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King's Quest #3
See No Weevil
In charge of Daventry while her parents attend a wedding, Princess Rosella launches preparations for the Harvest Festival that suit her own taste and inadvertently unleashes millions of ravenous weevils throughout the kingdom. Original.
1 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 22, 2020
Gosh that was all kinds of fun!! I love King’s Quest, and played a lot of KQVII as a kid so I’ve always liked Rosella for being strong minded and resourceful. It was fun to read about her. I love the games and I’ve loved revisiting them in this book series. I wish Graham had been in this one more, but overall I really liked it.
June 5, 2018
As of this exact moment, this book is selling for a minimum of $8,000.
Is it worth $8,000?
Oh, gods, no, are you insane? No book is worth $8,000! But...it is fun.
It's entirely possible that I'm thinking too loftily of it after the second in the trilogy. Kingdom of Sorrow refused to successfully take advantage of its respectable build ups, consistently falling flat on its royal nose. This book tones back the drama considerably, while heightening it at the same time. Because it actually follows through with its scenes and has distinct payoffs, huzzah!
There are several reasons why See No Weevil works while Kingdom of Sorrow failed. First, the double-team that makes up Morr consists of Mark Sumner and Martha Kneib (who is in fact under a double layer of pseudonym, often going by the name Marella Sands according to the King's Quest FanWiki?). If my research is correct, then these two authors both tend to write for children. Sumner also has a few other cash-grab adaptations for Magic: The Gathering, but for the most part, these two write comfortably for a younger audience. Their protagonist in this case is not yet 15. They seem more confident with Rosella as compared to Graham in KoS, who is probably in his middle-to-late 20s. The angst of a spoiled princess is much easier to write than the fears of a fully grown and confident monarch.
That confidence with their main character is amplified by the smaller scope of the novel. Rather than following a king (who, again, they seemed reluctant to write about in the first place) cross-country across a good chunk of the continent, this tale takes place *exclusively* in Daventry proper. Most of it just within Daventry Castle itself, occasionally going as far as, what, six miles out? The small scope gives Morr a chance to flesh out its characters and allow Rosella to develop. Shockingly, of all three novels in the series, this is the ONLY one that actually has character arcs! Multiple character arcs! There's development from all the main cast! It's really rather impressive, considering it's just a cash-grabby adaptation. This may be helped by the fact that Morr already invented several of these characters for KoS and feels happier spinning out a yarn for them. William and Oswold made brief appearances in the previous book.
The book is much better at showing than telling. It gets a little silly and direct in places, but for the most part, especially with Rosella, there's a naturalness that feels rather smooth and easy. Also, Rosella is allowed to solve just about all her problems herself. Farquhar's occasional help is a springboard for her own solutions. This, compared to Graham who didn't start solving his own problems until 2/3rds of the way through KoS, is most refreshing and helps balance the Game characters with the Original characters.
Furthermore, Morr seems to have actually glanced at the games they're supposed to be adapting for more than twenty seconds. Graham is no longer sporting bizarre blonde locks. There's a more distinct sense of puzzles and solutions. It may even be better, in this regard, than Floating Castle because it isn't drawing the readers' attention to the puzzles and the solutions so obviously. Instead, it feels more organic.
So, if comparing the mediocre Kingdom of Sorrow to See No Weevil, Weevil deserves a five stars of solid improvement. The story is readable all the way through, and plays with wonderful court politics (admittedly dumbed down) that give the book flavor and character. Rosella and her crew are interesting, well developed, and have arcs. The story maintains a pretty uniform style throughout. There are fewer tension-ruining detours, and most of the plot points lead into each other, building up and up and up into some decidedly and surprisingly tense moments for a cash-grab-novel.
But.
This is the final of a trilogy, and as such, it requires the reader to consider the set as a whole. And, in the end, I still think Floating Castle is stronger as a King's Quest novel. See No Weevil is a tolerable fantasy. It's light years ahead of Kingdom of Sorrow, but still well behind most fantasy. Since it doesn't play with its gameplay counterpart to the same level as Floating Castle, I feel it's missed its purpose, ever so slightly. Go figure, I want the adaptation to feel more like an adaptation.
It's still a really good little read, zingy and snarky and balancing comedy and drama well, but somehow still missing just a tiiiiny fraction of a spark of life that Mills somehow managed to generate. I somehow can't think as fondly on Oswold, William, and the Piper as I can Morowyn, Cyril, Lydia, AND ESPECIALLY TELGRIN MY SNARKY VILLAIN LOVE. To be fair, though, Farquhar is kinda cute (though I can't quite read where it was going with him, as a mentor figure to Rosella's not-yet-15) and I'm way into the talking magic book that hums hold music while it's looking for the right section.
