Banished, a Novel, Stella Amanze
GENRE
FANTASY
Core Theme
DESTINY.
TIME PERIOD
18th Century,Future,Across Centuries
COMPARABLE TITLES
GAME OF THRONES, THE WHEEL OF TIME, THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
CHARACTER LIST
PRINCESS ANTHEROSANGOJUNELLA. TEENAGER. BEAUTIFUL. KIND. VIRTUOUS. IMPULSIVE.
KUKOCA: 50S. KING/FATHER.
QUEEN: 50S. MOTHER.
MONICA: 50S. ANTAGONIST.
ANNA: CHILD. ANTAGONIST.
BIANCA: 20S. ALLY.
Logline
Princess Sangojunella, orphaned as a newborn, was Banished with the help of creatures living in the mountain to a world unknown to her. She survives agony, deception, adversities to return to her homeland, to rescue her imprisoned father, the king of NUUA, from a pernicious, scorned Queen
Target Audiences
Age: 6 and under,7-12,13-17,18-34,35-54,55+
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
Africa and Europe
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: with a Publisher
Publisher: Author House
Year Published: 2001
Starting Description
MY story begins when the Princess is greeted by Nabicius, a spiritual leader at an airport not familiar to her and seeking to find and speak to Miguel the son of the farmer who cooked for the king, and served as his advisor; both were Banished together by Anna, sister to Miguel, loved by Alisa.
Ending Description
Shangojunella gets a premonition that her father was troubled while at the Newland, practicing as a Physician, seeks to return home with the help of Nabicius, the same time that Anna and Alisa realized that they were wrong in Banishing the princess, and were communicating with her telepathically.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
ISBN:0-7596-6060-3 (Paperback)
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Plot - Other Elements
Meaningful Message,Twist,Happy Ending,Coming of Age
Plot - Premise
Tragedy,Quest,Rebellion Against 'The One',Voyage and Return,Overcoming Monster/Villain
Main Character Details
Name: Princess Sangojunella, Whose mothers dies immediately after delivering her was loved by the kingdom and her people. She became their hero, bringing her Stepbrother closer to her and they were being raised by Bianca, their Nanny
Age: 16-30 grown up. Was the main character from birth.
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Aspiring,Empathetic,Selfless,Patriotic,Charming,Adventurous,Confident,Decisive,Outspoken,Skillful,Funny,Engaging,Gracious,Romantic,Seductive,Sophisticated,Educated,Heroic,Leader,Strong Moral Code,Unapologetic,Visionary,Aggressive,Obedient,Sexy,Blunt,Faithful,Secretive,Honorable,Complex,Lone Wolf
Additional Character Details
Name: Monica ( 2nd Queen),
Age: 26-30
Gender: Female
Role: Antagonist
Key Traits: Narcisstic,Insecure,Seductive,Villainous,Criminal,Sophisticated,Desperate,Charming,Badass,Educated,Secretive,Unapologetic,Adventurous,Complex,Confident,Power Hungry,Decisive,Crazy,Engaging,Outspoken,Blunt,Sexy,Romantic,Greedy,Skillful,Lone Wolf,Funny,Aggressive,Sarcastic
Additional Character Details
Name: Anna
Age: 6
Gender: Female
Role: antagonist
Key Traits: Adventurous,Blunt,Decisive,Outspoken,Unapologetic,Heroic,Engaging,Charming,Badass,Strong Moral Code,Sophisticated,Honorable,Naive,Lone Wolf,Gracious,Flexible,Faithful,Skillful,Visionary,Secretive,Power Hungry,Desperate,Empathetic,Patriotic,Sexy,Obedient,Complex,Confident,Religious,Aggressive,Aspiring
Additional Character Details
Name: King Kukoca
Age: 30-40
Gender: Male
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Masculine,Villainous,Obedient,Badass,Adventurous,Aspiring,Confident,Sexy,Blunt,Criminal,Engaging,Faithful,Skillful,Outspoken,Decisive,Romantic,Heartthrob,Heroic,Educated,Seductive,Sophisticated,Strong Moral Code,Manipulative,Unapologetic,Leader,Charming,Complex,Patriotic,Religious,Selfless,Visionary,Honorable
Development Pitch
The kingdom and the land of NUUA were inhabited by people who were happy, achieving their daily routines, until their beloved first Queen dies at delivering the princess, poisoned by a cup held by a trusted farmer, Renuha, a cup poisoned by Monica. The king, Kukoca was told by the elders, and the people that he must marry again. Bianca who was the a confidant to the deceased queen was chosen to raise the princess, as plans were being made for Monica, the 2nd queen to take her position. Monica abhorred Bianca because she was very much loved by the princess, the king and the people; they would prefer her to be their next queen. Monica travels to see the witches of the mountain, living inside a cave to help her secure her position. She gives a sleeping potion to the king that she does not love, and bring Mr. Robert, a Journalist into the king's bed to get her pregnant, and Daniel was born. She secures her position, but the king discovers a secret daughter, Alisa of the 2nd queen. The farmer's family are brought to the palace to live and Anna, his daughter discovers that she has magical powers. Alisa loves Miguel, but he has his eyes on the Princess. Alisa demands that Anna must instruct Miguel to love her instead or risk being exposed for stealing answers to test questions while in class. Trust is broken and and what was once a child's joke became a deadly game; the princess is Banished. The king is imprisoned; Monica demands that she must be crowned. Grief
Genre
ACTION, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, ROMANCE, DRAMA, POLITICS, WAR, FANTASY
Brief
When Princess Antherosangojunella’s mother is killed by the evil Monica, who then marries the king, the now-banished princess must find her way home and expose the truth in order to save her family.
