The Dragons 1: Camelot

Colin Thompson (author/illustrator)

Random House, Australia: 2009; 230pp

ISBN: 9781741663815

Genres: humour, parody

'This is the story of King Arthur, who was not a superhero. He was a nasty little spoilt brat who was totally up himself. Or was he...?'

Arthur, it seems, is not a legend in the making. Or only the kind of legend that leaves people shuddering with horror and dread rather than impressed, uplifted, and inspired. Packed with seriously bad (and therefore very funny) puns and plenty of references to all the crude and vulgar functions of the human body which amuse children the most,

The Dragons: Camelot is a classic 'what if' narrative. What if Arthur wasn't a sensitive, intelligent, noble-hearted young boy ready to learn all he could to become a great leader? What if Morgan Le Fey wasn't a scheming power-hungry madwoman but a strong-minded, intelligent young lady with feminist principles? What if nothing but the names was accurate?

Dragons as an endangered species, knights with more bone than brain, too many nannies in the attic and a child with a very unusual talent: Thompson takes great delight in turning an idealised story into a hilarious parody. Very clever; very funny; and the best news yet - this is only the first in a series that looks to become as popular as The Floods.