Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Unfortuneately i had to DNF this one. The characters would not gel with me and I stopped wanting to pick up the book. I think a big reason for this was the humor really wasnt for me

This still reads like a script that an actor should translate into a interesting outcome. The words don't make a prose and it's like reading someone telling you a story of the book rather than the book itself.

It game me much appreciation on how great actors like Rowan Atkinson convert these scripts into something immensely enjoyable. If this was made into a movie, I would have probably enjoyed it, but not fun to read.

DNF at about 40%

I was really looking forward to this book, but due to unforeseen circumstances that are outside of my hands. There’s been technical issues between NetGalley and kindle, which means I cannot access this document so unfortunately I cannot leave a review for this book, but I was really looking forward to, and from the premise of it sounded right up my alley.

I liked Worst Knights Ever as it was a fun and entertaining read.
The reason I'm giving it a 3 star rating instead of a 4 is that it didn't really make me laugh at all. It was a fun read bit it wasn't funny.

The writing was simple so I don't have much to say about it. I did like the characters!
I do also think this book would definitely have made a better movie.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

This book was extremely unfunny and really poorly put together, the prose was so amateur. I wasn't expecting much except a laugh and I couldn't find any here. Sorry, totally didn't work for me on any level and I expected it to.

Curiosity made me request an ARC of this book, and I'm so glad I did! It's different from all the other books I've read in the sense that I haven't read a book with similar humor and wit. I also love that the main characters are celebrities; it makes the story all the more hilarious. Every chapter has its own funny thing going on, and it's just been a fun reading experience for me overall.

I probably expected too much from this book - how could i not, with such an awesome premise!
And it was fun enough, i got some giggles and snorts in, alongside some cringes and winces.
It was a bit over the top, but a fun read all the same. I appreciate the opportunity to read it.

How on earth do I attribute a rating for Worst Knights Ever?! This is easily the most bonkers and silly book I’ve read this year, and possibly also my favourite premise! This book raises an important question about how I write book reviews: do I review my enjoyment of the story, the quality of the book, or a combination of the two? I have decided to give a non-committal middling review and cover both points, though individually they garner very different reviews…

The basic plot idea is truly inspired – when a dragon attacks London at a time when all the Queen’s military force is overseas, she’s forced to call on her knights to defend the realm from peril. The only problem is that she has only knighted celebrities, so the fate of the nation rests on the shoulders of the likes of Sean Connery and Elton John. The story is jam packed with cameos from famous brits and felt like a Sitcom at many points. As a brit myself, I found the whole story to be pretty cringey to be honest, but I love the notion that you’ll probably run into a British celebrity on every woodland walk and street corner!

I feel cruel writing this next bit, but if I was to review this book based purely on it’s quality of writing, I think this book was an utter shambles. Neither the story progression or characters were well written, and there appeared to be no attempt character development to speak of. The 180 pages of Worst Knights Ever honestly read to me like a piece of bizarre British fan-fiction, cramming in as many celebrities as possible. Several sections could be considered outright treasonous if not for how laid back the late Queen was, who I imagine would have found her absurd portrayal in the book hilarious!

Now, does this make it a bad book? By some standards, maybe – I had a lot of fun reading this book though, so that absolutely should count for something. In my opinion, this book has the same relationship to literature as the Scary Movie films have to the horror genre; those films have all the elements of a horror film, but they were obviously not attempts at creating genuinely ‘scary movies’. No-one criticises those movies for not being proper horror films, so by the same logic I don’t feel right judging Worst Knights Ever by the same metric as truly thought-provoking and immersive fantasy titles.

I had a lot of fun reading the Worst Knights Ever, and upon hearing that it was originally written as a screenplay for a Hollywood production, I truly feel the world has been robbed of a classic film! I have no regrets picking up this book, and I’d recommend giving it a go if you like the premise, and you’re fine with it not being a literary masterpiece.

Usually i like dark books and humour in Fantasy is a huge no no for me. Still, when i requested for this book, i had a thought that i will like it and just like i thought, i liked this book very much.

I was hooked from the first page and it didn’t let go until the end. I enjoyed the dragon elements going through this and thought it worked well overall. Dane Hanson has a great writing style and it had everything that I was expecting from this genre.

I am waiting for the second book in this series and will definitely give it a try too.

DNF-ed after about 20%. Unfortunately, the sense of humour of this book is not for me.

The basic concept of this book really appealed to me, that honorary knight celebrities are summoned to fight a dragon. I think whether you'll like this book or not will be 90% determined by if this kind of humour is for you or not. Several reviews compared this book to Monty Python which I love but turned out that the humour of this book and Monty Python's have only some overlapping areas and those are not the areas I like from MP. For me, the jokes and the overall satire style more felt like MAD magazine which I never particularly liked. If you like that kind of homour very much, go for this book because you'll find it hilarious. But for me it didn't work.

Let me raise a few more points about those parts I read. I think the beginning of the story is quite repetitive, we're shown first encounters with the dragon from several different side-characters. This felt like inspired by how movies start, but felt elaborated far much longer than could be interesting.
Another repetitiveness was in the characters. There are two types of characters introduced as far as I got in this book, and there're already a lot of characters by that point: either they are arrogant idiots who are totally incompetent but has some (or a lot of) power; and servient idiots who are totally incompetent and has little or no power so they try to get in the favour of those in power. I understand what the book is pointing at with this being a satire but I prefer more nuanced tools of the genre.

