Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis sets its stall out from the get-go – a terrifying Dark Wizard loses his memory and as a result has to work from scratch to try and recover himself, accidentally becoming a kinder, better person along the way while trying to stay alive in a kingdom full of renegades, rogues, and goblins who want to make it to the end of the day.
Tonally Dreadful is a joy to read. It’s clearly a farce of sorts, a satire that pokes great fun at the fantasy stories of old by transforming the lead into a despicable person and making them eminently rootworthy.
This subversion continues in full force – the princess is neither damsel nor perfect, the heroes are far from selfless – and it takes Rozakis’ skilled hand at striking the balance. Dreadful has its moments of gut-ripping darkness – this is a story full of death and its consequences – but manages to keep a steady bedrock of warmth throughout.
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Not unlike a Pratchett-esque slice of absurdist screwball comedy fantasy, Dreadful is chock-full of likeable characters, intriguing plot developments, and a compassionate heart. It succeeds well as a fantasy and even better as a comedy, providing the perfect read for someone who’s always wanted the bad guy to redeem himself with the help of a fed-up princess and a troop of loveable goblins – and really isn’t that everyone?
Dreadful is out on 28th May from Titan Books.
