Sergei Lukyanenko’s "The Clumsy," a summary Automatic translate

"The Clumsy" is a novel for children and young adults by Sergei Lukyanenko, published by AST in 2009. It is the first book in the "Trix" duology, about the adventures of a fourteen-year-old heir to a co-duchy in a world where mages, vitaminists, and various evil spirits exist alongside humans. Remarkably, the book was specially illustrated by artist Evgenia Sterligova, and Lukyanenko himself wrote it specifically for a younger audience — a genre far removed from his usual dark dystopias. The novel has been translated into German, Czech, Italian, and Bulgarian.

Coup and flight

On the eve of his fourteenth birthday, Trix Solier, sole heir to Co-Duke Rath Solier, spends the morning in front of his mirror. He disapprovingly examines his reflection, which he considers "good-natured" — not exactly befitting the scion of a warrior family. That same day, guards from Co-Ruler Sator Griz burst into the throne room: they disarm Trix’s father and throw the boy into a basement cell. His father dies in a brief fight; his mother, following the family tradition of ballad heroines, takes poison and throws herself out the window.

Trix isn’t killed. Guard Captain Sid Kang breaks down a grate bar with a cheaply purchased weak spell, leads the boy through the gate, and down to the river. Sator Griz himself awaits them there — a lean, dark man, looking nothing like a villain. He explains that Trix, alive, is more useful than dead, because his "lax" son, Daric, needs a personal enemy — someone to keep him on his toes. Griz hands the boy a purse containing ten gold coins, trinkets bearing the Solier crest, and a boat filled with food. Trix, in return, promises to one day seal the Griz family in their crypt — and sets sail.

The Road to Dillon

On the river, Trix picks up a skinny, red-haired orphan named Ian, who’s fleeing from angry peasants. It turns out that Griz had thoughtfully dressed all sixty-three children at the Solye-Griz orphanage in clothes from Trix’s wardrobe and sent them on their way — in case the true heir tried to claim his rights. Now any boy they met could call himself "Trix Solye," and no one would know who the real one was.

Trix ceremoniously ennobles Ian, dubs him "Knight of the Oar" (his coat of arms is a silver oar on a blue background), and takes him as his squire. They row toward Dillon, recounting the genealogies of neighboring rulers: Ian taught them in the orphanage through counting rhymes and songs, Trix learned them from chroniclers and immediately forgot them. At the mouth of the river, they moor at the castle of Baron Thor Galan, known by the nickname "the fisher baron." Galan recognizes Trix at first glance, though he remains silent at first, and then welcomes the fugitives with genuine warmth and hosts a modest dinner in their honor.

The Apprentice and the Knight

In Dillon, Trix is hired as a squire by the wandering knight Paklus, a short man with a distinct hint of dwarven blood. The plan is simple: through the knight, he will reach the right people and ultimately secure an army to reclaim the duchy. Paklus, however, is preoccupied with his own long-standing plan: he is traveling to the mage Radion Shchavel to finally defeat his old friend in a fair duel. Trix goes with him.

A real battle unfolds near Sorrel’s tower — the mage greets the guests with summoned monsters, and in the chaos, Trix’s magical gift suddenly manifests. Sorrel makes peace with Paklus and agrees to take the boy on as an apprentice. Ian, meanwhile, remains in Dillon at the mage’s house.

The Runaway Princess

Returning to the teacher’s townhouse, Trix discovers two uninvited tenants: the young ruler of Dillon, Princess Tiana, and her half-brother, Halanberi, a dark-skinned boy with an insatiable affinity for a hammer. It turns out that Regent Hass, who governs the principality until Tiana comes of age, has conspired with the Vitamants — the undead from the Crystal Islands — and has already sent her by ship to their ruler, Evikeit, as his future wife. Tiana and her brother have fled and are now in hiding.

Trix decides to take action. He charters a dilapidated vessel with the poetic name "Cuttlefish" and recruits a crew from a troupe of traveling comedians led by the actor Michel — at least they have a play with a nautical theme in their repertoire. They are joined by the knight Paklus, the axe-wielding highlander Charage, and the little fairy Annette, who immediately falls in love with the young magician.

Chase and transformation

The Cuttlefish catches up with the Vitaminists’ ship, the Flayer. During the battle, the Trix attempts to transform Tiana into a flute — to hide her from her enemies and then restore her human form. However, the spell is so poorly cast that instead of a flute, Tiana turns into a book bound in light leather with the inlaid title "TIANA" — a magical book chronicling her entire life from birth to this moment.

Trix carefully tucks the book under his cloak and carries it back. On board, he naturally begins reading: first, with flushed cheeks, he learns that little Tiana once noticed him and even found him "awkward, but cute." Then, yielding to Ian’s advice, he glances at the mysterious pages 206 and 308 — and discovers, respectively, a scene of forty-seven daisies embroidered and a description of a court ball at which Tiana twisted her ankle and simply sat to the side with a fan.

The King and the Denouement

With the book-Tiana under his arm, Trix reaches the kingdom’s capital and secures an audience with King Marquel the Merry. Marquel conducts an investigation, and the Secret Chancellery finds evidence of Sator Griz’s conspiracy with the Vitamants. But more importantly, it turns out that Trix’s parents, Rath and Remy Sollier, are alive. Sator Griz lied about his mother’s death, and his father was only seriously wounded.

The family is reunited. Rath and Remy return to their ancestral duchy with Halanberi: the Duchess immediately takes the boy under her wing, as someone needs raising. Tiana heads back to Dillon, finally as its rightful ruler. Trix, having achieved everything he dreamed of at the very beginning, has no intention of returning home: he continues to study magic with Radion Sorrel. As he bids farewell, the mage casually mentions a certain Transparent God — a being who will become the main threat in the next story about Trix Solier.