Review: Kings of this World, by Elizabeth Knox

Kings of This World , published by Allen & Unwin, is the latest novel by acclaimed New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox—her first YA novel in 17 years. Kings of This World is set in the same mystical Southland as Knox’s bestselling Dreamhunter duet. In this standalone novel, Knox has created a very satisfying read.

When 17-year-old Vex and her friends are kidnapped on their way home from a school outing, it becomes a race against time to figure out who their kidnappers are and what they want, before the teenagers die at the hands of their cruel captors. But this is no ordinary kidnapping, because Vex and her friends are anything but ordinary: they are Percenters.

Percenters are the percentage of the population that possess ‘P’—a psychological ability to Pursuade—or Push—people to do as they’re ‘asked’. Or commanded. Not only does Vex have strong P, but she’s also famous for, at the age of eight, surviving a massacre at her father’s P commune, the Crucible. Also kidnapped are Ronnie, Vex’s studious (but a Nopey—no P) roommate, and Ronnie's friend Taye, who is recovering from a brain injury. There is clever Hannu, from a billionaire family. And troubled, honourable, frightening Ari. Oh, and parent-helper, Helen.

As the teens work together to leverage their unique talents to outwit their kidnappers, we discover each of their backstories, as well as the political and ethical issues that permeate a society where the majority Nopeys are threatened by the powerful Percenters—not to mention the radical Sons and Daughters of the Turning.

The young adult characters are spot-on: smart, funny, annoying and complicated. For example:

'Helen said, ‘Say thank you to your friend, Ari.’

‘Thank you Vex,’ said Ari. ‘For your epic nosiness and horning in.’

‘Don’t mention it,’ said Vex.'

Vex, the main protagonist, is sassy with sharp wit:

'Taye made a gesture he’d made several times now. He touched a patch on his right temple where grey hair was mixed with the black. Under the grizzled patch was a scar, the size and shape of a small inspection hatch. He noticed Vex looking and explained. ‘I have a plate in my head’.

‘From a goose attack?’

He laughed.

‘How come you have a plate in your head?’

‘It’s a bit of a mystery.’

‘A mystery presumably involving a qualified brain surgeon?’'

But Vex is wrestling with the terrible guilt of having survived the day of the massacre. She has vague memories of her father abandoning her in their car on that day, but has pushed those memories deep, deep. Consequently, she was raised by a series of Nopey foster parents. Now seventeen, she’s received an anonymous scholarship to attend Bold—a private P school. Finally, she connects and makes friends with other P teenagers. Despite her powers, everyone can identify with her need for acceptance and belonging. 

The worldbuilding is clever—clearly a fantasy world, but with lashings of NZ sprinkled throughout—so refreshing!

'[…] at the top of a mountain pass, where there was ice in the roadside gravel, and mountain parrots hopping after tourists with evil intent in their clever eyes.

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COAL BAY LOOKOUT was on top of an escarpment and had a prospect of a crease of forested valley, a steep hillside striped with sheep paths and, beyond, a view of all the beaches, inlets and blue mountains of the bay.

[…] The cabbage trees were black spikes against the sky, and on the slope opposite, the sheep were pale patches, visible only when they moved. '

Fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy Knox’s ability to portray the deep bonds that are formed from a shared, harrowing experience and common enemy. She has created a fast-paced, wonderfully complex story that will leave a deep emotional impression. P for a Pretty darn good read! Reviewed by SR Manssen