Crown Duel

While Sherwood Smith originally wrote Crown Duel as two separate books entitled Crown Duel (1997) and Court Duel (1998),[2] she considered them as "one story."[3] Both novels explore the fictional land of Sartorias-deles, the world she has been writing about since her youth.[4] Smith grew up wondering why "[her surroundings were] the way [they were]" for instance observing, "Why were the cities so clean, I wondered when I was a kid. I knew about sewers, etc. Why is it safe to drink from a stream there, and not here?".[3] She conceived Sartorias-deles as a world where, over the course of several centuries, humans of many different races entered through "worldgates" and were influenced by the culture of its indigenous beings. According to Smith, while her invented world was not perfect, it contains fewer problems than Earth has endured, such as disease and overpopulation. She wrote,

"basically, the indigenous life forms, appalled by these things that came through and started multiplying and spreading out, carrying their diseases and wars, tried to fix things for the humans ... Their history is not all happy, it's very strange, and humans still have many human problems, but in other ways they are somewhat different from [Earth]."[3]

According to Smith, Sartorias-deles most resembles New Zealand.[3] Smith's stories set in the world of Sartorias-deles have "focuse[d on] a generation of kids with remarkable abilities who are born into extraordinary times."[5] Meliara ("Mel") is the protagonist of Crown Duel, which is set in the fictional country of Remalna. Remalna's human population lives alongside the mysterious Hill Folk, sentient beings that reside in the land's forests and with whom Mel has a special affinity.[6] Smith wrote the first part as a twenty-year-old, and sought to keep it set in Mel's teenage point of view when typing it out as someone older than forty.[7] Smith describes the stories' primary audience as "middle grade or YA, because I was young and writing from the kid's eye view."[4] At the same time, she made some changes to the original story based on her experience, such as providing motivations for the adult characters and "nail[ing] down place and time more thoroughly than I did."[7] When Smith learned as a teenager that "anyone could write a book," she tried to write stories that would please potential publishers, as she assumed that they would never approve of "real stuff" like Crown Duel.[3] Several decades before Crown Duel's release, Smith "began the laborious process of consolidating" her notes on Sartorias-deles.[7] As part of her development of the novel, she drew inspiration from European history; for example, details like the novel's fan language and changing fashions were inspired by the fashions at the Palace of Versailles court of Louis XIV of France.[3]

Crown Duel has been labeled a coming-of-age story. According to The ALAN Review, Mel's "journey from captivity to freedom parallels her coming of age," in which she "comes to realize that she has led a very sheltered life and that people are often not what they seem."[8] This teenage perspective affects how the reader views the novel's events – Smith has commented that if she "see[s] a story from a kid's eye view, then what shapes that story is how kids look at the world."[9] In Brigham Young University's Children's Book and Play Review, Leah Hanson wrote that as a result, "we view the happenings at court with her same confusion and suspicion."[10] Writing for the same publication, Lillian H. Heil added that "the reader learns to expect that she will plunge into every situation with minimal thought about the consequences."[11]

Crown Duel deviates from the typical rebellion story by treating its success as another problem to be dealt with. Comparing this to the George Orwell story Animal Farm, Leigh Kimmel wrote that by defeating "the wicked king at midpoint, the second half involv[es] court intrigues of the provisional government as the next king is decided upon," thus increasing the challenges for the protagonist.[12] Rather than face armies and weapons, Mel must contend with a court where "war is just as intense and bewildering as on the battlefield--except swords have been traded for fans and armor discarded for elaborate dresses."[10]

In the United States, Harcourt published Crown Duel in April 1997,[1][13] and followed it with a sequel, Court Duel, in March of the following year.[1][14] According to Smith, this split was made because her original novel was "already 'too long' for production costs."[3] Firebird Books combined the two into one edition, also entitled Crown Duel, in 2002.[15] Rich Horton, writing in Locus magazine, attributes this republication to the growing popularity of YA fantasy, as writers and publishers observed the success of Harry Potter and other fantasy stories.[16]

In 2008, Smith released a prequel to Crown Duel entitled A Stranger to Command, which follows the Marquis of Shevraeth's early life learning military command.[17] In 2010, Book View Cafe released another edition of Crown Duel as an e-book, which combined the two main stories in tandem with a new short story entitled "Vidanric's Birthday Surprise," in addition to six scenes from Vidanric's point of view.[17][18]

Jim C. Hines, co-editor of the fantasy anthology Heroes in Training, considers the combined volume of Crown Duel to be Smith's most popular YA book.[19] Reviews for the first 1997 edition of Crown Duel have been generally positive, with reviewers highlighting Smith's worldbuilding ability and Mel's worthiness as a protagonist. Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan stated that Smith "tells a fast-moving tale of adventure, intrigue, and honor, with Mel a likable heroine and a lively narrator."[20] Phelan added that "characters and setting are well realized, but the novel seems plot driven from its midpoint almost to the book's end."[20] Lillian H. Heil of Brigham Young University also found favor with the novel's heroine, noting in her review that Mel's "fortitude in the face of enormous difficulties, her willingness to admit her mistakes, and her concern for others make her an appealing, if stubborn, young woman."[11] Author Jo Walton, contributing to Tor.com, wrote that the first book "has a fairly predictable plot," but a "terrific YA heroine" redeems its flaws.[21] Walton thought that the story drew strength from its teenage perspective, because "we get immersed in the world and the problems of the world and see [Mel] grow up from the inside, in the best traditions of YA fiction."[21]

Réception du Grand Condé à Versailles by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1878; Mel's coming to court was deemed similar to that of a "stranger coming to Versailles" (pictured) by Jo Walton.

In another review of the first book, Publishers Weekly noted that Smith "create[s] a fantasy world fit for the most discriminating medieval partisan. It cleverly walks just this side of parody, getting away with lines like, 'I wished I could personally flout him and his busy searchers, and make him look the fool he was.'"[22] In a similar vein, Kirkus Reviews praised the first novel as "Smith's lush descriptions evoke a fantastic yet credible world, where magic spells and enchanted stones are everyday facts of life."[23] M. Jean Greenlaw, contributing to The ALAN Review, lauded Smith for her "language and imagery" as well as "her deft plotting [to] keep the reader glued to the pages."[8] Writing for the School Library Journal, Patricia Lothrop-Green, however, gave a largely negative review to the first part, highlighting "huge logical leaps," an "utterly predictable plot," and a heroine whom "many readers will be thoroughly tired of" by the end of the story.[24]

Reviewers generally have found less to favor in Smith's second book, Court Duel, though reviews have still been mainly positive. It was noted by Carolyn Phelan of Booklist to be "different in setting, structure, and tone" from its predecessor, who added that "readers who loved Crown Duel for its strongly realized fantasy world, adventurous characters, and scenes of action may find the sequel disappointing," though she found Meliara to be "as compelling as ever."[25] Ruth Cox of Emergency Librarian observed "a flicker of the love/hate relationship often found in adult romance novels between Meliara and Shevraeth."[26] Contributing to Brigham Young's Children's Book and Play Review, Leah Hanson called the second part "fast paced and intriguing," and said it could "stand on its own as an enthralling story."[10] Jo Walton believed that the second story's changing fashions and fan customs were "done very well," and added that the court's culture of terror felt real.[21] She opined that "Mel's eruption into their midst has in it something of the stranger coming to Versailles, and it's fascinating," but called "Mel's continued obliviousness to the identity of her mysterious Unknown correspondent" "slightly implausible."[21] Walton concluded that the combined volume Crown Duel is "a charming book with a solid background and a great first person voice. Give it to your twelve year old friends, and read it with your inner twelve-year-old eyes."[21] The publication Voice of Youth Advocates included Crown Duel in its list of "fantasy for people who don't like fantasy," and wrote that the novel "ha[s] few fantastical creatures, and readers will relate easily to the main characters."[27]