This is my kind of comedy. [The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne]
My first impressions of this book were that it read like a fever dream. A fantastical fantasy written in a sharp and irreverent fashion, The Princess Beard is a really funny, comical fantasy where magic is absurd and the best way to be is oneself. I'm trying to think of what to write but I can't write much without spoiling it more than any previous entry might have. There's not much negative for me to write, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. I laughed at the meta-ness of the allusions and the more of them I caught the more involved I became in the story.
As I've said in previous posts, I can be a bit quick with the request button on NetGalley. Sometimes I don't read all of the description. Had that been the case I would have realized sooner that this is the newest entry into series of fantasy adventures in an established world, The Tales of Pell. Apparently this is the third book, but it read wonderfully (as far as I can tell) as a standalone novel. Though, especially towards the end of the story, there were obvious allusions to the events of the previous entries, the story here was self-contained. I'm interested in series as a whole, but because I'm not the biggest fan of prequels (especially since I've already read an entry that built on previous material) I'm not super driven to read the other two entries. That might change if a fourth tale of Pell is produced.
I understand The Princess Bride, known primarily for the movie with the same name, is also a book. That book, written by William Goldman in 1973, is also, per Wikipedia, a comedy fantasy. How funny then The Princess Beard should also be a comedy fantasy. How much funnier when you consider The Princess Beard as a play on the name.
The Princess Bride was adapted into a film in the 80s. The Princess Beard is a mash-up of that movie and another wildly ridiculous '80s comedy, The Ice Pirates. Routine teeter-tottering on the line of fourth wall breaks, self-aware characters, and wacky and comically chaotic characters shine through in each of the three stories. Horribly underrated, The Ice Pirates is in a sense of parody of parodies. In the same vein of mindful satire, The Princess Beard is a comedy for those who are socially aware, keen of pop culture, and likely liberally inclined. I wasn't sold as I read my first 10% of the story, but I definitely recommend the book now. Because of how I laughed and the mood it put me in I'm giving this book 5 stars.
As I've said in previous posts, I can be a bit quick with the request button on NetGalley. Sometimes I don't read all of the description. Had that been the case I would have realized sooner that this is the newest entry into series of fantasy adventures in an established world, The Tales of Pell. Apparently this is the third book, but it read wonderfully (as far as I can tell) as a standalone novel. Though, especially towards the end of the story, there were obvious allusions to the events of the previous entries, the story here was self-contained. I'm interested in series as a whole, but because I'm not the biggest fan of prequels (especially since I've already read an entry that built on previous material) I'm not super driven to read the other two entries. That might change if a fourth tale of Pell is produced.
I understand The Princess Bride, known primarily for the movie with the same name, is also a book. That book, written by William Goldman in 1973, is also, per Wikipedia, a comedy fantasy. How funny then The Princess Beard should also be a comedy fantasy. How much funnier when you consider The Princess Beard as a play on the name.The Princess Bride was adapted into a film in the 80s. The Princess Beard is a mash-up of that movie and another wildly ridiculous '80s comedy, The Ice Pirates. Routine teeter-tottering on the line of fourth wall breaks, self-aware characters, and wacky and comically chaotic characters shine through in each of the three stories. Horribly underrated, The Ice Pirates is in a sense of parody of parodies. In the same vein of mindful satire, The Princess Beard is a comedy for those who are socially aware, keen of pop culture, and likely liberally inclined. I wasn't sold as I read my first 10% of the story, but I definitely recommend the book now. Because of how I laughed and the mood it put me in I'm giving this book 5 stars.
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