#erec rex

The Erec Rex series was another one of those young fantasy novel series that sadly fell to the wayside in the wake of the Harry Potter franchise success. I never finished it, but the 3-4 books I did read were nearly up there with Fablehaven. If you haven’t read my much older post gushing on why Fablehaven is so good, then here’s context for why I say this - in terms of well-written fantasy, in character, setting, creativity, and story, I consider Fablehaven to be my #1. Nothing has every topped Fablehaven for me in terms of world development, original takes on old concepts, and interesting characters, not to mention very well-written villains. And yes, I have read Harry Potter, all 7 books. I have read Dragonriders of Pern. I have read Chronicles of Narnia. I have read Artemis Fowl. I have read Dealing with Dragons. I read so many fantasy books in middle and high school, guys.

And nothing. Nothing. Has ever topped the Fablehaven books for me.

Erec Rex came pretty close to matching them. The series was just a tiny bit too off-the-wall at times, for me to call it a perfect match to Fablehaven. Maybe it was that I was getting older, and my sense of humor was maturing beyond the point where goofy dialogue and very on-the-nose puns didn’t tickle my funny bone quite so much anymore (though that ultimately came full-circle huhuhu). Regardless, this didn’t make the Erec Rex series a bad one, just a different kind of enjoyable.

However, one thing from the series has always stuck with me as being... surprisingly fucked up, in concept. And in order to understand this, you need to know that in the Erec Rex series, magic exists, but is ‘closed off’ to people who live on the surface world, while people who live in the world’s secret underground civilization DO have access to it. Anyone born of magical blood - usually exclusive to those born in the civilization below ground - will have a power of some variety, but it’s like My Hero Academia levels of versatility. You can have the ability to solve any math problem, or you can control the essence of magic itself, or you can turn into an animal, and everything you can imagine in between. Naturally, this means some people will have abilities more conventionally useful, or accepted socially, than others.

Of all the unique abilities presented in the books, the one I always remember the most doesn’t even belong to a main character, or even a side character. He is quite literally mentioned in the background, and shows up in one scene in the very first book, then never mentioned again as far as I’ve read. I don’t even remember his name, he’s written as that much of a conceptual throw-away.

And his power?

It’s the ability to have any wish he makes be granted on the spot.

He’s basically god. Timmy Turner without a Da Rulez book breathing down his spine. And he’s a throwaway character.

For the occasional goofy dialogue and heavy-handed puns, this one character’s existence - and the way the other characters talk about him - hit me pretty hard. This character (let’s call him ‘Jacob’ for now), is an extremely popular athlete in this universe. He’s the equivalent of a fantasy basketball star, and it kind of makes sense, right? Of course a kid born with the ability to have anything he wished would eventually become an extremely successful and well-liked sports star or something of the like. Even if the book explains the caveat that he’s forbidden from cheating in the game by just wishing he’ll win, he’s still allowed within the game’s boundaries to wish for subtle things to go his way, like someone tripping at the wrong time, or his pass to bounce in just the right way that it reaches a teammate. And from how the fans of the fantasy game talk about Jacob, he IS well-liked. He has fans, and jerseys, and action figures, the whole nine yards.

But the one time he’s discussed seriously in the novel, a majority of the conversation isn’t about how good of an athlete Jacob is - it’s actually mostly about his wife. Jacob (of course) marries the girl of his dreams, and their relationship is going steady and strong.

Yet the bystanders speak of her with pity. They talk about how her physical appearance is always changing - every time they see her, her mouth gets smaller, her hair changes, her eyes get bigger, she becomes kinder and more affectionate, etc. etc. Constantly subject to change by her husband’s wishes, and completely okay with it, because Jacob gets everything he wishes for.

give my lizard boy some clean clothes and a NAP