# Dreadful

By Caitlin Rozakis

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/dreadful-67a56fe6/

Gav wakes up without his memories and discovers he has been a very unpleasant wizard. Goblin servants and a kidnapped princess expect him to know what he's doing. His best hope is to impersonate his former self while he works out what that self intended.

## What makes it funny?

A call through a magic mirror requires preparation: Gav rehearses how to look casually busy before answering. Bluffing a more frightening wizard is harder when he has no idea how an evil overlord is supposed to behave.

### The comedy at work

Amnesia lets Gav notice the silliness of villainous names, clothes and ceremonies without understanding his place in them. His anxious attempts to look menacing keep colliding with his growing disgust at the person everyone remembers.

### Try this if…

The appeal lies in an impostor who really is the man he's impersonating. Readers who enjoy fantasy conventions, nervous social maneuvering and a possible route to redemption have plenty to follow.

### Good to know

Kidnapping and Gav's former cruelty are part of the setup; the farce depends on confronting what he has done.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy
- Kind of humor: Farce · Parody · Situational comedy
- Format: Novel
- Length: 352 pages
- Published: 2024

## A few distinguishing details

- An amnesiac wizard impersonates himself
- Evil-overlord etiquette seen with fresh eyes

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Penguin Random House's Dreadful product page identifies Caitlin Rozakis, ISBN 9781803365473, paperback format, and 352 pages; product details name Titan Books as publisher.](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/742368/dreadful-by-caitlin-rozakis)
- Author commentary: [Author](https://www.caitlinrozakis.com/dreadful)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781803365473)
- Reading sample: [Official excerpt](https://reactormag.com/excerpts-dreadful-by-caitlin-rozakis)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/742368/dreadful-by-caitlin-rozakis)