Kill the Farm Boy: The Tales of Pell

Kevin Hearne · Delilah S. Dawson

Jul 2018 · The Tales of Pell Book 1 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

In an irreverent series in the tradition of Monty Python, the bestselling authors of the Iron Druid Chronicles and Star Wars: Phasma reinvent fantasy, fairy tales, and floridly written feast scenes.

“Ranks among the best of Christopher Moore and Terry Pratchett.”—Chuck Wendig

“When you put two authors of this high caliber together, expect fireworks. Or at least laughs. What a hoot!”—Terry Brooks

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he’s bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there’s the Dark Lord, who wishes for the boy’s untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there’s a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar “happily ever after” that ever once-upon-a-timed. 

Praise for Kill the Farm Boy

“A rollicking fantasy adventure that upends numerous genre tropes in audacious style . . . a laugh-out-loud-funny fusion of Monty Python–esque humor and whimsy à la Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Dawson and Hearne’s reimagining of a traditional fairy tale is reminiscent of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride and William Steig’s Shrek! Irreverent, funny, and full of entertaining wordplay, this will keep readers guessing until the end.”—Library Journal

“Will have you laughing out loud until strangers begin to look at you oddly.”—SyFy

“A smart comedy . . . nuanced, complicated, and human.”—Tordotcom

“[Delilah Dawson and Kevin Hearne] make fun of the typical ‘white male power fantasies,’ and in that, they succeed, with their heroes all characters of color and/or falling somewhere under the LGBTQ umbrella.”—Publishers Weekly

Ratings and reviews

Let me start by saying that I did not finish this book, and it truly pains me to say that. I'm a bit obsessive about finishing anything I start, and I tried, but a person can only stand so much drivel. While Ms Dawson is new to me, I absolutely loved Hearne's Iron Druid series - the wit, the action, the characters, etc. So, when I saw this one, I had to read it. I didn't expect this to be anything like the Iron Druid series, but I also didn't expect so much adolescent humor and well, that's pretty much it. I get the idea of taking a trope, or several of them, in a particular genre and creating a fun parody, but despite the claims, Monty Python this is not. From the very first page, it felt like the authors were trying to see how many puns, bad jokes, and satirical moments they could cram into each and every page. I'm sure there was some kind of story in there somewhere, but I don't think plots and storylines were the point here. Sometimes less is more, and that certainly could've been put to good use in this case. Add to that the feeling that a lot of words in the book came from a word-a-day calendar and I was over it. Don't get me wrong, I did find the occasional funny line, but what's funny once can become old when it's done over and over - On the same page! (Again, the less is more adage comes into play here.) If you like corny lines about poo, boogers, vomit, and penises, then this may be the book for you, but the 'humor' was lost on me. Color me disappointed in this one.

I could not bring myself to finish this, which is a rare and sad thing. I understand what they were trying to do by packing the book with jokes and challenges to the norm, but it became exhausting to read after a very short period of time. It seems like a solid effort, but an unfortunate misfire

The book was all about the jokes and it felt like the plot moved just for the jokes. There are some funny parts but others that had me scratching my head asking why.

About the author

Kevin Hearne hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, the Ink & Sigil series, and the Seven Kennings series, and is co-author of The Tales of Pell with Delilah S. Dawson.
 
Delilah S. Dawson is the author of the New York Times bestseller Star Wars: Phasma, Hit, Servants of the Storm, the Blud series, the creator-owned comics Ladycastle and Sparrowhawk, and the Shadow series (written as Lila Bowen). She lives in Florida with her family and a fat mutt named Merle.