Reviews for M. L. Tilford
There is 1 review of 1 book with an average score of 3 (out of 4).
- 🔈 - Audiobook
- 🔁 - Re-read
- 🥇 / 🥈 / 🥉 - Favorite of the Year honoree.
This was a fun read that played with the genre of fantasy itself. Parody is a hard line to walk. Be too funny and you're not really telling a story, just making fun of one. But be too serious and you're not a parody at all, just a humorous entrant in the genre. Tilford's debut novel is an enjoyable read, but one that errs a little too close to the silly over the story. The plot is familiar: a chosen one and their companions on a quest to defeat the Dark Lord. It does a good job subverting some expectations while leaning into others. Making fun of common fantasy tropes is good, but take too many at face value and it feels like you're missing your own joke. Past that, the prose itself is good. A few too many similes, but it was snappy and genuinely funny. Most of the characters didn't have much depth to them, but there's one in particular I really liked. I thought the moments of deeper introspection (like the brute reexamining how he feels about goblins) were the strongest points, but they were few and far between. If you go in expecting a truly silly fantasy romp, you're sure to enjoy it (and I did). Just don't expect too much more.
This was a fun read that played with the genre of fantasy itself. Parody is a hard line to walk. Be too funny and you're not really telling a story, just making fun of one. But be too serious and you're not a parody at all, just a humorous entrant in the genre. Tilford's debut novel is an enjoyable read, but one that errs a little too close to the silly over the story. The plot is familiar: a chosen one and their companions on a quest to defeat the Dark Lord. It does a good job subverting some expectations while leaning into others. Making fun of common fantasy tropes is good, but take too many at face value and it feels like you're missing your own joke. Past that, the prose itself is good. A few too many similes, but it was snappy and genuinely funny. Most of the characters didn't have much depth to them, but there's one in particular I really liked. I thought the moments of deeper introspection (like the brute reexamining how he feels about goblins) were the strongest points, but they were few and far between. If you go in expecting a truly silly fantasy romp, you're sure to enjoy it (and I did). Just don't expect too much more.