Midnight for Charlie Bone: The Children of the Red King #1

The Red King was a 13th-century sorcerer-king from Africa and is the shared ancestor of many of the characters in Midnight for Charlie Bone. As such, he is a literal representation of The Weight of Family Legacy. He left behind a wondrous and tragic legacy; while he used his powers for good, his 10 children split into factions after his departure. Half chose to use their power to “trick and to steal, to plunder, maim, and kill” (349), while the other half fled. After a prolonged absence, the Red King returned to find the devastation his children wrought. His regret and inability to reconcile his family led him to leave once more, showing that even the most powerful have limits.

The Red King’s story is a reminder that power itself is neutral; its morality depends on the intentions of those who wield it and how even those with the best intentions can be partially responsible for atrocities. Because he waited, he would have needed to kill his five children who turned evil, which he refused to do. The consequences of the decision rippled as each generation of his descendants had to grapple with the implications of the unresolved conflict.