What do you think?
Rate this book
Must Love Dragons
Everyone knows that Heroes slay Dragons. Not everyone knows that Heroes also change diapers.
It's the oldest story in the world; boy meets girl, boy marries girl, they have a family. But what happens when the girl makes more money than the boy, and he stays at home to raise the kids? What happens when pregnancy is rough on her, and he has to go back to work? And what happens when she's a dragon, he's a ranger, and a day at the office involves trolls, elves, magic, and lower back pain?
Linus Weedwhacker (shut it, he's heard 'em all) knows first hand.
It's the oldest story in the world; boy meets girl, boy marries girl, they have a family. But what happens when the girl makes more money than the boy, and he stays at home to raise the kids? What happens when pregnancy is rough on her, and he has to go back to work? And what happens when she's a dragon, he's a ranger, and a day at the office involves trolls, elves, magic, and lower back pain?
Linus Weedwhacker (shut it, he's heard 'em all) knows first hand.
- GenresFantasy
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Monica Marier
10 books32 followersCaffeinated writer, artist, mother and eccentric. She's a co-founder of Tangent Artists, a webcomic company.She contributes regularly to Friday Flash, Tuesday Serial, and RB Wood's The Wordcount Podcast. She's the author of "Must Love Dragons," "Runs in Good Condition" and "Madame Bluestocking's Pennyhorrid
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 30, 2015
I think I'll award this 3.5 stars. It was a bit too rough around the edges for a solid 4, but it was quite funny and I really enjoyed reading it. I could certainly feel the Terry Pratchett influence in places.
This novel is very much a Dungeons & Dragons parody, but it takes that basis and turns it in to something that is all its own. In this world wizards go to university and only come out to help slay monsters for extra credit, and rangers, warriors and clerics all belong to individual "unions" that act more like crime cartels. If you want to take that job cleaning out a harpies nest then you need to be a properly accredited member in good standing, then the union will take 17% of your fee upon completion to pay your "dues"... If you know what's good for you.
In to this mix stumbles the half-elf Linus, a newly out of retirement Ranger, dragon husband and father of 5(ish). He just wants to get paid and go home to his family and comfy bed (he's not as young as he used to be). Instead he somehow ends up babysitting a party of teenage elves and a token human who endlessly irritate him, eat all his expensive bacon, and almost get everyone killed through inexperience numerous times. I loved how cynically sarcastic he was about everything, but in a humourous "I'm too old for this" way. I thought he was a likeable character and one of those gruff, grumpy individuals that are really generous and kind underneath. As he puts it, after 20 years he feels like everyones dad.
I also liked Morfindel, thelevel 2nd echelon cleric that wore so much chainmail he clanked when he moved. When he was first introduced I thought he was going to be the usual supercilious, know-it all elf and I was going to dislike him a lot, but over the course of the story he kind of grew on me with his youthful curiosity and endless eagerness. He was definitely not your usual kind of elf.
Sadly I was less enthusiastic about the brother and sister characters of Bart(eus) and Wendria or the token human, Quince. All of them seemed a little less developed than Linus or Morfindel and though Quince was generally inoffensive in a bland way, Bart and Wendria irritated the crap out of me. Bart for being the stereotypical angry, violent "emo" kid that's probably a borderline sociopath and whispers endearments to his knives, and Wendria for being the clueless, terrified "damsel in distress". She was supposed to be the wizard of the group, but all she did was scream, cry or try and run away and she was completely useless at everything else (including magic). Maybe she wouldn't have pissed me off so much if she hadn't been the only major female character in the entire book, but as it was she was really bloody insulting. Maybe whatever the author meant to "say" with her inclusion was a touch too subtle for me...
The plot itself wasn't too complicated, in fact for most of the book it could have been written up from an actual D&D campaign (go here, beat up some monsters, go back to town), which I choose to believe was intentional on the authors part. I have participated in games where the story was just that linear... Until, just like in this book, things go a bit crazy and take a completely different (and slightly sinister) direction. However, like I said at the beginning of the review, it was quite funny and I thought the ending was quite satisfying.
Sometimes the humour in this was a little juvenille, and sometimes the characters were irritating, but for the most part if you want a light, tongue-in-cheek adventure then this could be the fantasy flavoured diversion you're looking for. I know I've read far worse in the past by more prolific (and awarded) authors.
This novel is very much a Dungeons & Dragons parody, but it takes that basis and turns it in to something that is all its own. In this world wizards go to university and only come out to help slay monsters for extra credit, and rangers, warriors and clerics all belong to individual "unions" that act more like crime cartels. If you want to take that job cleaning out a harpies nest then you need to be a properly accredited member in good standing, then the union will take 17% of your fee upon completion to pay your "dues"... If you know what's good for you.
In to this mix stumbles the half-elf Linus, a newly out of retirement Ranger, dragon husband and father of 5(ish). He just wants to get paid and go home to his family and comfy bed (he's not as young as he used to be). Instead he somehow ends up babysitting a party of teenage elves and a token human who endlessly irritate him, eat all his expensive bacon, and almost get everyone killed through inexperience numerous times. I loved how cynically sarcastic he was about everything, but in a humourous "I'm too old for this" way. I thought he was a likeable character and one of those gruff, grumpy individuals that are really generous and kind underneath. As he puts it, after 20 years he feels like everyones dad.
I also liked Morfindel, the
Sadly I was less enthusiastic about the brother and sister characters of Bart(eus) and Wendria or the token human, Quince. All of them seemed a little less developed than Linus or Morfindel and though Quince was generally inoffensive in a bland way, Bart and Wendria irritated the crap out of me. Bart for being the stereotypical angry, violent "emo" kid that's probably a borderline sociopath and whispers endearments to his knives, and Wendria for being the clueless, terrified "damsel in distress". She was supposed to be the wizard of the group, but all she did was scream, cry or try and run away and she was completely useless at everything else (including magic). Maybe she wouldn't have pissed me off so much if she hadn't been the only major female character in the entire book, but as it was she was really bloody insulting. Maybe whatever the author meant to "say" with her inclusion was a touch too subtle for me...
The plot itself wasn't too complicated, in fact for most of the book it could have been written up from an actual D&D campaign (go here, beat up some monsters, go back to town), which I choose to believe was intentional on the authors part. I have participated in games where the story was just that linear... Until, just like in this book, things go a bit crazy and take a completely different (and slightly sinister) direction. However, like I said at the beginning of the review, it was quite funny and I thought the ending was quite satisfying.
Sometimes the humour in this was a little juvenille, and sometimes the characters were irritating, but for the most part if you want a light, tongue-in-cheek adventure then this could be the fantasy flavoured diversion you're looking for. I know I've read far worse in the past by more prolific (and awarded) authors.
May 10, 2011
If you say "elves" and "dragons" in the same breath as "fantasy", most people will think Tolkien, or something along those lines. Well who says fantasy has to be so po-faced and formulaic? Why can't it be...fun? Thankfully Monica Marier must have been thinking the same thing when she wrote Must Love Dragons.
Must Love Dragons tells the story of Linus Weedwhacker, a half-elf Ranger married to a shapeshifting dragon. He's gived up his job to look after the kids while his wife runs a successful jewellery store - already very progressive for a genre in which most women are relegated to damsels, scheming queens or evil witches. When his wife falls pregnant again, she goes off to stay with her bad-tempered reptilian mother, and Linus goes back to work as a Ranger. Is it easy? No! There again, there would be no fun in it if it was.
Linus must team up with an enthusiastic young elf named Morfindel, and elven siblings Wendria and Bart to rid a village of a nearby infestation. Wendria is an academic but useless in the field, Bart has issues with authority, and Morfindel is...well, he's Morfindel, and absolutely lovable despite being utterly clueless. Linus is forced to play Dad while keeping them, and himself, out of trouble. Clearly the job of a Ranger is fraught with peril, involving a spot of bother with frost dragons, food poisoning and even political shenanigans.
