DON’T MESS WITH ANNA: A RECKONING IN BLOOD AND INK

In this fantasy, a bitter keyboard warrior must confront some hard truths when he finds himself magically transported into one of the medieval novels that he savaged online.

Milton Smith loves nothing better than to tear people down on the internet—especially authors who specialize in medieval fiction, like Anna DeMarco. After leading a smear campaign that nearly destroyed her first book, Milton is readying his attack on Anna’s new release when he is suddenly transported to a strange realm. Now, Milton finds himself trapped in the world of Anna’s first novel, Love in a Time Faraway. Captured by knights and thrown into a dungeon, Milton discovers sections of the novel mysteriously delivered to him on parchment scrolls. With nothing better to do, he finally finds the time to actually read the book instead of simply judging it—and much to his chagrin, he becomes desperate to know what comes next. As Milton escapes prison and makes an unexpected friend, he slowly works his way toward the queen’s castle and the end of the novel. Will he finally concede that Anna has some real talent? Or will his stubbornness curse him to a lifetime of being trapped in his own hostility? Prater gleefully leans into the stereotype of the overweight, basement-dwelling incel who lives with his mom and only feels powerful by anonymously hurting people. This makes Milton’s eventual emotional reckoning—and realization that he was simply jealous of both Anna and her heroic knight characters—all the more satisfying (if sadly fantastical). The dissonance between modern and medieval dialogue sometimes comes across as hokey, but also adds to the fun. After accusations by Milton of being a gym rat and using steroids, for example, a knight responds: “I feel this statement is derogatory and expect you to explain what this steroid and gym is.” Prater has ultimately crafted an amusing, inventive, and timely foray into the perils of authorship.

An imaginative work that weaves fantasy and social commentary into a scathingly funny revenge tale.