Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

Thomas uses two trios of friends to examine the dynamics of loyalty. The older trio consists of Calvin Blake, Zoe DuForte, and Ty Porter, whose adventures together are immortalized in Ty’s Stevie James books. During the war with Roho, their bonds of loyalty led them to fight side by side and save each other’s lives. However, these dynamics are forever altered when Calvin’s fear for his daughter leads him to betray Zoe and kidnap Nic. When Ty and Calvin reunite after 10 years apart, Ty must choose between his best friends. He shows loyalty to Calvin, “the brother [he] never had” (35), by not revealing the fugitive’s location to LORE or even to Zoe. Although Calvin and Zoe’s relationship never returns to the way it was, the author characterizes Zoe as a kind and merciful person who helps to clear her ex-husband’s name out of loyalty to her children and her principles. However, in the end, the forces of fear and obsession tear the older trio apart. Zoe and Calvin are too afraid to trust Ty with the secret that their daughter is the Manowari, and Ty’s fixation with fulfilling the prophecy leads him to attack his goddaughter within moments of discovering the truth. The revelation that Nic is the Manowari warps Ty’s perspective of his friendship with her parents, leading him to believe that they were jealously conspiring against him for years. He accuses Zoe, “Growing up, you especially hated that I was the Chosen One. All that attention I got, and yet as brilliant as you were, you were only known as my best friend” (314). Although Ty claims that he doesn’t want to fight Zoe and Calvin, he forces them to choose between him and Nic when he attacks their daughter, and their loyalty goes to Nic over him.

Throughout the story, Nic Blake, JP Williams, and Alex DuForte form a new trio. Nic and JP are already best friends before the novel begins, but they have to overcome a number of obstacles to form bonds of friendship with Alex. These include the Remarkable boy’s initial disdain for Unremarkables and the emotional walls he uses to hide his loneliness: “It’s fine. I don’t need friends” (128). Complicating matters further, the twins are jealous of one another. Nic feels a sense of inferiority because Alex knows how to use the Gift, and she doesn’t, and JP’s budding bond with her brother worsens her insecurity: “I wish [Zoe] and your new best friend had never showed up!” (197). At the same time, Alex deals with feelings of envy and dreads sharing his family’s love with his sister. JP’s kindness and insightfulness play a pivotal role in bringing the young trio together by encouraging Nic and breaking through Alex’s emotional barriers. In another major development for this theme, the twins’ captivity in the wizards’ camp gives them the opportunity and impetus to resolve their differences: “‘I would’ve hated you if I’d known you existed, like you hate me.’ ‘For the record, I don’t hate you,’ Alex says” (215). This conversation marks a turning point for the trio, equipping them with the trust and cooperation they need to succeed in their quest for the Msaidizi. As further proof of the friendship between the children, JP and Alex remain staunchly loyal to Nic after they learn that she is the Manowari.

Through the dissolution of one trio and the formation of another, Thomas depicts the complex dynamics of friendship and loyalty. With these two groups, Thomas creates trios with inverse relationship trajectories. The older trio were close-knit in their younger days, but secrets and jealousy ultimately shifted their dynamic to a permanent rift, especially with regard to Ty. By contrast, the younger trio has to work through jealousy, distrust, and misunderstanding, which they do with honesty and community. As a result, they develop a solid foundation to face what the future holds in future books of the series.