This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
Note: Yes, this post is a lot to digest. I wanted it all in one place so that fans don't have to dig through dozens of posts. I have added some brief explanatory comments to many of the clues. The explanations are much more detailed in my previous 80+ posts. If you read through all of my previous posts in order, then you'll see how I gradually figured everything out. This post is just a summary.
I also want to point something out, since some fans think none of this means anything.
Shannon uses 74 pages of Stellarlune for Kenric's Forgotten Secrets. The secrets must be very important for Shannon to devote 10% of the book to them. It's been curious to me that many fans have dismissed the Forgotten Secrets when they are clearly important. Here's what is going on:
Kenric requested that Oralie give his cache to Sophie. He rigged the cache so that Sophie couldn't open it without Oralie's help. Kenric wanted both Oralie and Sophie to view his Forgotten Secrets. The Forgotten Secrets are Kenric's way of telling the Moonlark and her mother how Project Moonlark came to be. Why would Kenric do that? Because he is Forkle.
Finally, keep in mind that since Kenric is Forkle, he must be a pair of twins. It's been suggested that I invented a twin for Kenric. No, that was Shannon. Everything that is true about Forkle also applies to Kenric.
The purpose of this post is to put all the clues about Forkle in one place. The first clue is the anagram in Kenric's name (see post from 2023). I looked at some of my oldest posts where I kept saying things like "if Kenric is Forkle."
Girl, you knew he was from the day you decoded the anagram.
Since fans were so dismissive about the possibility of Kenric being Forkle, that took away my confidence to state it boldly. No more.
This photo is from the annotated edition of the first Keeper book. Click on the image to see it more clearly.
Shannon's note in the margin says, "Sentences like this... take me hours to write, since naming all those stars is so much work." Consider that the names of the stars aren't that important to the plot, yet Shannon spent hours on them.
I would say that a major character's name is even more important. Shannon had to have spent hours on Kenric Elgar Fathdon's name alone. The name was designed as an anagram—a very specific anagram. As such, Kenric must be Forkle, since the anagram says that he is. It's impossible for Kenric's full name to rearrange to form such a specific plot-relevant anagram (Forkle grin and teach) without it meaning exactly what it says. "Grin" is Kenric, and "teach" is Leto/Astin.
This means that Kenric is Forkle.
Forkle recruited Oralie to donate her DNA to Project Moonlark. We know Forkle must have been the elf who recruited her. On page 170 of Book 6, Tiergan tells Sophie that only Mr. Forkle knew her parents' identities. Mr. Forkle must have been the one to convince Oralie.
If Forkle recruited Oralie, then we can conclude that Kenric (as his Forkle identity) recruited Oralie.
Who would Kenric/Forkle select to be Sophie's father? Kenric needed Oralie because he needed his number one match. Therefore, Kenric (that is, one of the twins) is Sophie's father.
The anagram is the proof of who Forkle is, which in turn proves who Sophie's father is. Let's go through what's in the books.
The early books introduce key points about Sophie but are sparse on clues that Kenric is Forkle, aside from the anagram itself. Instead, the early books lay some groundwork that ostensibly shows that Kenric cannot be Forkle.
In Book 1, Kenric and Astin appear together in a scene (before readers know that Forkle is a pair of twins). In Book 2, Kenric asks for the compass that led Sophie to the Black Swan, which is exactly what would be expected if he weren't connected to the Black Swan. In Book 4, Astin makes a strongly-worded statement about how Kenric would never hurt Oralie by faking his death. All misdirection...
Now, the clues. I've gone through my Kindle notes and all of my posts. I've compiled everything that ties to Kenric and Forkle in this post. I also read the Forgotten Secrets again and glanced at a few other parts of Book 9. I included a few new minor observations from the Forgotten Secrets.
I've undoubtedly left out some important points, but I should have most of them gathered here. Some are vague, but they are all meaningful because Kenric is Forkle. The anagram establishes who Forkle is without a doubt, so the clues do hold weight.
