Scales

An early hint that the women in this "feminist" series are all about BEBBES BEBBES BEBBES.

NRSG: Indeed. I would honestly compare this to Mists of Avalon in how hard it says to be feminist, and how deeply unfeminist it actually is.

What makes this even more obnoxious is it's pretty easy to guess that he's being a dick to the guy out of whiny resentment over the King in question not treating him like a member of the royal family. (As he whines in book two, 'he refused to acknowledge me for thirty years BAWWWW and I would have cheerfully waged war on him if I had to'). Like dude, you're a BASTARD. In both senses of the word. Get the fuck over yourself.

He is already the leader of the largest branch of the army, so who cares if he is not invited into the royal family. Also, "cheerfullly waged war on him"? Enchanter and StarMan must be very bad indeed.

Oh yeah. Big time. The guy's homophobic and has the emotional control of a spoilt toddler, is unnecessarily aggressive and violent, and that's not even getting into the way he treats women. Or that he in this book grooms a teenage girl.

Oh my.

Another thing which will turn out to be BS, because in practise it's the other way around. Axis is a terrible military commander and Borneheld is good at it. Borneheld actually takes care of his troops in order to minimise casualties. Axis treats his like cannon fodder, spurns diplomacy, and GOES TO BED immediately after a major battle instead of dealing with the subsequent confusion when his presence should have been desperately needed.

Also this concerning Axis being raised from the dead because he will be "useful" in the last trilogy. IIRC, he is sidelined in favour of more capable characters, who manage to defuse the situation without much of his input.

Which makes absolutely no sense because it's never explained. For one thing, after Axis turns out to be half Forbidden and all the rest of it, none of the AW desert. Nor is there any protest from them when he turns traitor against the crown and the Seneschal they're currently serving. It's completely unrealistic and stupid. NOBODY is so amazing a leader. It's just not possible. And as I mentioned before, Axis is not an amazing leader. He's a shit one who threatens his own allies with death by slow torture.

The best in-universe reason I can come up with is mind-control, which I doubt Axis would have much trouble with.

Personally, based on the description, I think Borneheld is better looking than Axis (who quite frankly sounds just as "effeminate" as the king with his pretty hair and whatnot).

For myself, I would also say Borneheld, if only because "faded" as a descriptor does not appeal to me. Then again, I do not know much of human beauty standards, so...

This whole rivalry just isn't given anywhere near enough development for it to make any sense that Borneheld out and out wants to kill the guy, to the point that Faraday has to marry the former purely to ensure it doesn't happen.

Indeed. Especially since I cannot see what Axis is hating Borneheld for. Come to think of it, having Axis and Borneheld be the two brothers from the Prophecy might have lent some more weight to this.

This must be why Axis subsequently has absolutely no problem with wiping out the Seneschal and destroying their faith while burning their books and throwing his own foster father in a cell.

Because Axis always must have the correct beliefs, no matter how little sense it makes.

Axis exercising his "charm" to "smooth diplomatic relations" in book two:

Also love how Ysgryff immediately thinks that it is good that Axis is a "strong man". What in the world?

Don't count on it.

It ought to be shorter, anyway.