If anything, I'm actually sorry that this trilogy is over now. A Valanice-focused book would be well appreciated, to wrap up the whole royal family. But we shall be content with that which we were given.
If you're into the King's Quest series, it's definitely worth reading. If you're just looking for a tolerable fantasy, maybe a little more slowly paced with politics, and with a WHOLE TON OF REALLY DISGUSTING SWARMING BUGS EWWW, you could probably come here, if your To-Read pile is small (and you have the aforementioned $8,000 lying around). If you want something really good, a stand alone fantasy that'll knock your socks off...then why are you even looking at a video game adaptation, you fool. Go read Rothfuss or something.
Review of book one, The Floating Castle, over heeeeeere!
Review of book two, Kingdom of Sorrow, over heeeeeere!
Is it worth $8,000?
Oh, gods, no, are you insane? No book is worth $8,000! But...it is fun.
It's entirely possible that I'm thinking too loftily of it after the second in the trilogy. Kingdom of Sorrow refused to successfully take advantage of its respectable build ups, consistently falling flat on its royal nose. This book tones back the drama considerably, while heightening it at the same time. Because it actually follows through with its scenes and has distinct payoffs, huzzah!
There are several reasons why See No Weevil works while Kingdom of Sorrow failed. First, the double-team that makes up Morr consists of Mark Sumner and Martha Kneib (who is in fact under a double layer of pseudonym, often going by the name Marella Sands according to the King's Quest FanWiki?). If my research is correct, then these two authors both tend to write for children. Sumner also has a few other cash-grab adaptations for Magic: The Gathering, but for the most part, these two write comfortably for a younger audience. Their protagonist in this case is not yet 15. They seem more confident with Rosella as compared to Graham in KoS, who is probably in his middle-to-late 20s. The angst of a spoiled princess is much easier to write than the fears of a fully grown and confident monarch.
That confidence with their main character is amplified by the smaller scope of the novel. Rather than following a king (who, again, they seemed reluctant to write about in the first place) cross-country across a good chunk of the continent, this tale takes place *exclusively* in Daventry proper. Most of it just within Daventry Castle itself, occasionally going as far as, what, six miles out? The small scope gives Morr a chance to flesh out its characters and allow Rosella to develop. Shockingly, of all three novels in the series, this is the ONLY one that actually has character arcs! Multiple character arcs! There's development from all the main cast! It's really rather impressive, considering it's just a cash-grabby adaptation. This may be helped by the fact that Morr already invented several of these characters for KoS and feels happier spinning out a yarn for them. William and Oswold made brief appearances in the previous book.
The book is much better at showing than telling. It gets a little silly and direct in places, but for the most part, especially with Rosella, there's a naturalness that feels rather smooth and easy. Also, Rosella is allowed to solve just about all her problems herself. Farquhar's occasional help is a springboard for her own solutions. This, compared to Graham who didn't start solving his own problems until 2/3rds of the way through KoS, is most refreshing and helps balance the Game characters with the Original characters.
Furthermore, Morr seems to have actually glanced at the games they're supposed to be adapting for more than twenty seconds. Graham is no longer sporting bizarre blonde locks. There's a more distinct sense of puzzles and solutions. It may even be better, in this regard, than Floating Castle because it isn't drawing the readers' attention to the puzzles and the solutions so obviously. Instead, it feels more organic.
So, if comparing the mediocre Kingdom of Sorrow to See No Weevil, Weevil deserves a five stars of solid improvement. The story is readable all the way through, and plays with wonderful court politics (admittedly dumbed down) that give the book flavor and character. Rosella and her crew are interesting, well developed, and have arcs. The story maintains a pretty uniform style throughout. There are fewer tension-ruining detours, and most of the plot points lead into each other, building up and up and up into some decidedly and surprisingly tense moments for a cash-grab-novel.
But.
This is the final of a trilogy, and as such, it requires the reader to consider the set as a whole. And, in the end, I still think Floating Castle is stronger as a King's Quest novel. See No Weevil is a tolerable fantasy. It's light years ahead of Kingdom of Sorrow, but still well behind most fantasy. Since it doesn't play with its gameplay counterpart to the same level as Floating Castle, I feel it's missed its purpose, ever so slightly. Go figure, I want the adaptation to feel more like an adaptation.
