Carry On (novel)
Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow is the third young adult novel written by Rainbow Rowell, published in 2015. The story follows the final year of magical schooling for Simon Snow, the "Chosen One" of the Magical world, prophesied to defeat the Insidious Humdrum, an evil force that has been wreaking havoc on the World of Mages for years. The novel is told through several narrative voices, including that of Simon, his roommate/enemy Baz, his best friend Penelope, and his ex-girlfriend Agatha.
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| Author | Rainbow Rowell |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Olga Grlic and Kevin Wada |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Publication date | October 2015 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback), Audiobook |
| Pages | 528 |
| ISBN | 1250049555 |
The novel is a spinoff from Rowell's novel Fangirl. "Simon Snow" is the name of the fictional series of novels that the protagonist in Fangirl (Cath) is a die-hard fan of. Carry On, Simon is the name of the novel-within-a-novel-based-on-a-book-series that Cath is writing in Fangirl. However, Rowell has said that Carry On is a novel written by herself, and should not be seen as Cath’s fictional work “Carry On Simon”, which features in Fangirl.
Plot
Simon Snow is an 18 year old orphaned magician returning to Watford School of Magicks for his eighth and final year. Raised among the "Normals" (humans without magical powers) Simon was discovered as a child by his mentor The Mage, who is the headmaster of Watford, and the Head of the Coven, making him the leader of the magical world. Simon has an unprecedented amount of magical power, and is thus dubbed "The Chosen One", the prophesied Greatest Mage. The prophecy states that one will come to end magick, and one (believed to be Simon) will bring its fall. Around the time of Simon's birth, magickal "dead spots" started appearing all over England, places where magick no longer exists, and magickal beings are unable to use their powers. This problem is accompanied by political strife between The Mage and the Old Families, the posh magickal upperclass.
The plot is also frequently interrupted by short chapters narrated by a character named Lucy, who reflects on her own times at Watford years ago, and her budding relationship with another student named Davy. Davy was considered an outcast and was obsessed with prophecies; he was particularly interested in the prophecy of the Greatest Mage, which would later turn out to be Simon.
At the end of the last school year, Simon and his witty best friend Penelope Bunce were abducted by the Humdrum while at Watford. They were first people to see what he looks like. The Humdrum interestingly resembled an eleven year old Simon.
Simon reunites with Penelope, the shy goatherd Ebb, and his beautiful girlfriend Agatha Wellbelove. Despite their seemingly perfect relationship, Agatha yearns for independence and breaks up with Simon. Yet another point of contention in Simon's life is his vampire roommate Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch. For the first two months of the school year, Baz is absent, which frustrates Simon, who considers Baz his "nemesis". During October, ghosts start appearing on Campus. Penelope explains to Simon that every 20 years, the veil between the living and dead opens up and the dead with unfinished business can "visit" someone, usually a family member. Simon gets a visiting from Natasha Grimm-Pitch, Baz's mother and the former headmistress of Watford before The Mage. With Baz not there, she instead asks Simon to tell Baz to avenge her murder (seemingly committed by vampires) and to find Nicodemus. When Baz mysteriously returns, he, Simon, and Penelope try to research Natasha's death and discover who Nicodemus is, but to little success.
Over Christmas break, Agatha visits Penelope's house. Penelope talks with her father Martin, a dead spot expert, while Agatha notices an old photograph of Mitali Bunce, Penelope's mother, and a blonde haired girl. Professor Bunce recognizes the girl as her old friend from school, Lucy Salisbury; she explains that they grew apart after school because Mitali didn't approve of Lucy's boyfriend, Davy, who she reveals is actually the Mage.
Lucy remembers how she and the Mage, or Davy as she still calls him, moved into a secluded cottage together after finishing school. Davy began to be increasingly distant and discouraged, as no one listened to his revolutionary ideas except Lucy. In the end, the only thing left that gave him hope was the Greatest Mage.
