Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 19-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 19 Summary: “The Tale of the Msaidizi”

The elevator takes the trio to a deserted town beside the dormant volcano. Alex explains that most of Roho’s followers were apprehended by LORE after Dr. Blake defeated their leader. Nic is puzzled by the playgrounds and parks they pass: “Evil dudes usually want people to be miserable [...]. There’s nothing miserable about this place” (280). The children spot a blue dragon. Nic attempts to distract the creature while the boys hurry to the doors set into the volcano. Just like in the vision she had at Ms. Lena’s juke joint, Alex screams for Nic to run. However, rather than attacking, the dragon reveals that she is the Msaidizi’s true form. She explains that Nic is destined to be her next wielder and that she has attempted to protect Nic, such as by causing an earthquake during the Boo Hag’s attack.

Chapter 20 Summary: “Homecoming”

Nic recalls how her love of dragons began when she was five years old and living in Harlem. Everyone in her apartment building was Remarkable, and she befriended one of her neighbor’s pet dragons. The Msaidizi assumed the form of a dragon so that it could be what Nic always wanted. The boys bravely attempt to rescue Nic from the dragon until she explains the situation. The Msaidizi shrinks down to fit in Nic’s backpack and guides the trio to an elevator that takes them aboveground. Ty and Zoe embrace the children, relieved that they are unhurt. Ty is thrilled to see the Msaidizi, not yet realizing that Nic is the destined wielder instead of him.

Zoe, Ty, and the children fly to Uhuru in Zoe’s aircraft. Nic hears drums as they near the city, and her mother tells her, “The ancestors are welcoming you home, baby” (296). Uhuru is divided into garden, farming, tech, and trade districts, with the governing district at the center. As Zoe’s aircraft navigates around flying cars and flying pedestrians, Nic spies LORE’s headquarters.

Chapter 21 Summary: “The Manifestor Prophecy”

When Zoe, Ty, and the children reach the Council Room, Calvin’s trial is already in progress. Nic embraces her father and then her grandmother. Some of the Elders are shocked to see an Unremarkable in their midst, but Zoe and Alex stand by JP, and Dr. Blake tells his peers to calm down. General Sharpe and Elder Evergreen declare that Nic is a criminal. However, President DuForte insists that her granddaughter be allowed to share her side of the story. The children relate their adventures, and the Msaidizi confirms that Calvin didn’t steal her. To Nic’s horror, Evergreen demands to know who will wield the Msaidizi next because that person is destined to be the Manowari. The Elders told everyone that the Chosen One would be the next wielder to prevent panic. The dragon refuses to reveal the Manowari’s identity.

The Elders take a recess. Nic’s parents explain that a Prophet told them that she was the Manowari when she was an infant. Calvin kidnapped Nic and ran because Zoe wanted to tell her mother, and he was afraid that LORE would kill her. Nic’s parents try to console her: “‘You are our wonderful, beautiful baby girl—’ ‘It doesn’t matter what any prophecy says’” (311). However, JP is shocked into silence, and Alex draws back in fear, which devastates Nic further. Ty is wounded that Zoe and Calvin kept the truth from him. He accuses them of being jealous of his fame and being glad that he’s considered a failure now. Ty is determined to fulfill the Manifestor Prophecy: “I was never meant to defeat Roho [...]. I’m meant to defeat Nichole” (315). Nic’s parents and grandparents step between her and the Chosen One, and he tries to attack the girl.

Chapter 22 Summary: “The Unfortunately Chosen One”

The Msaidizi puts Nic on her back and flies her out of the building with Ty in pursuit. Nic has the dragon head away from the city so that bystanders don’t get struck by her godfather’s spells. A fireball knocks her off the dragon, but she suddenly knows the words that allowed her ancestors to fly: “Kum yali, kum buba tambe!” (319). Her exhilarating flight is cut short when Ty knocks her to the ground with a spell. He uses an ice juju to trap her and the dragon. Ty shows Nic his memories of being tortured by Roho. He says that she’ll grow up to be just like Roho and that he’s doing the world a favor by killing her because she’s already fulfilling the signs of the Manowari’s coming: “For they will harness a power like no other” (324). Nic believes in her power to save herself, and her belief shatters the ice that restrains her. She seizes Ty’s hands, and his Glow dwindles to a flicker. Ty collapses. Dr. Blake finds them and tells Ty to leave before the Guardians catch him. The Chosen One vows to fulfill the prophecy and flies away.

