Sir Hereward And Mister Fitz: Three Adventures (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
I first learned about Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz when reading a short story collection called Rogues, in which they appeared. I was so taken with the characters and by the author's inventiveness that I just had to read more in the form of this book which contains three great short stories. I would classify them as fantasy/adventure tales for mature readers, with them being both gritty and humorous. I never knew what to expect from one page to the next, which I can't say about every book I pick up. But mostly, it was the characters and their interactions that had me hooked. Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz are agents for the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World. Yes, you read that right, and I wrote that sentence with a straight face because there is some serious business in these stories. These two act for the greater good of mankind, even if it means that innocent people must be sacrificed in the process. Though this comes at a cost, mostly to Sir Hereward, who sometimes suffers pangs of empathy and regret when having to kill, unlike Mister Fitz who is often dispassionate except where Hereward is concerned. Mister Fitz, who is around 3 1/2 feet tall minus his pointed hat which adds about a foot, is a self-willed, wooden puppet with a pumpkin-shaped papier-mâché head. The majority of these animated, sentient puppets exist as entertainers in that world, which Mr. Fitz is anything but. He is a sorcerer who was given magical powers by the Council, and along with his charge Hereward, they are godslayers, of those godlets deemed harmful by the Council. Fitz was formerly Hereward's nanny and bodyguard as he was growing up, so they share a strong bond now that Hereward is twenty-five. In this book, they share three vastly different adventures, by land and by sea. I won't spoil things by recapping them or by explaining the odd and interesting things about the world these characters inhabit, so you might discover them yourself. The stories were a perfect length and rich in detail despite their brevity. My only complaint is that at this point in time, there aren't any more of them. But what I'd really like to read is a full length novel featuring these characters who are more than complex enough to support one. This was first time reading anything by Nix. Even though the stores are quick little shorts, rather than a hashed out novel, I found them interesting. The characters are believable. It now makes sense why I have heard good things about his YA novels.As for myself, I wanted to fall in love, because I love the plot descriptions of other books he has written, but the writing never clicked for me. There were times I felt like I was reading a wordy high fantasy and I caught myself skipping a couple of sentences. When reading for pleasure, I read EVERY word. I believe the good authors took the time to write them for a reason and I should take the time to read them. With Sir Hereward and Mr. Fitz, I had to force myself to get through every word. So, will I read again, maybe, but unfortunately Nix will not make it too high on my maybe pile.
What do You think about Sir Hereward And Mister Fitz: Three Adventures (2000)?
I am LOVING all the Hereward and Fitz stories. Hope there are more to come!
—paradigm
Fun stuff. Too bad there wasn't more of it.
—Randomname
