From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Travis Baldree

Start date: April 1, 2023

Finish date: April 30, 2023

Discussion: Legends & Lattes

Why we're reading this: Won the 8th annual March Madness!
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Legends & Lattes

Brian McClellan interview Travis Baldree
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last updated May 11, 2023 08:50AM

L&L: Other Cozy/Cosy Fantasy recommendations?
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What Members Thought

Jun 06, 2023 Eric rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

There was a film released in 2021 titled Pig, starring Nicholas Cage as a reclusive truffle hunter hellbent on finding his stolen pig. The trailer gave the impression that it would be the next John Wick, a film about a man hellbent on revenge following his dog being murdered, which in turn gave the movie a lot of buzz. But watching Pig, it is actually the anti-John Wick, subverting the expectations of violence at each turn in the movie, and giving the viewer a lot to think about, which is someth There was a film released in 2021 titled Pig, starring Nicholas Cage as a reclusive truffle hunter hellbent on finding his stolen pig. The trailer gave the impression that it would be the next John Wick, a film about a man hellbent on revenge following his dog being murdered, which in turn gave the movie a lot of buzz. But watching Pig, it is actually the anti-John Wick, subverting the expectations of violence at each turn in the movie, and giving the viewer a lot to think about, which is something nobody can claim about any of the entries in the John Wick series.

I don't want to say more about Pig and spoil it — as it's well worth a watch — but I do want to discuss its ability to subvert expectations, specifically those of violence, and how that reminded me of Legends & Lattes. This is a fantasy story about an orc barbarian that wants to hang up her battleax and open a café, leaving her previous life of violence behind. When obstacles arise in her new venture, the reader is expecting her to dust off her battleax and kill her way out of them. So, when with the help of her newly hired associate, she decides not to take that easy and familiar path, seeing it as a slippery slope of backsliding to where (and who) she previously was, it is as refreshing as it is subversive. What follows is a lovely and heartwarming story that I found myself fully invested in, and I look forward to reading the upcoming prequel, Bookshops & Bonedust.

My other main takeaway from reading this was how blessedly small the story was. Not in length, although this is hardly a doorstop of a novel, but in scope. I've read more fantasy than I can count at this point in my life, and each new series seems to feel the need to build larger worlds, fill them with more intricately woven political intrigues, and then follow more and more point-of-view characters. While this is no doubt a wonderful and fitting tribute to JRR Tolkien, I'm frankly over it. I got so much more joy reading this single shot story with its one focal character than I have from the last half dozen epic fantasy series I've attempted, none of which I've read to completion (although with most coming in anywhere from three to ten novels in a series, that's no wonder). ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2022 John Wiswell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a cozy and warmhearted book! It's like if all the tropes of Fantasy retired and started up a coffee shop together. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2023 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Not my typical genre but I really enjoyed it. Cozy Fantasy is a thing now for sure.

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2023 Dara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: funny, fantasy, pov-single, ff, cozy-feels

A delightful cozy fantasy novel about an adventuring orc who wants to hang up her sword and open a coffee shop. No one in this town knows what coffee even is? No problem! Sweet, adorable, and comforting.

2 likes · Like · see review