Review: Cursed by Thomas Wheeler and Frank Miller

After being attacked by a dark force as a child, Niume has always been an outcast among her own people, despite her mother being the Arch Druid of their particular Fey clan. However, when Niume is selected to be the clan’s next Summoner – the one who communicates with the magical Hidden – her fellow Fey can’t hide their resentment. In response, and to escape the unwelcome responsibility, Niume decides to leave her village and its magic behind her.  

However, amid her plans for departure, the village is attacked by the fierce Red Paladins – a religious sect intent on eliminating all the Fey clans across the country. As Niume watches her childhood home burn around her, her mother tasks her with a final mission – to take an ancient sword to the wizard Merlin.

As Niume begins her journey, she realizes that the sword hides more than just a bloody history – like her, it is filled with magic, and together, it may just be the saving grace of the Fey, if only Niume can prevent it being taken from her.

The story of Arthur and the sword Excalibur may be well-known, but you’ve never seen it like this. With a fresh feminist twist, and a large helping of magic, this book is a treat from the first page. Cursed isn’t a retelling of Arthur’s adventures as much as it is a re-imagining of the events preceding the story we know so well, and it is glorious. Niume is the badass young female warrior we never realized we needed, while Arthur and Merlin, titans of the tales of old, have been whittled down to people rather than archetypes. Combines this with Frank Miller’s graphic novel-inspired lustrations, and this book is pure adventure from start, and nobody in their right minds should pass it up.

Cursed combines the comfort of the familiar, with a vibrant and expanded universe of the newly discovered. It’s everything you need in a good book, and I’d highly recommend you try it.

Cursed by Thomas Wheeler is published by Penguin Random House.