Chapter 23 Summary: “A Father’s Fate”

Dr. Blake and Nic return to the Council Room. Zoe, Calvin, and JP embrace her. Alex and JP’s fear for Nic’s safety is much stronger than their fear of the prophecy, and their loyalty moves Nic. Dr. Blake tells the Elders that Ty attacked Nic because he was upset that he couldn’t retrieve the Msaidizi himself and that the weapon assisted Nic to repay her for finding it. The Elders accept this explanation, but General Sharpe is still suspicious of Nic. The General takes the Msaidizi to a secure facility. Before the Elders deliver his sentence, Calvin apologizes to Zoe, Alex, and Nic: “My heart may have been in the right place, but it was a cruel choice” (331). Nic forgives him because he gave up his home and family to protect her. Because Zoe asked the Council to show leniency, they sentence Calvin to five years of house arrest at Dr. Blake’s home and five years of volunteer work. Some of the Elders want to erase JP’s memories of the past few days, but President DuForte and the majority rule to have him sign a nondisclosure agreement instead.

Chapter 24 Summary: “It’s Not Goodbye”

When Zoe and the twins drop JP off at his house, they find Ms. Lena waiting for them. She takes the girl’s hands, giving her a vision of an “underwater city. A building in ruins. Grandpa Doc lying unconscious” (340). Zoe uses a memory tonic to make JP’s parents think that they picked their son up from camp. The thought of no longer being next-door neighbors saddens JP and Nic, but they take comfort from the fact that President DuForte invited JP to visit the twins in Uhuru. To help them stay in touch, Alex gives JP a pair of G-glasses. Ty’s actions have ruined the Stevie James books for JP and Nic, but they’re sure that Nic’s time in Uhuru and JP’s adventures with Hairy Man Junior will give them plenty to talk about. Nic hugs JP and thanks him for being her best friend. She cries as her family drives away.

In the morning, Nic awakens in her bedroom in Zoe’s tech district condo. Zoe tells Nic that she’s welcome to visit her father whenever she wants. Without thinking about it, Nic calls her “Mom” for the first time, which brings happy tears to Zoe’s eyes. To celebrate her granddaughter’s return, President DuForte holds a brunch at the presidential palace with leaders from around the world. When Nic needs a break from the high-profile event, she slips away and texts JP and her father. Alex promises to help his sister navigate life as the president’s grandchild. President DuForte ushers her family toward a balcony so that the crowd below can give Nic a proper welcome. Nic feels nervous because she knows the people would have a starkly different reaction if they knew she was the Manowari. A G-pen message appears in front of her as she approaches the balcony: “YOU THINK YOU’RE GONNA GET AWAY WITH FINDING WHAT I HID?” (349). The message is signed by someone called the Apprentice. Startled and afraid, Nic falls to the floor. Zoe helps her up, and Nic doesn’t tell her about the message because she doesn’t want to make her mother worry. Nic puts on a brave smile and joins her family on the balcony as the crowd cheers.

Chapters 19-24 Analysis

In the novel’s suspenseful conclusion, Thomas subverts the Chosen One narrative and brings Nic’s story full circle. The author defies the usual narrative by making the protagonist the Chosen One’s destined foe and by having the Chosen One attempt to murder a child. However, even as Ty tries to commit this terrible deed, the author portrays him as a complex and deeply wounded person rather than an evil monster: “‘Imagine getting tortured and attacked year after year, Nichole,’ he says. ‘Then everyone expects you to have the mental and emotional capacity to go after the person who put you through such things’” (323). Thomas treats the effects of being the Chosen One with a psychological realism often absent from fantasy stories. It’s this trauma that leads to Ty’s obsession with fulfilling the Manifestor Prophecy in a desperate effort to give his suffering meaning. Thomas foreshadows Ty’s breakdown and transformation into the antagonist through his discussion of his “CO-PTSD” in Chapter 4 (57). The Chosen One is so consumed by his pain that he doesn’t grasp that he is perpetuating a cycle of abuse and trauma by hurting a child because of a prophecy, just as Roho did to him.

