The Ickabog

J. K. Rowling wrote The Ickabog

The Ickabog is aimed for children between the age of seven and nine.[1] It is the first children's book written by J.K. Rowling that is not set in the Harry Potter universe,[1][3] and at its announcement, Rowling confirmed that The Ickabog would not be a Harry Potter spin-off.[2] Rowling has described the book as a "political fairytale ... for slightly younger children".[4] Rowling first drafted The Ickabog between 2003 and 2007,[3] as a gift for her children.[2] She intended to publish The Ickabog after the Harry Potter series, but stopped after focusing on adult fiction instead.[3] She left her script of The Ickabog in her attic until 2020.[1] Rowling says that she went to her 50th birthday party wearing a dress containing the "lost manuscript" of The Ickabog.[5] Rowling has made some adjustments to her original script after feedback from her children.[2]

Rowling has announced that she will release the book online in 34 free online daily installments[4] of two or three chapters a day, between 26 May and 10 July 2020.[2] Rowling said that "I’ve decided to publish The Ickabog for free online, so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them."[3] The first two chapters were released on 26 May 2020. Later, chapters three to five were published on 27 May 2020.[6] In the first 24 hours, The Ickabog website had over 5 million views from 50 countries.[7]

The Ickabog is expected to be released as a published book, e-book and audiobook in November 2020.[4] Rowling has said that she will donate her royalties from the book to charity.[4] Rowling also organised an illustration competition with ideas for images needed for each chapter of the book.[2] The best illustrations will be featured in the published book.[3][2]

The Ickabog is set in the mythical land of Cornucopia,[1] which is ruled by King Fred the Fearless.[3] The Ickabog is a legendary monster that is said to inhabit the marshes of the North, used to explain the disappearance of sheep and people that wander into the marshes, and used to scare children.[3] The south of Cornucopia is a prosperous area, with cities each specialising in different foods, in contrast to the less wealthy north, known as the Marshlands.

On the eve of a visit from the king of the neighbouring country of Pluritania, Dora Dovetail dies of overwork, due to frantically trying to finish King Fred's latest costume, despite being ill. Fred, although embarrassed and feeling guilty, declines to visit the seamstress’s family. The Dovetails, especially Daisy Dovetail, Dora’s daughter, become bitter and disillusioned with him. This leads to a fight between Daisy and her close friend Bert Beamish, Major Beamish's son, when the former insults Fred. Upon hearing of the fight, Fred resolves to be less self-centred.

When a shepherd from the Marshlands begs the king to rid the country of the Ickabog, Fred leaps at the chance to prove himself, riding to the North immediately. However, due to Fred's impetuousness, an accident occurs in the marshes that results in Major Beamish accidentally getting shot by Flapoon, one of Fred's advisers/friends. Seeing the opportunity to take control of the kingdom and become richer, Spittleworth, Flapoon's ally, pretends that Beamish was killed by the Ickabog, scaring Fred and the rest of the army into belief.

On their return, three soldiers, including Goodfellow, a friend of Beamish, and Herringbone, the Chief Advisor, raise objections to the story. Herringbone is murdered and the three soldiers are imprisoned and given a false trial, ruining their names. A heavy tax is imposed on the country, to pay for an "Ickabog Defence Brigade". King Fred is scared into staying within the capital, to prevent him from seeing the poverty the tax has caused. Spittleworth, the new Chief Advisor, has the Dovetails kidnapped, with Dan being sent to prison, and forced to carve Ickabog feet for faking attacks on dissenters. Daisy is sent away to be murdered, although she ends up in Ma Grunter's orphanage.

Several years pass, with the tax doubling, ostensibly to pay for more soldiers. Bert and his mother, Bertha Beamish, the king’s head pastry chef, later guess Spittleworth’s plot after Bert discovers a minature Ickabog foot, the relic of a toy made for him by the now insane Dan Dovetail, identical to that of the supposed Ickabog. When she attempts to reveal the plot to the king, she is kidnapped and placed in the dungeons. Bert meanwhile escapes the city with the help of a incorrupt guard as Major Roach leads soldiers to arrest him. Arriving in the city of Jeroboam, Bert meets Roderick Roach, who tells him that Spittleworth killed Major Roach and imprisoned his family upon the latter's failure to capture Bert. However, before the two can go anywhere, they are captured by Basher John, and taken to the orphanage, where Bert meets Daisy. Meanwhile, Bertha Beamish has had the dungeons transformed into a kitchen, where, with the help of the prisoners, she continues in her old job, while slowly pulling Dan Dovetail back from his insanity.

The four children, Roderick, Bert, Daisy, and Martha (a Marshlander who Daisy had befriended at the orphanage) find out that Ma Grunter’s orphanage is due for an inspection. If the inspector found Bert, a highly prized fugitive, they knew he would be recognized. They decide to escape before that happens.

Bert and Roderick steal the keys, and the four hike through the cold to the Marshlands, led by Martha. They plan to meet the soldiers of the Ickabog Defense Brigade there, tell them their stories, and sway them to their side. When they reached the Marshlands, they realise that the Brigade has gone south for the winter. Succumbing to the cold, they fall unconscious. While unconscious, the real Ickabog carries them away.

• King Fred the Fearless: The inept, gullible ruler of Cornucopia
• Lord Spittleworth: King Fred's cunning, greedy right hand man
• Lord Flapoon: Spittleworth’s friend, equally corrupt
• Captain Roach: Spittleworth’s brutal henchman, and Beamish’s replacement as Head of the Royal Guard

The Beamishes:

• Major Beamish: Head of the Royal Guard
• Bertha Beamish: His wife, a pastry chef in the Palace
• Bert "Butterball" Beamish: Their son

The Dovetails:

• Dan Dovetail: A carpenter at the Palace
• Dora Dovetail: Head Seamstress at the Palace
• Daisy Dovetail: Their daughter, and Bert's best friend

Other characters:

• Lady Eslanda: A virtuous lady of the court, lusted after by Spittleworth
• Roderick Roach: Captain Roach's son and Bert's best friend after his fight with Daisy
• Ma Grunter: A brutal alcoholic who runs an orphanage in the North
• Basher John: Ma Grunter's violent deputy
• Herringbone: Chief Advisor
• Cankerby: Spittleworth’s greedy footman who spies and tells on citizens in exchange for money

The Daily Telegraph rated it 3 out of 5 stars, saying "a fun but lightweight fairy tale that lacks Harry Potter's magic".[8] The Scotsman reviewed it positively saying, "JK Rowling's new novel The Ickabog leaves 'tantalising cliffhangers'".[9] The Times also rated positively calling it "cake and a monster is the escapism we all need" and rated it 5 out of 5 stars.[10]

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