July 2023 - AudioFile
Author/narrator Travis Baldree returns with a prequel to LEGENDS AND LATTES, set 20 years earlier. Viv, a mercenary orc, has been injured in a campaign against a necromancer and needs to heal. Looking for distraction, Viv hangs out in a run-down bookstore owned by a foulmouthed rattkin and discovers a love of reading, some good friends, and a little romance. Baldree introduces some delightful new characters and reprises others. He draws from a universe of gnomes, elves, skeletons, and other species and provides a perfect voice for each. Using accents, tone, and pacing, he creates a world full of interesting personalities. He unfolds the story and relationships in a natural style without artifice and theatrics. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
10/23/2023
Bestseller Baldree’s cozy standalone sequel to Legends & Lattes shows that even a battle-hungry orc can find happiness in life’s simple pleasures. Orc Viv devotes herself to the mercenary team she works with, Rackam’s Ravens. While hunting a powerful necromancer, she’s gravely injured in battle and is forced to stay in a nearby small town to recuperate. The quaint village of Murk is initially far too quiet for her—until, while exploring, Viv stumbles upon a run-down bookshop overseen by a loud, foulmouthed rattkin (a mix of a human and a rat) named Fern. Fern grew up in the bookshop and hasn’t noticed how dilapidated it’s become, but does have a gift for matching books and customers. After Fern picks the perfect book for Viv, she falls in love with it and the bookshop—and possibly Fern as well. She offers to help make the shop more presentable, finding unexpected contentment and purpose in doing handiwork. The peace doesn’t last, however; the necromancer’s reach extends into the town after the discovery of a mysterious body and a satchel full of bones. The innocent joy of Viv and Fern’s love is delightful and Baldree’s formula of placing low-stakes stories in high-fantasy settings remains good fun. Series fans will eat this up. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
Well, damn, he’s done it again. Bookshops & Bonedust is hilarious, heartwarming, and wholesome as heck. If you loved the first you’ll almost certainly love this perfectly executed prequel even more, as the stakes are higher and the scones are hotter still!”—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld
"What I love about Travis Baldree is that set against an epic world of adventure, he writes about the small victories that make life worthwhile. Bookshops & Bonedust does this and it is glorious."—Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
"Bookshops & Bonedust is the perfect follow up to Legends & Lattes; it's a pleasure to meet a Younger Viv and watch her grow slowly, stubbornly, into the orc we love so much. Some bittersweetness is inevitable, but Baldree reminds us that the past—even our mistakes—is the fertile soil where we plant the seeds of a beautiful future."—C.L. Clark, author of The Unbroken
"With its mysterious encounters, summer flings and a growing number of skeletons, Baldree’s fantastical novel is the perfect cozy romp."—HuffPost Books
"A prequel that gives us a chance to return to the warm and cozy realm of one of last year’s most unexpectedly great fantasy worlds, Bookshops & Bonedust is the heartwarming origin story you didn’t know you needed."—Paste
"With its immersive worldbuilding and charming characters, Bookshops & Bonedust is every bit as delightful as its predecessor. A spellbinding read that somehow manages to be both gripping and restful."—Heather Fawcett, author of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries
"As enchanting a prequel as one could ever desire, Bookshops & Bonedust brings the same humor and heart as its predecessor, and has cemented Travis Baldree as an auto-read author for me. Books, baked goods, and necromancy—what more could you possibly want in a story?"—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart
"Bookshops & Bonedust is the story equivalent of a warm blanket on a bleak day.”—Locus
"Baldree’s formula of placing low-stakes stories in high-fantasy settings remains good fun. Series fans will eat this up.”—Publishers Weekly
"Bookshops & Bonedust is a fabulist's love song to indie booksellers, but much more besides. As with Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree gives us a deeply satisfying fantasy without gore, wonder without dread, and joy for its own sake."—Christopher Buehlman, author of The Blacktongue Thief
"Magical and full of heart, Bookshops & Bonedust is every bit as enchanting as its predecessor. Spending more time with Viv was a joy."—Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
"Warm and wonderful.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Baldree’s prequel to Legends & Lattes cements his talent for cozy fantasy, engaging characters, and anachronistic references that would be at home in a Discworld novel. . . . Folks who enjoyed the camaraderie and settings of this year’s Dungeons & Dragons movie—as well as anyone who likes the idea of an orc warrior becoming a devotee of the power of reading and its ability to broaden your horizons—should check out Viv’s adventures.”—Booklist, STARRED review
