ARC Review: Jester by Tim Carter

Jester tells the story of a hero’s journey from lowly latrine slave to, well… hero. I love an underdog, and Sheliac of the Gorod, the main character and narrator, can definitely be considered such. I found myself immediately connecting with his character and sympathising with his lot in life. Captured as a child and brought to the castle of Halfsoc as part of a chain gang, Shelly the goblin does not have much of a future and is well aware of the fact:

“The bards love phrases like “Take charge of your destiny.” When you’re four feet tall and a slave, you might as well plan a trip to the moon”

Cleaning out the castle’s diaper cauldron daily and having to enter the sewers to remove blockages does not give him time to exercise his brain or develop his talent for wartime strategy. 

“Here lay my actual day’s work: a stinking, fetid antidote to daydreams.”

As the lowliest member of the castle’s population, he also suffers more than his fair share of violence at the hands of the higher-ups. However, this story is proof that a valuable gem can float to the top of even the worst stinking cesspool, given the ability to recognise opportunity and the brains to make the most of it.

There are rumours that the Skeleton Queen is about to bring her hordes of undead zombies to take over the castle, and the incompetent leaders are poorly equipped to meet her in battle. Luckily, Shelly is able to see a glimmer of hope should the current leadership be removed, and his acumen is recognised by a kindred spirit in the form of Betticia Flowers, the wily mistress of the new Duke. Given her proximity to the Duke, this new relationship is advantageous to Shelly and sees him elevated from latrine slave to jester, complete with a new outfit and accommodation in a broom closet. He is the first to admit that he is not very funny, but Betticia has to give him some form of employment to keep him close. She wants his help in planning how best to manipulate the Duke into winning an impossible war.

Before long, another lifeline appears at the castle gates in the form of fugitive mage Buckingham, who immediately recognises Shelly’s strength of character and worth as an ally, and between the three of them, they set about ensuring the leadership of the castle does not commit the population to certain death.

In a setting where bigotry and misogyny rule, the friendships in this novel are particularly heartwarming and key to the success of the martial campaign. Shelly is falling for a female goblin slave but is not immune to human Betticia’s beauty and wiles. The bromance between Shelly and the half-vampire Buckingham takes Shelly by surprise to the extent that he is unaware just how much the attractive mage needs him and feels ashamed when Betticia points it out to him.

“Buckingham stumbled upon me, treated me decently, then saved my life. Far as I could tell, he had no ulterior motive. It struck me then that I had been blind to his needs and vulnerabilities. He needed a home. He needed friends. For a nomadic half-vampire, friendship might well have been his most valued currency. He had chosen me, and the feeling was mutual.”

The characterisation in this novel is superb. The side characters are all thoroughly believable and fully fleshed out. A handsome mage who is vulnerable and in need of friendship from a goblin slave? Unexpected. A wily mistress influencing a misogynistic castle by pulling strings in the bedchamber? Also a pleasant surprise if not completely original. Some of the background characters are more stereotypical, but necessarily so since they do not receive much page time. We know what to expect from an inquisitor and a bigoted councillor, and that is what we get.

The descriptive passages in this novel are an onslaught to the senses. The smells of the sewers, the fetid bog Shelly has to crawl through and the stench of the zombies are palpable. Meanwhile, the arrival of the Skeleton Queen and her horde of thousands of undead soldiers, trolls and giants is described cinematically as they draw nearer in waves of putrifying flesh. I was able to visualise every flesh-rotting detail, thanks to Tim Carter’s excellent writing.

I was lucky enough to be offered an advanced review copy of Jester by the author, having enjoyed his novella Majordomo, which just happens to be the winning novella in the SFINCS2 novella contest. Congratulations Tim! My review is honest, and my opinions are my own.