Baldree, Travis: Bookshops and Bonedust (2023)

[=Tamar]

Bookshops and Bonedust, by Travis Baldree - second in the group
but it's a prequel. The first was Legends and Lattes (2022).
I would have said "pretty darned good" but compared to some other
recent reads, it's great. Fun, anyway. It's the adventures of an orc
named Viv who decided to settle down from the adventuring and
battles and run a peaceful business, in a DnD universe. She's not
the only intelligent one. This kind of DnD orc is just as bright and
complex as humans.
Light fantasy. YA for language I guess, but wouldn't hurt a bright middle-grader.

 

[hnorwood]

That's on my TBR pile. I really enjoyed Legends and Lattes.

I also made a batch of "Thimblets" - they are a bit like Biscotti - they certainly disappeared at Coffee and Cakes!

 

[hnorwood]

I really enjoyed this! (no recipes this time..)

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Legends and Lattes, I have it on Kindle but not read ìt yet it's in the queue.

 

[RathDarkblade]

I just started reading it this morning (got as far as chapter 9, anyway - about page 70). Good fun so far.

***WARNING: SPOILERS***

Very minor hairsplitting: it's not truly set in a D&D world; I can't remember a rattkin or its pet gryphet (a griffon's head on a pug's body) featuring in the D&D Monster Manual. I'd call it a D&D "parody".

Speaking of the pet gryphet, it's fine. If it was a Disney sidekick, it'd probably give me a toothache. Instead, it is genuinely funny and expressive. The baker is fun too. Of all the people in Murk, I like Pitts the Grumpy Orc best so far. (I think I only got as far as the gnome-wannabe-adventurer with a chip on her shoulder).

Also, the books-within-a-book is a novel approach (pardon the pun), and Viv the unexpectedly-awkward-book-critic is a nice touch. Anyway, I'll keep reading and let you know what I think.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Out of the two I did prefer Bookshops and Bonedust, Although L & L was quite good.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Hmm ... so, I got as far as chapter 34 or 35 now. So I can write a fuller review. (Note: I will be using some of my experience as an editor and writer of YA fiction* to critique this - sorry)

The Good
- The characters are imaginative.
- The dialogue is fine.
- The setting (a town where nothing happens, and they like it that way) is fun.
- Satchel the homunculus is an interesting character.

The Bad
- The story can sometimes drag (especially with Fern's use of the F-word ... once is fine, twice is OK, three times is pushing it, any more and it's a nuisance)

- Adverbs, which make me grit my teeth, because they're lazy writing ... but don't take my word for it, Stephen King agrees with me. See this article (in Marginalia, from 2013) for his reasons. But in general, adverbs are either unnecessary or a sign of lazy writing. For instance, consider the difference between these two:

a. "Don't make me come down there!" He said loudly.
b. "Don't make me come down there!" He shouted.

Or:

a. "How dare you try to cheat me?" He hit the table vociferously.
b. ""How dare you try to cheat me?" He slammed his first on the table.

In both cases, version (b) is better.

- Another pet-peeve of mine: Travis sometimes uses the wrong words, e.g. when Viv offers Potroast bacon, we get: "The gryphet startled".

This is plain wrong. We can have "The gryphet was startled", or "The gryphet started", but not "The gryphet startled".

How do we conclude?
None of the above "bad" points should be construed as an attack on the book. The book is fine, and I look forward to reading more and finishing it. This book appears to be aimed at an audience younger and less critical than the audience I'm writing for, and that's fine. I'm simply offering my observations for what they are worth.
_____________________________________
* Of course, you may be thinking "Editor and writer of YA fiction? How come you never published, Rath?"

To which the reply is: because if writing well is hard, publishing is a hundred times harder ... unless, apparently, you know someone. In that case, it's only ten times harder.

 

[RathDarkblade]

OK, now that I've read "Legends and Lattes" too, I can set down a full review ...

Now that I've seen more about Viv's adventuring career, I enjoyed "Legends and Lattes" a lot. My only gripe (and it's a minor one) is that I'd have appreciated seeing Viv's former adventuring pals take revenge on Fennus. But that's just personal preference.

As for "Bookshops and Bonedust" ... I wasn't as impressed with it, but only because it seemed to me like a more straightforward adventure, without as much of the inventiveness of L&L. But then, Travis does say that he had several other original ideas that he had to abandon (time pressure and all that) before he hit on B&B, so that's fine.

What did you think? Just curious.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Out of the two I preferred Bookshops and Bonedust, the second half of L&L I thought was was better. I have not started Goblins and Greatcoats by Baldree.