In an alternate-history, magic-laden United States (known here as the “Allied Lands”), the 12-year-old Prince of Texas, Rowdy Buckner, is an entitled brat. He’s also transgender, and will someday become king, the first “transmutant” monarch of the Kingdom of Texas. His parents, the king and queen, have accepted his gender ever since he declared it at age four, but they think he’s too irresponsible to go through the process of alchemical transformation that will change his body to fit how he feels.
Not only that, but alchemical, body-changing tonics have been prohibited in many of the Allied Lands over fears that they could lead to deception and are a “kind of mutilation” for minors. (The parallel to real-life gender affirming care like puberty blockers and hormones is clear.) Led by its religious leaders, Texas has banned alchemy except by command of the crown—which gives the crown prince a path forward, if only he can convince his parents.
To gain access to the tonics before puberty hits and his body starts changing in ways he doesn’t want, Rowdy enrolls in Realmsweep, a dangerous scavenger hunt across the Allied Lands. To win, however, he needs a team. The team that his personal bodyguard assembles for him is a motley and (to Rowdy’s eyes) unimpressive group of other tweens who are in it for the monetary prize at the end. One is a boy who looks like Rowdy would have “if he’d been born a boy”; Rowdy immediately decides he hates him. Another, who uses sign language, is a genius and also nonbinary. The last is an expert archer from a remote, impoverished area, who has lacked the socioeconomic privilege Rowdy takes for granted.
Edgmon, a trans person themself, also gives us a nuanced look at Rowdy’s experience as a trans tween. Despite well-meaning, supportive parents, Rowdy still has to fight to be who he is, both because his parents want him to prove himself first and because they are complicit in the system that has made life difficult for trans people. As Rowdy reflects at one point, he shouldn’t have to suffer “just to prove he deserves to live a life that would actually be worth living.”
Can Rowdy work with his team to succeed against the monsters and humans ranged against them? And will he grow into a responsible person and prince? Since this is a middle-grade novel, the answers should be obvious, but it is the how that makes the book an absolute delight. Author H. E. Edgmon blends magic, hilarious snarkiness, and adventure with a keen sense of social justice, not just around trans rights, but also around broader issues of privilege, socioeconomic status, and communal responsibility. There are clear analogies to happenings in the real U.S., including killings by ICE, but they are woven into a story that delivers its analogies through a gripping adventure with vividly realized characters. Rowdy’s personal growth anchors the story with both humor and heart.
From Gulliver’s Travels to Animal Farm and beyond, fantastical fiction has often blended both entertainment and social commentary, and Realmsweep sits firmly in that tradition. It’s a highly recommended title and a great read.
Rowdy is described as having brown skin like his father; his mother has pale skin.
