Sir Faintheart

The entire court is in an uproar: Princess Aurelia’s gold has disappeared from the Copper Tower. It’s an impossible crime, as the tower is exceptionally well guarded. But as a powerful ruler, the princess naturally has her share of enemies... She commands Brunhilde, a sharp-witted chambermaid, to solve the mystery alongside her famous uncle, Sir Faintheart. If they fail, they will pay with their lives. Brunhilde soon realises that keeping her foolish uncle under control is almost as much of a challenge as solving the theft. Luckily, she herself is cut from cleverer cloth.

With buckets of humour and plenty of pace, Van Gas tells a detective story that turns expectations about the world of fairytales and knights upside down – and does the same to conventional power dynamics. The princess doesn’t need anyone to rescue her and rules with an iron fist, the most dangerous Viking in the land is a woman as well, and the knight who gives the book its title is a hopeless windbag. Meanwhile, the underdog Brunhilde proves herself a brilliant observer. Yet the characters are neither one-dimensional nor easily divided into good and evil. ‘Sir Faintheart’ is a hilarious whodunnit full of exuberant humour and set in a delightfully grotesque world.