Greer Stothers is an author and illustrator whose previous work includes the non-fiction titles Kaleidoscope of Creatures and Kaleidoscope of Dinosaurs. Their latest work Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die is their debut novel. A blend of comedy, fantasy and romance, it follows cowardly knight Sir Cameron when he discovers that his life is at stake: a prophecy has declared that he must be killed in order to defeat a dangerous sorcerer. As his continuing to stay alive benefits both himself and the sorcerer, the two are thrown together to prevent Cameron’s untimely end.
One particularly enjoyable aspect of the novel is Stother’s chapter titles, such as Chapter 1: In Which Forty Years Have Passed And We Meet A Handsome Knight, The Hero Of Our Story, Who Is Over Six Feet Tall And Has Straight Teeth And Nice Hair And Wonderful Musculature And Who Is Only A Little Bit Frightened. Not Even Frightened, Really, Just Reasonably Worried. Or Rather, Alert. Yes, Let’s Go With Alert. These summaries evoke something of a classic storybook whimsy, as well as being reminiscent of the wry footnotes of Terry Pratchett.
Stothers incorporates an impressive level of fantasy worldbuilding without needing to dump information on the reader. Many aspects of the magical system within the world of the book are implied rather than outright explained, and it is refreshing to see a fantasy author trust the reader enough to let them speculate on their own. The characters all feel very distinct, and their strangeness is endearing in many ways. From death-fearing Cameron and the grumpy sorcerer Merulo to Glenda the elf, it is easy to become invested in whether or not they will get what they want.
Particularly interesting is Cameron himself, who suffers from a preoccupation with death even before the prophecy that is set to end his life. He feels particularly flawed and particularly human. The way that he and Merulo bounce off one another in their exchanges makes for a compelling read—they are vastly different characters and that is exactly what makes them work so well on the page.
Early on in the story, a character named Chancellor Felix Noor muses on whether it is worse to be awful or to be dull. It is safe to say that this book is neither, but instead a wonderfully silly fantasy romp with its own stumbling kind of charm.
Words by Casey Langton
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