Keeper of the Lost Cities #4 Summary and Observations

Overview of plot (beware, spoilers):

Oralie gives Kenric's cache to Sophie, telling her that Kenric thought that the cache would help keep her safe.

Sophie and her friends join the Black Swan and go into hiding.  A virus, possibly started by the ogres, is spreading among the gnomes.

Dex breaks into the Council's archives and finds the records of past Exillium students.

Sophie and Fitz begin Cognate training.

Sophie, Keefe, and Mr. Forkle visit Gethen where they have him held captive.  They try to get some information from him. 

Dex figures out how to access the Lumenaria secret database.

The Black Swan breaks into Exile to rescue Prentice, but they are nearly captured by the Council, which had set a trap.  The Black Swan agrees to trade Gethen for Prentice.

Dex decides to be more friendly towards Fitz.

The plague continues spreading through the gnome population.  Keefe is upset they aren’t doing anything about the Neverseen.

Sophie and her friends attend Exillium, where they meet Linh and Tam.

As the plague spreads through the gnomes, the Council is forced to admit that they knew the source of the plague all along and that they had kept quiet.  King Dimitar reveals that he has a cure for the plague.  Fintan reveals himself to be alive.

Sophie and her friends travel to Ravagog to steal the cure from King Dimitar.  Sophie probes his mind and learns that the cure is a lie.  Later, Calla realizes what the Panakes are, and she sacrifices herself to create one.  The Panakes will cure the plague.

Sophie gets a new registry pendant and is no longer banished.  Greyfell and Silveny are set free to keep them away from the Neverseen.

Keefe runs away to join the Neverseen.

Forkle and Granite reveal themselves as Magnate Leto and Tiergan.

Please visit the following page for a link to my previous post about this book.

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Page 204:  He turned to Keefe.  "You're confident you can mimic your mother's voice?"  "You have no idea how many detentions I've talked my way out of."  Mr. Forkle didn't find that as reassuring as Keefe intended.  But all he said was, "Be ready at sunrise."

Ha.  Of course Forkle wouldn't be reassured.  Keefe doesn't yet know that Forkle is Magnate Leto, their principal.  Leto can't be happy to learn that Keefe talks his way out of detentions.

Page 354:  Sophie was surprised Blur let Tiergan, Magnate Leto, and Wylie join them.

Yeah, it is a bit strange for one member of the Collective to allow three elves not in the Black Swan to join a private Black Swan meeting.  Of course it soon makes sense once Sophie learns that Tiergan and Leto are part of the Black Swan.

Page 259:   I believe we will always need a Black Swan.  The world has gotten too complicated to leave any one group solely in charge.  There needs to be a system of checks and balances.  We do hope to someday work hand in hand with the Council.  But even if that never happens, we should be there to keep them honest.

I like Forkle's explanation of the importance of the Black Swan.

Stop reading NOW if you have only read the series up through to this book.  The rest of this post contains some significant plot spoilers from later books in the set.  

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Page 107:  "We've long suspected that Prentice's mind is hiding something crucial.  It would explain why he called 'swan song' before he was captured."

I am certain that important information about Prentice is being withheld from readers.  In Book 3, we learn that Prentice recruited Jolie for the Black Swan.  Jolie also appears in Prentice's mind when Sophie probes it.  There is something important about both Jolie and Prentice that we do not know.  What is it?

Page 536:  "Because sometimes you have to let things burn to let something better rise from the ashes."  He tossed the fireball up and caught it with his other hand a split second before it would've ignited the building.

I'm still trying to figure Fintan out.  This is important information.

Page 539:  "How could he be alive?" Sophie asked.  "Alden saw the flames overwhelm him."  "Clearly there was some trick," Sir Astin whispered.  "Does that mean—"  "No."  He cut her off before she could fully form the question.  "Kenric is gone."  "So was Fintan!"  "Yes.  But do you think Kenric would let us mourn his loss?  Let that thought go—now.  It will only distract you from our actual problem"

I am certain that Kenric is not dead and that he is Forkle/Leto/Astin, as detailed in my past posts.  Astin is too quick to shut down discussion of Kenric being alive.  The reason he shuts it down is because he is Kenric.  He doesn't want Sophie to guess the truth.