Scan barcode
A review by branch_c
How to Slay a Dragon: A Fantasy Hero's Guide to the Real Middle Ages by Cait Stevenson
3.0
Okay, I found this fairly enjoyable. It’s basically a somewhat random collection of medieval episodes, each introduced with a joking setup to the reader about how they might go about undertaking various activities in the Middle Ages. It’s a clever way to convey historical knowledge to a modern audience with an antipathy for actual textbooks on the subject. And it works, for a while. The humor, while not exactly laugh-out-loud, is appropriate for Stevenson’s witty style.
The central gimmick does wear a bit thin by the halfway point, and the snarkiness becomes excessive. Also, many of the leaps made from fantastical jumping off points (for example, defending a village from a dragon) to actual historical info (dealing with air pollution) (p. 93) are a stretch, to say the least.
But there’s plenty of interesting material here, including everything from records of everyday life in the Middle Ages to the real life exploits of monks and princesses and knights and handmaidens engaged in escaping their enemies or securing the throne or both. The tales are somewhat haphazard; there’s a lack of obvious progression, making the overall narrative seem disjointed.
It’s no doubt only scratching the surface of the topic, and there’s a list of further reading material at the end for those with a stronger interest and a longer attention span, but as an introductory exposition of a time most of us literally know nothing about other than the name, it’s a fun, quick, and engaging read.
The central gimmick does wear a bit thin by the halfway point, and the snarkiness becomes excessive. Also, many of the leaps made from fantastical jumping off points (for example, defending a village from a dragon) to actual historical info (dealing with air pollution) (p. 93) are a stretch, to say the least.
But there’s plenty of interesting material here, including everything from records of everyday life in the Middle Ages to the real life exploits of monks and princesses and knights and handmaidens engaged in escaping their enemies or securing the throne or both. The tales are somewhat haphazard; there’s a lack of obvious progression, making the overall narrative seem disjointed.
It’s no doubt only scratching the surface of the topic, and there’s a list of further reading material at the end for those with a stronger interest and a longer attention span, but as an introductory exposition of a time most of us literally know nothing about other than the name, it’s a fun, quick, and engaging read.