The Carver and the Queen

The Carver and the Queen  

By Emma C. Fox 

Owl’s Nest Publishers, 2023 

Hardcover: $20.99 

Paperback: $12.99 

Genre: Historical Fantasy, Young Adult 

Reviewed by Lynn Lamere 

Emma C. Fox’s The Carver and the Queen is reminiscent of a classic medieval fairy tale yet amplified with plot twists and intriguing characters.  

Right away, fifteen-year-old orphan Petr finds himself facing a public whipping in a new village for losing three of the master’s cows while shepherding the herd. However, Petr is an exceptional boy, and he does not lose the livestock because of a lack of maturity or discipline. Instead, Petr is quite gifted, and it is his talent for playing his zhaleika (a Slavic wind instrument also known as a “folk clarinet” or hornpipe) that causes his lapse in judgment. While tending his herd, Petr’s music attracts a woman who wears a crown and dresses in a long-bejeweled robe of green silk. When confronted about the livestock he loses, he tells the bailiff that the otherworldly woman asked him to play more, promising she could make him into something. Petr stands by his story even when threatened with a whipping. The bailiff, notorious Demyan Gorlov, who had fought off Napoleon in a single battle, offers Petr a deal to avoid the punishment: go back to the same place and play his horn, and if the queen reappears, bind her and bring her to the village. Standing up to the evil Gorlov with his refusal, Petr is tied to the whipping post and a crowd of villagers gathers. During the whipping, Petr notices a girl who looks on with indignation. 

With this look, the plot begins to emerge. The girl is Lena, who is perhaps the story’s true hero. Lena is appalled at the beating of the young boy who is new to the village, yet she is helpless to aid him. After the near-death beating, Petr is sent to convalesce at the home of the beloved Granny Vicha, one of many intriguing characters in the tale. Petr’s talents are many, and after his recovery, he is sent to try out as an apprentice under the grumpy Yermolay, an exceptional sculptor whose excellent reputation is known throughout the mountain lands. While under Yermolay’s tutelage, Petr befriends Lena, the girl he recognizes from the whipping, who helps keep house for the curmudgeon Yermolay. Lena and Petr’s talents for sculpting form a strong bond, and they ultimately prove to be more than just friends. 

After many plot twists, the climax rivals a Marvel comic movie. Two separate evils battle in a spectacular bevy of supernatural powers unleashed. The tension and antics provide a satisfying ending for the orphan Petr and the village girl Lena. 

Fox admits in her notes that she was inspired to write The Carver and the Queen by “lesser-known tales” in a childhood book, particularly a favorite story titled “The Stone Flower” from a Russian mid-century ballet. After further research, Fox found that “The Stone Flower” was translated from Siberian folktales, told by an old nurse in a Russian hospital. The nurse had learned them from a collection of stories written by Pavel Bazhov during World War II. The author uses this background and adds the folklore of the Ural Mountain with characters like Malachinitsa, the Malachite Queen, and Ognaavushka, the fire-girl, both alluded to in Fox’s novel. 

The combination of folklore, romance, the supernatural, and unique characters will satisfy readers of all ages. Fox’s steady plot keeps all engaged until the riveting ending, providing a lovely combination of fantasy, action, and history. 

Lynn Lamere is a composition instructor at Gulf Coast State College. She grew up in Andalusia, Alabama, and now resides in Miramar Beach, Florida.