Scan barcode
tildy08's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up on a whim as I thought it sounded hilarious. Needless to say, it did not disappoint! It was humorous and ridiculous but also heartwarming. Definitely a recommend if you like fantasy novels!
canaanmerchant's review
4.0
Bottom Line Up Front: I gave this four stars (like a 3.5 but I'm rounding up) but my feelings are a little more complicated than usual. Caveat, I did not read "Kill the Farm Boy".
THE GOOD:
1. There are some good jokes and cleverness afoot.
2. More importantly, the story is good. A lot of fantasy parody usually chooses a joke or a bit over a story (which is usually just ironic retellings of fairytales) and very few (okay, only Terry Pratchett) have really mastered an ability to actually tell a good story.
3. The characters. I like a world with a lot of sapient species and this one has it in spades. Their cultures all feel fleshed out and its neat to see the mechanics of how the world works even underneath the ridiculousness.
THE "I DON'T KNOW":
1. Some of the jokes really aren't going to last beyond 2019. As in, someone 10 or 15 years from now is really going to have to remember some of the minutiae of pop culture from this season to really 'appreciate' the joke. And knowing this made the joke harder to appreciate.
2. While the story is good it takes a while to get going and since the jokes come on so fast and heavy its hard to keep up. Especially since I was in a weird space where I couldn't read more than a few pages at a time and that made the story harder to follow. Ostensibly it's a story about a gnome on a quest but you're 1/3 of the way through the book before the group even meets and actually gets on the road.
THE GOOD:
1. There are some good jokes and cleverness afoot.
2. More importantly, the story is good. A lot of fantasy parody usually chooses a joke or a bit over a story (which is usually just ironic retellings of fairytales) and very few (okay, only Terry Pratchett) have really mastered an ability to actually tell a good story.
3. The characters. I like a world with a lot of sapient species and this one has it in spades. Their cultures all feel fleshed out and its neat to see the mechanics of how the world works even underneath the ridiculousness.
THE "I DON'T KNOW":
1. Some of the jokes really aren't going to last beyond 2019. As in, someone 10 or 15 years from now is really going to have to remember some of the minutiae of pop culture from this season to really 'appreciate' the joke. And knowing this made the joke harder to appreciate.
2. While the story is good it takes a while to get going and since the jokes come on so fast and heavy its hard to keep up. Especially since I was in a weird space where I couldn't read more than a few pages at a time and that made the story harder to follow. Ostensibly it's a story about a gnome on a quest but you're 1/3 of the way through the book before the group even meets and actually gets on the road.
yilishabai's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Like reading a dnd campaign.
markijbema's review against another edition
3.0
While I still don't like this series as much as I like Discworld I think it does carve out it's own niche. It does feel a bit like The Hitchhikers Guide set in a Fantasy. The story is predictable in one way (a group of adventurers sets out on a quest), but its more about the journey than the goal. And it's a wild journey. If you like silly fantasy, you'll like this
PS. This book has capybaras, which I think is a great plus, I don't see capybaras that often in fantasy and I think that's a shame
PS. This book has capybaras, which I think is a great plus, I don't see capybaras that often in fantasy and I think that's a shame
samrushingbooks's review
4.0
This was another enjoyable pun-filled adventure in Pell, though it didn't hold the fresh charm of the first book. It was still a good read, and the characters continued to be amusing and diverse. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what shenanigans are to be had in the third book. Oh, and fun fact, you don't actually need to read Kill the Farm Boy before reading this one...though I'd still recommend it.
lovenecy's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book sounded like it was going to be fun and adventurous. It was neither. The authors got bogged down introducing new characters every couple chapters the story got lost.