I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

Two wonderful things happened when I visited my family in Las Vegas this year:

1. I discovered that my 9-year-old niece loves libraries, and was very curious about them and
2. I discovered Peter S. Beagle.

We went to her local branch library and had planned on picking out a book each and sitting in the big comfy chairs in the sunshine like cats and read. When it was time to go, I asked the librarians how she would go about getting a library card as a resident. And that’s when a third wonderful thing happened: the Clark County Library District offered me an out-of-state library card.

But back to Peter S. Beagle: I have been looking for an author with the sort of delightfully silly, slightly snarky, downright descriptive writing style of Douglas Adams. Unfortunately, I have read everything published by Adams, and I have adored every word. If you’ve never read his treatise on sandwich making (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe) or the delight of a horse who has just realized that his schedule has been cleared (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) then I envy you because you get to read and enjoy those bits for the first time. Neil Gaiman has filled some of the void, and Sir Terry Pratchett of course. But I’m always looking for more.

I love fantasy, and dragons, and the promise of a romance that doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to. And so it was with I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons. The Kings, the largest and most powerful dragons to exist, are extinct. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather people call him Robert) is a dragon exterminator in the kingdom of Bellemontagne, where smaller dragons are as commonplace as mice, and in most instances are considered vermin. Robert hates his job, however, as he actually likes dragons. In fact, he is one of the only people in the kingdom who can hear what the dragons have to say. He dreams of lifting his station however, to one day become a prince’s valet, and leave the job that he hates far behind.

The Princess Cerise of Bellemontagne is head strong, stunningly beautiful (of course, because all princesses are), and bored with the parade of princes who vie for her hand in marriage. Until she meets Prince Reginald, who is so stunningly perfect that she is instantly smitten and sets her sights on a match. Unbeknownst to her, Prince Reginald’s father has something similar in mind, while Prince Reginald himself has nothing in mind at all.

This is a fantastic story featuring the themes of best-laid plans gone awry, the weight of responsibility, and expectations fulfilled… or not. And the writing is delightfully silly, just like I love, with a little snark thrown in. Following the character’s thought processes is a lot of fun.

While this was in the Adult Fiction section, I don’t think I’d have a problem categorizing it as Young Adult. The romance is not spicy at all. There is some death- we’re dealing with dragons, here- but it’s not gratuitous. It’s a very fun read, from beginning to end. I started the first few chapters in the library but was then able to check out the digital copy via Libby. I highly recommend you give this one a try!

Get this book! Buy I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons on Kindle

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