Customer Reviews

A Fate Worse Than Dragons

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Moore's book is a highly enjoyable diversion. A light, humorous and fast moving fantasy about a loyal and brave knight, a loyal and brave fop, beautiful (and maybe virginal) princesses, a beautiful cook, kidnappings real and staged, mistaken identitity, gryphons, dragons, wizards and toast-with butter and jam. Lots of fun to be had here.

This is the latest in Moore's series of fairy tale and fantasy parodies that are set in the "Twenty Kingdoms". As usual, Moore makes fun of both the fairy tale genre and also modern society. He occasionally manages to do both at the same time, such as with the many jokes in this book about the monsters that only eat virgins. (While these books are about children's stories, they are not themselves stories for children.) But what I've noticed about Moore's books is that he draws up some really interesting characters and then feels the need to shoehorn them into fairly limited roles. Each book I read, I wonder what would have happened if he had been willing to try something a little more daring than a fantasy parody. The stories are OK, the jokes are pretty good, the setting is generic, and the characters are great. The books are lightly diverting and decently amusing, but they could be much more than that.

She says 'Let's wait until we are married,' and then discovers that a virginivorous monster is nearby and suddenly changes her mind and can't wait to preconsummate their future marriage, and . . . .

That is perhaps the funniest scene in this hilarious spoof of fairy tales (especially fairy tale cliches)

No, this is not Moore's best; that distinction (so far) goes to The Unhandsome Prince, with Bad Prince Charlie and Heroics for Beginners very close seconds, but you'll still laugh your head off and be glad you bought A FATE WORSE THAN DRAGONS. Enjoy.

watziznaym@gmail.com

Terry the knight and Princess Gloria are in love. Terry slays a dragon to be able to marry Gloria as is the unwritten tradition of fantasy kingdoms - 'slay a dragon, marry the princess'. The problem is, the dragon wandered into a different kingdom with a different princess. Meanwhile, Gloria is informed of her arranged marriage to sliced-bread tycoon Roland. So Terry and Gloria come up with a kidnapping scheme to replace the dragon-slaying. Everything seems to be going good until a secondary botched kidnapping happens and now Terry must venture into the dangerous domain belonging to the Middle-Aged Man of the Mountains (seems the Old Man of the Mountain has retired).

All-in-all, it's another fantasy parody put forth by John Moore and slides right into the format of his other comedic fantasy novels. It's a little slow to begin with but picks up half way through. There's even a parody of the great Wesley/Vizzini scene from "Princess Bride". It's a short book (230 pgs) and quick to read. There's also good debate on what the purpose is of always using virgins for evil schemes. You should laugh a few times and enjoy the story for what it is. Could have used a chapter at the end about Crazy Jane and 'Sir' Huggins though.

What happens when ordinary, intelligent, well-meaning people involve themselves in the affairs of princesses and magicians? This is not necessarily a tale of dashing heroics and amazing feats. This is fairy tales as acted by ordinary people.

This book was lame. If you want real fantasy humor, read something by Terry Pratchett or watch "The Princess Bride" or even Monty Python. I liked Pier's Anthony's "Xanth" novels better, and they use puns (*shudder*)!

The opening scene where Knight Terry actually kills the dragon is amusing when he fobs off the reward on his squire Higgins. Unfortunately, it is the only half-way OK scene of the book. Moore meanders, adding irrelevant details and adjectives trying to be hyperbolic, but ends at boring. His digressions are too pedantic and off topic.

To give you and idea of what to expect, there's a merchant family with a patent on sliced bread (and pages devoted to this process), and the later antagonist is the Middle-Aged Man of the Mountains. Princess Gloria has a personal attorney, her father the King can't remember his own daughter's name, and in general you shouldn't expect characters, but caricatures. No attempt is made to spin a believable world.

To mention this book and The Princess Bride in the same breath is heresy. I'm halfway and considering giving up. It is meandering and not funny at all.

