Brigands & Breadknives
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4.6 • 34 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An instant New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller!
Return to the fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with a new adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller Fern
Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!
If only things were so simple…
It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.
A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.
As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Baldree's endearing third Legends & Lattes fantasy (after Bookshops & Bonedust), rattkin bookseller Fern moves cross-country to open a bookstore next door to her old friend Viv's coffee shop, hoping this will cure her ennui. Despite a warm welcome from her new community, however, she remains oddly dissatisfied. One night, she drunkenly stows away in a wagon belonging to Astryx One-Ear, an ancient elven adventurer and bounty hunter, who's currently bringing a chaotic goblin named Zyll to face justice. Unwilling to return home as she's unsure how to explain to Viv why she's discontent, Fern arranges to keep traveling with Astryx and Zyll. The journey proves perilous, with rival bounty hunters and Zyll's enemies all wanting a piece of the goblin, but Fern's escapades on the road allow her to reassess her life's trajectory and discover a passion for telling stories in addition to selling them. But when she must choose between old friends and new, it could change everything. While this road trip romp is more action-packed than previous installments, Baldree still conjures up the sense of cozy intimacy the series is known for. It's a delight.
Customer Reviews
Still Cozy, But More Feels
The third book centers around Fern going through a midlife crisis of purpose, getting drunk, and passing out in the back of exactly the right wagon. Definitely different from the first two, and very fun read.
A Great Cozy Fantasy!
“Brigands & Breadknives” is the 2025 third novel by Travis Baldree, who is better known in literary circles as a full-time audiobook narrator. It’s a classic alternative world fantasy that takes place in the same world as his groundbreaking “Legends & Lattes.” It has all the trappings of a fantasy novel with swords, magic, orcs, gnomes, and many other fantasy races. However, it is a very different and refreshing novel within this genre. Like his first two novels, it’s a warm and cozy read.
The main character of this novel is Ratkin known as Fern, who has an adorable gryphlet called Potroast. Fern is the owner of the titular bookshop from the second but prequel novel, “Bookshops & Bonedust.” She has been persuaded to move her bookshop to Thune, and open it next to Legends & Lattes, which is run by her friend Viv the Orc and her wife. Fern gets things moved and set up, and then has a crisis of sorts. She gets drunk one night while pondering her life, and passes out in the back of a wagon.
When she wakes up, she’s far from Thune and finds herself traveling with a legendary Elven Swordmaiden and a chaotic goblin that is theoretically her prisoner. Fern plans to head back to her life, but there are many other things that begin happening on the way…
This is a heartwarming book, that draws you into a very different fantasy where the world doesn’t need to be saved, or the dark lord defeated. It tells the story of Fern and her traveling companions, and the adventures they have together. It’s a great story!
This is a tale set in the world of “Legends & Lattes” and occurs after the events of that book. So, technically it’s a sequel. However, since it involves Fern and her bookshop, it might be best to read it after the other two books. I highly recommend all three books.