Why only three stars? Because this novel does not remain in the annals of fantasy. Simon R. Green did not invent anything. The fact that he rejuvenated certain themes presenting a tired dragon (which thereby is absent most of the time) or a unicorn who spends his time griping changes nothing. The Kingdom of the Forest, ruled by the king to the very English name John, was inspired by a Middle Age perfectly conventional. It is a novel without ambition.