"Bookshops & Bonedust takes the world of Legends & Lattes and weaves it into a universe. It does the impossible: showing us a character twenty years before her story, and making us hold our breath to see what happens next. It's the rare prequel that beautifully adds depth, power, and love to the lore. This is a book for those who were once young and pulled between fighting the world with all they had . . . or curling up in a dusty bookshop with a good story."—J.R. Dawson, author of The First Bright Thing
"Bookshops & Bonedust will resonate with anyone who has ever conflated their worth with their productivity, who has ever worried about being left behind if they take a moment to breathe, who has ever allowed a book to save them from a bad day. Beautifully humane, it is a loving reminder that the best parts of life are what happens between the big moments."—Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author
"This prequel is the perfect place for readers to start Baldree’s cozy fantasy series where folks band together for good, and evil is conquered through cleverness and friendship.”—Library Journal, STARRED review
Praise for Legends & Lattes:
"It's sweet, beautiful and, most of all, kind. I hugely recommend this book."—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway
“A must-read for every D&D player who has ever wondered what happens after 'happily ever after.'”—Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author
"This charming outing will please anyone who’s ever wished to spend time in a fantasy world without all the quests and battles."—Publishers Weekly
“Legends & Lattes is a uniquely beautiful book. It’s wonderfully wholesome, and I hope heralds the rise of a 'slice-of-life' sub-genre in modern fantasy.”—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld
“The most fun I've ever had in a coffee shop.”—Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
“Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart
Library Journal
★ 09/01/2023
Baldree offers a prequel to the best-selling Legends & Lattes. In this adventure, readers have the opportunity to learn when and how the orc mercenary Viv first got the itch to retire and take up a more peaceful life and where she first learned how to solve problems with her wits and her ability to find friends—instead of with the sharp edge of her axe. It's also a lovely coming-of-age story about a character trained for war who learns that there's more to life than endless battles. What makes the story special is the way that so many stock fantasy archetypes are cast against type and find new modes of prospering that don't involve big weapons and bigger wars. Readers who have already explored Baldree's world will be inspired to reread Legends & Lattes, while new readers will find a fantasy story with many of the same pleasures that cozy mysteries offer their readers. VERDICT This prequel is the perfect place for readers to start Baldree's cozy fantasy series where folks band together for good, and evil is conquered through cleverness and friendship.—Marlene Harris
AudioFile - JULY 2023
Author/narrator Travis Baldree returns with a prequel to LEGENDS AND LATTES, set 20 years earlier. Viv, a mercenary orc, has been injured in a campaign against a necromancer and needs to heal. Looking for distraction, Viv hangs out in a run-down bookstore owned by a foulmouthed rattkin and discovers a love of reading, some good friends, and a little romance. Baldree introduces some delightful new characters and reprises others. He draws from a universe of gnomes, elves, skeletons, and other species and provides a perfect voice for each. Using accents, tone, and pacing, he creates a world full of interesting personalities. He unfolds the story and relationships in a natural style without artifice and theatrics. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-09-22
A prequel to the popular cozy fantasy Legends & Lattes (2022).
Viv is a fighter. It’s not just what she does, it’s who she is. So when she gets wounded during a battle with a necromancer’s skeletal wights, and her crew dumps her in a small seaside town to recover while they continue on after the necromancer, she is not happy about it. But soon enough, against her will, she’s drawn into the life of the town. There’s Fern, the unsuccessful bookseller, who has a knack for recommending exactly the right book. And there’s Maylee, the baker, who not only makes the world’s best baked goods, she actually winks at Viv. Before Viv knows what’s happening, she’s helping Fern out here and there, she’s reading—she’s involved. Meanwhile, there’s a pesky young gnome asking for an introduction to her mercenary crew, and a mysterious man in gray who looks like trouble. But Viv is leaving when her crew comes back through town. No matter what. This prequel gives readers a glimpse of Viv as a young orc, still committed to the fighter’s life, just taking an enforced break in a charming town populated by compelling, richly drawn characters, and the slightest hint of danger in the wind. Despite the lurking necromancer, the vibes are decidedly warm and cozy, and the plot is just as much about saving the bookstore and building relationships as it is about protecting the town from the man in gray. As a prequel, it can stand alone, but will certainly satisfy fans as well.
Warm and wonderful.