Overall Rating
FAIR
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: FAIR
Characterization: FAIR
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: FAIR
Premise: FAIR
Structure: FAIR
Theme: FAIR
Accuracy of Book Profile
It is accurate.
Draw of Story
BANISHED drew me in with its wildly imaginative world-building and intriguing plot which follows a young princess banished from her family’s kingdom as she attempts to find her way home and expose the new queen as the murderer she is.
Possible Drawbacks
The writing quality of the book is poor, written in an exceptionally confusing summary style which explains the plot to the reader as pure exposition information rather than a clear, immersive narrative that we can experience more vicariously through the protagonist as a series of scenes. This summary quality is so profound that the story becomes much more dull than it should be considering the imaginative world, colorful characters, and suspenseful plot. If the book could be rewritten to more closely align with the standard novel style of immersive scenes which play out in our mind’s eyes like a film rather than the endless summarizing which currently comprises the book, this would greatly help this book to succeed as both a book and potential film or TV series.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
The hook is the unique and detailed world-building specific to this book.
Fanbase Potential
Definitely; the world-building here is vast and imaginative and therefore an invested fanbase is entirely possible.
Awards Potential
If done well, this has the same awards potential that GAME OF THRONES had.
Envisioned Budget
LARGE BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
GAME OF THRONES, THE WHEEL OF TIME, THE PRINCESS BRIDE
What’s New About the Story
In a way very little is unique about this; it’s all been seen before, many times over. But this is an archetypal story and therefore timeless and the sum total of all the individuals elements that we have seen before creates something that feels somewhat fresh.
Lead Characters
Because of the novel being written entirely as summary, this prevents the characters from standing out.
Uniqueness of Story
No. All elements of the story require improvement but first and foremost the book ideally would be rewritten totally to match the typical novel style of immersive scenes that mostly show rather than tell the story.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
It needs work across every area and most especially the style in which it is written.
Tips for Improvement
First and foremost, the book would need to be written in a more show-rather-than-tell style.
Brief
When Princess Antherosangojunella’s mother is killed by the evil Monica, who then marries the king, the now-banished princess must find her way home and expose the truth in order to save her family.
What We Liked
BANISHED is a wildly imaginative fantasy novel set in a historical context which hops around various in an intriguing manner as the plot slowly unravels a conspiracy of murder within the royal family of a powerful nation. Though a fairly classical rendition of a royal-family story, it is well told and puts enough new spin on the concept to allow it to feel fresh. Viewers will root for the virtuous Princess Antherosangojunella as she attempts to make it back to her homeland from where she has been banished by the evil Monica who killed the princess’s mother and married her father, creating the seed for much drama, intrigue, and suspense.
Film: Because it is structurally strong, BANISHED could be easily adapted into a classic three-act feature film, and, if done well with a decent budget, it could become a summer or Christmas period fantasy blockbuster which has something for everyone, drawing in audiences of all ages and genders, although with a particular attraction to the young and teenage female category.
TV: TV is the ideal format for BANISHED, either as a long-form series or limited, as long as the high budget it requires can be met. It’s similar to the wildly successful GAME OF THRONES or the more recent THE WHEEL OF TIME and therefore it stands a good shot at generating interest within the industry particularly within this TV format. The myriad characters and subplots combined with the sprawling world-building provide endless possibilities for filling out the TV series.
Key points:
1) Wildly imaginative.
2) Sprawling, detailed world-building in a fantasy backdrop.
3) Successfully blends fantasy with history, drama, action and suspense.
4) A protagonist we can root for.
5) Similar to the highly popular GAME OF THRONES and THE WHEEL OF TIME.
Synopsis
Princess Antherosangojunella is the late queen’s daughter. In her pernicious ways, Monica orchestrates the queens’ death with intentions of bringing the kingdom to its ruin through the help of mountain witches. After the queen’s death, Monica succeeds in marrying the King (Kukoca), who he never loved. Later, he imprisons him and plans to wear a crown.
The king never suspected Monica was behind his wife’s death and, a few hours after her death, Monica was still in the palace trying to take care of the newborn and comforting Kukoca. However, he never trusted her and respectfully asked her to leave. The village people wanted a new queen who would love the King enough and his little girl. Speaking to himself as he took Antherosangojunella into the beautiful nursery that the queen had decorated, the King kept telling himself that he had to choose a wife soon since, according to the land’s customs, he was never allowed to stay without a queen.
Concluding the story, Alisa seems to be against her mother. She has never been against the King, but she believed that if her mother continued to rule, she would bring the kingdom to its ruin. Later, Anna prays that God brings back the princess to apologize to her for the pain she caused her and her dad.
Antherosangojunella, on the other hand, has a desire to go back to her homeland not only to escape the sufferings in the foreign land, but she also looks forward to rescuing his widowed dad (King of NUUA), who was imprisoned.
The pernicious scorned queen had succeeded to imprison the King of NUUA.
Ironically, Alisa becomes instrumental in helping Antherosangojunella find her way back to the palace. Antherosangojunella later triumphs in a foreign land, survives agony and deception but later takes her rightful place in the palace. After his release from the prison, the King marries Bianca, Monica is taken to prison, and Miguel waits for the right time to let the King know how he feels towards his daughter. The royal family’s lost happiness is saved and renewed.