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A review by thebakersbooks
Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin Hearne
4.0
4/5 stars — perfectly witty; great for fans of puns and fantasy
With Kill the Farm Boy, authors Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne have created a masterwork of tongue-in-cheek commentary on the high fantasy genre that's also a hilarious and sometimes touching adventure. This novel achieved a deft balance between lampshading common fantasy tropes (like the one referenced in the title, where an everyman farm boy turns out to be chosen for world-changing greatness) and playing them straight. There are still swordfights and magic and even a "Chosen One," but none of it is quite what you expect.
Since I haven't read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, this book reminded me most of "The Princess Bride" and (possibly a more niche reference) Piers Anthony's Xanth. (For anybody who's read the Xanth books, I'm happy to report that Kill the Farm Boy nails the punny humor while leaving out the sexism and general grossness.) This book's humor likely isn't for everyone, but I didn't mind wading through some slightly juvenile poop-related jokes for the overall fantasy-satire experience.
Kill the Farm Boy succeeded on many levels for me, but I most appreciate that it pointed out some of the problems that have plagued high fantasy as a genre since its inception. There's a female warrior in a literal chainmail bikini...and all the characters understand how ridiculous it is.The eponymous farm boy hears a Chosen One prophecy and has no trouble assuming it applies to him (because the protag is always a boy in his late teens, right?), but it turns out that the prophecy was meant for someone else and the farm boy dies in the first quarter of the book. Furthermore, the adventuring party ends up with at least as many female members as male ones, there's a wlw relationship, and there are people of color!
As mentioned earlier, this book will likely appeal to fans of "The Princess Bride," Discworld, Xanth, and anybody else who likes a mix of low- and high-brow humor and is willing to poke fun at the fantasy genre. How much you enjoy the story will likely depend on your sense of humor; it was right on target for me and I'm excited to read more of the Tales of Pell series.
With Kill the Farm Boy, authors Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne have created a masterwork of tongue-in-cheek commentary on the high fantasy genre that's also a hilarious and sometimes touching adventure. This novel achieved a deft balance between lampshading common fantasy tropes (like the one referenced in the title, where an everyman farm boy turns out to be chosen for world-changing greatness) and playing them straight. There are still swordfights and magic and even a "Chosen One," but none of it is quite what you expect.
Since I haven't read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, this book reminded me most of "The Princess Bride" and (possibly a more niche reference) Piers Anthony's Xanth. (For anybody who's read the Xanth books, I'm happy to report that Kill the Farm Boy nails the punny humor while leaving out the sexism and general grossness.) This book's humor likely isn't for everyone, but I didn't mind wading through some slightly juvenile poop-related jokes for the overall fantasy-satire experience.
Kill the Farm Boy succeeded on many levels for me, but I most appreciate that it pointed out some of the problems that have plagued high fantasy as a genre since its inception. There's a female warrior in a literal chainmail bikini...and all the characters understand how ridiculous it is.
As mentioned earlier, this book will likely appeal to fans of "The Princess Bride," Discworld, Xanth, and anybody else who likes a mix of low- and high-brow humor and is willing to poke fun at the fantasy genre. How much you enjoy the story will likely depend on your sense of humor; it was right on target for me and I'm excited to read more of the Tales of Pell series.