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Five SFF Works Featuring Treacherous or Ineffectual Advisers

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Five SFF Works Featuring Treacherous or Ineffectual Advisers

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Five SFF Works Featuring Treacherous or Ineffectual Advisers

Whether corrupt schemers or hapless hacks, bad advisers excel at creating drama...

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Published on January 30, 2025

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Detail from the cover of Wizenbeak Alexis A Gilliland (Art by by Romas Kukalis)

It is a rare ruler who really is the state, various Sun King claims to the contrary. Look closer and one often finds that even the most autocratic of autocrats are dependent on functionaries.

I was reminded of this recently by an article on Emperor Ping. Emperor Ping of Han ascended the throne of China in 1 BCE, aged just eight. The ability of a child to rule an empire is open to question. Emperor Ping was fortunate enough to have as his regent Wang Mang, who seems to have been an all-around competent, energetic adviser. Unfortunately, the article discussing Emperor Ping and Wang Mang had some pages missing, so I am not sure what happened after January, 6 CE. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that Wang Mang served Emperor Ping capably until the end of the emperor’s days. [Editor: ahem]

Unsurprisingly, many authors have spotted the utility of having the right adviser in the right position for moving plots along sharpish. Take these five examples.

Amaury from Huon of the Horn by Andre Norton (1951)

Cover of Huon of the Horn by Andre Norton

In Norton’s historical fantasy, Amaury shapes history. First, Amaury convinces Charlemagne to overlook the past transgressions of Charlemagne’s oldest son Charlot. Amaury then persuades Charlot to assist Amaury in murdering Huon and Gerard, the sons of an old enemy of Amaury’s1.

The assassination doesn’t go well. Neither Huon nor Gerard die. Instead, Charlot is struck down by Huon. One might expect this would end in Huon’s death once Charlemagne discovers who killed his son. Instead, the canny king sends Huon on an epic quest, one from which Huon is unlikely to return.

Modern readers may be struck by three elements of this tale. First, how characters cannot seem to spot even the most obvious lies. Second, the ease with which persons of this era resorted to lethal violence. Third, the pacing: the events described above occur in the first two dozen or so pages of the novel.

‘Uqba from The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman, edited and translated by Melanie Magidow (1980/2021)

Cover of The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman

Although Fatima is a fearsome warrior little interested in domesticity, even she cannot avoid marriage to her disappointing cousin Walid. Walid soon discovers that Fatima has no intention of being a submissive, obedient wife. As she could as easily snip Walid’s head off as she could strike a poppy from its stem, Walid and Fatima are at an impasse.

Enter Uqba, adviser to Walid. His bold suggestions about domestic relations further alienate Fatima from Walid. ꜤUqba then orchestrates Walid’s defection to Christian Byzantium, whose ruler will surely favor Walid… only for Fatima to win the sincere gratitude of Constantinople’s ruler Leo by defeating the invading King of Poland, thus saving Constantinople.

Readers might be surprised that Fatima would intervene on Constantinople’s behalf, what with Byzantium being the regional rival to the late Umayyad and early Abbasid Caliphates. For the most part, with some very notable exceptions, Fatima is quite willing to befriend today the enemy she fought yesterday. The trick is surviving long enough for her to warm to a former opponent.

Archdeacon Goribani from Wizenbeak by Alexis Gilliland (1986)

Cover of Wizenbeak by Alexis A Gilliland

Senior cleric Goribani plays a vital role in Prince Kahun’s court. Whenever the prince expresses some firmly held belief—such as proclaiming that Kahun’s father King Grathnys is undead, kept upright and mobile only through the dark magic of Kahun’s manifestly evil stepmother Queen Shaia—Goribani agrees with Kahun… or at least keeps doubts to himself.

The short-term effect of Goribani’s support is to enable Kahun’s bold campaign of regicide and civil war. The long-term effect is entirely beneficial to Kahan, in that he is liberated from all concern about dynastic disputes. Goribani is not so fortunate. He is appointed Patriarch after the position is abruptly vacated. He remains entangled in the complex (and violent) politics of the realm.

Readers may wonder how Wizenbeak figures into this. He’s a water wizard whose bold irrigation plan for a heretofore barren region entangles him in the struggle for the throne. He’s not so much a deliberate instigator as a guy just trying to survive his choice of funding.

Setheris Nelar from The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)

Cover of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

For the crime of being a living, half-goblin reminder of an unfortunate political marriage, Emperor Varenechibel the Fourth relegated his son Maia to an isolated manor next to a swamp. To ensure that Maia received an appropriate education, Varenechibel relegated Setheris Nelar as well. The resentful Setheris spent years taking out his displeasure on Maia. Persecuting Maia was perfectly safe, because as long as the emperor was alive, or as long as one of Maia’s older half-brothers survived the emperor, there was no chance that the despised Maia would ever become emperor.

Following the sudden, simultaneous deaths of the emperor and his three older sons, Maia is unexpectedly elevated to the throne. Setheris’ years of abuse finally have their chance to shape Maia’s reign… by providing Maia with an opportunity to demonstrate that he is such a virtuous, noble person that he will not launch a memorable and bloody series of reprisals, starting with Setheris. Very fortunate for Setheris and extremely fortunate for the empire.

The Winged Lion from Delicious in Dungeon by Ryōko Kui (2015 to 2023)

Cover of Delicious in Dungeon vol 1 by Ryoko Kui

Although it began as a service contractor of sorts, the otherworldly being known to mortals as the Winged Lion added consulting services to its resume. The Winged Lion is adept at helping mortals visualize their goals, to focus on that which is most important to them, and—with the help of the Winged Lion—turn those dreams into reality.

Thus, with the Winged Lion’s advice and assistance, Thistle rose from servant to all-powerful mage. Thistle provided his beloved Golden Kingdom with immortality, the world with a fascinating labyrinth to explore and loot, and series protagonists Laios and his dungeon-delving companions the opportunity for great heroism.

The Winged Lion could have used some helpful advice itself. It took the otherworldly being some time to realize that it shouldn’t grant every wish, or at least not wishes that involve global apocalypse. In its defense, it wasn’t really a person to begin with, but a natural force that was imbued with personhood through its interactions with mortals.


These are, of course, only a few of the advisers whose helpful words furnished protagonists with the opportunity to shine… by providing advice that did not turn out well. No doubt you have favorites not mentioned above2. Feel free to mention them in comments. icon-paragraph-end

  1. The old enemy, Duke Sevin of Bordeaux, is himself immune to assassination, having already died.
  2. In defense of poor Ja’far ibn Yahya, being presented as a villain is a very recent development. His term as Harun al-Rashid’s vizier was on the whole pretty successful up until the moment Harun al-Rashid had him executed. For some reason, a number of 20th century movies landed on Jafar as a go-to baddy—not just Disney, please don’t sue me—but it is a disservice to the historical figure from whom the various Jafars take their shared name.

About the Author

James Davis Nicoll

Author

In the words of fanfiction author Musty181, current CSFFA Hall of Fame nominee, five-time Hugo finalist, prolific book reviewer, and perennial Darwin Award nominee James Davis Nicoll “looks like a default mii with glasses.” His work has appeared in Interzone, Publishers Weekly and Romantic Times as well as on his own websites, James Nicoll Reviews (where he is assisted by editor Karen Lofstrom and web person Adrienne L. Travis) and the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Aurora Award finalist Young People Read Old SFF (where he is assisted by web person Adrienne L. Travis). His Patreon can be found here.
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