I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is a wild blend of cozy and high stakes fantasy with a band of unlikely allies fighting for their kingdom and for love.

Dragon exterminator Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, otherwise known as Robert, is visited by the King in the dead of night with the demand that he rid the castle of dragons. But that daunting task turns out to be just the beginning of a fiery adventure.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book and its focus on the castle, dragon market, and the different kinds of dragons but then the book took a huge turn and kind of became another story entirely. 

I wish, for a book with all these dragons, there was more of a focus on them rather than the romance subplot. I'd definitely read a side story just about the dragon market, the variety of dragons, and all the market vendors. I'd read a whole encyclopedia about the dragons of this world! 

Overall, it was a fun read but I just wanted more!

Follows the story of Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thorax, otherwise known as Robert. A dragon exterminator who wants to be a princes valet but actually becomes so much more than that.

This is my first dive into Beagles work and I loved his wit and humour. Beagles writing is an absolute joy to read, with fantastic world building and character development. An absolute must for any fantasy lover.

I loved the motley crew of characters and found even the villains likeable in some ways.

I'm afraid you've got dragons is a wonderous mix of heroic (albeit reluctant) deeds, witty banter and monsterous dragons with a healthy dose of believable romance. And that cover art.....?! 😍

I enjoy Peter Beagle's books tremendously. His explorations of character and theme in magical settings always gets me right in the heart. This book did not get me right in the heart, which is why I'm only rating it three stars.

By any measure but past Peter Beagle himself this is a great book. It subverts tropes about princes and princesses and dragons. It's cozy. I just don't usually expect cozy from this author. I expect melancholy hopefulness.

I was also expecting more dragons. If we had about twice as much dragon and half as much love triangle this would have been the book for me! Nothing wrong with the love triangle characters, they are all just very young and oblivious and I didn't care about who got the girl. Our hero's mother, I would have liked more of her too! She seemed like she had some sort of interesting mysterious past but we never find out any details.

The dragons are also where the book gets dark. Our hero is a dragon exterminator. He hates the job but does it because it was expected that he would continue the business after his father passed. Dragons are considered to be vermin in this book, at least until they get big enough to be deadly. There are several scenes of the dragon market with dragons and bits of dragons being abused and sold. Our hero ends up killing far more baby dragons than either he or I wanted him to. That's probably the deepest emotional response the book got from me, and it was never resolved in a satisfactory way.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. I was not obligated to leave a review. All opinions are my own


I've never read a book by this author. I knew of him of course. I'm sorry that it took me so long to discover his writing!
Right from the beginning this book drew me in. There was nothing boring about it or anything that made me feel like, "okay I've met the characters, get on with the story".
The world, while magical and fantastic also was so real as it was written. Dragons, castles, magic. So wonderfully written!

I loved this book. Equal parts cozy but intriguing, with plenty of humor to go around. The characters are all well fleshed out, and even the side characters are memorable. A heartwarming adventure that I am so delighted that I got the chance to experience.

One of the beautiful things about Beagle's writing (and there are many), is that readers are encouraged to linger within the world he has created. This isn't a story to rush through and Beagle gives readers a lot of think about when it comes to our individual roles within society... and if we can break out of the type casting (of sorts) that we are born in to. This is so much more than just a story about dragons - though they play a large part within the plot.

I adored being able to watch Princess Cerise find herself as the journey went along and that readers are given the hints of a romance that breaks societal norms. Robert may have fought being labeled as a hero for most of the novel but he became so much more than he expected from life. His horror and disgust with the realities of his job broke my heart at one point. It's a difficult scene to read but I adore Beagle all the more for including it and addressing it with the weight it deserved.

Overall this was a wonderful read and I was happy to be back in a world created by Beagle. The story has a satisfying conclusion, but there is definitely more to be told should he decide to revisit Bellemontagne.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Saga Press, and S&S/Saga Press in exchange for an honest review.

Peter Beagle just never lets me down. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, because the cover gives it a slightly silly, How To Train Your Dragon feel to me, which isn't a bad thing at all but doesn't really match the vibe of the rest of Beagle's body of work. And there is humor in this book, and moments of silliness! But at its heart, as with every Beagle book I've read, it takes the characters and their emotions as seriously as it takes the magic and the danger. the stakes are high, and heartbreak is just as dangerous as dragonfire, and reluctant heroes abound.