Many of the clues are parallelisms. Certain characters use the same phrases as other characters, and I firmly believe this is deliberate. Shannon has set up numerous parallelisms in the series, including both plot parallelisms and narrative parallelisms.
Book 1
Page 64 Kenric: "I've never seen such natural talent. You're even a natural at our language." Astin uses the word "natural" on page 175.
Page 71 We learn that Sophie is clumsy, and Sophie's clumsiness is mentioned regularly throughout the series. Kenric, Forkle, and Leto are each depicted as clumsy in later books.
Page 81 Sophie counts the seconds for the first of many times. Kenric also counts the seconds (Book 9), and Forkle mentions counting the seconds (Book 5). No other characters count or mention counting the seconds.
Page 175 Sir Astin says that Sophie is a natural.
Page 312 Alden points out how odd it is that Sophie knows the location of a star that only the Councillors know how to find. Someone on the Council must be providing information to the Black Swan.
Page 360 Alden tells Sophie that the formula for Frissyn is "highly classified" and that he's "never seen the entire directions before." And yet, the Black Swan implanted those classified directions in Sophie's brain.
Book 2
Page 142 Dex tells Sophie that Mr. Forkle had said in Paris, "You can do this, Sophie." Kenric uses the same encouraging phrase in Book 3 on page 218.
Page 235 Alden tells Sophie that he's never heard of the nook she described finding in his mind. Both Forkle (page 504) and Kenric (Book 9, Forgotten Secret #5) know about the nook, yet Alden didn't.
Page 462 Leto's "lips twitched—almost like he wanted to smile." Leto is purposefully not showing any lighthearted behavior.
Page 468 The Black Swan gives Sophie an alicorn prattles pin. Mr. Forkle must have some sort of inside connection, like if he were a Councillor, to be able to acquire the rarest prattles pin for Sophie.
Page 500 We learn that Forkle has an impenetrable mind like Sophie.
Page 504 Forkle mentions the nook inside the mind. See Book 9, Forgotten Secret #5, where Kenric also mentions using a nook inside the mind.
Book 3
Page 58 Kenric acts like he knows what Sophie is thinking, despite her impenetrable mind. He immediately makes an excuse and leaves after Sophie worries about having to tell what happened to a Councillor.
Page 129 Leto checks "his overly gelled hair." Leto is self-conscious about his hair.
Page 132 Leto knows that Fintan's upcoming healing is classified, which suggests that he has some connection to the Council.
Page 133 Leto is emotional when speaking of not having a wife.
Page 215 Kenric gives Sophie a suggestion on how to inflict, but adds, "At least, that's what I remember studying." The reader isn't yet aware that Forkle inflicted on Sophie years before in San Diego, and Bronte certainly doesn't know about it. Kenric knows more about inflicting than he should and is covering his knowledge.
Page 218 Kenric says, "You can do this." See Book 2 Forkle mention.
Page 455 Sophie asks Forkle if he could betray his own father. Mr. Forkle says that he's done far worse. He's referring to how he as Kenric betrayed Oralie by faking his death.
Page 490 " 'The Council has already considered all other possibilities,' Councillor Emery interrupted, emphasizing the word 'Council' to make it clear that Magnate Leto was not a part of it." This isn't so much a clue as more of an ironic situation. If Leto is Kenric, then he very recently was a Councillor.
Page 494 Magnate Leto says, "I might not be a Councillor, but I am a Telepath..." And this is the kind of response we'd expect if Leto is Kenric.
Book 4
Page 23 Oralie says that Kenric told her that Sophie was "the spark of change our world needed." On page 434, Forkle makes a similar statement.
Page 102 Mr. Forkle tells Sophie that he washed her memory of the boy who disappeared. This establishes that Forkle is a Washer, and we learn in Book 8.5 that Kenric was a Washer.
Page 201 Forkle "required quite a lot of thrashing and flailing" as he arose from his beanbag. This suggests that Forkle is clumsy like Sophie.
