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Brigands and Breadknives
Nov. 19th, 2025 12:59 pmBrigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree is the follow-up to Bookshops & Bonedust, the prequel to Legends & Lattes - and I'd been looking forward to its release this month.
I listened to the audiobook, as I have with all of them, since Baldree is a professional audiobook narrator, narrates all his own books, and is really good. I love the way he embodies all the characters, making them all engaging and distinct without straying into caricature.
This story follows Fern, the ratkin bookseller befriended by Viv in the prequel, as she tries to find purpose in her life again - getting embroiled in the adventures of an elven bounty hunter along the way.
And - it was fine.
Don't get me wrong - it was an easy and entertaining listen - but it didn't really grab me like the other two, and I felt it was rather lacking in the emotional depth and wonderful found family vibes that made the others so heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable.
I did love the breadknife of the title - he was definitely my favourite character, and I'm glad to be keeping up with the series - but I definitely missed the community and shop-running focus of the previous two books, and it was a shame that Fern was the only recurring character to really feature in the story.
I listened to the audiobook, as I have with all of them, since Baldree is a professional audiobook narrator, narrates all his own books, and is really good. I love the way he embodies all the characters, making them all engaging and distinct without straying into caricature.
This story follows Fern, the ratkin bookseller befriended by Viv in the prequel, as she tries to find purpose in her life again - getting embroiled in the adventures of an elven bounty hunter along the way.
And - it was fine.
Don't get me wrong - it was an easy and entertaining listen - but it didn't really grab me like the other two, and I felt it was rather lacking in the emotional depth and wonderful found family vibes that made the others so heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable.
I did love the breadknife of the title - he was definitely my favourite character, and I'm glad to be keeping up with the series - but I definitely missed the community and shop-running focus of the previous two books, and it was a shame that Fern was the only recurring character to really feature in the story.