With all that said, again, I think the above repetitiveness will still be really enjoable for those preferring the kind of humour used in this book.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. The preface had me hooked. Michael Caine, Sean Connery and dragons. F#$k yeah!

I made it to, but didn't finish, chapter 3. It's tying, and would be fun to watch, as noted in the preface, but it didn't translate well into a novel.

When you read this book you think it must be a bit weird. It's the lovechild of a Monthy Phyton sketch and a slapstick movie. I started to laugh after a few pages and had fun till the end.
It's witty but there's also a lot of sharp social remarks, the parody of famous characters and a dragon.
It think that the dragon was great because it's a serious dragon, one of those who burn and eat people and whatever thay want to eat.
The celebrities are well done, they were lampooned and I lked them.
A highly recommended story if you want to have fun
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Are you looking for a quick adult comedy read? You are in luck with Worst Knights Ever! Dane Hanson had an idea for a movie that he has not managed to get off the ground so he shares his dream with the reader.

It is 2001, and a dragon comes visiting London, With Great Britain's military forces engaged elsewhere, the Queen and Prime Minister decide to call upon the knights of the realm to vanquish the foul beast. Consider who Queen Elizabeth has been knighting of late and why they have been knighted, so you can imagine the consternation among them when they are called to a secret meeting and requested to step up and server! Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins, and Elton John all volunteer or are volunteered to face the dragon. They get a secret headquarters which does not stay secret long, a pet dog, and plenty of endorsements. Plus Steven Spielberg offers to film their encounters. They endure a training regime to whip them into shape and then go off to face the dragon. They have close encounters with other mythological denizens of the forest before having a close encounter with the dragon which does not go well. So they pull back, regroup, and find the appropriate weapons. But even with the proper equipment will four entertainment stars be able to win against a fire-breathing dragon? Read and find out!

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to laugh my way through this title.

The cover was beautifully done for the fantasy elements in this book. I was hooked from the first page and it didn’t let go until the end. I enjoyed the dragon elements going through this and thought it worked well overall. Dane Hanson has a great writing style and it had everything that I was expecting from this genre. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and can’t wait for more.

I really really really wanted to like this book and sadly did not. It's an awesome premise, the execution just didn't work for me. It is like a Monty Python skit...only one of the ones that goes on too long and isn't funny.

This book is hilarious! Monty Pythonesque comedy!
It’s 2001, like most of the world, London is wholly unprepared for a dragon attack .For the first time in documented history, a dragon has decided to take up residence in London, and snack on its inhabitants. Unable to turn to her allies for assistance, the Queen calls on her Knights, as done in the days of old, to help rid England of the legendary monster. The only problem is, these days the only Knights on hand are British celebrities, and apparently a gardener.
This comedy brings together a band of unlikely characters to save their country all while using satire, innuendos and wit.
From Corgi and Dorgi snacks and misplaced hamsters, to willy and bum eulogies. This novel has all the makings of a British comedy. I honestly hope to see it as a movie one day.

This one just wasn't for me at all. The premise is whimsical and humorous but the humor used throughout just didn't work for me. The flow of the narrative was also very choppy and it was difficult to stay invested.

This book is like marmite. If it's your style of humour then you'll find it a great read, if not then its likely you might not be able to get into it. I was not in the right mind to read this and yet still found myself laughing at it's content. Such a bizzare concept and definetly worth a shot!

1/5 Stars (DNF @ 42%)

TL;DR - A cringey, nonsensical book poorly adapted from screenplay format. It might’ve been funny in 2001 when it was initially written, but not in this day and age, and not to me. It was a struggle to get to 42%, and I mourn for the 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back.

Big thanks to Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd/PsychoToxin Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

‘Worst Knights Ever’ by Dane Hanson is a screenplay-turned-book that takes place in the UK in 2001. A dragon terrorizes London, and the Queen calls on everyone knighted or made a dame to fight it. Sirs Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins, and Elton John are the ones who volunteer, and what follows is a pretty standard comedy plotline - training montage included.

I really wanted to like this book. I was so happy I got approved for it. The author wrote for one of my favorite shows (What We Do In The Shadows), and I was excited for what, from the premise alone, sounded like an amazing book.

It’s not. Hoo boy, it’s not.

First and foremost, this book transparently reads like a screenplay that was given a bit of spit polish to turn it into a book. Prose? Don’t know her. It reads like a screenplay with barely any substance added, like all that happened from script to manuscript was changing the formatting. It’s not even close to when movies get a novelization after they come out - this is just a bare-bones screenplay that somehow, inexplicably, my Kindle said was going to take me 4.5 hours to read.

Second, the “humor”. It’s not funny, it’s cringe-inducing. I was promised in another review that this was Monty Python-esque, and I couldn’t disagree more. This is just nonsensical, mediocre 2000s humor that I might’ve enjoyed as a kid back then, but as an adult in 2023, I have much higher standards for comedy. This met none of them.

Overall, I just did not enjoy this, even a little. I kept reading because I wanted so badly to like it, but I eventually had to admit defeat and save myself the brewing migraine. Really disappointed.

Final Thoughts:

Amazing concept, awful execution.