The Queen

In The Queen, the third volume in “The Errand” series, the errand boy has a package from the warlock to the Queen of the Fairies. Assisted by the Warlock’s daughter Arielle, the errand boy finds the hidden entrance to the tiny Forbidden City and, using a shrinking potion provided by the wizard, enters through the fairy-sized door. Once inside, the errand boy finds himself in awe of the beauty – ornate and delicate buildings unlike anything he has seen before. Unable to elude capture, the errand boy soon finds himself face to face with the queen, explaining why he has invaded her kingdom and what fate he should face for breaching her kingdom’s walls.

In the process of determining his fate, the errand boy explains he’s been sent to deliver a package from the wizard, and he and the queen, armed with information provided by the warlock’s daughter, together figure out the warlock’s true intentions: to destroy the Forbidden City.

With The Queen’s being written in the first person, readers experience the book’s events through the eyes of the errand runner, thereby taking on the challenges he faces with him. Previous books had the errand runner’s face hidden by a cloak, making it easy for the reader to put themselves in the place of the main character. The Queen is the first volume where the main character’s gender is named, and so some readers may not find it as easy as it was in previous volumes to put themselves in the main character’s shoes.

As with the first two volumes of “The Errand” series, The Queen has detailed drawings, many in sepia tones with colour details. Once the errand boy has entered the Forbidden City, more colour is added, emphasizing how different it is from the rest of the forest.

When the errand boy is captured by the Queen’s guards, he tells the Queen he will drink a potion that will restore him to his natural size, destroying her city. This threat makes the Queen pause and listen to why the errand boy is there in the first place: to deliver a package from the Warlock. Working together, they figure out and curtail the warlock’s plan to destroy the powerful Queen and her city on the Eastern Front. Their teamwork and ability to put aside their assumptions about each other help the errand boy and the Queen come to see each other less like enemies, and the Queen invites him to stay for as long as he wants as a guest of the Forbidden City. Their newfound friendship and understanding of each other demonstrates to readers that they should never make assumptions about people they don’t know.

While The Queen shows how important it is to avoid assuming things about other people, a very relevant and valuable message, the description of the Forbidden City and the depiction of those who live there rely heavily on Asian stereotypes and iconography: a ‘great wall’ and tiny guards wearing dome-shaped hats protect the Forbidden City and it’s powerful, secretive Queen on the Eastern Front, and red lanterns housing tiny guards hang throughout the Forbidden City. Although it may have been intended to show diversity in characters, the approach used is awkward and uncomfortable, especially in this time of societal change. The book could have added diversity, and the successful message about not making assumptions about people, in a more sensitive and truly inclusive way.

Despite the reservations regarding stereotypes and iconography used in the book, The Queen is a fast-paced story with a significant message about how important it is to get to know people and to work to avoid making assumptions based on rumors, generalizations, and unfounded beliefs.