The Afterward by E.K. Johnston
I don’t know about other people, but when I think of a fantasy or sci-fi novel, my immediate thought is a small paperback volume. The kind with an almost neutral color scheme, and a specific sort of cover art that often involves a realistic illustration of the protagonist looking serious and epic. I have liked these books a lot, especially for their settings. I’ve read fantasy novels, mainly YA ones, where the main character lives in the modern world and when they turn 10, 11, or 12, their destiny as a prophecy-foretold hero is revealed and they learn fantasy skills. Those are enjoyable certainly, but don’t quite capture the magic of being immersed in a book where sorcery, knights, mythical creatures are the norm, and an author describes nightshade and goldenwood potions as a realistic fiction writer might express making lemonade with mint and a few pinches of sugar. The Afterward by E.K. Johnston is similar in its enthralling setting, but is written with a slightly more modern spin.
Unlike many books, the story follows knight apprentice Kalanthe Ironheart and master thief Olsa Rhetsdaughter as they navigate life after already saving the world with a group of other knights and a mage. I had never read a book like this before, but thought it was very realistic that the protagonist’s stories were not over once they finished their quest. There was no easy happily ever after, which is proven and discovered by Kalanthe and Olsa throughout the novel. Johnston sets her narrative in 2 times: Before and After. The former tells the story of the world-saving quest from the 1st person perspectives of Olsa and Kalanthe, and the latter describes life after the quest, told in 3rd person.
Johnston includes more diversity of characters than traditional fantasy novels. Where most protagonists (and characters) in the old paperbacks were white, male, cis, and straight, The Afterward’s main characters are both strong female characters, not simply because of how “manly” or physically able they are. Though both Kalanthe and Olsa are physically skilled due to their professions, their personalities are complex and distinct, showing strength in compassion, emotional intelligence, and communication skills in their complicated relationship.
Additionally, Johnston’s cast of major and minor characters are a diverse group with representation of many ethnicities, with complexions ranging from very pale to dark brown. The author avoids offensive descriptions based on stereotypes in order to convey ethnicity, and does not describe darker skinned characters with words like coffee, chocolate, or other such adjectives that have connotations that imply the characters being exotic, like a cash crop or food, or any other sellable item. At the same time, Johnston has her own compelling worldbuilding with different regions that are not carbon copies of the countries in our world, and is able to convey race without referencing a real-world country.
The Afterward does not only have an assortment of races and inspiring female characters, but has lgbtqia+ representation as well. One knight-mentor to Kalanthe is trans, and when Olsa learns this, it is very clear that this information does not change her view of the Knight lady in the slightest. Another important warrior woman is asexual, and the protagonists themselves are explicitly lesbian and bisexual. There is even a scene in the book where Kalanthe explains to Olsa what the term bisexual means, how she likes “both lads and lasses”.
E.K. Johnston had already proved to me her support of minority groups before I met the scholar character Giran, who always wears a headscarf, much like muslim women in the real world. The story discusses how Giran is not taken seriously by her peers, and another woman of Giran’s ethnicity and belief was dismissed as well. However, her teachings end up being crucial for the protagonists to save the world and complete the quest.
All in all, it was a great book and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy novel.
This post made me realize that often times we forget to look for the person's intrinsic, and the characters and traits. We focus constantly on trivial and superficial things about a person, and what really defines a person is their character, personality, morals, and their actions. This post was extremely enjoyable and reflective to read. Reminds me of certain people in my life.
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