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Jason Cosmo Classic Series (1989-1993) #2
Royal Chaos
The royal wedding of Mercury Boltblaster and Queen Raella is disrupted by an assassin's arrow, which kills the blushing bride, and Jason Cosmo, best man, must find the party-crashing assassin
239 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Dan McGirt
18 books41 followersDAN MCGIRT is the author of the Jason Cosmo fantasy adventure series, beginning with Hero Wanted and continued in Noble Cause and Royal Crush. He also writes the Jack Scarlet modern pulp adventure series, beginning with Jack Scarlet: Deepfire. His previous books comprise the original Jason Cosmo Non-Trilogy: Jason Cosmo, Royal Chaos and Dirty Work.
Dan also writes the Thursday Things weekly newsletter, which collects uplifting, offbeat, or otherwise interesting items he finds in his online and offline reading.
Dan also writes the Thursday Things weekly newsletter, which collects uplifting, offbeat, or otherwise interesting items he finds in his online and offline reading.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 31, 2024
Had a cover by josh kirby, blurb was obvious comic fantasy, reviews stated it had a hint of pratchett.
It was silly. Very easy reading to be taken very lightly. No depth or twisting plot.
Scores 2 pratchetts out of 10, just from the imagery of the 'universe' it takes place in.
Raised a smile in a couple of places when it broke the 4th wall and some mentions such as 'the festival of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil'.
Comical, but quick and unobtrusive. Good bits here and there, crap bits too. Might read the first and third in series fir the hero of it.
It was silly. Very easy reading to be taken very lightly. No depth or twisting plot.
Scores 2 pratchetts out of 10, just from the imagery of the 'universe' it takes place in.
Raised a smile in a couple of places when it broke the 4th wall and some mentions such as 'the festival of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil'.
Comical, but quick and unobtrusive. Good bits here and there, crap bits too. Might read the first and third in series fir the hero of it.
June 14, 2024
Much improved from the first book in the series although still has the same issues. Excellent world building and some very funny moments his portrayal of the gods continue to make me laugh.
December 23, 2014
Royal Chaos:
This is an old favourite of mine but I haven’t read it for many years, so I was worried that it might not live up to my fond memories. Luckily, I found I had no reason to worry. I haven’t read the book preceding this one (Jason Cosmo) but I found it unnecessary to appreciate this.
There’s a Pratchettian element to Royal Chaos, from a slightly garish original cover (not the newer one pictured here) that resembles early Discworld to an actual disk shaped world to the unashamedly, joyfully parodic format. This book is loud, bright and noisy, not as sophisticated a Pratchett can be but still with some clever things to say amongst its lamp-shaded conventions, exaggerated tropes and literal deus ex machina. It’s great fun.
Jason Cosmo is our farm boy secretly descended from a legendary warrior and destined to take up his mantle, just like more fantasy heroes than I can name. He has the strength of ten men, a magical sword, the favour of a goddess and the ability to talk to squirrels. His best friend is one of the world’s most powerful sorcerers. His one true love is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Now they must set out on a quest for vengeance. The novel knows better than to take any of this too seriously. Just because narrative lore must be followed (Jason is as aware as the reader that there are certain rules that a fantasy character should obey), that doesn’t mean that it can’t be laughed at with genuine affection.
What most impressed me on this reread was that whilst the novel embraces many traditions of fantasy, it still manages to sneak in some progressiveness that you might not notice if you’re not paying attention (I certainly missed it on earlier reads). Whilst there is a fair share of damsels to be saved, there are also female characters at nearly every level of society and in every role – the military for instance seems to be an equal opportunity employer with more than one female commander, including its most senior general. More than once a reference was made to the great swordsperson/magician/bounty hunter [insert name here] and I assumed that character was male because normally those characters are male, only to later find them being referred to with female pronouns and with no one questioning that women could play those roles as well as men. I was also quite astonished to find a good guy being referred to as “swarthy”, which is a phrase that is nearly always reserved for dark-skinned villains (admittedly, there are a couple of them later in one of the more uncomfortable moments). Our heroes here include plenty of bronze and olive-skinned characters as well, again at all levels (from gods to human warriors and sorcerers).
It’s not the most ground-breaking or significant fantasy novel ever written and it’s not a read that requires too much brainpower, but it does deserve to be better known. Fun and refreshing without losing its heart, it’s well worth your time.
