Autistic representation – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: Magic, Maps, and Mischief, by David Green

Format:427 pages, Paperback
Published: October 8, 2025 by Independently published
ISBN: 9798269020877

Book Description

What Would You Do To Discover Your Heart’s Desire?

Greton of Willow is in a spot of bother. Caught in the act while escorting a family of elves to safety, Greton flees for greener pastures with only his scant magic and brilliant mind to his name.

And a question. The question.

‘What is your heart’s desire?’

A life-long outsider, Greton sets out to uncover what lies at the centre of his heart. Is it adopting a tawny owl? Owning his very own map shop? Forging a found family with others as similarly scorned as himself? The possibilities are endless. Determined to put his marvellous mind to the task, Greton discovers a way to reveal anyone’s heart’s desire, but not everyone’s longings are as pure as his…

Something odd is occurring in Greton’s new home of Barrow’s Hill, and, before long, the old man in search of a comfortable new life finds himself swept up in danger and mischief.

My Review

Firstly, a disclaimer. I know the author, he’s the BFS Secretary, and currently running a writing course I’m on. I had an advanced ebook of this novel last year. Unfortunately, I struggle to read ebooks, so I got a physical copy at World Fantasy Con in October/November just after it was published. Dave has signed it and everything. I also heard some of the story at Fantasycon in Chester last year. So I knew from what I’d already heard and read that I’d enjoy it.

We meet the Sparker, a magic user, Greton on the island of Haltveldt. He’s forced to join a raid looking for elves. The Emperor has been committing genocide and some of the Sparkers are happy to help. Greton is not. He helps a family of elves flee but is caught by one of those murder-happy Sparkers. Greton is forced to flee to Valen, a state on the main continent. On the way he makes a friend in Atlas, the tawny owl and finds a patron, an explorer looking for accurate maps. On the way he ponders the question asked by one of the elves, what does his heart desire?

Greton loves maps. He is an extraordinary mapmaker. In Valen, Greton makes his way to Barrow’s Hill. Here he settles into a shop next door to a tea shop and across the road from a book shop. He’s very happy, and sets about creating maps, before trying to develop an ink that will show him his hearts desire. Along the way he makes some good friends and helps uncover a mystery – who is robbing the homes and shops of Barrow’s Hill and getting in and out unseen? He also discovers his heart’s desire was right in front of him the whole time.

There are some things that are obvious to the reader that Greton is oblivious to, but it’s part of his character. His instincts can be good but he’s uncertain about them because of the bullying he’s experienced. He’s a rather sweet old man who wants to make maps and help people. Aria is an energetic, fun character who balances Greton’s steadier nature, between them, they work well and successfully. With Petra across the road, they form a chosen family that is stable and loving. Greton is an autistic character, Aria is an ADHDer, and this book is a celebration of ND life and friendships. The characters have settled into my brain and I want to read more about their lives.

I enjoyed the cosy tale and the mystery was well-formed and the explanation entirely sensible. I picked up the clues that some people were dodgy fairly early on, but the execution of the mystery had good pacing and a satisfying resolution.

The world building is strong and memorable. The settings are clearly defined and I enjoyed exploring them with Greton. I would like to go exploring with Greton and make maps with him.

I knew changing from an ebook to a physical book would be sensible – I started from where I left off in the ebook, while I was in Brighton and got about half of it read. I had blog tours to read for so I put this book down until Saturday, when I spent the afternoon reading the rest. I needed a couple of days processing time to write a review, but here it is. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the setting. I need to read In Solitude’s Shadow, which is set 200 years after this book. I enjoy David’s writing and I want to know more about the world of Greton and company.

If you want a cosy fantasy with explicitly ND (autistic, ADHD) and Queer (asexual, lesbian) characters, I recommend this book.

Maria and the Space-Dragons Investigate #1 – April 2024 instalment

Hello, it’s the second Sunday of the month and this is the April instalment of my little story.

Maria ponders the existence of a secret base.

Chapter three – Maria

Maria got to their feet, muscles stiff and complaining after so long in high altitude flight, head whirling from the burst of radio waves and mostly empty stomach threatening to empty itself all over the chilly stones of the landing pad. They turned their back, allowing Lah-Shar some privacy to shift. Maria grimaced as his bones and muscles made a cracking, slurping sound. They heard her friend growl quietly with the pain and irritation that shifting caused and felt a moment of distress for their friend.

Maria and the Space-Dragons #1 – March 2024 instalment

Alright! We’re back with Lah-Shar and Maria’s adventures. This time we get some insight into Lah-Shar’s life and thoughts.

Chapter two – Lah-Shar

Lah-Shar felt the air change as they came closer to the base. He’d seen planets with ice sheets miles deep that extended almost to the equator. He’d seen planets that were tidally locked, one side burning the other freezing. His own planet, Ran-Nang, the one he was an egg and youngster on, had a warm damp climate except for the desert for 20 degrees either side of the equator. Ascend was chilly by Ran-Nang standards, but humans found it comfortably warm.

Introducing ‘Maria and the space-dragons investigations’ – a draft novella

Hello all,

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I don’t like to make people pay for my work, but at the same time, I’m disabled, I can only work a few hours a week and the exhaustion is interfering with my ability to write. I want to give myself an incentive to write when I feel well enough. If I have paying subscribers, I have to write!

I may have mentioned the Space Dragon story I’ve been working on for a couple of years. The plan is to share a chapter a month for paying subscribers until I’ve written it all. You won’t be getting the first draft, since I write that by hand, but you’ll get the edited version. There will probably be further edits in future before I release it as a book. I might also share some of my short stories as paid subscriber posts.

What do you think?

Let me share a few paragraphs with you and if you want the rest, please feel free to join the paid subscription.

Update 22/03/2025

No one wanted paid subscriptions, so I’ve unlocked this chapter and any others that I’ve posted.