Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs To Die
By: Cassie Birk
Edited by: Shea Campion
Check out our report for Greer Stothers’ debut novel to see if you’ll be adding it to your TBR!
BEFORE WE DIVE IN…
Genre: Fantasy, with a serious sci-fi and romance bend. Depending on what chapter you are reading, the book feels like a different genre.
Age Group: Adult
Content warnings for the following described on page: Amputation, Abusive family dynamics, Bereavement (past death of a parent), Queerphobia, Sexism, Violence (gore of injuries, mostly from war)
Spice Level: Medium. While there is kinky foreplay on page, all the sex scenes are consensual and closed door.
Page Count: 352 pages
Series: This is a standalone debut, so come in with no context and leave with the plot resolved!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Image Credit: Abby Howard via Tumblr
Sir Cameron, a knight of absolutely no prowess whatsoever, finds himself the subject of an unfortunately worded prophecy. In order for the evil mad wizard Merulo to be defeated, the prophecy foretells he must die on the battlefield. Even if he is able to avoid getting slaughtered by one of the magician’s gollums, his elf frenemy Glenda is right beside him with a sword at the ready to make sure the prophecy comes to pass. Good thing for Cameron that he is absolutely shameless and is not below abandoning his knightly order, his God, or his morals to stay alive. So instead of being led to slaughter, Cameron surrenders to Merulo and takes refuge in the wizard’s fortress. While Sir Cameron didn’t expect being a turncoat to turn him on so much, Merulo would rather focus on his plan to kill God. Using his powers of seduction, a strange calmness around human transmutation, and a healthy wariness of potentially world-ending magic schemes, Sir Cameron will do all he can to not die. And maybe he can make this thing with Merulo work out too.
Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die is told in a mix of first- and third-person, with chapters from Cameron’s perspective in first-person and chapters from other characters, usually Glenda and Merulo, in third. The start of each chapter has a humorous play on Dickensian chapter introductions (I would compare them to Terry Pratchett's intros in Going Postal and other Moist von Lipwig books!), which may be tempting to glaze over, but should be great for ultimate comedic effect.
READER PROFILE
You might find this book a great fit for your TBR if:
Your favorite installment in T. Kingfisher’s The World of the White Rat series is Paladin’s Hope and you need more gay grumpy/sunshine fantasy romance in your life.
While growing up, your sense of humor was molded after The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.
You enjoyed the world of Solo Leveling and Log Horizon, but are hoping to step outside the conventions of a lit-RPG and straight to some God-killing shenanigans.
You liked the fantastical humor of Doughnut by Tom Holt, but wanted the romantic subplot to be less sub and more plot.
The soundtrack to your next read should sound a bit like this.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greer Stothers (they/them) is known more for their nature inspired illustrations, commissioned for clients like The Magus Archives and Canadian Geographic. Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die is Stother’s debut novel, but they previously published a collection of narrative poems, My Kitten Got Sick. You can follow their beautiful children, Pangur, Grim, and Belphie, on Instagram and Greer on Tumblr and Bluesky.
WHAT READERS THINK
Risograph by Greer Stothers
“My main feeling throughout reading this book was ‘wtf is going to happen next,’ in the most fun way possible. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a romp that’s a little off the beaten path, with a dash of queer romance that grows on you like an invasive plant with pretty flowers.” —™ via GoodReads
“This book was so much more than I expected it to be! I went in expecting a fun little cosy fantasy romance - and honestly was fairly concerned at the first mention of an erection on page 50 - but my gosh the world Stothers has created here is fascinating! (I'd totally read a second book, just saying... 👀) There's not a huge amount I can say about it without spoilers, other than "don't be fooled" by the quirky cover and cutesy blurb, there's a lot more going on here on top of all the grumpy/sunshine, himbo, forced proximity trope fun.” —anastasiamakes via StoryGraph
“I’m always drawn to books that don’t take themselves too seriously and this is definitely that. It’s a fun and funny read, featuring a shameless and charming Sir Cameron and an incredibly grouchy and villainous sorcerer - the only one standing between Sir Cameron and his prophesied demise. I don’t think these two could be more different if they tried and it certainly brings new meaning to opposites attract. The plot itself was actually quite deep for something so silly and it touched on a few different themes within a fantasy world. The juxtaposition worked quite well and made for a lighter read, but you’ll definitely find some characters you aren’t meant to like and they make that pretty easy. This was one of my first reads of 2026 and it certainly eased me into my year. I’m interested to see what slightly ridiculous adventures Greer Stothers writes next.” —Anonymous Reviewer via NetGalley
BOOK REPORTER’S REVIEW
It is not every book that has such a wild plot twist that I feel like it’s a spoiler to even give a genre to it. Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die felt like every chapter was a take on a different genre. Is it a queer romantacy? Is it a cozy fantasy? A postapocalyptic sci-fi? Satire on the lit-RPG? How about everything taken to its most extreme in drama and weirdness.
I am not a wide romance reader, so it is hard for me to say if the relationship between Cameron and Merulo plays into or circumvents many romance tropes other than a golden retriever/black cat dynamic, which fits these two to a tee. As a fan of Chuck Tingle, I can say that their predicament would make for a fantastic tingler. Cameron and Merulo overcome barriers that go beyond standard age gaps, gender swapping, and romantic entanglements between differently able bodies to the point that shares more DNA with Space Raptor Butt Invasion than Funny Story. There is no judgement in the text, which makes it as queer and kink positive as it is unserious.
The silly weirdness, while mostly a damn good time, hurt my reading of Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die when the book was trying to tackle subjects with emotional weight. Points like Glenda’s drug addiction and Merulo’s fraught family dynamics could have been poignant moments, but read just like another scene. This issue is something that other comedic fantasy books have done successfully. The Dark Lord Davi series, which shares a lot of wit and charm as Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die, balances the hard-hitting emotional elements in the duology much better by letting the characters take the time to react to those conflicts and work through them. Another example would be Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis, which I really enjoyed and is given as a comp title by the publisher. Gav from Dreadful has way more introspection than Cameron, who does not get enough below surface level to really give those emotional moments any weight.
If you, like me, just need a fun escape, Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die, is worth looking at for your next read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Titan Books team for providing an advanced digital copy for this report!