This is an old favourite of mine but I haven’t read it for many years, so I was worried that it might not live up to my fond memories. Luckily, I found I had no reason to worry. I haven’t read the book preceding this one (Jason Cosmo) but I found it unnecessary to appreciate this.
There’s a Pratchettian element to Royal Chaos, from a slightly garish original cover (not the newer one pictured here) that resembles early Discworld to an actual disk shaped world to the unashamedly, joyfully parodic format. This book is loud, bright and noisy, not as sophisticated a Pratchett can be but still with some clever things to say amongst its lamp-shaded conventions, exaggerated tropes and literal deus ex machina. It’s great fun.
Jason Cosmo is our farm boy secretly descended from a legendary warrior and destined to take up his mantle, just like more fantasy heroes than I can name. He has the strength of ten men, a magical sword, the favour of a goddess and the ability to talk to squirrels. His best friend is one of the world’s most powerful sorcerers. His one true love is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Now they must set out on a quest for vengeance. The novel knows better than to take any of this too seriously. Just because narrative lore must be followed (Jason is as aware as the reader that there are certain rules that a fantasy character should obey), that doesn’t mean that it can’t be laughed at with genuine affection.
What most impressed me on this reread was that whilst the novel embraces many traditions of fantasy, it still manages to sneak in some progressiveness that you might not notice if you’re not paying attention (I certainly missed it on earlier reads). Whilst there is a fair share of damsels to be saved, there are also female characters at nearly every level of society and in every role – the military for instance seems to be an equal opportunity employer with more than one female commander, including its most senior general. More than once a reference was made to the great swordsperson/magician/bounty hunter [insert name here] and I assumed that character was male because normally those characters are male, only to later find them being referred to with female pronouns and with no one questioning that women could play those roles as well as men. I was also quite astonished to find a good guy being referred to as “swarthy”, which is a phrase that is nearly always reserved for dark-skinned villains (admittedly, there are a couple of them later in one of the more uncomfortable moments). Our heroes here include plenty of bronze and olive-skinned characters as well, again at all levels (from gods to human warriors and sorcerers).
It’s not the most ground-breaking or significant fantasy novel ever written and it’s not a read that requires too much brainpower, but it does deserve to be better known. Fun and refreshing without losing its heart, it’s well worth your time.
February 6, 2016
I loved this adventurous, laugh-out-loud book. Dan McGirt writes a fun fantasy story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with characters that face danger on a regular basis while balancing their involvement with magic, evil wizards and warlords, and the Gods. I’m eager to see what Dan will do with the hero Jason Cosmo next.
In this, the second book in the non-trilogy, Jason, the most feared man in the Eleven Kingdoms forced to live with the image as a terrible marauder who eats babies for breakfast and drinks blood for wine, along with Merc, Cosmo’s best friend, team up to avenge the death of his bride at their wedding. On the way, they’ll slowly yet surely learn of the treachery of the Dark Magic Society and who the mastermind behind the Queen’s death is. They’ll endanger themselves to dangerous potions with scary life altering warning labels, hunger for Burgher Lord, witness the Orphalians wage war which is more like going to a Barnum and Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus, and so much more.
I recommend this highly entertaining, funny, fast-paced, fantasy/adventure book to all who simply enjoy having a good time. It’s great for all ages; pre-teens, teens, and adults.
In this, the second book in the non-trilogy, Jason, the most feared man in the Eleven Kingdoms forced to live with the image as a terrible marauder who eats babies for breakfast and drinks blood for wine, along with Merc, Cosmo’s best friend, team up to avenge the death of his bride at their wedding. On the way, they’ll slowly yet surely learn of the treachery of the Dark Magic Society and who the mastermind behind the Queen’s death is. They’ll endanger themselves to dangerous potions with scary life altering warning labels, hunger for Burgher Lord, witness the Orphalians wage war which is more like going to a Barnum and Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus, and so much more.
I recommend this highly entertaining, funny, fast-paced, fantasy/adventure book to all who simply enjoy having a good time. It’s great for all ages; pre-teens, teens, and adults.
March 19, 2009
Second in a trilogy (or an incomplete series) of humorous fantasy. McGirt does a pretty good job with his comic villains, but the rest of the text isn't so strong. Parodying the genre leaves very little of substance for the plot.
April 25, 2013
Favorite Series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews