There’s been a lot of great talk the last few years about who gets to go on quests, or be chosen as Chosen Ones, and the publishing world is catching up; this year, we had the marvellous anthology of parents in SFF with Don’t Touch That!, and next year, we’ll meet Edna Fisher, an 83-year-old Chosen One, in The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson!
I’m delighted to be part of the cover reveal for this ridiculously cool book – check it out!
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Representation: Elderly MC, gay, bisexual, and ace-spec rep (asexual and graysexual)
Published on: 21st April, 2023
Goodreads
In which a geriatric-turned-Chosen-One sets out to take down a sorcerer killing knights like her long-dead son—until abuse in the ranks makes her question who needs saving.
When you’re a geriatric armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles, stopping a sorcerer from wiping out an entire dragon-fighting organization is a tall order. No one understands why 83-year-old Edna Fisher is the Chosen One, destined to save the Knights from a dragon-riding sorcerer bent on their destruction. After all, Edna has never handled a magical weapon, faced down a dragon, or cast a spell. And everyone knows the Council of Wizards always chooses a teenager—like the vengeful girl ready to snatch Edna’s destiny from under her nose.
Still, Edna leaps at the chance to leave the nursing home. With her son long dead in the Knights’ service, she’s determined to save dragon-fighters like him and to ensure other mothers don’t suffer the same loss she did. But as Edna learns about the abuse in the ranks and the sorcerer’s history as a Knight, she questions if it’s really the sorcerer that needs stopping—or the Knights she’s trying to save.
There is nothing I don’t love about this – an elderly chosen one who knits!!! Dragons!!! A villain smart enough to be riding a dragon!!! Murky lines between good guys and bad guys!!! And from what I’ve been able to find out, Retirement is even packed full of queer characters!!!
And I mean – look at that cover. LOOK AT IT! Fabulous old woman staring down the world. There’s so many interesting details here – for one, I wasn’t expecting what looks like a modern cityscape; does that mean we’re not getting a Medieval-esque setting? Because that would be awesome. Point the second: I can’t tell if that dragon is flying towards the viewer (and thus Edna) or away, which is an interesting bit of ambiguity that echoes and underscores the whole ‘the Knights may not be the heroes’ warning in the blurb. And finally: I freaking love how, behind the title, the sword is crossed with a knitting needle!!!
The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher is currently available for preorder through the publisher, but you’ll be able to buy it in all the usual places as well closer to release day! Until then, make sure you add it to your tbr on Goodreads or Storygraph or wherever you keep track of your books!
Because I don’t think any of us are gonna want to miss out on this one!
Leave a Reply