Must Love Dragons is no kiddie quest story, with Linus appearing more as a 'John McClane in Middle Earth' character. In fact, the one thing missing from the book is a "Yippee-kai-ay!" Anyone who has ever encountered even a smidgen of bureaucratic nonsense in the workplace will surely sympathise with the various predicaments in which he finds himself, and the fact that he is so curmudgeonly just makes him so much more appealing as a hero. In fact, he's more like Snake Plisskin. He just wants to do the job and go home, and can everyone just leave him alone when he's finished?
The dialogue is sparky, and more than one passage had me chuckling. The action scenes crack along at an impressive rate, and the pacing makes this a real page-turner. Linus is a likeable protagonist, although he's occasionally upstaged by the earnest Morfindel. Must Love Dragons scores in that it is so heavily rooted in fantasy mores (musty village shops, elves, magic, dragons etc.) yet happily up-ends the whole lot to bring a touch of humour and humanity to an occasionally staid genre. Anyone for a spot of comedy-fantasy?
Must Love Dragons tells the story of Linus Weedwhacker, a half-elf Ranger married to a shapeshifting dragon. He's gived up his job to look after the kids while his wife runs a successful jewellery store - already very progressive for a genre in which most women are relegated to damsels, scheming queens or evil witches. When his wife falls pregnant again, she goes off to stay with her bad-tempered reptilian mother, and Linus goes back to work as a Ranger. Is it easy? No! There again, there would be no fun in it if it was.
Linus must team up with an enthusiastic young elf named Morfindel, and elven siblings Wendria and Bart to rid a village of a nearby infestation. Wendria is an academic but useless in the field, Bart has issues with authority, and Morfindel is...well, he's Morfindel, and absolutely lovable despite being utterly clueless. Linus is forced to play Dad while keeping them, and himself, out of trouble. Clearly the job of a Ranger is fraught with peril, involving a spot of bother with frost dragons, food poisoning and even political shenanigans.
Must Love Dragons is no kiddie quest story, with Linus appearing more as a 'John McClane in Middle Earth' character. In fact, the one thing missing from the book is a "Yippee-kai-ay!" Anyone who has ever encountered even a smidgen of bureaucratic nonsense in the workplace will surely sympathise with the various predicaments in which he finds himself, and the fact that he is so curmudgeonly just makes him so much more appealing as a hero. In fact, he's more like Snake Plisskin. He just wants to do the job and go home, and can everyone just leave him alone when he's finished?
The dialogue is sparky, and more than one passage had me chuckling. The action scenes crack along at an impressive rate, and the pacing makes this a real page-turner. Linus is a likeable protagonist, although he's occasionally upstaged by the earnest Morfindel. Must Love Dragons scores in that it is so heavily rooted in fantasy mores (musty village shops, elves, magic, dragons etc.) yet happily up-ends the whole lot to bring a touch of humour and humanity to an occasionally staid genre. Anyone for a spot of comedy-fantasy?
July 23, 2011
Full disclosure, I edited this book. And it was such a delight, I had to keep reminding myself to edit, and not just to fall into the story.
Monica's an excellent writer, and a parent, so there are a few comedic gems in this one that are straight to a parent's address. But she's also dialed in a few other chestnuts, like married-people humor, and D&D cliches.
Check it out. You won't be disappointed.
Monica's an excellent writer, and a parent, so there are a few comedic gems in this one that are straight to a parent's address. But she's also dialed in a few other chestnuts, like married-people humor, and D&D cliches.
Check it out. You won't be disappointed.
January 8, 2012
Wonderful! Monica Marier takes the concept of the fantasy quest and turns it on it's head in this fun read. I highly recommend it. You won't view elves, dragons, giants, or unions the same way again, I guarantee it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews