4 out of 4 stars
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A change in the political culture of a place requires strength, boldness and a strong determination to pursue the course. This is because the ruling class will push at all costs to maintain the cosmic balance. The novel The Queen of Xana by Fred Pilcher is about Agatha, who is the heiress to the throne of Xana Kingdom and wants to bring about change in the political and governance culture in Xana. For a long period, the ruling class of Xana have taken advantage of the commoners and used the state resources for their own benefit. No monies are being channeled for the benefit of the ordinary citizenry. Unfortunately, Agatha’s mother, queen Julia is also in support of these atrocious acts. It is the manner in which the commoners are treated that Agatha wants to change. She wants to bring prosperity to her people. She believes that every citizen of Xana kingdom deserves a descent life and if empowered could live to their true potential. Agatha being realistic concludes that she cannot effectuate her ideas due to the imminent rebellion from her mother, Queen Julia and the members of her council. She thus waits till she becomes the Queen of Xana to bring her plans to fruition. After she becomes queen, every word that she pronounces will be the law of the land. Will she succeed with her radical ideas? Only time will tell.
I loved the manner in which the author brought out leadership in this novel. He paints the picture of two types of leaders; the leaders like Agatha who are sensitive to the plight of the commoners and the other leaders who see leadership as position of self-benefit and a position of oppressing the commoners. The author leaves it open for the readers to chose the leaders whom they desire. This leaves readers asking themselves questions like, do they need progressive or retrogressive leaders? Do they want selfish leaders or leaders concerned about the plight of the citizenry? The author’s description of leaders thus provokes readers to assess the qualities in the leaders whom they desire.
Additionally, I loved the themes unraveled in the novel like power and leadership, corruption, sorcery and poverty. These themes depict the real society. Xana is a kingdom full of resources but the resources are unfortunately deployed for the benefit of the ruling class hence leaving the commoners starved of government resources. Consequently, the commoners live in poverty and cannot afford the basic needs of life. They do not benefit from the vast state resources. Such is a classic example of what happens in some autocracies today. Leaders serve their common interest and are no longer concerned about the plight of their people.
On the contrary, I felt that Agatha and Prince Olaf sexual escapade in order to break the curse of Magi is awkwardly described. the author creates a mental image of their sexual event and discusses everything including the minute details. For instance, he asserts that the intercourse of Agatha and Olaf was up to their orgasm and thereafter, fluid was dripping from Agatha underneath as went about serving her people. Where does that happen? Such was awkward.
I award this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book has an amazing content and reflects the leadership especially in the developing nations where leaders seek leadership positions for their own self-interest. The manner in which the author reveals the theme of leadership and the situation is really excellent. Moreover, this book served as a recipe for public awareness on such egregious circumstances that happens in the developing nations. Despite the awkward scene complained about above, I could still not deduct a star. It has a compelling content and I strongly recommend it to all persons interested in politics, leadership and governance. These themes are the epitome of this book. Persons with no interest in politics, leadership and governance may look for other novels. This book is exceptionally well edited.
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The Queen of Xana
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