush-dwellers finally learn to fight properly, but make the mistake of fighting Dunwin.

Then Artemisia lures Wulfrith back to the palace with a mask over his head and convinces him to become Arbol's food taster. After seeing the library, Wulfrith is easily persuaded to stay. Since they look so much alike, Arbol and Wulfrith trade places occasionally without anyone else noticing the difference.

The story is so farcical that it belongs in a class of its own. It is somewhat more logical than a Monte Python skit, but not by much. Enjoy!

Recommended for Watt-Evans & Friesner fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of cultural satire, social farce, and rampant confusion.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Queen Artemisia has a problem...well, three problems to be exact. The Gorgorians that have conquered her kingdom and forced her into marriage to their king, Gudge, believe that a woman giving birth to more than one baby proves that she was an unfaithful wife. And, their punishment for unfaithful wives is more than a little bit horrifying. But, when she hides her two extra babies by having them sent off to be raised by the resistance, until such time as they can overthrow the disgusting Gudge, she little realizes what train of events she puts into motion. This is the story of Artemisia, and her three children, and their very weird lives and deeds!

Overall, I found this to be a quite funny book. The action is non-stop goofiness, and you never really know what is going to happen next. If you like your fantasy humorous and way off-beat, then you will like Split Heirs!

I don't read a lot of light fiction; I don't generally enjoy it, and it usually doesn't have the depth of social commentary that I look for in a good book. However, Split Heirs is an exception. This book is a spoof on the fantasy genre in general, but also serves to make some excellent point about the nature of scientific exploration (what academics call `pure research') and the necessity of practical application. It also makes some interesting points about some of the downfalls of civilization.

Overall: 9.0/10

I would give Split Heirs an 8.0 or 8.5 according to my normal rating system, however this is one of the funniest books I have ever read. That bumps it up to a 9.0. In general Split Heirs is a light-hearted adventure that spoofs some of the mainstays of classic fantasy. We have a heroic prince, who happens to be a woman who thinks she's a man (and so does everyone else), a clever wizard (who actually knows some useful spells), a dragon (who is actually a sheep), and her shepherd (who just wants to know what's going on)...and Odo (who takes a bath once a year, whether he needs it or not). All of this is set in a fantasy kingdom occupied by barbarian invaders (which has improved the efficiency of the kingdom by a surprising degree), and the rebel horde who is devoted to getting it back (well...sort of, if they have time between games). All in all, it is a great book.

Writing: 9.0/10

The writing in Split Heirs is elegantly simple. While I love complicated sentences that weave around themselves like some kind of angry word snake, most people find these very difficult to read. Split Heirs is easy to read. Sentences tend to be straight forward, without being obvious or childish, and the formatting of the book is excellent. This is not a book that will force you to think about what the author is trying to say, but it will let you fall into the story easily.

Characters: 10/10

The characters in Split Heirs are completely realized people. They are interesting, often surprising, and their decisions make sense within the context of the character, though many of those decisions are not sensible in and of themselves. The characters are also very real people - full of mistakes, oddities, opinions, and temptations. They are easy to connect to, and fun to interact with.

World: 7.5/10

The Kingdom of Hydrangea (yes...that's its name) is rather loosely explained, and the outside world remains mostly unexplored. What information we do get about the world is well presented, and serves to add both depth and humor to the story, but the world presented is fairly compact. The novel would benefit from a slightly broader scope, or perhaps sequels that expand the reader's understanding of the world.

Plot: 9/10

The plot of Split Heirs is ridiculous, but then it's supposed to be. It is convoluted in the simplest way, and effectively satirizes some of the best of modern fantasy. Following the books twists and turns is not difficult (they are all well-explained), and is often hilarious. This is one of only a few books that has had me laughing so hard that I had to stop reading.

Pacing: 9.5/10

The pacing in Split Heirs is superb. The story flows clearly from one point to the next and, while it is not an action oriented book, it keeps the reader entertained, and wanting more.

Commentary: 10/10

Split Heirs is not the kind of book that I would normally look to for strong social commentary. That being said, this book is full of it. The majority of the commentary in this book is satire directed at the idea that progress should come before all else. It makes its points very well, creates effective examples, and provides some much needed criticism of American society.

Conclusion:

If you have read Split Heirs you will agree that the only possible conclusion is that this is a great book that needs a sequel...which is a concept that TOR unfortunately murdered.

Fun, Fun book about a simple case of mistaken identity between three royal children it is an excellent book to read if you into Terry P. Between boys being mistaken for girls and dragons being turned into sheep I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading a book.

Don't take this any more seriously than you would a Terry Pratchett novel or a Zena episode. If you like campy, punny, word-based humor, it will push the limits of what you think is too much camp, puns, and downright silliness.

Very Monty-Python, very very silly. The plot romps along, happy, saucy, and raunchy to a pleasant and yet realistic enough conclusion for a book that includes tales of crying cheeses and lots of engaging descriptions of bad smells. Not to be missed.

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were wonderful caricatures without looking like mere excuses for jokes, which bothers me when I read i.e. Pratchett's books. However, most of the jokes worked too. I also think the authors managed to keep all the plotlines woven together very well and the finale was satisfying. One minor thing I learned from this book: whenever there is a dragon approaching your town, it is always a good idea to suggest that your brother-in-law is a royal virgin too!