Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree is the third book in his Legends & Lattes series of cosy fantasy. However, this time, Baldree switches it up a bit—it’s not quite as cosy as the others.
For some fans, this might be a turnoff. But for me, it was a very enjoyable change to the format that’s garnered him hundreds of thousands of supporters.
The same Baldree humour is evident throughout Brigands & Breadknives. Full of sass, cussing, and on-the-nose jokes, we’re treated to a story that follows Fern, whom we meet in Baldree’s second offering, Bookshops & Bonedust. Fern is a bookseller, because her father before her was a bookseller. She has a small but busy bookshop in the coastal town featured in the prequel, which tells the story of how Fern and Viv, the orc adventurer, meet.
Brigands & Breadknives is set twenty years on.
Fern is invited to open a new bookshop in Thune, right next to Viv’s coffee shop (the opening of which was the focus of Legends & Lattes).
Our story opens with Fern’s covered wagon transport being attacked by creatures. As the only passenger, and not one who regularly wields a weapon, her driver is left to fend them off. Rather unsuccessfully, I might add. But then, the tides change, and Astryx One-Ear, a famed elven Blademistress and Oathmaiden, comes to the rescue, dispatching all the attackers and earning Fern’s mute appreciation and awe.
Fern and Potroast, her feathered pet, arrive in Thune, settle in, and meet the cast of characters we already know and love. Her bookshop opens to great success—but surprisingly, Fern doesn’t feel successful or happy. In fact, she’s feeling very unhappy and dissatisfied with her life.
After a difficult late-night conversation with a friend, Fern gets drunk and decides to tell Viv that she appreciates everything she’s done for her, but owning a bookshop isn’t what she wants anymore.
But she never makes it to Viv’s front door.
Instead, she collapses and passes out in a wagon that conveniently belongs to our famed elven adventurer. Fern wakes up when they are over a day’s travel away, much to Astryx’s surprise, and begins her great adventure.
We also meet the goblin, Zyll, who is a bounty Astryx is taking across the country. She is fun, incredibly mischievous, and very, very wanted. Plus, she has a penchant for stealing all the silverware from every place they stop! She wears a cloak with many pockets, has bright orange hair, and definitely doesn’t speak Territories. Goblin swears only.
Two other characters I have to highlight are the two Elder Blades who accompany their travels. Astryx has a sentient greatsword who fancies himself a bit of her bard and protector, while Zyll produces a rather large breadknife who has an identity crisis.
I won’t spoil Brigands & Breadknives.
While it is a quest into new beginnings and experiences for Fern, it is, more importantly, one of friendship, and that very specific grief of being unhappy with your life and of disappointing your friends.
In fact, the theme of letting your friends down is prevalent throughout this book. Fern takes to writing Viv letters, opening each with “I’m sorry.” At first, to apologise for letting her down and leaving, then to let her know that she’s alive and okay, and then to recount the tales of her adventure with Astryx.
Another thing that I love about Travis Baldree’s writing, which is again evident in Brigands & Breadknives, is how many female characters there are. In (nearly) his own words, all of his characters are women unless they have a reason not to be. So we have a plethora of strong, adventurous women making out the cast, each with their own fabulous (sometimes cantankerous) personalities, abilities, and reason for living.
This beautiful story of friendship and found family will warm your heart. For me, it was like settling in with a group of old friends. My heartbeat slowed, my smile grew, and I felt like coming home.
And that’s how I want my cosy fantasy to feel, even if there are a bit more sword fights than his previous books.
Unless you prefer tragedy, I wholeheartedly recommend Brigands & Breadknives. And if you haven’t started the series yet, I do encourage reading them in order.
Author: Travis Baldree
Publisher: Tor Publishing
Available On: Amazon
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