Assorted Thoughts on Keeper of the Lost Cities

Do not read this post unless you have read all of the books up through #9.  This post contains MAJOR SERIES SPOILERS. 

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I have some scattered thoughts that I haven't stated in my previous posts.

During my first reading of the series I discovered that "Kenric Elgar Fathdon" can be rearranged to form the phrase "Forkle grin and teach" with all letters used exactly once.  Two other names that are anagrams are "Tiergan," which is "Granite," and Leto's last name, "Kerlof," which is "Forkle."  I am certain that these three anagrams were designed on purpose to be clues.

I tried finding anagrams in other names.  I found it interesting how many names have the letters "K" and "F" in them, and I am convinced that Shannon Messenger did this on purpose to make it harder to decipher the real anagrams that contain clues.  I also noticed that the word "grin" can be pulled from a number of names.  Most of these names are red herrings.

I also believe that the overuse of "K" and "F" in the names in this series is symbolic of Kenric Fathdon.  

I later found what I believe to be valid anagrams in some other names. 

Ethan Benedict Wright II is "grin teach tweed inhibit." 
Eleanor Olivia Wright is "love Oralie with a grin."  

The names are of a British man, who was contacted by Lady Gisela, and his daughter.  The man looks like Kenric if Kenric were human.  When Forkle shows up to tell them about the humans (and only because of a promise he made ahead of time), he acts really weird. 

[S]omeone was clearing their throat behind them and they turned to find Mr. Forkle standing on the path, watching them.  And he seemed...  

Nervous.  

It almost looked like he wanted to raise a crystal and leap away before any of them could ask why he was there.

Since Forkle is so weird about Ethan and Olivia, I believe these anagrams are valid.  They quite obviously point to Kenric. 

Forkle has said that he has five identities:  Forkle, Leto, Astin, the Fosters' fertility doctor, and his true identity.  I believe that Kenric is Forkle's true identity.  That leaves the fertility doctor.  I have a suspicion that the fertility doctor, who is supposed to be human, is Ethan Benedict Wright II.

I tried quite a few times to find an anagram in the names Connor, Kate, and Natalie Freeman (aliases for Sophie's human family from Book 1).  They set off my radar because when Sophie's human family is relocated again, we aren't given their new aliases.  That made me think that the first aliases could contain an anagram.

I had trouble making anything out of the aliases for Sophie's human family.  Part of the problem was whether to use the "and" or leave it out.  I tried it both ways.  I was fascinated that I could separately pull the names Kenric, Oralie, Forkle, and Fintan from the names.  I couldn't find any complete anagrams by beginning with any of those names, so I gave up.

Later, I decided to try one last time.  I chose to use just "Connor Kate Natalie Freeman" without the "and."  I tried Kenric again, and then I tried Forkle again.  I tried "one Forkle" which I had tried before without any luck.  I then added "at" to make it "one Forkle at."  I plugged the rest of the letters into an anagram solver, which gave me a list of words. 

I selected "entrance" and was able to create the complete phrase "one Forkle at a main entrance."  I don't know if this one is just a coincidence caused by dumb luck, but it could refer to Leto being at the entrance to the Silver Tower.  That would be "one Forkle at a main entrance," and this anagram appears before we are ever introduced to Leto and well in advance of us knowing that Forkle is a pair of twins.

Here's something else interesting about the names in these books.  I mentioned that many have "K" and "F."  Consider the last names that start with "F," most particularly Foster, Forkle, and Fathdon.  Sophie sharing her last name initial with both Forkle and Kenric is interesting.

The main reason I've become so obsessed with this series because I'm a huge fan of the secret identity trope.  Here's the definition of this trope as taken from Google.

A secret identity is a person's alter ego which is not known to the general populace, most often used in fiction.  Brought into popular culture by the Scarlet Pimpernel in 1903, the concept was widespread in pulp heroes and is particularly prevalent in the American comic book genre, and is a trope of the masquerade.

And there it is.  The Scarlet Pimpernel by the Baroness Orczy was the story that introduced this popular trope.  The Scarlet Pimpernel inspired Johnston McCulley to write his story, The Curse of Capistrano (later retitled The Mark of Zorro), which was published in 1919 and introduced the character Zorro.  In turn, Zorro inspired Bob Kane to create Batman, and the trope exploded in popularity from that point on.

I have been a big Zorro fan since 1991.  I love this character who pretends to be inept while using an alter ego to play the hero with no one suspecting the truth.  The Zorro stories always include a love interest who typically dislikes the inept Don Diego while pining after the mysterious Zorro.  The audience always knows who Zorro is and takes great delight in watching him fool everyone.

I enjoyed reading the Keeper books from the beginning of the first book.  By the time I reached the fourth book, I began to be obsessed because I realized that Forkle fits the secret identity trope.  He is somebody... but who exactly?

The secret identity trope has me enthralled, since we don't know for sure who Forkle is.  I believe all the clues point to Kenric, and we'll eventually see if I'm right.

Here's something interesting I noticed, which might or might not be just a coincidence.  Kenric grins, and the anagram mentions the grin.  Guess who else grins?  Zorro.  Zorro grins at his opponents in order to unnerve them.  It's the most prominent feature of the Zorro character aside from him leaving his mark.  I find it interesting that both Kenric and Zorro grin.

Speaking of the mark of Zorro... the Black Swan is into that sort of thing as well, since they have their Black Swan symbol.  Sophie also creates her own mark, that of the moonlark.  Forkle is quite impressed by Sophie's moonlark symbol and keeps the paper upon which she scrawls the image for him.  I wonder what Forkle plans to do with that paper.  Is he going to use the symbol in some fashion, or is he just planning to hang Sophie's artwork on the wall like he's the proud dad?

Forkle is a father figure for Sophie, whether or not he is her actual biological father.  I must include this quote from book 6, page 186.  It is so beautiful.

For several seconds she cried alone.  Then warm, pudgy arms pulled her into a ruckleberry-scented embrace, and she clung to Mr. Forkle as her tears soaked his wrinkled tunic and he whispered the only two words that made her feel any better.  "I'm here."

I'm obsessed with Forkle, while most fans are obsessed with Team Foster-Keefe.  I am Team Foster-Keefe all the way, but my main focus centers around Forkle and Kenric.  The characters in this series are just great.  There are so many that I enjoy and for so many different reasons.  Ro is a simply outstanding character, and she's so funny!  I love Tiergan as well, and even Sandor.  Really, I love all the characters.