The Favorite is set nearly two centuries in the future, after a cataclysmic solar flare fried most modern technology.
In this novel, the global map has been reshaped: The state of Grith occupies the New England coast, with the Second Republic of Vermont covering most of the inland Northeast; meanwhile, Europe is largely occupied by the Icelandic Empire.
Our protagonist is Regulus Zegulus Iustus, whose whimsically rhyming name belies his serious intentions. Having deposed Girth’s previous Bompus (ruler), he’s positioned to take power, even though he doesn’t want it. Slipping from the reception after his investiture, he narrowly misses a coup that kills all his would-be ministers.
While trying to hide, he encounters the beautiful Poppaea Sabina, who turns out to be a nudist pirate queen with a polyamorous crew. Who among us wouldn’t want to hitch a ride in those circumstances?
The Favorite is strange, sexually frank, yet oddly endearing. It’s unquestionably self-indulgent, in all meanings of the word: Poppaea ends up sitting on Regulus’ face, literally, seconds after introducing herself . Yet there’s humor in how Regulus’ officious inner monologue contrasts with the more outlandish parts of this setting. (A fellow nudist, Regulus strips down “except for a few pieces of gold jewelry to mark myself as a nudist of quality.”) The difference in tone between the cocaine-infused group sex aboard the ship and the increasingly serious story of slavery and massacre playing out on shore is jarring, to say the least, but without spoiling too much, that’s at least partly the point.
There’s something admirable about writing a story so clearly comprised of your own personal preoccupations. The author, for instance, is a lifelong sailor who writes with loving detail about harbor approaches and prevailing conditions. Even if you’re not a nautical nerd, you can’t help but appreciate (or even envy) how comfortable he is with what pleases him.
That the story is absorbing in its own right is almost a bonus.