The Art of Deception

The novelist Stephanie Burgis is best known for her young adult fiction, but in 2015, she also contributed the novella “The Art of Deception” to the fantasy and science fiction anthology Insert Title Here, edited by Tehani Wessely. The novella, which she wrote as a gift for her brother, it is an unabashed piece of swords-and-sorcery genre fiction. According to Burgis, “This epic (and romantic) fantasy novelette for adults is my tribute to The Prisoner of Zenda, The Three Musketeers, and every other cloak-and-dagger adventure with flashy swordfights and romance that I've ever devoured in books or on film.”

Niko Hrabanic was once the most famous swordsman in the city of Plötz. He was so renowned for his prowess with a blade that one of the three elite moves that any dedicated sword user must eventually master is named after him: the always fatal Hrabanic Deception, “a lethally difficult move which turns a seeming defense into the neatest of stabs, clean into your opponent’s chest, piercing the heart in an instant.”

As a sword for hire, Niko has traveled the world, but it seems as though his illustrious career is suddenly over. He was forced to leave his last job after creating an unforgivable scandal at the court of the Archduke of Plötz – Niko and the Archduchess had an affair.



Now, Niko is hiding out in a small country inn, in a village where he teaches the sword to the few students who want to learn its secrets. He earns almost no money, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for the inn’s owner Julia, who is happy for Niko to pay his rent to her through sexual favors.

However, one day, Julia informs Niko that she has been summoned to the place of her birth: the famed White Library that has a fearsome reputation in the surrounding countryside. At first, Niko is worried about their “rent” arrangement – Julia’s replacement Miriam and her giant wrestler husband don’t seem like the types who would want Niko in their bed – but then he realizes that by going to the Library, Julia is about to put herself into extreme danger. When he voices this concern, Julia handily gets him to agree to accompany her to the Library, providing protection.

As they leave the small village, Julia reveals a secret ability: she can do magic. She transforms herself with an illusion spell to look like a man so that she won’t be hassled during their travels. As they journey together, we get a better sense of their banter-filled and affectionate relationship, in which the pragmatic and astute Julia is fully the equal of the physically deft but verbally less agile Niko.



The White Library is a magical repository of all of the world’s knowledge – it houses a copy of every book ever written, which spontaneously manifest there as soon as their authors complete them, whether or not the books are destroyed or unpublished in the actual world. The terrifying Head Librarian is magically linked to the collection, holding the knowledge of every volume in his head. Under him works an army of librarians, all of whom are driven by their own agendas, and many of whom are adepts in the same kind of illusion magic that Julia has access to. The Library is protected by layers and layers of these illusions, which makes it an incredibly dangerous place. Another thing that makes it dangerous is that when Julia left, she incurred the murderous wrath of one of the librarians who is still there.

Now, Julia has been summoned because the Archduke – the same one who fired Niko – would like to replace the Head Librarian with one of his own people. This would put the Library under the Archduke’s power – something that is either a good or bad thing depending on who is describing its effects.

Readers have generally responded very positively to the story, with many praising Burgis’s tone and style, and her ability to pack so much into such a short piece of writing: “A twisty and intrigue-filled plot, assassins and sword fights and romance, humor and warmth.” At the same time, some readers complain that the short story is simply too short for the world to be as fleshed out as they would like, and for loose ends to be tied up in a more satisfactory way. Finally, there is debate over whether Julia is a likable and capable character, or one who is too dependent on Niko in ways that she shouldn’t be. It doesn’t make sense that Niko would be better than Julia at seeing through the Library’s illusions: “Somehow, Hrabanic, who has never set foot in the White Library, is more in his element than Julia, who was born and raised there.” Still, the consensus of readers seems to be that Burgis has written “a perfect one-sitting read for a day when you’re looking for pure enjoyment.”