There was a time when Kevin Hearne lived in the Valley. He started writing his Iron Druid series, and, in fact, celebrated the release of his fourth book, Tricked, at Rula Bula, an Irish pub in Tempe. The Poisoned Pen staff was there to take care of the book sales. Why do I mention that? In the video below, Hearne says it’s good to be back in the area because he could make a stop at Rula Bula. The party was “Atticus & Oberon’s Sausage Fest.”
Kevin Hearne has moved on. He and Delilah Dawson were recently at the Pen with the second book in their Pell series, No Country for Old Gnomes. The series has been described as a combination of Monty Python and Terry Pratchett. You can order a signed copy through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/2HjwJx5
Here’s a description of No Country for Old Gnomes.
Go big or go gnome. The New York Times bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy welcome you to the world of Pell, the irreverent fantasy universe that recalls Monty Python and Terry Pratchett.
War is coming, and it’s gonna be Pell.
On one side stand the gnomes: smol, cheerful, possessing tidy cardigans and no taste for cruelty.
On the other side sit the halflings, proudly astride their war alpacas, carrying bags of grenades and hungry for a fight. And pretty much anything else.
It takes only one halfling bomb and Offi Numminen’s world is turned upside down—or downside up, really, since he lives in a hole in the ground. His goth cardigans and aggressive melancholy set him apart from the other gnomes, as does his decision to fight back against their halfling oppressors. Suddenly Offi is the leader of a band of lovable misfits and outcasts—from a gryphon who would literally kill for omelets to a young dwarf herbalist who is better with bees than with his cudgel to an assertive and cheerful teen witch with a beard as long as her book of curses—all on a journey to the Toot Towers to confront the dastardly villain intent on tearing Pell asunder. These adventurers never fit in anywhere else, but as they become friends, fight mermaids, and get really angry at this one raccoon, they learn that there’s nothing more heroic than being yourself.
In No Country for Old Gnomes, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly tweak the tropes of fantasy and fairy tales. Here you’ll find goofy jokes and whimsical puns, but you’ll also find a diverse, feminist, and lighthearted approach to fantasy that will bring a smile to your face and many fine cheeses to your plate.
*****
If you’re a fan, I think you’ll want to watch the video featuring Kevin Hearne and Delilah Dawson.