David Michael Williams' The Lost Tale of Sir Larpsalot was published in October 2020.
David Michael Williams has suffered from a storytelling addiction for as long as he can remember. With a background in journalism, public relations, and marketing, he also flaunts his love affair with the written word as an author of speculative fiction. His most recent books include the sword-and-sorcery trilogy The Renegade Chronicles and The Soul Sleep Cycle, a genre-bending series that explores life, death, and the dreamscape.
David lives in Wisconsin with the best wife on this or any other planet and their two amazing children. He joined the Allied Authors of Wisconsin, one of the state’s oldest writing collectives, in 2005.
by David Michael Williams
WIZARDS & WANNABES
As the first day of high school creeps closer, five friends agree to one last LARP* before splitting the party and ending their geeky game forever.
But the real adventure is just beginning...
Mistaking the teens’ costumed characters for actual warriors, a sorceress summons Sir Larpsalot, Elvish Presley, Brutus the Bullheaded, Master Prospero, and Tom Foolery to her world to complete an impossible quest. To succeed, they must become the heroes they only ever pretended to be.
And if they can’t find a way to win, it’s GAME OVER for real!
* Live action role-playing game
REVIEW: THE LOST TALE OF SIR LARPSALOT BY DAVID MICHAEL WILLIAMS
David Michael Williams' The Lost Tale of Sir Larpsalot is a humorous young adult fantasy novel. It's an entertaining combination of portal fantasy and quest fantasy elements with a strong focus on larping.
The Lost Tale of Sir Larpsalot is comic fantasy and is not supposed to be taken seriously. It's harmless fun for those who like humorous storytelling and lighthearted stories. I was personally pleased with the story and found it entertaining, because it's a quick and fun read (there's something about this novel that strongly appeals to my inner geekness).
This novel tells of a group of larpers called Good Company. Good Company consists of Lorenzo (Sir Larpsalot - a human paragon), Asher (Elvish Presley - an elf minstrel), Mak (Brutus the Bullheaded - a minotaur berserker), Trent (Tom Foolery - a dwarf cleroque) and Jon (Master Prospero - a human magus). They're summoned by a sorceress Idelle du'Matalas to her world to save it. They have to find a relic that is possessed by a treacherous abomination called Wizard Hawk... This marks the beginning of a fast-paced and action-packed fantasy adventure that has a few twists and turns.
The author writes switfly about the teenagers and how they've larped in Mezzo-Earth. He also writes well about what happens to them when they arrive in another world and realise that they're not on Earth. It's fun to read about their reactions to new things and experiences, because they find themselves in a whole new situation.
It's amazing how well the author has managed to make larping an essential part of the plot. I was surprised by how fluently LARP elements were incorporated into the story. I also want to mention that it's good that the characters feel real and act like teenagers.
Although this novel will appeal to a wide range of readers and is accessible to many readers, I think that those who have personal experiences about live action roleplaying (and RPGs in general) will get the most out of it. If you've ever played any roleplaying games, you'll find a lot to enjoy in this novel. At the beginning of each chapter, the author delivers information about terms that are an essential part of RPG/LARP world. This is useful to readers who are not familiar with RPG terms.
My final words are:
If you're in need of light fantasy escapism, David Michael Williams' The Lost Tale of Sir Larpsalot is a good choice. Reading this novel will please your inner geekness, because the story is fast-paced and there's good dynamics between the characters.