In this fantasy tale of two cultures, a struggling young
artist in London meets the enforcers for the art gallery
owner's loan, while an eleven prince finds it's time to
grow up and make his way.
TOO MANY FAIRY PRINCES starts off
in the cavern where an ensorcelled husk holds the remnants
of the old king, who sets his four sons to compete for his
throne. The youngest is traditionally the winner in such
tales; hearing this, one of the princes arranges for the
youngest brother to die. Clearly the gloves are off and
the three remaining brothers can trust nobody. Prince
Kjartan is horrified by the death, and next has to battle
off wraiths... in so doing, he magically travels to the
world of men, aboveground and full of painful iron.
Young Joel is cycling around London trying to find the
resources to pay off the loan to save his job. The gallery
owner was hit by a car and is in hospital, so it's up to
him. Joel got taken for a ride once before, when a
boyfriend skipped the country with his savings, and what
with the cost of flat rental he's not well off. He's got
to defend himself against the enforcers, but then stumbles
across an elf lying unconscious in rubbish bins. Kjartan
is injured, and when he comes around, demands Joel be his
servant. Can this day get any worse?
This has to be one of the most unusual stories I've read in
some time, with the unpleasantness of the elf land
contrasted with the plain honesty and artistry of Joel, and
casual violence topped by a visit to the inside of
Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty proves a most excellent
heroine, I must say, and a welcome guest in the tale.
If you've wondered how it would feel to battle a swarm of
goblins, or to fall gradually in love with a proud elfish
prince, read TOO MANY FAIRY PRINCES. By turns it's funny
and reckless, and it's always entertaining. The best
summing-up I can give it is that it's for Roald Dahl fans
who have grown up. While it's a gay romance, the alternate
sexuality content is a small part of the story and could be
read by teenagers.
Happily ever after doesn’t always come quietly. Sometimes it puts up a fight. Kjartan’s family is royally dysfunctional. He’d prefer to ignore the lot of them, but can’t since his father has set him and his brothers on a quest to win a throne Kjartan doesn’t even want. Worse, his younger brother resorts to murder and forces Kjartan to teleport—without looking where he’s going. Art gallery worker Joel Wilson’s day has gone from hopeless, to hopeful, then straight to hell. One minute he’s sure his boss has found a way to save the floundering business, the next he’s scrambling to sell everything to pay off a loan shark. If anyone needs a fairy godmother right now, it’s Joel. What he gets is a fugitive elven prince in a trash bin. They’ll both have to make the best of it, because fairy tales run roughshod over reluctant heroes. Particularly when there aren’t enough happy endings to go around. Warning: This sweet romance contains a starving artist trying to scrape together a living, extreme sibling rivalry, royalty behaving outrageously, and elves being unreasonably beautiful, grotesque or deadly.
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