HOW TO BREAK AN EVIL CURSE

A comic fantasy series opener.

In the Land of Fritillary, evil wizards and kings exist side by side with pirates, cute coal miners, a budding feminist movement, and a cursed princess. Morrison aims for absurd humor, with an omniscient narrator who frequently points out fantasy tropes and breaks the fourth wall and plenty of vocabulary not usually seen in high fantasy (dudes, chicks, and thugs abound, coming across more tone deaf than modern). Unfortunately, the humor tends to miss the mark; it’s often unclear who or what is being lampooned, although the monarchy comes off particularly badly. The plot spins in several directions, mostly concerning itself with the well-intentioned but spoiled princess as she sneaks out and begins to explore the world alongside the guy whose love can supposedly break the curse intended to keep her trapped indoors. Side plots concern a pirate named McManlyman who reads romance novels and longs for the love of a good woman, an ex-criminal who wants to write true crime and longs for the love of a good woman, and the evil wizard who longs for the love of a particular bad woman, plus lots of revolution on the rise. Unfortunately, the novel is reductive, with shallow characters and one too many plot contortions. Characters follow a White default.

An ambitious effort that falls flat.