Book Review: Bookshops & Bonedust

Before the orc Viv hung up her sword to open a café, she fell for the enchanting scent of paper and ink, turning reading from a simple pastime into her main hobby. Travis Baldree returns with a prequel to the world of Legends & Lattes, jumping back twenty years to the very beginning of Viv's mercenary career.

Don't worry if you haven't read Legends & Lattes – Bookshops & Bonedust works perfectly as a standalone. However, readers already familiar with Viv will surely enjoy the moments where she encounters old friends, making the story even more rewarding. It's also fascinating to see Viv's development; in Bookshops, mercenary work and a fighting spirit are her entire identity, but that shifts and evolves by the time we reach Legends, giving both books a depth we might not have expected.

Our heroine is part of Rackam's Ravens, and on her very first mission, her eagerness to swing her sword at every skeleton in sight leads her to overestimate her strength. She ends up with a serious injury that won't heal overnight. (I don't know why, but during the scene where Viv mows down skeleton after skeleton while counting her kills, I was reminded of The Lord of the Rings and Gimli and Legolas competing for the highest kill count.) Her companions have no choice but to load her onto a wagon and take her to the town of Murk, where they settle her in with a local innkeeper and pay for a healer while they continue their quest to catch the necromancer Varine.

What a drag to be stuck in a place where nothing ever happens! At least, that's how it feels to a young, ambitious orc who only craves her destiny as a mighty warrior. It seems like the end for Viv, but it's actually just the beginning. While exploring the town's few attractions, she discovers not only the famous bakery of the dwarf Maylee but also, quite by accident, a small, dusty bookshop owned by the ratkin Fern. To pass the time, Fern recommends a book that Viv eventually takes with her. Back at the inn, she decides to give it a chance. Even though she initially thinks it's just soft entertainment, she gets so absorbed that she doesn't even notice the food she's eating. After finishing it, she heads back to the bookshop to pay Fern (why bring a wallet when exploring a new place, right?) and pick up another catch, since she has plenty of time now. At this rate, she might actually survive her convalescence—thank the gods for books!

Between us, as someone who spent a decade working in a bookstore, I'm not sure I'd be able to recommend a suitable book to a customer who just burst into my shop and knocked over a pile of books, let alone strike up a friendship. So, hats off to Fern for being able to do exactly that, despite all the salty language she lets slip (or should I say, squeaks? Who knows what the correct technical term for a ratkin's mouth is?).

This accidental visit isn't the last; Viv keeps coming back for more reading material to kill the vast amount of free time she now has. It doesn't take long for them to strike a mutually beneficial deal. The new avid reader gets her fix of quality literature, and in return, she helps the struggling shopkeeper with minor repairs, which eventually turn into a full-blown renovation. The shop is spruced up so well that paying customers slowly start returning.

Unfortunately, the sunny, sleepy routine of Murk is disrupted by a mysterious, suspicious stranger who visits the shop and scares both Fern and her pet Perch (an adorable, fuzzy combination of fur and feathers—if cats aren't enough for you, griffins clearly work well with books too). Viv rashly picks a fight with him, which doesn't do her recovery any favors, much to her healer's annoyance. Still, the patient receives proper care and can continue working on her recovery and the bookstore rescue project.

While the incident briefly livens up the sleepy small town, life quickly returns to its old ways, and Viv can once again focus on the shop, her reading, and her new friends (it's lovely to see a familiar face here that we already met in the pages of Legends & Lattes). We even get to read snippets of the literary gems Fern recommends. I don't know about you, but my inner reader would definitely love it if some of these titles were released in our market; the teased excerpts sound truly tempting and would go perfectly with an afternoon coffee.

Our known/unknown stranger naturally returns to the scene, and Viv eventually gets her fair share of adventure, mystery, action, and bones—there's even some fighting (which isn't a bad thing; she still needs to train regularly to stay in shape—reading doesn't exactly build muscle). All of this is spiced up with book sales, sweet buns, a summer romance, a trip to see a local elf writer, and "damp" books. It's definitely more than Viv expected to encounter at this end of the world.

I think there's nothing more to say—go read it yourself. The book is sweet, readable, and for me, it even surpassed Legends & Lattes—it's been a long time since I devoured a novel within 24 hours of buying it. And that's what it's all about—if you want to enjoy a "feel-good" story full of books, friendship, and adventure with a hint of romance that truly warms the soul, but your inner nerd also wants its share of swords, magic, and action, this is the right choice for you. Plus, the way things turn out feels nicely realistic; no perfect happy ending, which makes me like the book even more.

If I had to criticize anything, it would be a few minor typos that slipped past the editors—nothing that really hurts the eyes, though the neologism "sarkasticky" (instead of "sarkasticky" on page 62) was quite amusing. Perhaps Fern wouldn't need to use so many swear words—it doesn't quite fit a well-read bookseller in my opinion, but that's just me, and over time I got used to her vocabulary and even learned some new insults.

What I couldn't help but notice in the story is the genuine, palpable love for books and the work that goes into them. As I mentioned, I worked in a bookstore for years, and it felt like the author was paying tribute to all the good booksellers who spread their love for the written word through quality recommendations. It's a beautiful and meaningful job that, except perhaps during the Christmas rush, we can only envy—even though, surprisingly, being a bookseller isn't just about reading on the clock, even if everyone wishes it were.

After reading the epilogue, one can only hope the author will soon treat us to another title from a world where orcs prioritize books, coffee, sweets, and friends. And if you haven't already, catch up on Legends & Lattes—the wait for the next installment will pass much faster.

author Jana Mrkvicová