Chapter 168: Toxic Fandom in a Single Review

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter is a single Goodreads review for Toolkit for the Well-Prepared Dragonslayer by Arthur Oakes, PhD, and Gwen Underfoot, posted on November 4, 2019, by user svangur_bro. The reviewer gives no stars and complains that the book is “woke nonsense,” criticizing its alleged metaphors for drone strikes and its length. The reviewer also objectifies the female co-author Gwen Underfoot, referring to her as “yummy” and making crude sexual suggestions. The review ends with a link to explicit adult content.

Key Events

• The chapter opens with the heading “10.”
• It presents a Goodreads review dated November 4, 2019.
• The reviewer, svangur_bro, has 1,219 reviews and 356 followers.
• The review assigns no stars.
• The reviewer criticizes the book’s political themes (“woke nonsense”) and length (“could’ve been hundreds of pages shorter”).
• The reviewer makes misogynistic comments about the co-author, calling her “yummy” and objectifying her.
• The review includes a link to explicit adult content (“unrated nasty medieval sxxxxx”).

Character Development

The only “character” present is the reviewer svangur_bro, whose voice reveals a toxic, misogynistic, and anti-intellectual attitude. While not a developed character in the traditional sense, this persona represents a type of internet troll that may serve as a foil or social commentary within King Sorrow. The co-author Gwen Underfoot is mentioned only as an object of the reviewer’s crude remarks.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

• Toxic Fandom: The review exemplifies backlash against genre works that engage with social or political issues.
• Misogyny in Geek Culture: The reviewer’s objectification of Gwen Underfoot highlights sexism in online communities.
• Meta-Textuality: By including a fictional review, Joe Hill blurs the line between the novel’s world and real-world reader reactions.
• Resistance to Metaphor: The reviewer’s insistence that a dragon is just a dragon rejects literary interpretation, revealing anti-intellectualism.
• Internet Culture: The inclusion of a user profile, follower count, and a link to adult content satirizes the anonymous, often hateful nature of online criticism.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter serves as a powerful meta-commentary on the reception of speculative fiction that dares to address contemporary issues. It may reflect the author’s own experiences with critical feedback and internet culture. The abrupt inclusion of raw, unedited user-generated content disrupts the narrative flow, forcing readers to confront the kind of negativity that often surrounds progressive works. It also underscores the novel’s possible themes about grief, anger, and the weaponization of criticism.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does the review reveal about the reviewer’s expectations for fantasy literature?
   The reviewer expects escapist entertainment without deeper meaning (“a dragon is just a dragon”) and is hostile to metaphorical or political readings. The reviewer also values brevity and traditional tropes like “rescuing hot babes in chainmail.”

2. How does the author use this review to critique internet culture?
   By including a real-time-like review complete with a user profile, follower count, and a link to adult content, Hill satirizes the anonymous, often hateful nature of online criticism. The poor grammar and misspellings further diminish the reviewer’s credibility, suggesting that such voices, while loud, are not thoughtful.

3. Why might Joe Hill include an external text like this in his novel?
   Including a fictional review allows Hill to engage directly with the contentious discourse around genre fiction. It can serve as a counterpoint to the themes of his own novel, perhaps defending the use of allegory. Additionally, it grounds the fantasy narrative in a recognizable digital reality, creating a metafictional layer.

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