When a dragon suddenly appears and begins to terrorize England, Queen Elizabeth has to come up with a solution, and fast! In a stroke of genius, she decides to do what her royal ancestors would have done and calls in her knights to fight said dragon. Unfortunately for her, and probably all of England as well, knights in the modern century are mostly old geezers who are famous for some kind of entertainment career. Despite the odds against them, the motley crew of England’s “who’s who,” as well as a plethora of rising stars eager for their own knighthood, set out for the role of a lifetime. It’s action! It’s an adventure! It’s…Mr. Bean and Star Wars jokes?

“Worst Knights Ever”, by Dane Hanson in tandem with Jimmy Paulsen, is an uproarious and absurd story that follows the ridiculously inept attempts by Queen Elizabeth’s “knights.” Set in 2001, the characters are all well-known British celebrities from different walks of life and careers, with a few from other nationalities thrown in for good measure. Imagining almost any of them in the situations they find themselves makes for laugh-out-loud fun on literally almost every page, while their personal lives are given interesting twists you might never see coming. (Such as exactly why Elton John isn’t a fan of Steven Spielberg!) And every page does indeed bring a new level of ridiculousness, somehow topping the bizarre things that have already occurred. It’s obvious how much fun the authors must have had putting this story together, and the no-holds-barred introduction perfectly sets the tone for what’s to come. Taking non-fictional characters and putting them into a fictional scenario isn’t a new concept, but having them face an adventure this wildly crazy might be a first. In a nod to the authors, it definitely works!

This book is an easy 5 out of 5 stars for me. It was entertaining, unpredictable, and kept me laughing constantly. Readers who are looking for a solid story based on logic and reality should stay away, but those looking for a madcap and absurdly entertaining piece adventure story will love it! It seemed as if the authors tried to cram as many people and references into the book as possible, but at no point was it ever too much. I could have happily read more!

Pages: 308 | ASIN: B0CBL678MK