Kill the Farm Boy by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson

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

by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson

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.

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. 

Reviewed by tweetybugshouse on

4 of 5 stars

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If you enjoy the humor of Monty Python and fairy tales then this book will be right up your alley. The book is a light-hearted romp through fairy tales spun up roaringly on their heads. The cast of characters pretty much tells you this not meant to be a serious fantasy story. Yours supposed to laugh and shake your head as you read along.

The story takes place in the land of Pell, where an unlucky soon to bed dead farm boy lives. He sent on a quest to save a sleeping princess from a tower and an evil character who wants his heart. Then you have a bard without a tune in her heart but an adorable fuzzy tail, an assassin who is deathly afraid of chickens, and a mighty fighter who sports a chain-mail bikini. The group will also gain a trash-talking goat and dread necromancer named Steve. This not your normal fairy tale group but they will have a strange and wondrous journey through Pell to a fairy tale ending you will never see coming.

This is not my normal kind of story and it did take me a bit to get into it. You also have to realize that not everything in this book is there to support the plot. They are merely meant to be humorous and expand your knowledge of Pell. The funniest part I think is that the Dread Necromancer Steve is in no way an intricate part of the story but with the way the characters trash talk on him it makes you want to hate him just as much as the rest of the crazy cast does.

This is one of those books you have to pick up and give a chance and remember that it meant to be over the top and that it to be humorous and you should be laughing and shaking your head at the antics that are being portrayed on the pages. The next book is another story that based in Pell but this one will be about Gnomes and sure it will be just as funny as this one is. Pick this up as a fun read to get lost in and share the antics with your other Monty Python loving friends you won’t regret it.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 April, 2019: Finished reading
  • 21 April, 2019: Reviewed