Bingo 22: And also….
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons could fit either the dreams or the cult squares, so either way, it’s an And Also square. The cult comes in that the author is Peter S. Beagle who is probably much better known for The Last Unicorn, which is a cult classic, with a cult following, etc, you get the idea. I’ve actually never read that, in spite of being of the age to have grown up on that title; my late father was the parent who saw to his kids’ geek education, and he leaned heavily sci-fi; I saw the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS, the original Tron, Short Circuits I and II, and more, but not nearly as much classic fantasy; I remember being shown the original Dark Crystal, but that’s about it.
For the dreams side, everyone in this story who might qualify as MC as a few who don’t definitely have them; Robert (whose full name is much longer and fancier than he likes) has inherited his father’s dragon pest removal business, and he hates the job. He’d rather be running a dragon rescue. Princess Cerise would like to be acknowledged as useful and skilled beyond the expected pretty with perfect manners; Crown Prince Reginald would like to go off and be an adventurer since he (and those close to him) feels that he’s got the looks for the job but maybe not the force of personality to replace his warlike dad as king, and wants to see the world and maybe get a little tougher while he’s at it.
Throw in a classic fairy tale quest, some traditional characters like the very capable servant, the mom who can read her kid like a book, the evil wizard, the fretful king and queen concerned about the future of their princess, the best friend and girl next door (two different people), and you’ve basically got the story. There’s an engagement that everyone but the couple seem to be happy about, even if Cerise isn’t quite sure why she’s not delighted once it happens, the quest to slay a dragon although the reason is a little new, a couple of young people who need to straighten out their romantic lives, a rescue mission or two, and most everyone figuring out who and where and what (and with whom) they should really be.
It’s almost cozy, but not quite. The characters are pretty interesting with their little quirks, although I do wish some got a little more attention or development. Same goes for certain bits of the plot as well. When your book has blurbs by Travis Baldree, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Madeline L’Engle (a few of which likely refer to other titles, not this one from 2024), you’re probably doing something right. I’m probably still not going to look up the Last Unicorn as I understand it’s kind of depressing, and this isn’t.