Page 240 " 'Do you think we're going to find a clue about the Neverseen in his memories?' she asked... 'It seems likely. No one keeps up a pretense perfectly. In fact, I've made several slips I'm stunned you didn't catch.' " Shannon is hinting that she has placed clues in the books.
Page 292 Mr. Forkle admits that Astin gave Sophie the list of unmapped stars. The location of the unmapped stars is known only to the Councillors.
Page 296 Forkle says this about Oralie: "Oralie was very brave to give this to you... Oralie is far cleverer than you know. It's easy to underestimate the quiet beauties." Forkle has a soft spot for Oralie.
Page 353 "Magnate Leto smoothed his black hair, even though it was coated with so much gel it couldn't possibly move." This is a hint that Leto's hair is unruly and difficult to tame.
Page 368 Mr. Forkle tells Sophie that he is not her genetic father, but he does say that he is family. This Forkle is probably her uncle.
Page 369 "Have I ever met them? Sophie transmitted back. I can't tell you that—and I'm begging you to stop guessing. Should you finally settle on the correct answer, you will trigger a chain reaction that could topple our world." The only way the identities of Sophie's parents "could topple" the Lost Cities would be if they were Councillors.
Page 370 Mr. Forkle reveals that his middle name is Loki. "Loki," Sophie repeated, tempted to roll her eyes. "You named yourself after the Nordic trickster god?" "Actually, he was inspired by me... I've always been partial to that part of the world, and in my younger days I may have had a bit too much fun there. It was so easy to take on disguises and cause a little chaos." The Norse god Loki is commonly depicted as having red hair.
Page 395 Sophie is placed in the Ambi (purple) hemisphere at Exillium. On page 409 of Book 5, we learn that Leto is also in the Ambi hemisphere.
Page 434 Forkle tells Sophie: "You're a natural force for change." See Kenric quote from page 23.
Book 5
Page 34 Leto says, "I've never been a fan of my reflection—especially in this form." This implies that Leto is not his true identity.
Page 36 Leto says, "Questionable actions can be forgiven when they're done with good intentions." This is Leto acknowledging that he has done many questionable things. If he's Kenric, then he devastated his love by faking his death.
Page 299 Sophie notices that Mr. Forkle carries a lot around in his pockets. Later, Sophie carries items around in her many pockets.
Page 409 Magnate Leto's "levitation was wobblier than he probably wanted—and his feet nearly grazed the crowd's heads." This is a clue that Leto is clumsy like Sophie.
Page 409 Leto's cape is "marked with a purple handprint," which means he is in Exillium's Ambi hemisphere just like Sophie.
Page 474 Mr. Forkle mentions counting the seconds. "I bet you have no idea how long you've been in here. Maybe you should've thought to count the seconds."
Book 6
Page 181 " 'That's why even with his final breaths, my brother made sure there would be no gaps in my memories.' He reached into his pocket and removed the round gadget that Mr. Forkle had pressed into Sophie's hand as he lay dying." See Book 9, page 257.
Page 199 Mr. Forkle tells Oralie, "I would've made the same choice my brother did in that moment." One Mr. Forkle died for Oralie, and the other would have as well.
Page 605 Leto's "usually sleek hair looked much more disheveled than usual as he led the way into his triangular office." This is a sign that Leto might have unruly hair.
Page 606 Leto "sank into his own chair, which was more of an upholstered throne now." This doesn't mean anything, but it's humorous if Leto is Kenric.
Page 608 Ro tells Leto that the Councillors are "too stuffy." Leto smiles. My take is that Kenric is amused by the Councillors coming across as stuffy.
Book 7
Page 136 Sophie realizes that Elwin might be suspicious "if he saw Magnate Leto searching her memories, since only Mr. Forkle and Fitz could sneak past her mental blocking." See Book 3, Page 58. Kenric appears to know what Sophie is thinking, which means that he can slip past her blocking.
Page 206 Leto's "greasy hair" is mentioned, yet another sign that Leto hides unruly hair.
