Book Review: Kill the Farm Boy

-


Kill The Farm Boy


 Author: Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson
Genre: fantasy, humor
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: July 24, 2018
Rating: 5 stars

 Summary: Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he's bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there's the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy's untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there's a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar "happily ever after" that ever once-upon-a-timed



Review: 

I started off not at all sure what I was getting into, and I'll admit it took me a few chapters to really get used to the quirkiness of the writing style, and what the hell was going on.
And then I did those things, and it got BRILLIANT.

This book takes the "hero's quest" trope and flips it on it's head. It's got everything you could want in a book. Talking animals, a cute love story, a HEA, copious amounts of cheese, puns from here to tomorrow, queer characters, fairies who give no fucks.
I thought the characters were absurd until suddenly found myself quite attached to them. The book ended on a very nice night, but I wouldn't mind another jaunt through Pell, either with these characters or others.

Definitely read this one if you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, of puns, of cheeseboards, or hilarious fantasy tropes.

I got this from Net Galley for free in exchange for my review, so thanks Net Galley, you've got good taste in suggestions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Pandamonia by Chris Owen and Chris Nixon

-
Image
  Pandamonia by Chris Owen and Chris Nixon Summary:  When visiting the zoo, whatever you do, DON’T WAKE THE PANDA! Join in the fantastic fun as one grumpy panda sets off a frenzy of wild partying. Review: WhaleSnark here!  What caused me to pick this book up in the first place was the colors on the cover. You just cannot go wrong with greens, yellows, and blues for catching a reader's eye! This is a picture book, but it has some absolutely intense and hilarious rhyming and tongue-twisters in it! Here's a sample:  "The chimps chit-chatter. The ducks start quacking. The jabirus jabber  and yaks start yakking So waking the panda might spark off a riot, and that's why we like to keep things nice and quiet." There are some animals in this book that I had not even heard of before I read it, and I'm REALLY into knowing all about animals!  The art is vibrant and very pleasing to look at. It features wood block prints of animals that are not us
Read more

Oh No! A Reading Slump!

-
Yeah, I'm in a reading slump....but I'm gonna share with you ways I've been trying to get out of it! When you are in a reading slump, it can seem impossible to get out of it. You're too busy at work to really get into a book when you get home, or chores get in the way. In my case, I almost feel as if reading is somehow lazier than anything else because I'm sitting down, not moving and just focused on the book. Why this translates to laziness to me is still not clear, because I also watch a lot of television. I'm trying to change the way I think about reading. Our world is so quickly moving, it can be hard to stop and concentrate on just a book.  That I think, is the root of the problem I am having. Here are some tips I am working to use for myself to become a more involved reader again. Read one book at a time I have several books going at once (don't do this). If you can't concentrate one book, don't fall into the trap of starting another
Read more

Book Review: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

-
Image
The Luminous Dead The Blurble:  When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane. Instead, she got Em. Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . . As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this
Read more