Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Die by Greer Stothers

Book Review

Melody Bowles

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Dieis billed as a ‘hilariously gay fantasy romance’ and it delivers that before taking a more experimental, genre-bending turn. It’s certainly one of the more original and creative stories I’ve read recently.

Each chapter begins with a short humorous description. I’m not sure the book’s sense of humour will appeal to everyone as it is deeply silly. The worst jokes for me were in the portion of the story where Cameron is transformed into a woman, which seemed to have been lifted from a 1950s sitcom. The rest primarily come from Cameron failing whatever it is he is trying to do. He gets only a tiny handful of wins in the entire book. 

The first half of the book, which delivers the romance, is the strongest and funniest part. Sir Cameron is a knight desperately trying to avoid death. Unfortunately, it has been prophesied that in order for the Church to triumph over the Mad Sorcerer Merulo, who wants to kill God, he must die. His elven friend, Glenda, volunteers to do the deed. Cameron nopes out and runs to Merulo for a rescue. During the interrogation portion of this meeting, it becomes apparent Cameron is a masochist and finds it entirely too enjoyable. This annoys Merulo so much that he turns the unfortunate knight into a vulture. Enemies to lovers has been done to death, so kudos to the author for finding a way to do a fresh take on it. I’ve never read another romance where one half of the couple spends multiple chapters as a vulture.

In the early part of the novel, the absurdity of the characters is grounded by notes of sadness. Cameron has never been liked. His father is desperately waiting to celebrate his noble death in service as a knight. Meanwhile, Merulo is disappointed Cameron lied about his motivations to save his own skin and isn’t actually interested in killing God, because Merulo is working hard to accomplish this and is very lonely.

But then all the character work is shoved aside in the back half of the novel. The romance becomes more of a subplot, and Cameron’s shenanigans take a backseat to what follows. The pace completely slumps in the middle as the twist derails the plot’s momentum, and it becomes more about Glenda trying to find Cameron. The problem with that is Glenda is one-note, at times a strawman bigot, and her story lacks a satisfying conclusion. She is literally booted through a portal and out of the narrative, so Cameron never gets a final confrontation with her, though she is the book’s main antagonist.

I do appreciate the creativity shown and the risks taken by the narrative. I just wish that the pacing had been adjusted and that the character arcs felt like they’d been completed to their full potential. Cameron, while ineffectual, at least seems to have a stake in the story in the first half, whereas in the back half he seems to flail around, not accomplishing anything and leaving the plot to other characters. And Cameron is unfortunately such a fun character that he makes the others dull by comparison.

Read Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Die if you want an absurd, genre-warping journey with a side helping of gay romance.