Never Hollowed By The Stare

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Die – Greer Stothers

All his life, Sir Cameron has stayed as far away from danger as possible. He is, quite frankly, too handsome to die a violent and pointless death in battle. But when the Church hands down a prophecy to his fellow knights predicting that the only way to defeat their nemesis, the mad sorcerer Merulo, is to kill Cameron, he finds himself in a situation too sticky for even his considerable wiles. Short of ideas, Cameron throws himself on the mercy of the one person who now actually wants him to survive: the mad sorcerer.

Merulo isn’t thrilled to be babysitting a spoilt, attention-seeking knight, but fate has tied them together. And transmogrifying Cameron into a vulture is at least a great source of entertainment. Cameron, meanwhile, is on a voyage of self-discovery. It turns out he’s really, really into surly sorcerers who lock him up and tell him what to do. Who knew?

As a legion of knights surround their stronghold, the sorcerer’s poisonous ambitions draw ever closer to fruition. Cameron is quite invested in not dying, but he finds he’s also invested in Merulo. And sometimes, supporting the sorcerer you care about means taking an interest in their hobbies. Even if that hobby is trying to kill God.

Even if it might get you killed, too.

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Die by Greer Stothers is a post-apocalyptic fantasy about a himbo knight and a villainous sorcerer. The story is told in Sir Cameron’s 1st-person POV with occasional shifts to his former friend, Glenda’s 3rd-person perspective.

According to prophecy, Sir Cameron’s death will bring down Merulo, a notorious sorcerer hell-bent on killing God so the world can revert back to science. Hoping to escape his hunters, Cameron seeks sanctuary with Merulo himself, figuring the sorcerer would protect him. Instead, Merulo turns him into a vulture out of sheer annoyance because Cameron tends to put his foot in his mouth.

However, the more time Cameron spends with the dastardly sorcerer, the more he glimpses unexpected kindness beneath Merulo’s grumpy exterior and he finds himself falling. Bargaining his survival through household chores, Cameron is transformed into a woman and proceeds to seduce the sorcerer, who begrudgingly yields despite his protests. Later, Cameron is reverted back to himself still cheerfully adoring Merulo.

I want to like this more. The writing has that droll Terry Prachett vibe but doesn’t really say anything funny. The opening drags as well and it takes time before the story hits its stride.

The world building isn’t too clear either. It is only later that Merulo explains the lay of the land that I understand this is a medieval dystopian world where religion rules, magic is forbidden, and homophobia is present. The funniest parts are the chapter headings, long, rambling sentences reflecting Cameron’s convoluted thoughts.

Merulo is a very cantakerous skinny old man, highly intelligent, and powerful while Cameron, blond and muscular, is clueless. occasionally perceptive, and decidedly optimistic.The plot is mostly Cameron breaking down Merulo’s walls while Merulo, too aware of the seduction, allows him to do so. There is a fade-to-black BDSM element to their dynamic, where the shamelessly masochistic Cameron is always too eager for his punishments.

The romance shines with a super intense grumpy/sunshine dynamic that’s deceptively tender, highly kinky, and oddly sweet where Merulo calls Cameron a “fucking imbecile” for being too clueless while draining all his magic to save the knight’s life. The old man also shed tears of joy when Cameron confesses the L-word while denying he’s not in love with the knight at the picnic date he arranged for the two of them before he sacrifices his own arm and leg for his nefarious goals.

Later in the story, Merulo reunites with his estranged sister, a robust woman, equally powerful and highly adept at electronics, who roots hard for Merulo’s relationship with Cameron. The rest of the plot follows Cameron’s fellow knights and his former friends hunting him down to fullfill the prophecy.

Merulo’s other long-lost sister enters the fray, determine to stop her brother while also supportive of the sorcerer and the knight’s kinky pursuits. Glenda is attracted to her but nothing comes of it. The climax gives us a rather half-baked sci fi twist, still trying to be Terry Prachett, succeeding okay but I’m still not laughing.

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Die is story of needful deaths, blasphemous dreams, and welcome punishments.While the humor doesn’t hit the spot, the romance is an arrow straight to the kokoro. Overall, an apparently sinful tale of simping for the villain.

Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

Soundtrack: I Need To Die With You
Artist: Creepybrook feat. Home Made Humans
Album:

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