Book Review: The Surgeon Who Dreamed He Was a Knight

Reviewed by Timothy Thomas

A fantasy of knights and princesses with a unique twist

Aptly named, The Surgeon Who Dreamed He Was A Knight is about exactly that: an orthopedic surgeon who, after a grueling thirty-six hours of work that included eight hours of surgery on a road accident victim, falls asleep in the surgeons’ lounge while remembering a story of knights and princesses he’d read a couple nights prior, and is thereby thrust into an unbelievably vivid dream full of the same. 

Author Éric Renaud’s reimagining of his own love story reveals a romantic fascination with the ideals of chivalry, and it results in a medieval story to remember.

“Long ago, in a forgotten time,” a sharply minded princess and a chivalrous knight fell in love. Unable to outright reveal her feelings to the knight, Célèste convinces her father to make Sir Merik her personal protector and to instruct her in the techniques of weaponry and war. 

Now forced by the king’s command to spend nearly every waking moment together, their love for one another burrows in secret, with neither aware of the others’ true feelings. However, the arrival of the king’s cousins and subsequent revelations regarding a coup d’etat orchestrated by rival King Adrien targeting the princess threatens to uproot their affections before they have the chance to sprout. 

Will the knight be able to retain his honor, bowing to convention and thus resigning himself to a fate without reciprocated love for the princess’s sake? Can the princess dispel her passions and choose duty over happiness to secure the kingdom’s future? Or will King Adrien get his wish and steal Célèste’s hand in marriage, ruling both kingdoms and relegating the sweethearts’ love to the past?

The concept of two people from separate social classes falling in love in a society where convention and tradition prohibits their union is a tale as old as time, but it remains a classic for a reason. Princess Célèste and Sir Merik’s budding love is the highlight of this story, complete with all the hair-raising tension and “will they?” moments readers have come to expect from such narratives. The novel shines most under its strong cast of characters and relationships.

Descriptions, events, and dialogue can feel vague and hurried at times, resulting in scenes that should feel weighty but instead feel incomplete and unsatisfying. While dreams do have qualities like these, it makes some elements of the book feel glossed over and gives the novel an imbalanced pacing.

Still, The Surgeon Who Dreamed He Was A Knight is plenty enjoyable. With this being the first volume of a planned hybrid series, author Eric Renaud has laid the groundwork for an intriguing exploration of the interplay of dreams and reality to come. I look forward to what Renaud’s got for us next. 

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