Not quite as whimsical as the title implies, this novel still exhibits Peter Beagle's masterly blending of the dark and the light aspects of magic. I love how Beagle starts this story as a kind of romcom/Jeeves & Wooster mashup, then, just when we're least expecting it, brings a darkness that the characters have to deal with.
I must admit, I had trouble reading about the dragon hunt and extermination in the Castle of Bellamontagne. Not worth a trigger warning, but something to be aware of.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is a new novel by legendary Fantasy Author Peter S. Beagle (of The Last Unicorn fame). The novel features multiple point of view characters but largely focuses upon Robert, a man who has taken over his father's trade of dragon extermination (dragons being usually about as big as cats or dogs in this world and largely being pests who hole up in places. But Robert feels a connection with dragons - seemingly being able to understand them - and sees them as creatures he would rather save than kill and would rather do anything else if he could. Naturally when he gets roped into the affairs of a prince who is forcibly being sent to adventure by his valet and a princess who wants to get the prince to love her and he sees a chance to leave the dragon extermination procession by helping them....things go very very differently than he expects.

It's a world with dragons - both the small pest like type and the large scary type - and wizards and royalty and commoners and it's done quite well, with all of its main characters being pretty well sketched out and enjoyable. The first half of the story almost feels more like a comedy, due to the hilarious bits of misunderstanding between all the royal main characters - Prince Reginald just wants to kind of find adventure and has no interest in marriage or princely duties, his valet Mortmain wants desperately to make him act like a prince and aims to betroth him to the Princess, the Princess Cerise wants Reginald to love her as he's the only prince who seems genuine....etc. etc. It's all rather amusing and then around the midway point we switch to a story dealing with fantasy adventure, large dragons, and an evil wizard...which is itself fun and interesting but doesn't quite stand out as well and kind of feels very generic and ends rather abruptly, to the point I had to reread the ending twice to make sure I hadn't missed a plot point. The result is a book that's enjoyable and yet isn't quite either the heartwarming or fun fantasy adventure or screwball royal comedy it seemed poised to be.


Plot Summary:
Robert - full name: Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, which he certainly wishes it wasn't - has inherited his father's role as the local dragon exterminator for the small backwater Kingdom of Bellemontagne. It's a job he hates for all that he's good at it, for Robert feels a connection to and cares for dragons, and wishes he could do literally almost anything else.

Princes Cerise of Bellemontagne is so beautiful princes from all the neighboring kingdoms come to seek her hand. But she's tired of their suits and their clear falseness and wishes she could just be herself and maybe teach herself how to read. Yet when Crown Prince Reginald of the powerful nearby kingdom of Corvinia stumbles across her while she's incognito in the local forest and is actually modest and genuine with her, Cerise finds herself smitten and desperate to get Reginald's attention.

Of course Reginald has not come to Bellemontagne in search of a princess: he's come, under the guidance of his wise exasperated valet Mortmain, to find some adventure or quest he can do to prove he isn't a coward and is a worthy heir to his father....even if he desperately wishes he didn't need to do so or even be a prince. But then Mortmain comes up with the idea that Reginald can prove himself both by marriage and by hunting down a "dangerous" beast, a local big but not too dangerous variety of dragon perhaps. And what better way to ensure this hunt works than enlisting the local expert in Robert by promising him a job as a palace valet? Surely nothing could go wrong in that.....
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I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons kind of feels like two different kinds of books. On one hand you have a pretty ridiculous court intrigue/humor novel, featuring Cerise, who wants Reginald for being down to earth instead of a prince, Reginald, who wants to not be a prince but is sort of being forced by his valet to go on a quest to prove princely valor (and certainly has no interest in marriage or the princess), Reginald's valet Mortmain, who is trying to use his courtly talent to manage the prince and get things going in a satisfactory direction to the king (Mortmain is great), the Queen and King, who love their daughter but are fearful Reginald is really the next step in his father's expansionary tactics, etc. It's a lot of fun, and then you add in Robert, struggling with his hatred of a job that involves him killing what he loves and Robert's two commoner friends, one of whom loves Robert and the other, who helps Robert, has a crush on the other. Hijinx and misunderstandings all ensue, and it's helped by the fact that basically everyone is actually well meaning at heart and easy to either relate to or root for.

And then the book switches once Robert is hired by Mortmain to lead Reginald on a quest (which Cerise insists upon coming along with and bringing retainers to prove her worth as a wife) to slay a dragon who shouldn't be too dangerous even if that dragon is pretty big and needs to be slain in a particular way. Naturally things go wrong, and the trio wind up on an adventure where they're forced to confront a dangerous wizard who is wielding unnatural dragons on a quest for revenge...a wizard who has taken interest in Robert because Robert can, as the story implies at first, truly connect with dragons and might have a strange power over them. And so we have a story focusing mainly on the trio (leaving behind my favorite character, Mortmain) where Robert has to figure out who he really is power wise and what he can do, even if he doesn't want to be a hero or some dragonmaster, Cerise begins to have feelings for Robert (despite the latter thinking that's impossible for a commoner) and Reginald finding some small bit of courage even as it really can't amount to much.

This adventure plot isn't bad and it's enjoyable....but it just feels a lot more generic and unremarkable and things sort of happen because they have to (Cerise/Robert's romantic relationship just feels like it was done by the numbers), the antagonist is utterly unremarkable as just an evil wizard coming for revenge, and the final defeat of the antagonist requires a plot turn at the end that made me think one thing was happening when it really didn't and just ends quite abruptly. The adventure still does allow the book to somewhat continue with its main theme - that of characters who feel forced to fit into roles their birth and society has made for them even if they don't like those roles - but it just feels like the earlier half of the book was far more what I wanted.

In short, I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is fine, and I wouldn't recommend against it, but it just feels too fractured for me to love and recommend above many other books even with the same humorous tone.

There are so many dragons in the land that Robert is hired as an exterminator to get rid of them from castles. Then large dragons start showing up, and a cowardly prince is tasked with killing them and seeks Robert's help.
This was disappointing and tonally confused me. There were times when it seemed like it was twisting stereotypes, and then an evil wizard popped up, and he's played straight. My enjoyment of this book plummeted every time he showed up.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinions. And apologies for posting this so much later than planned!

Having read The Last Unicorn (and grown up watching the movie) I much anticipated I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons. It did not disappoint me. It has the same descriptive writing with all the humour of its predecessor. This is the story of Robert the reluctant dragon exterminator, hired by the royal family as pest controller as the castle is overrun with dragons - seriously, they're in the walls and everything! - but ending up acting as guide for a very unheroic Prince Reginald. Accompanied by the Princess Cerise, and a royal entourage, the three set off on a quest to prove the Prince a hero, but nothing goes according to plan...

There are three distinct character arcs, and each was very well done. I did find the story to be a bit darker than my old favorite, but I think this will still appeal to the YA crowd, especially with its easy readability and positive messages.

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended for fans of fantasy.

I’m not sure where to start with this book. It sounded interesting, but ended up falling a little flat for me.

We have a dragon exterminator who doesn’t want to be. A princess who has to find a husband and a prince who doesn’t want to be a prince because he always disappoints his father. Then there is the valet who just seems to be there at times as an important part of the story, but then never really does anything.

While the first half of the book was entertaining and funny, it started to drag out and at times I wasn’t even sure what the story was about or where it was going. The ending felt unsatisfying as nothing seemed to really happen or get settled between the characters.

The only character that changed or had any amount of growth was the princess and I had a hard time connecting with her, or any of the characters really. I think my favorite things was the little dragons and we didn’t really get to see enough of them.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Robert is an exterminator. As the title suggests, it is his job to rid a residence of dragons, even if he rather admires the creatures. The current King and Queen have let the dragon situation sit for far too long before they finally call in Robert. At the castle, Robert meets a princess. The princess meets a prince and all of a sudden, there is a quest.

Robert is the eternal hero who is unware of this talents. The Prince is trying to be a hero without knowing who he is. And the Princess does not need to be rescued but wants a partner. In this fairy tale, the King and Queen are clueless but the villagers are smarter than most give them credit for.

