Because who doesn’t need a bit of escapist fun on occasion?

What to Expect

Expect a light-hearted comedy, a satire about Dungeons & Dragons and similar fantasy role-playing games. A city guard finds himself accompanying a team of professional dungeon-clearing dwarves due to mistaken identity, and everyone gets a bit stressed when they find his an orphan (a prime attractor of unwanted destiny). The novel culminates with appropriate twists and turns in a big boss-fight against the evil necromancer, balancing action and jokes well.

The second book (Blackfog Island), starts as the dungeoneers return an artefact recovered in the first novel, and get sent on a new job (though it’s not all that important, so reading in order isn’t critical) . The job description this time is somewhat more cryptic, and we soon learn why “like a dwarf to water” isn’t really a phrase. As usual, stakes and scope escalate, betrayals and double-dealing abound, and general shenanigans come to a resounding climax and a lot of clean-up afterwards.

What I liked

Loved to trope-jokes about fantasy role-playing games, the dwarves no-nonsense approach to stripping a dungeon bare to milk any possible income, and all the little bits of cleverness, whether in dungeon-delving gizmos or hilarious chains of events. And the chickens. Gotta love the chickens.

What to be aware of

This is escapist entertainment, nothing deep. More like Drew Hayes’ NPCs than Zachary Pike’s Orconomics. Knowing the tropes isn’t necessary for enjoyment, but it sure makes things more fun.

The second novel is somewhat less puns, but still maintains the light-hearted and enjoyable style. Durham, one of the main character point-of-view in the first novel, is still present but to a much lesser degree in the second.

Felix’s and Jack’s Reviews

Felix agreed whole-heartedly with the dwarves’ approach, in that heroics are best left for the heroes of myth. Getting things done in reality requires living through whatever it is, and discretion is often the better part of valour. Whether it’s Felix schemes to avoid trouble (often ending just jumping from the pan into the fire), or the dwarves ‘high-tech’ shield wall and explosives for a door-knocker (ditto), both take a practical approach to getting to the bottom of things — yet are unafraid to step up when needed.

Jack thought the dwarves’ approach to dealing with zombies was hilarious, and he wished he could get away with stuff like that. He’s unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) tied down with laws and regulations about dealing with other-worldly creatures, the living dead, and the associated paperwork that invariably follows. Then again, he’s happy to just solve crimes and protect the citizenry, rather than deal with world-ending events.

Summary

Recommended as a palate-cleanser between heavier reads, or when needing a comic break from life. I certainly will be looking to read the last two books of the series when I want some diversion.

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Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck are those Felix and Jack fellows? Glad you asked! Felix is the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome, and Jack is the police detective running the Unusual Crimes Squad, dealing in occult crimes in modern-day Australia.

Come meet Felix and Jack on the free short stories and novels!