Bookshops and Bonedust

by Travis Baldree

No cover — Travis Baldree: Bookshops and Bonedust (Paperback, 2023, Tor Books)

Paperback, 332 pages

English language

Published Nov. 7, 2023 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-250-32450-4

(3 reviews)

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

In Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes, New York Times bestselling author Travis Baldree takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes …

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.

In Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes, New York Times bestselling author Travis Baldree takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

6 editions

StoryDragon reviewed Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Bookshops & Bonedust: a great prequell

5 stars

I had not expected the prequell to be so good. Nearly or maybe completely as good as Legends & Lattes. A lovely cozy fantasy, in a way definitely still slice-of-life-y. I love that Viv helps rebuild a bookshop. And Satchel is so lovely! I definitely thought of Veo Corva while reading this. Their books have similar vibes. And just now I realize how close two book titles are... Bookshops & Bonedust vs. Books & Bone. I cannot say too much without giving spoilers, but one character in Bookshops & Bonedust reminds me of a favourite character in the Tombtown books by V.

Eric Wagoner 📚 reviewed Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #2)

So cozy but still with big personal stakes

5 stars

A sequel every good as the first without being a repeat or derivative. A prequel that stands on its own. This was such a joy to read, and I hope there is more to come!

Meadhbh Dhommnail reviewed Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #2)

Cozy and sweet and I wish I could live there

5 stars

Sometimes you need something cozy and heartwarming where a dwarf and an orc can fall in love over pastries and 'moist' books. These books are the literary equivalent of a comfortable chair in front of a cheerful fire with a good story in your hand and a mug of coffee and some sweet treat on the table beside you while a pleasant rain tinkles to the ground outside. Cozy and warm and lovely.

Of course, now I need to immediately re-read Legends and Lattes.

Subjects

Fantasy
Fiction