This story might be called a cozy fantasy, but the killing (of dragons) and the cruel magic makes it more of a straight fantasy for me. The tale of these champions who shun society’s limitations and make the world a better place has something for the all the fairy tale lovers out there. I’m Afraids You’ve Got Dragons is a totally charming story filled everything you would expect in a fairy tale – heroines, heroes, and villians. In a word it is magical.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

in a backwater kingdom where dragons are viewed as common pests, a dragon exterminator, the princess of the kingdom, and a rather inept prince struggle to define themselves outside the narrow roles society has assigned them.

i don’t think i ever got around to reading the last unicorn as a kid, so i’m afraid you’ve got dragons was my introduction to peter s. beagle. it’s a quaint, if predictable, fantasy adventure with odd pacing—the plot doesn’t start until around the halfway point, and then it hurries along to a confused, unsatisfying end that left me with more questions than answers. i enjoyed the whimsy and hints of tongue-in-cheek humor in beagle’s writing more than the story itself.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons was really a fun read. The story has interesting characters with their own fears and wishes: a prince who wants just to be himself and not what his father wants him to be; a strong and independent princess; and a dragon slayer with a special connection to the dragons who wants to be a prince's valet. It was interesting to see how they interacted on their journey. And somehow they reminded me of the characters from the series Merlin. I'm not sure if it was because of the setting or the relationship between the characters.
If you like dragons, an exciting journey and an enjoyable writing style then this book is for you.

Thanks to Peter S. Beagle and Saga Press for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle in exchange for an honest review. I grew up loving the movie The Last Unicorn and only finally read it as an adult a few years ago. After reading that book, I knew I wanted to read this one, especially with my great love of dragons. This book was fun and surprising. I loved the disregarded gender roles and turning the dragon quest on its head. This was a refreshing read that I am recommending to all ages and genders.

Fantasy at its best. Robert is a dragon hunter in the Kingdom of Bellemontagne. Taking over the position from his father was just not Robert's goal in life. But it's a job and he does it. He only rescues the very unusual small dragons, or the really cute ones, and brings them home to his mother's house. And mothers everywhere recognize the giant sighs and eye rolls she bestows upon Robert. So, if Robert doesn't want to be a dragon catcher, what does he want to do with his life? He wants to be a prince's valet. Through his work at various castles he meets a number of princes, who, guess what - don't want to be princes. They would rather try their hands at dragon hunting, or farming, or raising farm animals. Anything except continuing to be princes.

Enter Princess Cerise. She is expecting a visit from her possible intended, which would create a very powerful kingdom. Unfortunately, her castle is infested with dragons, including the one who is the very biggest, the very worst of all dragons - ever. She calls on Robert to save the day. As Robert battles dragons, meets an evil wizard, he may or may not fall in love with Princess Cerise.

This story begs for a sequel.

Enjoyable read for young audiences without too much romance. It has the classic elements of a fantasy story, royalty, dragons, adventure, danger, and plot twists to keep you reading.

This is a vintage, high fantasy adventure.
Thank you very much to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC!

I was really hoping for something more subversive and original from this book and was sad it never delivered. The characters felt flat and the plot never really drew me in.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons
By Peter S. Beagle

Beagle has been writing fantasy for a long time. He is the author of "The Last Unicorn", probably his most well-known work. In all his stories, he manages to inject humor into his mix of Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, wizards and dragons – and here a Dragon Master.

Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (known as Robert) is a dragon exterminator, following in his father's footsteps – and hating every minute of it. He feels a kinship with dragons that he can't explain. Along with Robert, we meet Princess Cerise of Bellemontagne; Prince Reginald of Corvinia and his valet Mortmain; the evil wizard, Dahr; and a host of other memorable characters. In typical Beagle, the story revolves around an adventure, almost a quest. Of course things go wrong – terribly wrong – before they ever go right and the right people end up together.

Beagle has received many literary awards over the course of his prolific career – all greatly deserved. This book is yet another story that is just plain fun.

I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

I had a hard time getting into it at the beginning but once I pushed through that, it was really good. Beagle always writes such an interesting and humorous story and this one was No exception. I loved the elements of girl power and how the boys were also willing to be a little sensitive. His characters are always so unique.

Fun quick read! Has a good time with it but did seem to a little cheesy for what I usually like. Good character development and a fun plot! I would for sure recommend it to almost anyone as a platelet cleanser between bigger books.

This reminded me of the book Kill the Farm Boy with its sarcastic take on the classic quest to win the princess and slay the dragon. I love the humor and how the characters were described. Their emotions were realistic. Despite the magical setting, the characters were very real in their quest to discover their true selves along the way to slay a dragon. Adults and children alike will enjoy it.