I saw this book in the Gaming section of a Barnes and Noble, no idea why it would be there. It has nothing to do with games. But I was hooked by the premise of the back of the book telling me this was how real world medieval people would deal with fantastical beyond real life things. This is How to slay a Dragon, by Cait Stevenson.
So this book is basically a history book in disguise, but viewed through the lens of the tropes of sword and magic fantasy. How to trick the genie, how to tame the dragon, how to rescue the princess, etc, etc. That's not me just saying this, the author herself in the intro says as much, that this is a history book in disguise. But it's a very good, entertaining history book.
The book is separated into different sections not by time period but by trope of fantasy stories, further separated by how far into 'the heros journey' the hero is. How to prepare for the journey, hazards on the way, reaping the rewards, etc etc. The subjects range from How to deal with the bard, how to win a barfight, how to slay the dragon, and how to traverse the cursed swamp.
However not all titles are indicative of what is in the chapter, like the cursed swamp one was about medieval plumbing for example. But, the books overall is a very good read and tells very exciting and wonderful facts about medieval history.
My only two complaints are that without a proper timeline anywhere in the book, I had no idea what time period each event took place in, since it hopped around a bit. The other is equally minor, the book spends a bit of time insulting the reader. Which, might be funny but I've been bullied enough both by others and myself that I don't find it so.
Anyway, I give this book 4 our of 5 stars, which is a damn good score for something that cost me only 15 bucks, or maybe 20. It was quite awhile ago I read this book, hence the short review.
Anyway, the reason why my review stopped is due to a mental break down in February that I have since recovered from, but depression/anxiety/laziness stopped me from resuming reviews. Hopefully this will resume them.
See you all, next time.
