Review by ab2020 -- The Queen of Xana by Fred Pilcher

[ab2020]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Queen of Xana" by Fred Pilcher.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Can an authoritarian government ever be “good”? If so, would it still be authoritarian? What is a “good” government, anyway? These questions have lingered in the minds of political philosophers and common people for millennia. Perhaps there are no definite answers. Regardless, these are the questions that form the foundation of Fred Pilcher’s novel, The Queen of Xana. The novel, which encompasses the genres of high fantasy, fairy tale, and political allegory, recounts the life of Queen Agatha, who rules the fictional kingdom of Xana with a beneficent but authoritarian hand.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of The Queen of Xana. The synopsis gave away a good deal of the plot, and the cover could use a lot of improvement, so I was prepared for disappointment. However, the book’s placement at the crossroads of several vastly different genres suggested that it might prove very interesting. The end result was somewhere in between.

The novel is narrated by a historian looking back on the events of Queen Agatha’s life many centuries after her death. The story begins at the time of Agatha’s birth, when Xana was ruled by her mother, Queen Julia. As the historian is extremely sympathetic toward Agatha, the novel portrays Julia as corrupt and immoral. Unlike her mother, Agatha is a champion of the common people. She spends her youth visiting workingmen and their families and helping them escape poverty. However, as she reaches adulthood, a sorcerer named Magi arrives in Xana, kills the queen, and plunges the kingdom into a dark period known as the Bad Times.

With the help of a fairy godmother, Agatha ends the Bad Times and becomes the next ruler of Xana. Most of the novel details the struggles she faces during her reign and the wisdom and idealism that she uses to overcome these struggles. Though she is a strict ruler, she is also a kind and understanding one; she works tirelessly to weed out corrupt officials, and she is extremely generous toward the poorest citizens of Xana. The story does not have a real climax; rather, it is a linear narrative of the events of Agatha’s life.

The Queen of Xana is an unusual book with an unusual style. The writing is formal but not stilted. It is the sort of writing you might find in a script for a Disney movie—highly decorative and full of “once upon a time”-type phrases. Such a style is surely an acquired taste, but I did not find it too annoying.

The story moves quickly and is relatively predictable. The plot is straightforward, and the characters are not terribly complex. Unfortunately, the author has a tendency to portray characters as wholly good or wholly evil. Of course, this may simply be the voice of the narrator, not the intent of the author, but I would have appreciated it if the characters were more complex. Perhaps this would have made the “political allegory” label a bit more realistic. As it is, The Queen of Xana is more an “adult fairy tale” than a political allegory. Its main messages are that corruption and bad government are inevitable and that it is important to keep history alive. However, I didn’t take much else away from reading this book.

As you may be able to tell from this review, I did not feel particularly strongly about this book. It is neither wondrous nor repulsive. I would recommend it, but I would caution potential readers not to expect too much from it. It is a well-edited book with a few explicit scenes. It is a pleasant fairy tale and an engrossing fictional history. Ultimately, the novel’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses, and I therefore award it 3 out of 4 stars.

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The Queen of Xana
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[Erin Painter Baker]

I really like this review. A lot of the reviews I have read of this book have either been glowing or damning. This is nicely balanced and, I feel, gives me a better idea of what to expect in the book.

[ab2020]

I really like this review. A lot of the reviews I have read of this book have either been glowing or damning. This is nicely balanced and, I feel, gives me a better idea of what to expect in the book.

Thank you! As I wrote, the book is definitely an acquired taste, so I can see why other reviews might reflect an extreme range of reactions. I do always try to paint a balanced picture of the book's strengths and weaknesses.