Page 481 Mr. Forkle criticizes Fintan:
"Fintan successfully faked his death. None of us had the slightest suspicion that he was still alive. And his order already relied on cloaks to hide their identities. So he had absolutely no reason to show his face the day he threatened the Council in Eternalia—other than his own vanity. He wanted credit for the feats he'd pulled off."
The above passage is telling. Fintan wasn't the only elf who faked his death, but the other elf is not seeking credit. He will stay hidden until he has a reason for revealing himself.
Page 513 Flori designs clothing for Sophie that has lots of pockets.
Book 8
Page 3 Sophie wonders if Forkle's lips are "twitching with a smile." This indicates that Forkle has a more lighthearted side that he's hiding.
Page 4 Mr. Forkle winks. Same as above.
Page 8 Sophie hopes to see "clues to who Mr. Forkle truly was" in his office. This is a way of telling the reader that Leto is not Forkle's true identity.
Page 195 Sophie is unhappy about having to wear a crown. In Book 9 on page 246, Kenric doesn't like his circlet.
Page 343 Forkle mentions how he gave Sophie the location of the unmapped stars and the formula for frissyn. Only the Councillors know the locations of the unmapped stars. The frissyn formula is highly classified.
Page 480 "[Forkle] turned to Sophie, and she was a little surprised by the level of pride radiating from his expression—like a dad whose kid had just hit a game-winning home run."
Page 591 Mr. Forkle grins, which he never does in the early books.
Page 655 Sophie points out that her enhancing is particularly strong with Empaths and Telepaths. This indicates that her parents could be an Empath and a Telepath.
Book 8.5
Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie at Night (see post)
Page 526 We learn that Kenric was a Washer. Mr. Forkle is a Washer as well.
Page 527 Oralie remembers being with Kenric in her sitting room, that his smile was off, and that someone else was there. Both Kenric/Forkle twins were present, and one of them was wearing an addler.
Page 529 Kenric mentions that he's thought about leaving the Council. This is a clue that he faked his death in Book 3.
Page 531 Kenric informs Oralie that he knows about Project Moonlark and Oralie's role in it. He lies to her about how he knows, since he steps away from her before he answers so that she won't detect the lie. Kenric also steps away from Oralie as he lies that he learned nothing when he breached Fintan's mind.
Page 532 Oralie mentions that Kenric stopped by right after she finished donating her DNA. He was checking to make sure she was okay.
This Forgotten Secret occurs before Sophie is brought to the Lost Cities. At this time, the Councillors are unaware of Sophie's existence. They think that the strand of DNA was a hoax. And yet, Kenric says this:
Page 533 "You're going to need all the allies you can get. Especially since someday the Black Swan is going to bring their moonlark into play. You know that, right?"
This remark reveals that Kenric knows more than he should. He's aware that the DNA was not a hoax and suggests that the Black Swan will "bring their moonlark into play." Kenric must be part of the Black Swan.
Page 733 Mr. Forkle's "lips curled with another smile."
Page 734 Mr. Forkle laughs and also "smiled his widest smile yet."
Mr. Forkle is delighted that Sophie burned the storehouse. He's also proud of Sophie's moonlark symbol and tells her that he's keeping the drawing. He sounds just like a proud father.
Book 9
The Forgotten Secrets are in Kenric's cache, but they are Forkle's secrets.
Forgotten Secret #1 Bronte and Kenric (see post)
Page 199 Kenric counts the seconds, thus revealing that Kenric shares an odd trait with Sophie. Sophie, Forkle, and Kenric are the only three characters who count the seconds.
Forgotten Secret #2 The Matchmaker Memory (see post)
Kenric secures proof that Oralie is his number one match, which is why the Black Swan asks Oralie to donate to Project Moonlark.
Forgotten Secret #3 Kenric and Oralie in Kenric's Readying Room (see post)
Page 217 Kenric props up his feet. See Leto on page 490.
Oralie is upset that Kenric left during her dinner and calls Kenric out on lying about it. Kenric most likely left the dinner to switch with his twin.
Oralie confronts Kenric about him voting against her becoming a Councillor. He lies about why. He most likely voted against Oralie because the twins were attracted to her and didn't want that complication on the Council.
Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie with Fintan (see post)
Page 232 "Though... Kenric could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be." Forkle is intimidating.
Kenric learns about Elysian when he enters Fintan's mind. Kenric may also have retrieved the map of Elysian from Fintan's mind as well.
Forgotten Secret #5 Kenric and Prentice (see post)
Kenric recruits Prentice to be his personal keeper, or rather, the keeper of the Black Swan.
Kenric mentions that he is a Washer and that he would hide the secrets in a nook where they would only be revealed if triggered by a word or phrase. The skill is called "implanting" and is a rare skill. Forkle previously explained to Sophie that he did just that with her.
Page 246 Kenric refers to his circlet as "obnoxious." See Book 8 where Sophie doesn't like wearing a crown.
Page 247 Kenric props "his feet on what looked like a polished tree stump." See Leto on page 490.
Page 257 Prentice questions how Kenric would know not to recruit him again if the memory is washed. Kenric replies, "I have a way to prevent that." Kenric is probably referring to the round gadget mentioned by Mr. Forkle in Book 6 on page 181.
Forgotten Secret #6 Kenric and Oralie in Elysian (see post)
Page 263 Kenric swipes at the butterflies "again and again—nearly losing his balance the second time." This is a clue that Kenric is clumsy like Sophie. In three different books, Forkle, Leto, and Kenric have each been depicted as clumsy.
Page 266 The Washer's face is blurred. The Washer was probably Kenric's twin, and he was wearing an addler.
Forgotten Secret #7 Map of Elysian (see post)
Both Kenric and Forkle had maps of Elysian.
Page 290 Mr. Forkle mentions that he thought Sophie "would need the formula for frissyn someday, as well as the name and locations of the unmapped stars." Book 1 establishes that only the Councillors can find the unmapped stars and that the formula for frissyn is highly classified.
Page 334 "Mr. Forkle's lips twitched with a hint of a smile."
Page 483 "Magnate Leto patted the sides of his heavily gelled black hair."
Page 487 "But I've lost far too many years searching for rivers that do not exist." Forkle spent years searching for rivers, just like Kenric.
Page 490 Leto props his feet on his desk, which is bizarre behavior that doesn't fit with my image of Leto. This is an extremely obvious clue after the multiple mentions of Kenric propping up his feet. Shannon wants us to make a connection between Leto and Kenric.
Page 493 Leto "looked far less put-together than usual, with weird creases in his hair, as if he'd been trying to drag his fingers through the crispy gelled strands." Leto has unruly hair that he gels to hide it.
When Shannon reveals Oralie as Sophie's mother, the series begins to build towards its climax. Shannon takes it further with Oralie's Forgotten Secret, which provides some clues about Kenric without being obvious about them.
During this same time, Shannon begins providing stronger hints about similarities between Kenric and Forkle by having Forkle begin to smile or laugh. With Kenric's Forgotten Secrets, Shannon reveals secrets about Kenric that lay bare that he must be involved with the Black Swan and is therefore Forkle. Meanwhile, Shannon begins dropping more obvious clues that Forkle has some of Kenric's traits.
Stellarlune's cliffhanger is a moment that Shannon has planned from the beginning of the series. She's said that Elysian is the Lost Cities' darkest secret. The story is near the climax of the series, and the end-of-series payoff is well underway.
In my opinion, the very best books of the series in no particular order are 1, 8, 8.5, and 9. The first book sets up the series and is magical. Books 8, 8.5, and 9 dole out answers and are all part of the end-of-series payoff.
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
2 comments:
This does actually make sense! Except the part about being in collusion with Fintan. I don't think he would ever do that. This helped fintan escape and I don't think Forkle/kenric would ever do that. But other than that I do think this is a very plausible theory.
At present, I've gone back the other way, so I agree with you about Kenric not helping Fintan escape. I need to remove that part from this post. I'm going to hold off doing so for now since I have a post in progress about Forgotten Secret #4. Once I publish it, I will edit that part of this post.
Post a Comment