Keeper of the Lost Cities: More Sticking Points about a Certain Theory

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.

I have addressed some of the sticking points that fans have about the theory that Kenric is Forkle.  These are my previous posts on this topic.

Fan Denial about Certain Theories
The Clues about Forkle's Identity
The Significance of the Forgotten Secrets
How a Certain Theory is Plausible
The Validity of the Anagram

In this post, I counter some of the other objections that I've seen.

Forkle's seed had a black hair wound around it, which proves that Leto is Forkle's true identity. 

On the surface, this information appears to prove that Leto is Forkle's true identity.  But does it really?  Could Shannon be using misdirection?  Yes, because elves use elixirs to change their hair color.  Many elixirs wear off quickly, but not all of them do.  Think of Iggy's fur color.  The elixirs used on Iggy last for days or weeks.  Readers assume that no elixir was used on the dead Forkle's hair, but it's possible that one was.

Fans also assume that Forkle's true hair color is black because Forkle changes to Leto when he eats callowberries.  The hair changing to black doesn't make sense in that scene.  Callowberries reverse the effect of ruckleberries, which cause the body to swell.  Callowberries don't change hair color, at least not as far as we have been told.  Shannon leaves out important information on purpose.  Forkle had to have done something to change the hair color.  He could have taken an elixir right before he entered Sophie's presence.  If so, the elixir could have been one designed to change hair color to black.  We just don't know.  

The black hair does not definitively prove that Forkle's true identity is Leto.  We must keep an open mind and not rule out theories when other explanations are possible.

The Wanderling trees for Kenric and the deceased Forkle don't look alike, so Kenric isn't Forkle.

I previously answered this one by pointing out that Shannon describes the leaves of one tree and the bark of the other.   We have no idea whether the trees look alike.  Another fan suggested that Sophie would have noticed.  I didn't have an answer to that except to say that it could have been a plot hole.

Now, I have a solid theory about the trees.

The Kenric and Forkle trees are not the same.  But Kenric is Forkle.

Yes, I'm serious.  But how can this be?  We know from Forgotten Secret #4 that Kenric was tired of being a Councillor.  This suggests that Kenric planned to step down eventually.  I believe it is a clue to the reader that Kenric faked his death.

If Kenric had a plan to fake his death once an opportunity presented itself, then he had to be prepared.  He had no way of knowing when that opportunity would arrive.  And he had a complication, mentioned by Forkle on page 184 of Nightfall:

"Neither of us wanted to be in the Wanderling Woods."

There is no way the tree in the Wanderling Woods is Kenric/Forkle's tree.  None.  The hair used for that tree was from someone else.

Kenric planned to fake his death, but he didn't want to be in the Wanderling Woods.  He got a red hair from some other elf and placed it where it would be found.  That hair was used for the Kenric tree that was planted in the Wanderling Woods.

It's possible that the Councillors each have a hair saved in a designated location just in case.  Perhaps all elves do.  Kenric would have submitted someone else's red hair.  I have a theory about where he got the hair, but that's a topic for another time.

The Kenric and Forkle trees are not the same, because the Kenric tree isn't Kenric's tree.

Forkle, Leto, and Astin have personalities that are completely different from Kenric.

Remember this scene from page 351 of Exile:

When she didn't move, he nudged her forward, and she tripped on her too-long cape and slammed against the door, which swung open and sent her toppling into the room.  She could hear Master Leto snickering...

Leto's behavior isn't very nice.  Leto nudges Sophie, and she falls.  He laughs about it.  Awhile back, I read a post where someone wondered why Leto is so rude in this scene, since he's Forkle.  It's because he's putting on an act.  He doesn't want Sophie to guess that she's met him before.  He's rude on purpose.

I see no problem with Forkle/Leto/Astin behaving differently from Kenric.  Of course they do!  

Oralie makes these two statements about Kenric on pages 222 and 232 of Stellarlune:

"He could be quite charming when he wanted to be."

"Kenric could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be."

Oralie's observations suggest that Kenric behaved in a certain way when he wanted to achieve a desired outcome.  Kenric had the adaptability and cleverness that was necessary for someone with multiple identities.

Kenric is an amalgamation of all of his identities.  He's been in multiple identities for his entire life, and he is adept at interchanging them.  Here's part of the description of Forkle's tree from page 214 of Nightfall:

The rest was such a hodgepodge of colors and textures, it almost felt like the Wanderling was trying to reflect all of Mr. Forkle's identities at one.

Indeed.  The varied behavior of the different identities is Kenric's cover.  It doesn't prove that Kenric isn't Forkle.  We know that Forkle plays different roles.  Why can't Forkle's true identity be Kenric?

It is impossible that Kenric could be a Councillor and also be Forkle, Leto, Astin, and the fertility doctor.  Even a pair of twins couldn't maintain that many identities.

The books say that the entire Lost Cities have the same time zone, which makes no sense.  Supposedly, the elves have prevented every species that has ever existed on Earth from becoming extinct.  Furthermore, all of those species live inside Mount Everest.  Oh, and elves live forever without aging.

If we are expected to believe all that, then why do we draw the line at Forkle maintaining five identities?  I know why: Fans just don't want Forkle to be Kenric because it doesn't fit their headcanon.  

Forkle's identities are no less implausible than anything else.  Let's break down how it might be possible.

During the years that Sophie lived in San Diego, a significant amount of time was spent in both the Kenric and Forkle identities.  Little time would have remained for the other identities. 

Lady Cadence points out that the Beacon of the Silver Tower, which was Leto's position when Sophie lived in San Diego, has very little to do (Nightfall, page 224).  Leto was easy.  He was likely not around most of the time when he was supposed to be in the Silver Tower.

Sir Astin has always seemed like the throwaway identity to me.  I suspect that Astin was not used much during the time that Sophie was in San Diego.

The San Diego years were marginally doable.

After Sophie arrived in the Lost Cities, Forkle did not have to be present in San Diego.  That identity was used minimally during the first three books.

Astin was used some, as was Leto.  I figure this combination is more plausible than when Sophie lived in San Diego.

After Kenric's alleged death, Leto becomes principal, so one big job is traded for another.  Astin seems to disappear.  Forkle resurfaces.  During each stage, identity use switches around to where some are used more and others less.

After one Forkle's death, it gets trickier for the remaining Forkle, and Shannon shows him exhausted or a bit frazzled at times.  It is at this stage where I feel the multiple identities are the least plausible, simply because I believe the fertility doctor identity was in play to a greater degree than apparent (see posts here and here).  

Kenric voted for the memory break on Prentice.  Kenric cannot be Forkle, because Forkle would have saved Prentice by voting against the memory break.

I see the situation a bit differently.  The Forgotten Secrets show that Kenric had a darker side to him.  He did vote for Prentice's memory break, and I don't see it as a contradiction.  

I want to remind you how hardcore Forkle actually is.  He's not a kind, grandfatherly type.  Forkle triggered Sophie's telepathy when she was five, which caused her to endure unkind human thoughts for seven years.  The entire Project Moonlark situation is ethically problematic.  Let's just be honest about that.  Sophie was created, placed with a human family, and then stolen away from them.  It wasn't nice.

Forkle's notes to Sophie during the first Keeper book weren't nice.  He taunted her at times.

Now, Kenric.  We saw hints of his darker side in the Forgotten Secrets.  Forkle as Kenric would have voted for the memory break to protect his position.  He couldn't be the only Councillor voting against the memory break.  Most likely, the rest of the Council were strongly for the memory break.  Kenric was protecting his own interests by going along with them.

No, it's not nice.  But do you consider everything Forkle has done to be nice?  I doubt it.  Does Forkle feel remorse now?  Of course.  That's why he says that he is responsible for what happened to Prentice.  Kenric/Forkle recruited Prentice, used Prentice to keep the Elysian secret safe, was therefore indirectly to blame for Prentice's arrest due to involving Prentice, and voted for Prentice's memory break.  Yes, Forkle feels very responsible.

I firmly believe that Forkle is Kenric.  I know he is, but I haven't been able to resolve one discrepancy.      

We know that Prentice became Kenric's keeper, because information about Elysian was found by Sophie in Prentice's mind.

Glowing eyes peeked through bushes covered in blue ears, and butterflies with bright red lips whispered sounds like mush (Exile, page 239). 

My sticking point was mentioned by another fan recently.

In Stellarlune, Forkle doesn't know anything about Elysian and dismisses its importance.  Kenric knew about Elysian, so he can't be Forkle.

Kenric obviously had the memories of Elysian erased from his own mind, which would explain why Forkle doesn't know about Elysian.  But Kenric must have had trigger words, right?  This is the problem:

Stellarlune, page 253   "My training as a Washer has taught me how to hide memories in a very specific way, where the person holding them remains completely unaware—but the memories can easily be triggered if the need arises.  And I, as your partner, would know the triggers.  They would be carefully selected words or phrases containing enough of a clue about the secret that I'd be able to recognize any need to call for it, yet remain completely in the dark otherwise."

I know Kenric is Forkle, so how can this be?  How can Forkle have no idea that Elysian is important when Sophie mentions it to him?  He surely used a trigger word so that he could retrieve the information.  Unless it's this from page 343 of Legacy:

His frown deepened.  "Strange.  I planted details about all of this into your mind years ago... Odd that it didn't trigger with everything else—and it's even weirder that it's not triggering right now, given that we're actively discussing it."

Is there a flaw in Kenric/Forkle's method of triggering implanted memories?  I'm not sure that it explains Forkle's lack of knowledge.  I feel like the explanation is just outside of my grasp.  I can't quite put my finger on it.

My best guess at present is that Kenric did the one thing he should not have done.  According to Oralie, Kenric was frightened about what he knew about Elysian.  He said that he would have the information washed.  I believe he did, and I suspect that he was so frightened that he didn't use any trigger words.  

Wouldn't that be ironic?  Kenric told Prentice that it was wrong for Councillors to use their caches and have no idea what was in them.  He might have done the same thing with the Elysian information due to his fear.

I have an idea that Shannon is planning to show that the entire elvin world suffers from hypocrisy, even the members of the Black Swan.  Kenric/Forkle has been culpable in bad Council decisions; neglect of Talentless elves; neglect of twins; disdain of humans; erasing important memories without a fallback plan; and forcing Sophie to grow up with headaches after triggering her ability.  He is a fascinating, contradictory, and flawed character.  This doesn't mean that Kenric/Forkle is a bad person, but he has done many ethically problematic things.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

I appreciate those who have commented on my posts.  If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name.  First, click in the text box but don't type anything.  Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL."  Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.  

Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Validity of the Anagram

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.

The purpose of this post is to explain my reasoning about the anagram that I decoded from Kenric's name in early 2023.  "Kenric Elgar Fathdon" can be rearranged to form the phrase "Forkle grin and teach."

I decoded the anagram during my first reading of the series from March 13, 2023, through April 13, 2023.  I did not view any online Keeper content during that month, and avoiding all online discussions allowed me to view the series through a different lens.

Here is a lengthy quote from my second blog post about the series:

An event occurs in one of the early books that I just didn't buy.  I felt that the author left out too many details, and that usually means that information is being purposefully withheld so as to mislead the reader.  As I read further, I couldn't get past that scene.  I kept wondering if I was right that what was believed to have happened did not actually happen.

As I continued reading, I searched the previous books for clues.  I noticed anagrams involving many of the names.  After a certain secret was revealed, I picked up on an important anagram that pointed to that secret.  I kept thinking of the one scene that bothered me, and I searched the books for a certain name, hoping to find the full name so that I could try to find an anagram.  I felt like I had seen the full name, but strangely, I was having trouble locating it through Kindle's book search function.

I wanted to see if this character's full name could be rearranged to make an anagram connecting with one or two other characters.  Remember, I mentioned that a certain character has three or four identities.  If I could draw a connection, then it would prove that I was right about the scene with missing details.

I finally found the full name that I needed.  I immediately pulled one character name out of it, and I felt that this was not a coincidence.  I was left with a group of letters that seemed to have no meaning, but I suspected that something was there.

I kept rearranging the letters, sometimes pulling out a word that then led to a dead end.  Finally, I pulled out a certain word that specifically described a second character.  Oh!  I now had the name of one character, a specific word that pointed directly to a second character, and then some more letters left over.  I pulled out the word "and."  I looked at the five remaining letters, and then I saw it.  That other word had significance as well...

I was astonished.  There was no way these words were a random coincidence.  I couldn't believe that I had solved an anagram by myself and that it had meaning.  It told me that what I suspected was true!  I was on such a high the rest of the day.  I was so excited!

I was perplexed when I finished reading the series and got online to find no mention of this anagram.  Seriously, am I expected to believe that I have solved an anagram that hasn't already been posted everywhere online?  I don't get it.  I am proud of myself, though.  It took me between 15 and 30 minutes to solve the anagram.

Fast forward three years, and fan resistance to the anagram is strong.  Last year, several unpleasant attacks occurred on fans who believe that Forkle is Kenric.  Several of those fans subsequently deleted their posts.

Since aggressive fan behavior has caused posts to disappear, the topic has never gained much traction.  I suspect that more fans believe the theory than is apparent. 

Fans in the discussion forums are in complete denial about Kenric and Forkle.  Last year, I was taunted.  One person rearranged Tiergan's full name as an anagram—a disjointed phrase making little sense—and then stated an unlikely theory based on it.  At first, I was confused.  I thought incredulously, they believe that?  I then realized that this person came up the anagram and conclusion just to ridicule me.  I'll admit that I was hurt.  It stung.

Around the same time, another fan said that I was stupid.

Fans reject the validity of the anagram for four reasons.

1.  The anagram doesn't fit their headcanon.

Fans don't like the idea, and they respond with hostility.

2.  The anagram removes all mystery, revealing Forkle's identity without doubt.

The anagram actually raises many questions that I set out to answer:

How could Kenric hurt Oralie by faking his death?  Could both Kenric/Forkle twins be in love with Oralie?  How would Kenric have time for all his identities?  How did the Black Swan procure Oralie's donation?  Could Kenric really be Forkle with that black hair on the seed?  Why do Kenric and Forkle's Wanderling trees appear to be different?  Why is Kenric acting like he doesn't like Oralie while implying that he does in Forgotten Secret #3 in the Readying Room?  Why is Kenric acting kind of mean in Forgotten Secret #4 with Oralie at Night?  What does all of this mean?

I have worked through answering these questions for over three years.  Knowing Forkle's true identity from nearly the beginning caused me to be intensely obsessed with KotLC and greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the books.  It added to my experience, rather than taking away from it.

I became hyper-focused when I realized that I had to work alone to figure it out, since fans summarily dismissed all of my observations.  

3.  Fans see Forkle as a physically unattractive and problematic character while Kenric is a cute, lovable suitor for Oralie.  

Fans can't reconcile these two ideas, so they go through the most amazing mental gymnastics to find any other explanation.  

In the Forgotten Secrets, Kenric is revealed not to be as different from Forkle as he initially appears.  We see that Kenric has a more cunning and conniving side, going so far as to manipulate Oralie in the Forgotten Secrets.  Kenric is not just a cute, lovable character.  He has a hidden agenda, and the Forgotten Secrets are Shannon's way of peeling back the layers.

4.  Fans take everything at face value.  They read the books at surface level and literally believe everything that Sophie believes, ignoring all contextual clues.

Fans hate Oralie.  You know why?  Because Sophie hates Oralie.  Fans say that Oralie is selfish, that she abandoned Sophie, and so on.  That's what Sophie thinks.

Fans think that the SoKeefe relationship came on suddenly in Stellarlune.  I could see clear signs of Sophie having subtle feelings for Keefe in Exile.  Sophie grew to rely more and more on Keefe, but she didn't realize it, due to her insecurity.  Since Sophie didn't see it, fans didn't see it.  They took everything at face value.

Fans say that Kenric isn't Sophie's father because Forkle said the parents don't know each other.  They use that as proof, because that's what is printed in the book.  It doesn't occur to them that the passage is classic author misdirection.

Let's get to the point of this post.  Here I explain to the disbelievers why I have faith in the anagram.

The consensus among fans is that the anagram is entirely unintentional and means nothing.  I argue that dismissing a plot-relevant anagram as meaningless is a greater leap of logic than simply taking it at face value.  But let's go with the idea of the anagram being truly random. 

Many anagrams can be formed with Kenric's name.  While most are incomplete phrases that don't use all the letters, I have found some complete phrases formed by all 18 letters.

fire charged not lank
father grin cloak den
fathering dark clone
grant fire land choke

While these are all suggestive ideas, they are disjointed and don't mean anything.  I mention them as acknowledgment that other anagrams can be found.

There are three possibilities regarding the anagram's validity.  

1.  The anagram is indeed random and means nothing.

We can calculate the number of possible permutations of "kenricelgarfathdon," most of which would be gibberish and not recognizable expressions.    

The name has 18 letters.  The letters A, E, N, and R each count twice.  The formula is 18! divided by (2!2!2!2!).  18! is the number of ways that 18 items can be rearranged.  It is calculated by multiplying 18 times 17 times 16 all the way down to 1.  The denominator represents the number of ways that each of the repeating letters can be rearranged and is 2 times 1 times 2 times 1, etc.  

"Kenricelgarfathdon" can be rearranged in 400,148,356,608,000 different ways—approximately 400 trillion different ways.  The probability of "kenricelgarfathdon" rearranging exactly as "forklegrinandteach" is just 1 out of 400 trillion possibilities. 

The anagram could be random, but the anagram is a complete phrase that makes sense and is plot relevant.  Is it really likely to be just random chance?

It's more likely that Shannon created the name as an anagram, since she likes anagrams.  Two names are obvious, meaningful anagrams.  Leto Kerlof's last name rearranges as Forkle.  Tiergan's first name rearranges as Granite.  Fans readily accept those two names as intentional anagrams.  If so, then why not others?

Nightfall, page 612:  "Maybe 'Vespera' is an alias," Biana suggested...  "I guess it could be Evespar," Linh said.  "Or Apreves, or Pravese, or... are those actually names?"  "We could play with ugly anagrams all night," Keefe told her.  "Or we could solve this the faster way."  

Do authors often mention anagrams in their books?  I don't think so.  This passage is a hint to look for anagrams.  Tiergan's identity as Granite and Leto's identity as Forkle have long been revealed.  Shannon is nudging readers to look for other anagrams.

The anagram in Kenric's name isn't random.  This leaves two possibilities.

2.  The Kenric/Forkle anagram is an intentional red herring. 

If so, then Shannon wants people like me to think that Forkle is Kenric in order to shock us when the actual truth is revealed.  If the anagram were the sole indication that Kenric is Forkle, then this could be it.  However, Shannon has placed too many clues in the books pointing to Kenric being Forkle for the anagram to be just a red herring. 

3.  The Kenric/Forkle anagram is an early series clue to Forkle's true identity. 

This rings true, because:

• In Everblaze, Kenric acts like he can read Sophie's mind (page 58).  That's quite odd, since only Fitz and Forkle/Leto/Astin can do so.  It suggests that Kenric is a Forkle identity.

• In the Forgotten Secrets, Kenric reveals that he knows the identity of Sophie's mother (Unlocked, page 531).  Forkle is supposed to be the only elf who knows the identities of both of Sophie's parents (Nightfall, page 170).  Kenric has to be Forkle to have that knowledge.  

• In Stellarlune, Leto and Kenric prop their feet up on objects (pages 217, 247, and 490).  For Leto, this is bizarre behavior, and it's a clue that Leto is Kenric.  Also in the later books, Forkle begins to act more like Kenric, smiling and laughing (Legacy, pages 3, 4, 591; Unlocked, pages 733, 734; Stellarlune, page 334).  In the early books, Forkle seldom breaks out of his gruff demeanor.

• Both Kenric and Forkle are Telepaths who are Washers (Neverseen, page 102; Unlocked, page 526).  Both Forkle and Kenric can implant memories, and they use trigger words to retrieve them (Exile, page 504; Stellarlune, page 253).  Implanting memories is a rare skill that few elves have, yet both Kenric and Forkle are capable of that rare skill.  What a strange coincidence.

Shannon placed a few early series breadcrumbs regarding both Kenric and Forkle to tie to information revealed much later in the series.  Legacy, Unlocked, and Stellarlune dole out answers to some of the loose ends and are part of the end-of-series payoff.  Shannon has set the stage for the big reveal that should occur in the very next book.  Read my post, The Clues about Forkle's Identity, for all the evidence.  I contend that there is too much for Kenric not to be Forkle. 

My next post will address additional sticking points that fans have on the Kenric/Forkle theory.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

I appreciate those who have commented on my posts.  If you ever want to comment, you can do so at the end of every post using a screen name.  First, click in the text box but don't type anything.  Look right above where you clicked to see a drop-down menu where one option is "Name/URL."  Enter a name (no URL needed), and that name will display on the comment.