No Country for Old Gnomes

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.


“Red sky before night, no need for a fight. Red sky at dawn, don't yawn. Halflings probably set your barn afire, so gather your war ponies, tie back their manes, and attack–then, my good gnomes, you burn them back.”
Gnute Yakkin, in The Compendium of Gnomeric Resistance Rhymes

First, let me say that I have a deep and intense love of humor, satire, and cheekiness. I am a smart ass in the most profound and deep sense of the word. This was much to my detriment growing up. I can say without hyperbole that this is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Maybe it is my particular brand of punny and silly humor, but this story speaks to me. It is hilarious. It isn't perfect, the story trips over itself a few times and gets lost in the humor, but generally, this book is laughing out loud funny the whole way through.

The story is the second one thus far that takes place in the land of Pell; the first is the tale Kill the Farmboy. However, if you have read the first book in the series some of the characters are revisited, but this is very easy to keep up with as a stand-alone book.

“Few gnomes appreciate how stonking big the culinary accouterments must be to feed the taller folk. More than one gnome has mistaken an oven for cozy guest quarters, only to discover that it's a box of deadly fire.”
Sonni Somnambulist, in How I survived Twenty-One Terrible Places to Sleep

Pell is a land full of creatures of myth and fantasy tropes. In this edition of the series, the brothers Offi, Onni, and their family head to a town for refuges after their home has been attacked by a halfling gang known as Rogues Under Bigly-Wicke. There is a lot of fun cheeky naming going on. With a cast of characters brought from the four corners of fantasy, a ragtag group set off to fight the halfling horde and by God RESTORE THEIR LAND.

All I am going to say is goth cardigans...

Read this if you want some light and fun humor. I wouldn't call the story engaging in a deep plot sort of way, but more like an excellent vehicle for funny jokes which are actually quite good, so give it a try.