“Then, just as now, most people regarded the rose as the flower of amore, but there is no magic in rose petals. Take my advice. If you want to woo someone-or whatever people call it nowadays-give them daisies.”

The Kingdom of Esquaveta is in danger, its riches have depleted and its army is slowly disbanding. Fear not though because King Sando has a plan! From the age of three, King Sando has promised his daughter, Princess Tullia’s hand in marriage to Prince Dalrympl of Oxtania, a neighbouring kingdom full of wealth and a solid army. This alliance will strengthen Esquaveta and bring prosperity and peace—the kingdom shall be saved! That is until Princess Tullia becomes older and falls in love with a newly appointed scribe, Pito. The King and Queen at their wits end turn to Anatole, their magician, to brew a potion to make Princess Tullia compliant and carry out her duties and marry Prince Dalrympl. This is the perfect opportunity for Anatole to showcase his great skills, to earn respect and favour but it will come at the cost of betraying the Princess, whom he has a fatherly affection for and she in turn cherishes him dearly. Can he put aside his feelings and carry out this task? 

The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar is an excellent historical Renaissance fantasy with so much wit and charm! This was a little Princess Bride, a little fairytale-esque and a little classic fantasy. 

Anatole is the narrator of this tale and in the opening chapter he is in the 21st Century recounting his time at what is now known as Tiger Castle, during the 16th Century. Now I know what you’re thinking, how can he exist in two vastly different centuries, well that doesn’t get explained until the end of the book, but you’ll probably guess pretty early on! Anatole is a magician but not of spells, he brews potions made from insects and plant life, which makes for some pretty gross experiments. Through Anatole’s first person narration we learn he is a self-confessed coward, he’s also clumsy and more often than not is belittled by many of the other members of the castle. Therefore he’s always seeking to prove his worth, to higher his status. That is why when the king orders him to create a potion to make his daughter obediently marry the Prince of Oxiatania, he becomes so conflicted and we could even throw in that if he disobeyed the King, in that period he would be publicly executed. In this case it would most likely be executed by a tiger eating you! Yes I can confirm this castle does actually have tigers! I found Anatole great to follow, it was fun to see where his shenanigans would lead us next, and I particularly enjoyed how occasionally he would address the reader, giving us a full rounded view of the story, creating a more personal connection. Anatole also imparts historical context for the modern readers, such as the way future printing presses would replace the role of scribes making them obsolete. This was such a nice touch.

“Everytime I lay down on my mattress and closed my eyes, I pleaded for inspiration to strike. But inspiration is a fickle and elusive lover. The more you want her, the more you need her, the more you chase her away.”

There have been a lot of books marketed as ‘for fans of The Princess Bride’ and to be honest a lot have disappointed me. However, Sachar’s writing style is the most akin to that of The Princess Bride by William Goldman that I’ve come across so far. There’s humour, tongue in cheek and a love story that’s wildly entertaining. However, this is not a kissing book! Princess Tullia and Pito are such a comedic couple, sharing much banter, snipes at each other and misunderstandings. Princess Tullia is often mistaken by Pito as a pampered, spoilt princess yet in the second half of the book she subverts these tropes by showing she’s not afraid to do some hard labour that’s far beneath her station. Pito showcases his love for languages, translations and literature in general which is no surprise with him being a scribe, but his passion here makes him such an endearing bookish character. They are star crossed lovers from two completely different worlds and through the twists and turns of the story, Sachar humorously shows us their growing affection for one another and in true Princess Bride fashion, leaves their ending rather ambiguous. 

The Magician of Tiger Castle is in equal measures cosy, nostalgic and comedic. Sachar weaves a tale of love, tragedy and ambition that satisfied my classic fantasy cravings.

Review copy provided by Headline Books in exchange for an honest review—thank you!

The Magician of Tiger Castle is out now – you can pick up your copy on Bookshop.org