What a cheeky premise!

Legendary fableist Peter S. Beagle has concocted a fairy tale that could only spring from his imagination. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Helioglabalus Thrax (who would rather be called ‘Robert’) inherited the family trade as dragon exterminator. Dragons come in all shapes and sizes, you see, and infest the walls of castles like vermin. The problem—he liked the dragons. He had a certain affinity to them.

The fable unfolds with wizards and princes and markets and princesses—as one would expect. The way it unfolds is unexpected. The back cover tells the truth: “What happens next is not the fairy tale you may be expecting.”

I’ve loved Beagle’s storytelling since I first watched the bittersweet animated version of his iconic tale, The Last Unicorn. A lot has changed between 1968 and 2024 (56 years!), but Beagle remains the master.

Beagle, Peter S. I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons. Saga Press, 2024.