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A review by crothe77
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler is a comedic, nostalgic fantasy about Davi, a young woman who has been portaled into a fantasy world and is the designated Chosen One. After hundreds of years of trying to accomplish the task set before her, dying, and then being reborn only to do it all over again, Davi decides that she’s done fighting the Dark Lord—she’s going to become the next Dark Lord.
The Voice is so strong and it gives you a real sense of who Davi is. There are references to Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and other aspects of broader nerd culture that people who grew up in the 90s will appreciate. It’s delightfully nostalgic while still feeling like a spin on the Chosen One narrative. Davi’s humor is not going to be for every reader, but it will hit hard with the right reader and this novel is a love letter to nerd culture.
What I really liked was how Davi isn’t a cruel Dark Lord or looking to hurt people; she’s acting out of self-preservation but also out of frustration. Dying over and over again has made her a bit flippant to certain ideas but it never feels off; it feels like that’s exactly how someone who is quite possibly a college student would react in that situation.
There’s a lot of D&D-style worldbuilding, though it’s unclear if that’s the kind of world Davi has fallen into. It could be a video game, it could be an anime, it could be a book. In a lot of ways, it doesn’t matter exactly what kind of world Davi is in; what matters is that she can’t leave as far as she and the reader is aware. But it also does help to inform how you see the world because there are orcs, animal beings with human characteristics, humans, rock monsters, magic, and more, which could make it, most likely, a tabletop game world or a video game.
I would recommend this to readers looking for D&D-esque fantasies with Bi/Pan female leads, fans of nostalgic books that also feature anime and video game tropes, and those looking for a new take on the Dark Lord of fantasy.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler is a comedic, nostalgic fantasy about Davi, a young woman who has been portaled into a fantasy world and is the designated Chosen One. After hundreds of years of trying to accomplish the task set before her, dying, and then being reborn only to do it all over again, Davi decides that she’s done fighting the Dark Lord—she’s going to become the next Dark Lord.
The Voice is so strong and it gives you a real sense of who Davi is. There are references to Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and other aspects of broader nerd culture that people who grew up in the 90s will appreciate. It’s delightfully nostalgic while still feeling like a spin on the Chosen One narrative. Davi’s humor is not going to be for every reader, but it will hit hard with the right reader and this novel is a love letter to nerd culture.
What I really liked was how Davi isn’t a cruel Dark Lord or looking to hurt people; she’s acting out of self-preservation but also out of frustration. Dying over and over again has made her a bit flippant to certain ideas but it never feels off; it feels like that’s exactly how someone who is quite possibly a college student would react in that situation.
There’s a lot of D&D-style worldbuilding, though it’s unclear if that’s the kind of world Davi has fallen into. It could be a video game, it could be an anime, it could be a book. In a lot of ways, it doesn’t matter exactly what kind of world Davi is in; what matters is that she can’t leave as far as she and the reader is aware. But it also does help to inform how you see the world because there are orcs, animal beings with human characteristics, humans, rock monsters, magic, and more, which could make it, most likely, a tabletop game world or a video game.
I would recommend this to readers looking for D&D-esque fantasies with Bi/Pan female leads, fans of nostalgic books that also feature anime and video game tropes, and those looking for a new take on the Dark Lord of fantasy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault