Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
Brigands & Breadknives is exactly the type of book I would choose based on title alone, but I had already loved Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust (yeah you know I love an ampersand) so I couldn’t resist taking this home from the bookstore. In this novel, we get to learn more about Fern: the foul-mouthed rattkin who moves to Thune for a second start in life.
…and spoiler alert: she hates it. This book meant so much to me. I too made a major life change and (kind of sort of) hated it. Fern moving to Thune for her new chapter reminded me of how I felt when I moved to California. A new start! and yet it’s all kind of the same. and you don’t feel the satisfaction you craved. and a job is still a job even if it’s new or fancy. and seeing your wonderful frieds is great but it still feels empty. Fern handles this in a terrible and hilarious way (hey makes me feel better about my Saturdays spent sobbing in bed): getting drunk and stowing away in a local celebrity’s wagon. This starts an adventure that allows her to meet a cast of characters who enrich her life: Astryx, the kickass adventurer with a hard heart, Zyll, the mysterious goblin with an unknowable amount of pockets, and Breadlee (or should I say, Bradlee?), a charmingly whimsical (sentient!) breadknife.
Always remember, although the unimaginative see life as a thread stretched from one point to another, birth to death, a life truly lived is a glorious tangle. One is never lost. And if one is lucky, one if never found, either.
Fern has twisted her life in the most glorious tangle! We get to follow her along the journey to untie (or further knot!) her life and dreams.
Is Brigands & Breadknives one of the greatest works of literature of all time? No. Did this book make me think about the world and my place in it? No. But… did this book allow me an escape from my every day life and fill me with wonder and joy? Absolutely!
It’s important to read books that provide a break from stress and life. I honestly had a really terrible weekend when I read this book, due to assorted personal events. I wanted to disappear, physically run away, dive into the bay and never return. But then I read this and felt catharsis.
The ending of this book might be controversial: Fern’s decision to go off without Astryx instead of continuing her squirehood. At first, I was disappointed – I thought, why shouldn’t she go off and adventure with a kickass, sword-wielding elf with short hair?! I would. But sometimes you have to do what feels right in your core, to make amends, to go home instead of avoiding your problems with another exciting adventure. I felt it was right. It’s a little less fantastical and doesn’t fit with the classic storytelling narrative; but it feels a little more real. A true ending. More like life.
4.5 stars for being a book I thoroughly enjoyed but not life changing! I will probably read all of the books Travis Baldree writes.
You have made by road a stranger, but I am so grateful to find my way by starlight. Fern reflected that after wandering in her own wilderness, she was grateful for a clear night sky, too.
I hope I can find my own wilderness and a clear night sky to navigate by.
