Kill the Farm Boy (Tales of Pell, #1)

by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson

[Quirky Cat]

Kill the Farm Boy is a hilarious and irreverent beginning to an all-new series called the Tales of Pell. If the first novel is anything to go by, the entire series is bound to be wholly unique. The novel is a play on the classic chosen one quest, only with a whole lot of twists thrown in. If you’re looking for a fairy tale that’ll make you snort with laughter, then this is the series for you.
The series is actually written by a pair of authors – something you don’t see every day. Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne teamed up to bring us this utterly capricious and comical world. I’ll confess that I’m quite the fan of Delilah Dawson’s works, which is what tempted me with this series to begin with.
If I was giving out awards, I would give Kill the Farm Boy the award for funniest novel. Seriously, I could not stop laughing while reading this one. I ended up highlighting more sections than I ever have in any other novel, simply because I enjoyed them so much.


I cannot believe how much Kill the Farm Boy made me laugh. It honestly wasn’t something that I was aware that I needed, but having read it I’m really grateful that I did. Everything about this book was witty and funny and so on point with the comedic timing. I couldn’t have asked for more.
The description of this book compares itself to Terry Pratchett and the Princess Bride, and honestly, I have to agree (though I’d say it fits the movie a bit more than the book for the latter). It was inane, silly, and whimsical with a fair amount of frequently.
It also wasn’t afraid to call itself out on things, or to play around with modern debates and topics. I was highly amused by the whole process, to be honest.
The whole story kicks off with a character being identified as a chosen one, but things quickly spiral out of control. With a talking goat, a vegetarian giantess, a woman-bunny, and a dark lord who’s really more of a crepuscular lord, there’s a whole lot of weirdness that happens within these pages.
I know I said it already, but I can’t tell you how many times this book literally made me laugh (or snort) out loud. It’s been ages since I read a book that did that to me. I’m sure I looked like a right idiot too, since I was reading this in public at one point (books are a great way to make convention lines more bearable, aren’t they?).
Despite all the humor and joking around, there really was a plot to this book. Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne just had a little fun along the way is all. There are plenty of dangerous and dark moments to be had here – don’t doubt it.
There’s also a romantic subplot, and dozens of twists and turns in this plot. It turns out that nothing is quite what it seems here, even the talking goat. Which is hard to believe, I know. But trust me.
I was actually sad when this novel ended, because I enjoyed it so. Luckily the next novel in the series, No Country for Old Gnomes, is due out very soon (actually, by the time this review goes live it might already be out).


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks