Coming in January 2023 from Tordotcom Publishing, Kate Elliott’s portal fantasy novella The Keeper’s Six explores a fascinating world of secretive dragons and realm-travelling magic through the eyes of a weary but ruthlessly determined mother. Esther is one sixth of a Hex, a magically-empowered group of disparate characters whose talents allow them to cross the Beyond and move between worlds, although not without risk. When her son Daniel is kidnapped – apparently by a dragon – Esther calls on the other members of her Hex to help her find the culprit and retrieve her son, despite the fact that their licence has been suspended by the Concilium – a sort of inter-realm bureaucracy. As they brave the dangers of the Beyond, their mission delves into Esther’s work and family history, and the strange politics and power plays of dragons, the Concilium, and a world of many realms spanning infinite possibilities.
Despite the dragons, magic and the various realms, this at least begins as a contemporary fantasy, opening in the real world – albeit an Earth which is largely unaware of the Beyond, the Concilium, dragon bosses and all the rest of that cool stuff. There’s very little explanation of the setting or the nature of Esther’s life as she hurries to find out what’s happened to Daniel, but as the other members of her Hex arrive and as they set out through the Beyond to follow the first clue, parts of this intriguing world begin to make sense. This is a book which asks for patience and trust in the author, but the reward is a degree of world building beyond what you’d expect in a novella, full of wonders and dangers and clever details – everything from the importance of pockets when travelling the realms, to a (dragon-based) power imbalance that’s ripe for pushback by the introduction of worker rights, an Earth concept that other parts of the realms seem not to have experienced as yet.
The plot itself is relatively straightforward, but the constraints of the standard fantasy ‘dangerous journey to undertake a perilous quest’ structure nicely allow the world building to come through and give plenty of opportunity for exploring the dynamic between the members of the Hex. Their various magical talents, while very cool, are perhaps the least interesting things about these characters – having drifted apart in the wake of losing their licence (something that can be laid squarely at Esther’s door, although the specifics remain a little vague), coming back together now reminds them how close they once were, but also brings back old arguments and tensions. The strength of family bonds – both flesh and blood family and found family – and the values of friendship, compassion and love, tie the whole story together really well, with Esther at the heart of everything, trying desperately to hold herself and her Hex together.
As for Esther, it’s so good to see an older woman as a protagonist – at 60 she’s not much of a fighter, but she’s as sharp as they come and capable of talking her way through almost every difficulty she encounters, whether relying on nerve, diplomacy or hard-nosed negotiation (her battle of wits and words with a particularly awkward dragon is just fantastic). She has strong Mum vibes – worrying despite knowing there’s nothing she can really do, and always putting in the work despite knowing it might never be enough – and there’s just so much scope for more stories from her perspective. As a snapshot of who Esther and her friends and family are, and a brief glimpse of this brilliant setting, there’s a lot to enjoy in The Keeper’s Six, but it inevitably feels like just a tantalising tease of what might be. Further adventures delivering similar classic tropes in a similarly modern, entertaining fashion would be a very welcome way to dig deeper into the elements that make this such a fun read.
Review copy provided by the publisher
See also: my review of Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott
The Keeper’s Six is due out from Tordotcom in January 2023 – check out the links below to order your copy:
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