Sexual Confusion
It is the worst-kept secret in the realm that Vanyel is homosexual. At the point of this entry in the trilogy, almost the only person who isn’t certain about this is Vanyel himself. He has been celibate since the suicide of his lover in the previous book and sexual liaison with the queen consort for the purpose of siring an heir illegitimately because the King himself was not up to the job has left him wondering if perhaps things are clear-cut as it once seems. After all, can one truly be a homosexual if they are not having sex with men and fathered a child for whatever reason? Of course, the obvious answer is yes and by the end of the book, Vanyel recognizes this as well. Throughout the narrative, this theme is explored in other ways that challenge preconceived negative stereotypes of homosexuality which Vanyel rejects, such as unchecked and unregulated sex drive resulting in promiscuity, pedophilia, and even incest.
Female Stalking
While certainly some readers will find the theme of accepting homosexuality challenging, that is a flaw centered on the reader and not the text. There is, however, one disturbing element that is entirely centered in the text that cannot be shifted onto the shoulders of readers with low levels of tolerance. A minor but persistent subplot in the story is Melenna’s obsessive pursuit of the object of her affection. Maid to Lady Treesa, Melenna is a young woman who has been desperately in love with Vanyel for years. Even in the face of the knowledge that Vanyel is homosexual, nothing can stop Melenna’s obsessive pursuit. At one point, Vanyel opines, “Poor Melenna. She never gives jup. Almost fourteen years, and she’s still yearning after me. Gods. What a mess she’s made out of her life.”
This sympathetic attitude should be shocking. If it were a woman discussing a man’s unwanted attention it would be shocking. If it were a woman coming into her bedroom one night to find a naked man in her bed it is difficult to imagine the reaction would be concern about how he’s ruined his life. The storyline of Melenna is nothing more than less than a portrait of a stalker and the only reason it is not treated that way within the story is that the victim is a man and the stalker is a woman. This is doubly disturbing because there are, in fact, other predatory female characters in the story who are not treated so unexpectedly nice.
Bad Magic
This novel is the middle entry of a trilogy known collectively as the Last Herald-Mage Series. A Herald-Mage differs from a mere Herald by virtue of being blessed a gift for magic. The trilogy as a whole is movement toward Vanyel becoming that titular figure, but ultimately his goal will be to literally become not just the last one standing, but the last one existing. By the end of his story, Vanyel will be committed to doing away with magic entirely. The meat of the plot of this story kicks in well into the story and becomes the primary focus and that story is deeply entrenched in the world of spells and magic.
A younger character named Tashir will be revealed as having had his short life unduly destroyed specifically as a result of magical spells being cast in a country, Lineas, where the use of magic specifically prohibited as taboo. In his effort to assist Tashir in overcoming the legacy of this magic which has gone terribly wrong, Vanyel is wounded to the point of death, but winds up being given a choice of dying or continuing to live. He chooses life with the purpose and intent of continuing to help others like Tashir. The thematic undercurrent is that his real purpose in choosing life is to stamp out the use of magic after having witnessed its dark side up close and personal.