Thomas explores The Dynamics of Friendship and Loyalty by examining how the revelation of Nic’s role in the prophecy impacts the two trios. Feelings of fear, jealousy, and betrayal tear apart Calvin, Zoe, and Ty’s friendship: “‘We were scared.’ ‘Too scared to tell your best friend? Who am I kidding? I was always the third wheel with you two’” (313). Ty’s phrasing implies that he would have taken the news better if they had trusted him with this information 10 years ago, but his violent reaction vindicates Nic’s parents’ decision to keep the secret. These three characters have fought side by side countless times over the years, but Zoe and Calvin are forced to battle Ty to protect their child. Ty’s obsession with fulfilling the Manifestor Prophecy proves stronger than his loyalty to his friends and his goddaughter.

On the other hand, the children’s friendship emerges stronger after being put to the test. Alex and JP’s initial reactions to the news that Nic is the Manowari show how this revelation tries their loyalty: “[M]y brother steps back, staring at me in horror. [...] I turn to JP, but he doesn’t give me that JP smile I’m used to or tell me it’s all right. He just stands there, blinking fast” (311). The boys’ fear and rejection are especially painful for the protagonist because they were willing to fight a dragon for her just one chapter ago. Nearly losing Nic reminds Alex and JP that the bonds of loyalty between them matter far more to them than the prophecy. She observes, “I have more than just a brother and a best friend. In Alex and JP, I have family” (328). The boys’ steadfast, familial love brings the novel full circle by granting the wish for a bigger family Nic made at the start of the book.

Calvin’s sentencing resolves the theme of The Struggle for Justice. In a major development for the plot and this theme, Nic achieves her main goal by disproving the false accusation that her father stole the Msaidizi. However, Calvin’s family deserves justice for a crime he did commit—Nic’s kidnapping. By asking the Council to show leniency, Zoe opens the possibility of healing and reconciliation: “[O]ur kids deserve to have both of their parents around” (332). Zoe’s decision reveals that people must strive for justice, but it’s important to leave room for mercy as well.

Thomas uses the symbol of flight to enhance the mood and meaning of the climactic battle between Nic and Ty. The freedom of flight liberates her from the immediate terror of her struggle for her life, and the frenzied mood becomes one of exhilaration and hope:

I feel [Sarah’s] happiness as the plantation shrank below her, the relief as the cool air rippled beneath her, the hope from seeing a bright blue sky that led to freedom. I stretch my arms in front of me and let the breeze that carried my ancestor carry me (319).

Nic’s knowledge of the ancient spell from the folktale “The People Could Fly” saves her life and mystically unites her with her ancestors, demonstrating The Importance of Heritage and Cultural Identity. Ty tried to teach her how to fly back in Chapter 3 when she saw him as an inspiring role model, so having her use flight to flee from him emphasizes how drastically their relationship has shifted. The freedom of flight makes the protagonist “feel as if [she’s] power itself” (319), and she ultimately defeats Ty by recognizing her own power.

Thomas balances suspense and closure as she brings the first book to its resolution and builds up anticipation for the sequel. The foreshadowing that Nic is the Manowari comes to fruition when she learns the truth in Chapter 21. The author signals the chapter’s importance by giving it the same title as the novel, and Nic’s role in the Manifestor Prophecy answers questions that have dogged the protagonist the entire book, such as why her father kidnapped her and didn’t teach her how to use the Gift. The novel’s ending builds suspense for the sequel through Ty’s escape, the message from Roho’s apprentice, and the vision Ms. Lena gives Nic: “An underwater city. A building in ruins. Grandpa Doc lying unconscious” (340). These details indicate that, although Nic has achieved her wishes of finding a family and a permanent home, many adventures still lie in store for her.