The Chronicler Recommends: Dracula & Yellowface
Welcome Readers,
The theme of this month’s book recommendations is duplicity.
Characters that usurps others’ identities, act in bad faith, hide their true intentions or pretend to act for the good of others.
In the Guild Wars universe, a perfect embodiment of this concept is Vizier Khilbron.
Vizier Khilbron
In the year 1070 AE, the Charr invasion on the various human kingdoms of Tyrian began, culminating in the Searing of Ascalon, the sinking of Orr and the rise of the White Mantles in Kryta.
Vizier to King Reza of Orr, Khilbron was present during the final days of the kingdom. He watched on as the charr marched into Orr and saw the inevitability of the humans’ defeat.
“The Vizier is a very powerful mage. He can show us the path that will lead to our victory.” - Evennia
Having survived the sinking of Orr, he found his way into Kryta and took it upon himself to assist the Shining Blade in overthrowing the White Mantle and their false Unseen Gods.
“There is a traitor in your midst, one of the Shining Blade's own Inner Council. […] He masquerades as your friend and confidant, but he is instead a White Mantle infiltrator.”
- Vizier Khilbron
In exchange for the Scepter of Orr, Khilbron assured victory for the Shining Blade. After numerous battles through Kryta, the Shiverpeaks and the Ring of Fire, Vizier Khilbron led the heroes to the Door of Komalie. Opening the Door of Komalie unleashed the titans upon Tyria which led to the annihilation of the Mursaat, but also revealed Khilbron’s truth intentions.
“No wait! We discovered that the Vizier had been corrupted by the God of Secrets! We found the forbidden books in his quarters! It's coming back to me now. […] The Vizier was a traitor!” - Wandering Soul
Revealing himself as an Undead Lich, the Heroes eventually uncovered that the Vizier had caused the sinking of Orr under the influence of Abaddon and had been behind the undead invasions in Kryta. All of which he had done under the guise of the hero of the Flameseeker Prophecy. Ultimately, Khilbron’s goal was to set the stage for Abaddon return to Tyria. Unfortunately, his plans were thwarted by the heroes when he was defeated upon the Bloodstone.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is the blueprint for vampire novels. This novel set the stage, the standards and the rules for many vampire stories to come. It presents Count Dracula as this strange yet charismatic figure that pulls people into his orbit and gets what he wants from them.
“Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!” Dracula, Bram Stoker
From the halls of his castle in Transylvania to the city of Whitby in England, Dracula exerts his charms and power of persuasion on those around him to appears as a strange, wealthy and even eccentric Count. Jonathan Harker is the first of these victims to falls for this facade when he visits Dracula to finalize the sale of a property in England. During his stay in the castle, he quickly realizes the trap he has fallen into when the Count’s strange nature is revealed.
“It was the doubt as to the reality of the whole thing that knocked me over. I felt impotent, and in the dark, and distrustful. But, now that I know, I am not afraid, even of the Count. […] Van Helsing is the man to unmask him and hunt him out, if he is anything like what Mina says.” Dracula, Bram Stoker
Under the guise of a bat, a dog or youthful version of himself, Dracula stalks and hypnotizes his victims until he is ready to strike. Making his way to England, Count Dracula’s true schemes begin to unfold as he feeds upon the inhabitants of Whitby—turning some of them into his vampiric consorts.
“And so you, like the others, would play your brains against mine. You would help these men to hunt me and frustrate me in my design! You know now, and they know in part already, and will know in full before long, what it is to cross my path.” Dracula, Bram Stoker
The figure of Dracula in Stoker’s novel is the quintessential duplicitous figure. Hiding under multiple facades to get to his goal. Furthermore, although Dracula is the eponymous character of the book, he is barely present throughout the entirety of the novel. Dracula is an unseen presence in the background, rarely interacting directly with the characters after his initial introduction. His actions are reported through the journals of various characters, but it isn’t until the last few chapters of the novel that most characters have direct confrontations with him.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang’s 2023 novel Yellowface deals with problems of representation and cultural appropriation in the literary world. The story revolves around Juniper Hayward and Athena Liu, two authors that have reached varying levels of success in the literary world. Athena Liu is a rising star in the literary world with her novels heavily inspired by her Chinese heritage, while Juniper’s novels have underperformed.
“Reading lets us live in someone else’s shoes. Literature builds bridges; it makes our world larger, not smaller.” Yellowface, R.F. Kuang
However, all is about to change for Juniper when Athena suddenly dies in a choking accident. Taking this opportunity to turn her life around, Juniper steals Athena’s latest manuscript The Last Front: a novel revolving around the lives of Chinese labourers during World War I. Making a few alteration to the manuscript to make it hers, Juniper believes that she is doing good by Athena and allowing to world to see a “better” version of Athena’s story. By publishing this story with her “improvements”, Juniper embodies a form of vampirism as she feeds off the success and hard work of Athena for her own gain.
“For the first time since I submitted the manuscript, I feel a deep wash of shame. This isn’t my history, my heritage. This isn’t my community. I am an outsider, basking in their love under false pretenses. It should be Athena sitting here, smiling with these people, signing books and listening to the stories of her elders.” Yellowface, R.F. Kuang
Following the release of this new novel, Juniper’s dreams come true. She becomes a best-selling author with opportunities lined up for her. But reality soon catches up to her as the ghost of Athena lurks over her. The truth begins to unravel as controversy surrounds the novel—the facade begins to crumble.
“She’s using the pen name Juniper Song to pretend to be Chinese American. She’s taken new author photos to look more tan and ethnic, but she’s as white as they come. June Hayward, you are a thief and a liar. You’ve stolen my legacy, and now you spit on my grave.” Yellowface, R.F. Kuang
As Juniper takes it upon herself to save her reputation, will she make the right decision or dig herself deeper into her own trenches?
In conclusion, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface depict characters that present to have good intentions, but deep within hide monstrous secrets. From the unsettling creature that lurks in the shadows ready to consume your blood to the one walking in broad daylight profiting off the hard work of others and the suffering of their communities, Dracula and Juniper are both duplicitous figures pretending to be what they are not and will go to great lengths to preserve their position in the world.
Thank you for reading our latest recommendations.
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Keep an eye out for our next post in July!