As a reader I find that I'm very attracted to real-feeling and well-drawn characters, and that plot is (a close) second. If the plot is lacking, great characters can pull me along; if the characters are lacking, I just don't care about what's happening. this is the sort of book that's perfect for me, because we get an interesting cast of characters who consistently charmed me as they each grew and changed and revealed more of themselves like plants slowly sprouting. Robert, in the family business of dragon pest control even though he loves dragons and hates exterminating them; Princess Cerise, who's bored of hosting princes hoping for her hand and instead is teaching herself to read and write; Prince Reginald, fleeing his father's expectations and putting the "wandering" first in "wandering hero;" and a whole side cast of delightful friends, family, and various dragons only Robert can hear.

This is a world that feels like it has a deep history we don't fully get to see, which I love, and our three protagonists subvert some expectations and play into others at just the right moments to make my heart soar and break and squeeze. And we get an interesting antagonist as well! though his part in the story is actually fairly small, he's the catalyst for a lot of really compelling change and growth in the main characters.

All in all, I really loved this book. it rang the same bell that hangs in my heart for The Last Unicorn, and it's going to stay with me for a long time.

This is an interesting read. Especially in the beginning, the story reads a bit like a fairy tale. So the characters are very much archetypes, each fulfilling a very familiar set-piece role within the narrative. We have the bossy, very talkative king, the manipulative and wise queen, the stunningly beautiful princess beset by hordes of desperate suitors. And the noble, incredibly handsome prince, who somehow is not swept away by the princess’s stunning good looks.

However, at the heart of the story is Robert, who was christened Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, and is a dragon exterminator, having taken over the business since his father’s sudden death. Having been apprenticed to his father since he was knee-high to a hen, he’s extremely good at the job, but loathes it as he really likes dragons and hates having to kill them. But he’s trapped in the job as he also has a family relying on his wages – his mother and sisters. Not to mention all those dragons he keeps rescuing that need feeding. He is our protagonist. He also loves the princess, though he knows that’s pointless.

Each of the characters – including the evil wizard – are trapped within their roles and what’s expected of them. Though the writing is amusing and smart, this is a far darker book than it first appears. While dragons are clearly very clever and trainable – Robert has them performing domestic chores at home – they are also butchered as pests. But when a huge beast appears and lays waste to a village, Prince Reginald vows to go and kill it in a bid to try to prove himself to his tyrannical father. The expedition, organised by the beautiful and very capable Princess Ceris, starts off with everyone in high spirits singing songs and thoroughly enjoying themselves. It doesn’t end that way – and the wrong man ends up the hero of that particular encounter.

It’s a book that can be read on several levels – as a straightforward, if quirky, modern fairy tale after the style of the Grimm Brothers. But it’s also a comment on how we see ourselves and how quickly we can become trapped and defined by what we do. Any niggles? The pacing and narrative is wonderfully handled throughout, until the ending, which seems a bit abrupt. However, it’s not a dealbreaker in a book that brims with energy, lovely writing and rather desperate characters. Highly recommended for fans of classic fantasy. While I obtained an arc of I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

This is a well-written and enjoyable tale about a hero who doesn't want to be a hero, a prince who needs to be a hero and a princess who can't help not being a hero despite it not being the normal thing for a princess. Together the three of them muddle together to find their path. Its fun, heartwarming and was over far too soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't read any of Beagle's work before, though I vaguely remember the movie The Last Unicorn from my childhood. This felt like a bit more more grown up version of the books I enjoyed as a child up through my teenage years. It's a fun twist on the "handsome price, princess-in-distress, obscure chosen one" tropes we often find in fantasy. Beagle somehow manages to make all the characters endearing, even when they are making bad decisions, acting cowardly, or being frustrating, which is no easy feat. The dragons are appropriately cute or menacing, depending on which version the characters are encountering. It was well-paced and read quickly - once I started, I finished it in two days.

Although all the characters were well done, I especially liked Prince Reginald, because I found it so refreshing to have a "heroic prince" type character that actually had absolutely no desire at all to be a hero, conqueror, ruler, etc., and, in fact, was pretty cowardly at times, in a very realistic way. (I, too, would run away as fast as I could from fire breathing dragons and wouldn't blame anyone else for doing so either. It seems the far more sensible choice.) Some princes surely must have felt this way, but they never seem to show up in the stories somehow. I liked that we got one here. Robert, the reluctant dragon exterminator and even more reluctant hero, also felt believable as someone who just wants to be a normal person with a slightly better job.

I appreciated that none of these characters seek to be heroes or kings, or, in the princess' case, queen of a larger kingdom, or anything too ambitious. They largely just want to be either left alone to do their own things, free from parental expectations or, in Robert's case, just to get a nice job as a valet instead of dragon exterminator. I have trouble identifying with characters who want to rule or who are excited to go into battle to prove their worth. People who just want to have a little bit better situation in life and avoid being involved in any danger are people I understand. Of course, that doesn't work out for them, but it's nice that even when heroic situations are thrust upon them, they all still wish they could just have stayed under the radar and done their own thing rather than become these heroes. They do what they do because people they care about are in danger, and there is no one else around to do it. Their heroism feels much more realistic to me than the classic "guy on a horse gives an inspiring speech to lead troops into battle." This crew would be more likely to yell at everyone to run from the battle and save themselves, which is a sentiment I can get behind.

There are a few flaws. Robert turns into a much more formal, dramatic speaker when more exciting things are happening, and even a fantasy world 18 year old would not speak as maturely as these characters do, but that's easily overlooked. Without spoiling things, I do feel that these are some elements to the climax and Robert's nature in general that are never adequately explained. It's basically stated that they are not supposed to be, but I was left feeling like a small element was missing from the story as a result.

Overall, though, this was a fun fantasy romp. It manages to feel like a classic fantasy story while also turning a lot of classic fantasy tropes on their heads. I read a description of this that said it was like The Princess Bride with dragons. I don't think that's quite right - this is darker than the Princess Bride for sure, but if you liked that book or movie, I do think you'll also like this.

A charming quick read that feels very old school fantasy. Good mix of humour and whimsy, I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys cozy light fantasy books like The Last Unicorn or The Princess Bride.

my 11year old son and I sat and read this together every night and we both absolutely loved it. My son was excited for bed every morning just so he could get back to this and it was such a lovely thing to experience with him. brilliant

When Robert the dragon exterminator (a title and role he abhors, but it pays the bills) is requested to clear the castle of dragons, he finds himself a part of an adventure larger than he ever imagined. Now the visiting prince is requesting he teach him how to kill a dragon and the local princess is chasing them both down as they travel across the realm in search of a worthy foe. But none of them ever expected to find a new dragon species and challenge a vengeful wizard.

This was a fun new fantasy. I grew up with The Last Unicorn, and this was a great return to the same mystical world that Beagle brings to life. The characters were easy to imagine and their struggles, both physical and emotional, kept the story moving at a good pace. A perfect read for dragon fans looking for a quick standalone read.

This story felt delightfully nostalgic. I grew up loving The Last Unicorn and other books like The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. This feels like those. Timeless, full of heartwarming characters and romantic with just the right amount of cheese and humor.

While I was truly satisfied with the book, I would have loved to learn more about Robert's mysterious power and seen more with the little dragons he keeps in his home.

I will always recommend Peter S. Beagle to my customers who love timeless classic fantasy and fairy tales, but also to readers who have read modern authors like T. Kingfisher and are looking for that bit of humor and character driven plot.

'The warning came in the form of a great wind, sudden and cold, sweeping of of the western mountains on a perfectly bland and cloudless summer day.'

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons is the story of people coming together to face this challenge, but more than that, it's the story of these teenagers realizing that they are not who their roles force them to be, and trying to figure out who they are in the face of this danger, what they need and what they want.

Peter S. Beagle's writing is straightforward, though quite descriptive and I think the book is accessible to pre-teens and early teens also. The world-building is more focused on the dragons than on their kingdoms, which I didn't mind.

