Orphans of Chaos
Cover of first edition (hardcover)
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| Author | John C. Wright |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Chronicles of Chaos |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
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Publication date
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20 October 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 pp (First edition) |
| ISBN | (First edition) |
| OCLC | 58055187 |
| 813/.6 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3623.R54 O77 2005 |
| Followed by | Fugitives of Chaos |
Orphans of Chaos is a 2005 science fiction, fantasy novel by John C. Wright. It is the first volume of the Orphans of Chaos trilogy that continues with the novels Fugitives of Chaos (2006) and Titans of Chaos (2007).
Five orphans - Victor, Amelia, Vanity, Colin, and Quentin (see Names and identities below)- who have spent their lives in a luxurious but strict and secretive British boarding school (Saint Dymphna's School and College for Destitute Children) begin to discover that they are different from the other children that they so rarely see.
Unlike the village children, the five orphans do not age. They can also manipulate their appearances. Throughout the book, they also come to discover that they possess unique paranormal abilities. Victor can control the molecular arrangement of matter. Amelia is a fourth-dimensional being. Vanity can find secret passageways. Colin is a psychic. Quentin is a warlock.
The five also discover that the patrons of the school along with their guardians and teachers are just as human as they themselves, which is not at all. The story largely concerns the main characters' investigations and discoveries about an otherworldly power struggle, and their place within it.
Themes of naming and identity, both assumed and genuine, are important in the novel and the trilogy it opens. The five child-protagonists are first known only by simple Latin numerical designations; when they reach school age they are allowed to select names for themselves. ("Secunda," the narrator of the novels, chooses a name that expresses her admiration for Amelia Earhart and her fascination with exploration, geography, and travel.) Only in their teens do the five discover their true identities:
Other characters in the novel participate in this pattern of multiple identities. Reginald Boggin, the headmaster of the children's school, is actually Boreas, the ancient Greek personification of the north wind. His staff is composed of a Thessalian witch, a cyclops, and similar exotic beings. The music teacher, Miss Daw, is Thelxiepia the siren. The caretaker, Mr. Glum is the human form of Grendel, the monster from Beowulf. Glum's talking dog is Lelaps, the hunting hound of Artemis.
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Wikipedia