The Lizard Princess: The History of Arcadia (The History of Arcadia, 3) by Tod Davies

The Lizard Princess: The History of Arcadia (The History of Arcadia, 3) Reviews

• 
  Tim Myers

  It seems clear to me that the modern/postmodern world is undergoing a major shift in values—or to put it in the language of myth, that we've undertaken a new journey. In her surrealist-tinged fantasy novel The Lizard Princess, Tod Davies brings both passion and a fundamental vision to this journey—not least because she understands so deeply just how crucial Story is to the enterprise.
  As the plot unfolds, the titular princess—very unlike the shallow princess of so much lore—is seeking both to find herself and save her threatened kingdom. But in transrealist stories like this, plot is only part of "what happens," since symbol, dream, and story "people" this world in their own right. Although I've never met Davies, she's published some of my work in her Exterminating Angel Press Magazine; I'm reviewing the book, however, precisely because of her luminescent understanding of myth and other forms of "fantasy" narrative. I asked her if I could review it because I too believe that Story is one of the most human of behaviors, one of the great gifts we find before us in the world, one of the great powers that come naturally to our hands. The Lizard Princess embodies this belief in many ways, for example, in the way a particular cycle of stories has to be not only heard but more deeply understood for Princess Sophia to come to the fullness of her self as well as to her queenhood.
  I don't agree with every aspect of Davies' philosophy, but overall her values will resonate powerfully with anyone who, like me, believes that human culture is now in a watershed era and so is struggling to create new myths for a better world. And there are such riches in this book! I love, for example, the False Moon, built by a technology-mad society and set in space in mockery of the real moon, a false Utopia built on consumerist thrill and blind domination of nature. I love the Ruined Surface of the planet beneath it, where the poor must live but which the rich from the False Moon must periodically visit to restore their health. I love the star window, the one aperture on the False Moon that looks out on the actual universe. And I especially love Davies' wise and profound view of Death, her understanding of its vital natural role.
  Consider too the language of lines like these: "Was I not the Lizard Princess, whose warm blood mingled with cold?"--"…it seemed to me that many things that had been obscure would become clear to me now."--"It is far more dangerous to be an object of envy…than to be one of scorn."--"We swayed on that Bridge between the False and the Real…" And my favorite: "It was summer as we walked, as it always is on the Road of the Dead."
  You'll be swept up into the story of the Lizard Princess.
  
• 
  Brian Griffith

  Some of the most creative fantasy going. It's playful and action-packed, but set in a fully imagined world with powerfully intelligent protagonists, and a serious clash of cultures that makes you think what sort of planet you really want. I'd rank the History of Arcadia series with fiction by Ursula Le Guin or Starhawk.
• 
  Steve Wiggins

  This is a delightful fantasy about transformation. For those of us who find the excessive masculinity of Games of Thrones a little over the top, here is the world seen from the point of view of a vulnerable princess who is more resourceful than she might seem. There's a lot of symbolism here, and the reader would do well to pause and absorb some of it. I said more about the book on my blog:
  Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.
• 
  Marzie

  A charming book about growing up, living, leading, and letting go. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher.
  
  I enjoyed the world that Davies has created. This book was the first of her Arcadia series that I've read and I would definitely read others in the series, particularly Lily the Silent.
  
  I enjoyed the Lizard Princess, Sophy the Wise's journey. The book has lush prose and a unique world, with villains and allies who are multidimensional.
• 
  Anna

  Warning: some spoilers.
  DNF
  There were some things I really liked about this book. The environment was beautiful and intriguing. The False Moon, first off. A satellite? It would have to be an advanced culture to have put a satellite that big into orbit, and yet the people are almost in medieval times, culture wise. That made me curious as to what caused the people, or at least some of them, to regress.
  The writing and imagery are intricate and clear, as well. I got sucked right in and it was hard to stop reading.
  I however did stop: I put the brakes on and finally had to put the book down. And this is why(spoilers!): The Lizard Princess falls in love with a boy she meets. Almost at once the relationship becomes physical and they retreat to this garden of Eden like place. Along the way she learns that he is her brother. And - since she is enjoying the relationship so much, decides to keep this information from him. They continue on as a couple for 3 years and eventually(I skimmed ahead) they choose to have a baby together.
  Call me prudish, but I prefer my characters not to enjoy incest.
  Other sexual activity are gender changes and a hinted at lesbian relationship.
  While this is not a problem for some folks, I personally would have liked to know about this before I invested time into the book and story. So that's why I wrote the review. I loved the delivery and environment and the fact that the Lizard Princess is trying to grow up; did not love what constituted growing up, for her.
  
• 
  Hans

  Best of the three books so far...and it appears to not quite be the end of series. (Oh...and this third book is probably best because it gets really, really weird...and a little creepy.) My wife got this book as a signed advanced reader copy at the 2015 ALA conference. The themes here are oddly prescient in the 2017 political climate.
  
  "You can tell any lie and have it believed if the person...the people...the country...the world you tell the lie to want to believe it's true."
  
  There is also a funny section that notes that the first book in the series has a terrible name. This is the truth.