In the present, Simon stays at Watford for Christmas. While having tea with the groundskeeper Ebb, he learns she has a twin brother named Nicodemus; however, after graduating Nicodemus asked a vampire to turn him in order to gain immortality. His request was fulfilled, but he was banished from the Magickal world.
Simon then goes to Baz's house to share this new information.
They track Nicodemus to a bar in the West End, yet he only tells them that a few weeks before the attack, a magician came to him and brokered a deal to have him and other vampires attack Watford. Nicodemus at the time said no, and refuses to tell them the wizard's name. Baz storms off and, torn at the idea that he has failed, intends to kill himself through self immolation. Simon talks him out of it and kisses him.
Agatha and Penelope travel to Baz's house the next morning. Baz and Penelope explain their investigation to Agatha, but she is wary about the situation and shocked that Simon and Baz are now apparent friends. Agatha is against them conspiring against the Mage, and wants nothing to do with the situation; she leaves with Penelope, while Simon comes back to stay with Baz. They have Christmas Eve dinner with the Pitch family.
Agatha has an argument with Penelope in the car, and explains that instead of Magickal conspiracies, she just wants to have a normal friendship with her. After dropping off Penelope, she has a conversation with her mum about Lucy. Mrs. Wellbelove informs Agatha that there was a scandal involving the Salisbury family around 20 years ago. Lucy reportedly ran off to America with a Normal after having an illegitimate child, and swore off magic. Agatha becomes entranced by the idea of also escaping her pressuring life to somewhere else like Lucy.
One night, Lucy woke up to Davy kissing her. She was happily surprised, at she wasn't used to him showing her intimate affection. Davy explained his plan to her: that they will birth a child together whom he intends to mold into the Greatest Mage. The Greatest Mage, his son, will help him start a revolution.
Simon wakes up in Baz's house to the feeling of draining magic. He searches for Baz, but also finds the Humdrum. He says vague phrases to Simon, including that he doesn’t take the magic, that he’s just "what’s left when you're done." The Humdrum appears to have taken away Baz's magic, but Simon uses his powers to give it back, and the Humdrum disappears. Yet when they return they find that the whole of Hampshire has been turned into a dead spot. Simon uses his powers to sprout wings and flies away to Penelope's house.
The next morning, Baz shows up at the Bunce family's doorstep. He demand's to be taken to Penelope's father's office. While looking at the map of dead spots, Baz shows that they all appeared on the dates that Simon has "gone off" over the years. He theorizes that Simon cannot simply make more power; he takes it from different locations in Britain without realizing it, thus creating the dead spots. Baz and Penelope also believe that the Humdrum is merely an echo or a hole that Simon created due to tearing out so much magic at once. The Humdrum looks like a younger Simon because Simon was eleven years old when he first went off. Simon wants to tell the Mage, but Baz is against this and thus Simon travels to Watford alone.
However, Nicodemus decides to join Baz's side due to his sister's arrest at the apparent hand of the Mage. He informs Penelope and Baz that The Mage hired the vampires in order to scare the Magickal community and for him to take power. Baz and Penelope head off to confront the Mage.
The Mage is fighting with Ebb in the White Chapel, a sort of ceremonial location on campus. The Mage intends to take Ebb's magic so he can defeat the Humdrum and the Pitches himself, but in the struggle he stabs her just as Simon arrives. Simon attempts to revive her while the Mage tries to convince Simon to give him his magic, as he believes Simon is not the proper vessel for the Greatest Mage. The Insidious Humdrum appears, and Simon, now understanding of the Humdrum's situation, gives the Humdrum all of his magic in order to "fill the hole." Baz and Penny show up and Simon accidentally kills the Mage. Baz comforts Simon as he sobs over the Mage's corpse.
Lucy became pregnant and planned to name the baby Simon Snow Salisbury. When she went into labour on the autumn equinox, Davy performed a ritual to make the unborn child a vessel for unexplainable power. She died in childbirth and Davy hid a newborn Simon among the Normals with the name "Simon Snow" written on the baby's arm. It is shown that the chapters are being told from the perspective of Lucy's ghost, who attempts to visit Simon when the veil lifts, but is unsuccessful.
