Book Review: Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz by Garth Nix
Fantastic fantasy reading in the classic sword and sorcery vein as Robert E. Howard.
Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer by Garth Nix. Narrated by David Linski. Harper Audio, 2023. 9 hours (approx.).
Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer is an anthology of nine short stories written by Garth Nix featuring the titular characters. The amorous Hereward is a knight, artillerist and the only male child of a coven of witches. His companion is the magical “self-motivated” puppet Mister Fitz. Together they enforce the ancient Treaty for the Safety of the World, which tasks them to slay interdimensional beings called gods.
“God” is a bit of a misnomer. The creatures that terrorize this fantasy world are gods in the same way Cthulhu is also believed to be a god by its worshipers. In truth, they are aliens from unknown origins and possessed of certain characteristics and magic that make them appear to be gods. It’s similar to Arthur C. Clarke’s statement that advanced technologies may be indistinguishable from magic. Here, it’s advanced magic indistinguishable from godhood. In “Losing Her Divinity” the character being interrogated by our heroes says:
I do not think of them as gods or godlets. Indeed, it has been theorized that should a mortal here be somehow introduced to some other plain of existence, there they, too, would have the powers and attributes seen here as godlike.
Putting aside the dubious use of the word “god,” the nine journeys of Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz make for fantastic fantasy reading in the classic sword and sorcery vein as Robert E. Howard, albeit not quite so dark … or rapey. This is adult fantasy, however, and there are moments of violence. In “Beyond the Sea Gate of the Scholar-Pirates of Sarskoe,” for example, there are “showers” of blood and bone. In “A Long, Cold Trail” there is some wonderfully twisted body horror. But mostly Nix keeps it PG-13.
The best thing about this collection is the variety of missions and precarious situations in which the heroes find themselves. They must make a deal with a pirate captain with a taste for human flesh, burgle a rich man by posing as chimney sweeps, move a giant cannon never meant to be moved and so forth. Also, Sir Hereward has a Captain Kirk-like penchant for involving himself with beautiful and dangerous women.
Not all of the stories are hits, however. The first-person narration by the interrogated villain in “Losing Her Divinity” is more annoying than imaginative, while the ending of “Cut Me Another Quill, Mister Fitz” is disappointing.
Nix breathes life into a vivid, imaginary world complete with rich histories, compelling cultures, multiple moons and fantastic creatures. He could have spent more time on the magic system, which is not well delineated and, at times, borders on deus ex machina, but it’s a small criticism.
The stories are episodic and can be read in any order although the first tale, “Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again,” is a good introduction to the characters and universe.
The book also follows (perhaps unintentionally) the monster-of-the-week formula popularized by The Outer Limits and has been made good use of in TV shows like Kolchak: The Night Stalker and The X-Files. Since Nix leaves the number of monsters to be killed undetermined, he could write Hereward and Fitz stories to the end of time. And that wouldn’t be so bad, because they are a delight.