Mary Brown's The Unlikely Ones could best be described as a modern folktale, a strange and magical tale involving talking animals, witches' curses, unicorns and dragons. The Unlikely Ones takes many of the tropes of folklore and...
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Mary Brown's The Unlikely Ones could best be described as a modern folktale, a strange and magical tale involving talking animals, witches' curses, unicorns and dragons. The Unlikely Ones takes many of the tropes of folklore and fantasy -- the quest, the party of adventurers, the dragon -- and then turns them on their head -- the quest is to get rid of precious gems; the party of adventurers is a hunched girl, a rusty knight and a group of animals; the dragon is . . . well, you'll have to read and find out. The result is an utterly charming and delightful novel that made me laugh and also sniffle a little at certain points. Plus, it has alliterative poetry in it, and I have no defense against that literary form as a Medievalist. So, why am I knocking off two stars? Well, the novel is overwritten and drags towards a somewhat anticlimatic end. I found myself skimming through the last few chapters in impatience. I also was unconvinced by the romance between two of the characters, primarily because I found the male half of it entirely unattractive in every way. He was rude, patronising, misogynistic, and, most unforgivably of all, had an intermittent Irish Brogue that would make the Lucky Charms Leprechaun cry. Nevertheless, a worthwhile and absorbing read. Comment | Was this review helpful to you?
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