It is the character development and their individual arcs which really carried the book for me, and the story is very much character driven. I enjoyed seeing Princess Cerise's arc, ostensibly interviewing princes but teaching herself to read, sword fight and even spitball in secret! Prince Reginald also turns out to be a solid character, who doesn't want to be a hero but finds himself to be quite heroic if the situation demands it. Robert's arc from an inherited job of dragon exterminator to not is particularly engaging!

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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The rating for this book is 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4 stars as the book and the whole delivers a good read.

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters; One star for the story; Half a star for the writing; Half a star for the world-building and description - 3 1/2 stars in total].

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons
by Peter S. Beagle
YA Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub. Date: May 14, 2024
Saga Press
Ages: 12+

Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax, or Robert, was trained by his father to be a dragon catcher/exterminator, a job Robert never wanted, he dreamed of becoming a prince's valet, but he inherited the job after his father's death.

While it's a semi-lucrative job since dragons are common, coming in all shapes, sizes, and colors, infesting homes and castles, but Robert likes dragons and even keeps a number of them as pets.

But when called to the kingdom's castle to rid the place of a major infestation, Robert finds himself faced with the possibility of becoming a hero.


This is a cute story, but I had a hard time with it, as I was expecting more humor, some on the darker side, with a dash of 'cozy'.

But... there wasn't much 'drama', what was there read more like... 'we walked to the zoo during the day and slept at night,' with a few descriptors inserted here and there, and there wasn't a lot of humor, let alone anything 'dark', so it failed to really grab me and I had to force myself to read it, then fell asleep.

I feel as if this story is written for and aimed toward middle school readers, tweens. There's not a lot of violence, gore, language, or any other 'adult' themes, so it's suitable for younger ages.

2 Stars

I liked the little dragons. And that's about it that I liked.

I just found the book so boring. And the writing is extremely convoluted. It's not even that the plot is hard to follow. But the writing is so convoluted that it's hard to understand what's happening. The characters are as annoying as the book is boring. I didn't care about Robert nor about Cerise and Reginald.

I just found it so blah.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Peter never fails to weave fantasy and whimsy into wonderful journeys. I loved this book, as I love all his work. His prose speaks to me somewhere deep in my soul and it's so comforting.

Thank you so much to Peter (and Kathleen), Saga Press and Netgalley for this amazing ARC.

"I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons" by Peter S. Beagle is a delightful fantasy set in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, where dragons are as common as household pests. These dragons range in size from mouse-like nuisances to castle-smashing behemoths. Our protagonist, Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax—who prefers to be called Robert—has reluctantly inherited his late father's job as a dragon exterminator. This career choice is a source of great distress for Robert, who feels a kinship with dragons and dreams of the impossible: becoming a prince’s valet.

Robert's disdain for his inherited profession sets the stage for a fun and engaging story. He embarks on a quest with a snarky princess and a wayward prince, forming an unlikely group determined to save the kingdom. Along the way, they manage to subvert some expectations, adding layers of humor and unexpected twists to the narrative.

What I enjoyed most about "I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons" was how it balanced whimsical fantasy with heartfelt moments. Robert's internal conflict about his job and his dreams added depth to his character, making him more relatable. The dynamic between the characters was entertaining, with the snarky princess providing sharp wit and the wayward prince adding a touch of unpredictability.

While the story primarily focuses on Robert's adventures, it also offers a broader look at the kingdom of Bellemontagne and its quirky dragon problem. The world-building is imaginative, and Beagle’s writing brings the setting to life with vivid descriptions and engaging dialogue.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted read this book is a delightful choice.

Any chance I get to dive back into the writing of Peter S Beagle I will do it every time. I love the world building and detail in this story. I love high fantasy and Beagle delivers every time. The premise of this story is a fun take on the dragon craze that seems to be sweeping the literary would. I loved the world building, I always feel like the attention to detail transports me right into the book. There is really nothing that compares to the lyrical way that Beagle writes, he brings everything to life. I loved the characters, the damsel not in distress was a breath of fresh air. I loved Roberts character and how he was both the exterminator but also had compassion and tried to save all the dragons that he could. I honestly really liked the king and thought he was quite humorous. This is another one for my collection at home and I can't wait to see what is next for us from Beagle.