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (6/07)

Sir Terry and Princess Gloria are in love, but Sir Terry does not make for a strong suitor financially so they must look to more resourceful ways to ensure the union. Plan A involves slaying the dragon, a feat that will earn Sir Terry the hand of the princess. This is no small task but Sir Terry is willing to do what it takes to "get the girl." Miraculously he manages to slay the dragon; however he has chased the dragon into the next kingdom, a kingdom whose princess "Crazy Jane" is well known for her habit of talking to dead animals. Not one to give up easily, Sir Terry pins the brave and noble undertaking on his assistant and carries on to Plan B (yet to be determined). After all, "getting stuck with the wrong girl is truly a fate worse than dragons!"

In the meantime, Princess Gloria is to be wed (through an arranged marriage) to a son from the local baker family. They are a family famous for inventing sliced bread; an invention which has not gone over well due to the increased risks with so much surface area exposed. She panics and immediately devises Plan B. She will fake a kidnapping and Sir Terry will rescue her, this will surely result in his earning her hand in marriage. Well, as luck would have it things begin to go wrong immediately when her finance (who has incidentally never even met her) begins searching for her in the right direction. Terry must fake his interest in accompanying the man so he can keep an eye on him and get to the princess first. Things continue to go downhill from here as the princess truly does end up kidnapped. There is hope, however, when the finance falls for a cook in a local tavern. She is a cook who happens to have invented a way to toast the sliced bread, thereby ensuring safety to her patrons. He could not fall for a mere cook, however, but when he finds out who her family is, there is new hope. Now, if Sir Terry can bring the Princess to safety there may still be a chance for happily ever after. This is a fairy tale remember!

"A Fate Worse Than Dragons" is a hilarious mix of modern day issues with traditional fairy tale scenery. Resourceful woman and struggling men bring new dynamics to the expectations of the reader; a new spin on an old classic! I have to admit I did a double take when I noted it was written by a man - a job well done in capturing and developing the female characters! This is a book that will appeal to anyone; after all, who isn't a sucker for a good, not quite old-fashion fairytale?!

Book received free of charge.

Moore's latest book mixes social comedy, the battle of the sexes, and fairy tale lore into a winning concoction. The story's starting point is that Princess Gloria really wants to marry Sir Terry, but her parents want her to marry someone who'll be more beneficial to their coffers. Thus, a series of misadventures ensue in which Terry has to slay dangerous beasts or criminals in order to rescue Gloria and win her hand. The prose is light and the dialogue is amusing but overly stereotypical.

One scene I did find painful to read was either a homage or rip-off of a scene from William Goldman's classic "The Princess Bride." Moore has a lot going for him as a writer, but I sense he doesn't want to go back and give his books one more push to move them closer to "The Princess Bride" in terms of quality.

Worth a few hours of your time!

Sir Terry and Princess Gloria are in love. But the only way this middle-class knight can marry a princess is through a deed of heroism. Sir Terry who is pretty smart, chooses to slay a dragon preying on one edge of the kingdom. The book opens with him getting ready for the attempt. His planning is solid and the beast is vanquished. The only problem is that it died on the wrong side of the border. As a result, Sir Terry becomes betrothed to the wrong princess. Some quick thinking gets him out of that predicament but it still remains to win the hand of Princess Gloria. To make matters worse, Gloria's family has just agreed to marry her off to a successful merchant family.

Sir Terry now has to have a new plan of heroism. Princess Gloria needs to avoid getting married before Terry completes his task and before her newly intended can get in the way. The action takes the cast to the edges of the kingdom where corrupt nobles run things while following the whims of the Middle-Aged Man of the Mountains. Will Terry and Gloria manage to wind up together? With the corrupt nobles put a stop to things? What is the Middle-Aged Man of the Mountains planning? You will have to read to find out.

John Moore has turned out another humorous fantasy. Once again the classic fantasy trapping are blended into some real-world sensibilities. The plot is almost a Shakespearean comedy full of miscommunications and mistaken identities. The plot moves quickly and humorously with the reader wanting things to work out for everyone. Once again John Moore does not disappoint. Fans of comic fantasy will definitely like this one. Check it out.