In an epilogue, Agatha has moved to California and adopted a cocker spaniel which she has named Lucy. There has been a trial, and Mitali Bunce (Penelope’s mother) is now the new headmistress of Watford. Baz returned to Watford for his final year, but Simon no longer has any magic left and Penelope dropped out to support him. Baz and Simon are now officially dating and Simon moves into a flat with Penelope.
Themes
Homosexuality
Baz is revealed to be gay early in the novel, calling himself "queer" and wondering how his father would react if he failed to carry on his family name. When Simon eventually acts upon his attraction to Baz and kisses him, Simon does not consider himself "gay" and decides he will sort out his sexuality later. He discusses it with his therapist and thinks he might be gay, while his therapist tells him it's not an important thing to consider at the time. Simon has previously had a romantic relationship with a girl, Agatha. One female character, Ebb Petty, has had relationships with other women, but it is not discussed in detail. Additionally, Penelope's roommate, Trixie, has a girlfriend.
Magic
The novel pays obvious homage to the Harry Potter series through the content of the fictional world, the overall story structure, and the extensive fandom (which is explained in Fangirl). Both Hogwarts and Watford are magical schools that have been in existence for centuries and both are located in the United Kingdom. However, Watford offers eight years of schooling rather than seven - but it is mentioned that the eighth year is optional. The magical learning that goes on inside the two schools, and the rules of magic, are quite different.
Each student is endowed with a magical object through which they channel their magic. Some have wands, but other students have specific pieces of jewelry or clothing that they use to control their magic. Spells are created by using common turns of phrase, such as "Head over heels!" and "Up, up and away!" In one specific instance, the Mage uses lyrics from the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Class tensions
There are distinct classes within the magical community. Powerful families are members of the Mage's Council, and they are responsible for ensuring the magical line lives on through their children and is preserved at Watford. Many students at Watford, especially Agatha, worry about finding suitable mates for their prestigious magical heritage in order to preserve their family's magic and continue producing magical children. Those who are not part of this prestigious group find themselves wondering if they have a place in the magical community, since members of the Old Families feel that they do not. There are mounting conflicts between the Mage and the Old Families throughout the book because of his reforms and invasion of privacy, and because of suspicion that the Mage was controlling the Humdrum.
Main Characters
Simon Snow Salisbury
- Main character, "The Chosen One"
Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Grimm-Pitch the Third
- A student at Watford, Simon's roommate and boyfriend
Penelope "Penny" Bunce
- A student at Watford, Simon's best friend
Agatha Wellbelove
- A student at Watford, Simon's ex-girlfriend
The Mage or Davy
- Headmaster of Watford
Ebeneza "Ebb" Petty
- Goatherd at Watford
Natasha Grimm-Pitch
- Baz's deceased mother, former Headmistress of Watford
Lucy Salisbury
- Davy's romantic partner and Simon's biological deceased mother
Sequels
A sequel, titled Wayward Son, was announced on June 3, 2018. Though originally scheduled to be released in 2020, Rowell posted a new promotional image on various social media platforms on November 7, 2018, with a new release year of 2019. It was later confirmed that Wayward Son would be available for purchase on September 24, 2019. [1]
On October 3, 2019, Any Way the Wind Blows, the third book in the Simon Snow series was announced. The only information given about its release was that it is "coming soon".
Reception
The critical reception for the book has been mostly positive. The New York Times Book Review said: "Rowell imbues her magic with awe and spectacle. It's a powerful, politically minded allegory about sexual, ethnic and class identity - with a heady shot of teenage lust."[2]
References
- Rowell, Rainbow (7 November 2018). "Wayward Son, 2019". Twitter.
- Wappler, Margaret (23 October 2015). "Y.A. Crossover: 'Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow'". nyt.com. Retrieved 23 February 2016.