Review: Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die, by Greer Stothers

Description

In Which Many Dangerous and Homosexual Things Happen.

All his life, Sir Cameron has stayed as far away from danger as possible. He is quite frankly too handsome to die a pointless death in battle. But then the Church hands down a prophecy to his fellow knights: the only way to defeat their nemesis, the mad sorcerer Merulo, is to kill Sir Cameron. Short of ideas, Cameron throws himself on the mercy of the one person who now actually wants him to survive: the mad sorcerer.

Merulo isn’t thrilled to be babysitting a spoilt, attention-seeking knight, but transmogrifying him into a vulture is at least entertaining. Cameron, meanwhile, is on a voyage of self-discovery. It turns out he’s really, really into surly sorcerers who lock him up and tell him what to do. Who knew?

As a legion of knights surround their stronghold, the sorcerer’s poisonous ambitions draw ever closer to fruition. Cameron is quite invested in not dying, but he finds he’s also invested in Merulo. And sometimes, supporting the sorcerer you care about means taking an interest in their hobbies. Even if that hobby is trying to kill God.

Even if it might get you killed, too.

Fall in love with this laugh-out loud, genre-bending romp full of concussed elves and queer romance like you’ve never seen before.

My Review

I don’t have the pretty edition in the picture. I got an ARC from the publisher and they don’t send the fancy sprayed edges out for review. Might get a copy though, because that is pretty, and I have a new book case to fill.

Cameron is shallow, handsome and cowardly. Merulo is a mad sorcerer. A prophecy determines that in order to stop Merulo, Cameron must die. And his elf friend Glenda will be the one to kill him. So, he concusses her and runs to Merulo. Merulo turns Cameron in to a vulture, while Glenda becomes the vanguard in the hunt for him.

Determined to get his human body back, Cameron decides to seduce Merulo, and finds that he actually quite likes the sorcerer. In the process, he learns about the world before it was changed, and gets transmogrified a couple of times. Then he dies. And doesn’t die. It’s complicated. After being rescued by Hydna, Merulo’s sister, they plan goes forward. With Glenda and the half dragon-half elf witch Domitia on their trail, the three make plans. Then something altogether unexpected happens.

The development of the relationship between Cameron and Merulo is hilarious and slowly builds from the first time Cameron is chained up and threatened. Merulo is flustered and confused by Cameron’s come-ons; it’s very sweet. They work things out in a stumbling mess, like humans so often do, dealing with communication problems and jealousy in their own unique ways.

Hydna and Merulo have a proper sibling relationship, loving and frustrating each other. Hydna knows she’s the brains of the operation, even if Merulo wants to think he is. They both have good intentions and know they’ll be changed beyond return if they succeed in their mission, but believe it’s the right thing to do because the Church of Order is horribly oppressive and controlling.

The sex is implied, not explicit. There are a full range of gender and sexuality expressions in the novel, and push-back against conservative beliefs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It’s silly and funny. The main character, Cameron, is very much a Main Character. Merulo is hopeless. Also a dragon. Glenda is a bigoted brat, who actually gets what she deserves. Hydna is badass and knows it – the brains behind the ‘kill God’ plan, curious and capable. SMS Lunatic Freak needs a whole novel of their own. I would love a sequel as

If you want a fun, romp with a surprise ending, I highly recommend this book. Also, it’s very gay.