The Book of Wonder · Theme
Fate and Prophecy
How The Book of Wonder develops Fate and Prophecy.
Many tales involve prophecies or destined quests (e.g., the centaur Shepperalk, the rider to the City of Never), where characters are driven by inescapable fates that shape their journeys and outcomes.
Where it surfaces
- Distressing Tale of Thangobrind the Jeweller
The priests cast a horoscope that seems to satisfy them, and Thangobrind's doom is foreshadowed by the ominous cough and the inevitability of his fate.
- The House of the Sphinx
The Sphinx's resignation and the inevitability of the 'thing' from the forest underscore a sense of inescapable fate.
- The Injudicious Prayers of Pombo the Idolater
Pombo's fall is presented as an inevitable outcome, his fate shared with Slith, suggesting a predetermined doom beyond his control.
- How One Came, as Was Foretold, to the City of Never
The entire chapter is driven by a prophecy that the protagonist would come to the City of Never, and his journey is portrayed as an inevitable fulfillment of destiny.