It's still a really good little read, zingy and snarky and balancing comedy and drama well, but somehow still missing just a tiiiiny fraction of a spark of life that Mills somehow managed to generate. I somehow can't think as fondly on Oswold, William, and the Piper as I can Morowyn, Cyril, Lydia, AND ESPECIALLY TELGRIN MY SNARKY VILLAIN LOVE. To be fair, though, Farquhar is kinda cute (though I can't quite read where it was going with him, as a mentor figure to Rosella's not-yet-15) and I'm way into the talking magic book that hums hold music while it's looking for the right section.
If anything, I'm actually sorry that this trilogy is over now. A Valanice-focused book would be well appreciated, to wrap up the whole royal family. But we shall be content with that which we were given.
If you're into the King's Quest series, it's definitely worth reading. If you're just looking for a tolerable fantasy, maybe a little more slowly paced with politics, and with a WHOLE TON OF REALLY DISGUSTING SWARMING BUGS EWWW, you could probably come here, if your To-Read pile is small (and you have the aforementioned $8,000 lying around). If you want something really good, a stand alone fantasy that'll knock your socks off...then why are you even looking at a video game adaptation, you fool. Go read Rothfuss or something.
Review of book one, The Floating Castle, over heeeeeere!
Review of book two, Kingdom of Sorrow, over heeeeeere!
November 30, 2025
My comments about the two previous books in this series hold up here. Yes, three characters and the name of the kingdom share their names with those in the computer game series. I don't know that the connection to King's Quest goes father than that, though. I'd love to see people and landmarks from the games mentioned, even in passing, or for a character to describe a brief flashback to something canonical. This story features Rosella in Daventry, but it could just as easily be Jennifer in Sunland or some other made-up fantasy location. That's not to say the stories are bad. Just that they won't add anything to your understanding of Daventry or King's Quest.
This story actually did some things well. It started slowly, with no real conflict introduced in the first quarter of the book. Chronologically, it would be situated between King's Quest II and III. Rosella hasn't yet gone off on any big adventures, but I was hoping for more of the heroine from KQ4. Instead, she wandered about, complaining that people didn't treat her as an adult (note: she's 14) and weren't deferential enough because, as her catch phrase seems to be, "But I'm the princess!"
The conflict itself seemed minor at first, but it does develop into an engaging story. There are enough complications and setbacks to keep the reader interested. And I thought it came together well--there were a few dangling storylines that were all resolved with a satisfying ending (perhaps a bit rushed right at the end, but overall well done). Farquhar was an enjoyable character and, for me, the star of the show.
My biggest problems generally revolve around Rosella. I wanted her to be strong. Instead, she's a brat for much of the story, giving orders because she's her parents' daughter and despite her lack of knowledge and experience. Beyond that, the conflict begins with her vanity, the attempts to resolve it are stalled by her vanity, and many of the failures can be traced back directly to her vanity.
A worthwhile read for avid King's Quest fans, as long as they don't expect too much King's Quest to be included. And, while a previous review mentioned that the book was selling for $8,000, I see it's now going for the paltry sum of only $1,000--yes, a bit mangled, but that's 87.5% off, right? (Note: That's the other big obstacle, I suppose. It's out of print and ridiculously expensive. A decent book, but I wouldn't actually recommend spending $1,000 on it.)
This story actually did some things well. It started slowly, with no real conflict introduced in the first quarter of the book. Chronologically, it would be situated between King's Quest II and III. Rosella hasn't yet gone off on any big adventures, but I was hoping for more of the heroine from KQ4. Instead, she wandered about, complaining that people didn't treat her as an adult (note: she's 14) and weren't deferential enough because, as her catch phrase seems to be, "But I'm the princess!"
The conflict itself seemed minor at first, but it does develop into an engaging story. There are enough complications and setbacks to keep the reader interested. And I thought it came together well--there were a few dangling storylines that were all resolved with a satisfying ending (perhaps a bit rushed right at the end, but overall well done). Farquhar was an enjoyable character and, for me, the star of the show.
My biggest problems generally revolve around Rosella. I wanted her to be strong. Instead, she's a brat for much of the story, giving orders because she's her parents' daughter and despite her lack of knowledge and experience. Beyond that, the conflict begins with her vanity, the attempts to resolve it are stalled by her vanity, and many of the failures can be traced back directly to her vanity.
A worthwhile read for avid King's Quest fans, as long as they don't expect too much King's Quest to be included. And, while a previous review mentioned that the book was selling for $8,000, I see it's now going for the paltry sum of only $1,000--yes, a bit mangled, but that's 87.5% off, right? (Note: That's the other big obstacle, I suppose. It's out of print and ridiculously expensive. A decent book, but I wouldn't actually recommend spending $1,000 on it.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews