The Baker's Boy

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The Baker's Boy is a fantasy novel written by J. V. Jones and is the first of the trilogy The Book of Words.

[edit] Characters

• Jack
• Melliandra
• Baralis
• Tawl
• Nabber
• Maybor
• Crope
• Tavalisk

[edit] Locations

[edit] Plot

The teaser on the back of the book reads: "At vast Castle Harvell, where King Lesketh lies dying, two fates collide. In her regal suite, young Melliandra, the daughter of an influential lord, rebels against her forced betrothal to the sinister Prince Kylock. In the kitchens, an apprentice named Jack is terrified by his sudden, uncontrolled power to work miracles. Together they flee the castle, stalked by a sorcerer who has connived for decades to control the crown, even committing supernatural murder to advance his schemes.

And a young knight begins a quest, leaving behind his home and family to seek out the treacherous Isle of Larn, where lies a clue to his desperate search for the truth.

Here a wondrous epic of darkness and beauty begins."

The Baker's Boy begins with the rape of Queen Arinalda, the queen of Castle Harvell, by a man called Baralis. During the night, Baralis tastes three bloods (his own, the queens and his dead servant's, Lusk). At the same time, a wiseman by the name of Bevlin watches a meteorite split into two pieces, one red and one white. The story is propelled forward by twelve years and many important characters are introduced, as well as the prophecy which presides within the whole story.

Firstly, King Lesketh is shot by a poisonous arrow, planned by both Maybor and Baralis in order to go to war. Secondly, Jack, a mere baker's boy, is hired as a "blind scribe" for Baralis. Also, Morad's prophecy is first mentioned by Bevlin:

"When men of honor lose sight of their cause

When three bloods are savored in one day

Two houses will meet in wedlock and wealth

And what forms at the join is decay

A man will come with neither father nor mother

But sister as lover

And stay the hand of the plague

The stones will be sundered, the temple will fall

The dark empire's expansion will end at his call

And only the fool knows the truth."

Bevlin sends a knight, Tawl on a quest to "Find a needle in a haystack." Tawl's quest is to find a boy who is "twelve-summers old" and "unusual," though Bevlin has nothing else for Tawl to go on.

Again, the story is propelled six years. At Castle Harvell, there is a stalemate, caused by Baralis, that has been for the past six years. The king's health has deteriorated slowly throughout the past six years, and Jack has slowly begun to learn to read what he's written. Also, he goes to the kitchens to bake loaves as he falls asleep. The loaves are burnt and Jack, finding out, passes out, but is later woken up by another assistant and finds that the loaves are just right (sorcery). He runs away from the castle in fear of Baralis. Melliandra, a daughter of Maybor, is due to marry Prince Kylock for her father's own ambition. She also runs away from the castle thinking that she could get away from the prince. Eventually she and Jack meet up and begin to journey together. Tawl has been caught in Rorn and tortured by the archbishop for five years. He is released and followed as he finds out about a place called Larn.