Vaguely Sword-Shaped
About
The prophecy was specific. A hero with a sword-shaped birthmark would face the dragon and win the princess's hand. If you stood at the right distance in the right light and wanted it badly enough, Josh's birthmark looked vaguely like a sword. This was enough.
Josh believes every word he says, which is why everyone else does too. His best friend Mike carries the rope, the sandwiches, and the actual plan - and has spent fourteen years quietly throwing the rock before Josh lands on whatever he's charged at. Laura outrides them both, outfights most kingdoms, and is no longer allowed near a bow. The reasons are excellent.
Their quest: cross the kingdom, face Claude the Horrible, the Gory, the Murderous - four centuries old, with a magnificent garden and firm opinions about compost - and rescue a princess who did the math on being rescued and said no thank you.
The whole tale is told by a narrator who has seen a few of these stories before and has opinions about this one. Early readers have compared the style to The Princess Bride - dry on the surface, sincere underneath, with no wasted words. A story about competence, friendship, and the people the prophecies forget to mention.
Readable in one evening. Recommended by reviewers as a cure for reading slumps. Contains one goat
Praise for this book
I read this story as an eARC courtesy of Netgalley. I really enjoyed this short story. It has a very distinctive writing style, especially the beginning which is very "tongue in cheek" or perhaps dry humor. There is much more sincerity as the story progresses, but the previous style of humor is not completely absent. A somewhat close comparison for the style I can think of might be 'The Princess Bride'. I definitely recommend this short story and would enjoy seeing the continued adventures of these characters or a full length novel.