The Bone Doll's Twin

When the topic of gay characters in fantasy writing came up, someone on Carol Berg’s email list recommended I read Lynn Flewelling. Since the topic was “homosexuality in fantasy,” I didn’t jump out and by any Flewelling novels right away. Besides, I had a few novels to go through before I got there. But I ran out of books in November, and had to find something to read, and Flewelling’s name came up on my Amazon recommended reading list, for the umpteenth time. I was a tad bit hesitant the first time I saw The Bone Doll’s Twin come up, because the cover looked way too much like Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Lady of Avalon. I don’t know if anyone noticed this but me. But this time I bought it—along with a few other novels (including the second book in the trilogy—see upcoming post), and it was the first novel in this shipment that I started to read. I was swept into the story right away. The Kingdom of Skala has a prophecy that states that so long as a daughter of the royal line rules, the kingdom will never be subjugated. But the current ruler is a son, who has no desire in restoring the female line; and female heirs begin to die of mysterious causes. His younger sister, content not to rule, is giving birth to twins, and certain wizards, based on an oracular vision, arrive during the birth to ensure that the female babe survives until she is old enough to rule.

Separated at Birth?

What they need to do requires necromancy, which is something that wizards want nothing to do with, so they enlist the help of a witch. With the father’s blessing, the other child (a boy) is made to be stillborn and the witch take his flesh and using a spell, a needle and thread, clothe the daughter child in the son’s flesh. Tobin, she(he) is come to be called, and for the first 12 years of his life he has no idea he is actually a girl. His mother has gone mad and keeps herself in the tower, and the ghost of his brother haunts the keep. I engulfed this novel quickly, and the next in the series. These novels are wonderful for anyone, gay or not, and yet simple enough for a teenager to read. It's worth the buy. Buy it here, today: The Bone Doll's Twin (Tamir Trilogy, Book 1)