Legends & Lattes

Legends & Lattes (2022) Travis Baldree

Viv is read to retire from the life of an adventurer.

She has her dream, and she has the treasure to make that dream come true, which is what leads her to Thune.

After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit. An orc’s life was strength and violence and a sudden, sharp end— but she’d be damned if she’d let hers finish that way.

And she has been working and preparing to that end.

She took a deep breath and tried to relax her face into a nonthreatening expression, something she’d been practicing.

This story has all the usual characters you’d expect from a sword & sorcery adventure, but none of them doing anything you’d expect from the same.

For instance, Viv is an Orc who has decided to open a coffee shop for her retirement. And she hires a hob, a succubus, and a ratkin to help her build her dream.

The way characters are not what you expect them to be reminds me a good deal of a Drew Hayes story. Which is a good thing.

“Help you?” she asked.

“Er, hello there. I wanted to ask if I … wait, um. Uh, hello,” he stammered, starting over. “My name is Pendry. I’m a…” His voice dropped very low, almost to a whisper. “A bard?” It sounded more like a question.

This could read as a joke or a comedy, but it’s not written as one and doesn’t come across as one, so the author did an excellent job there, and I found to whole thing entertaining and pleasing.

Publisher: Tor Books

Rating: 8/10

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