Every genre gets a cosy version, so why not D&D-style fantasy too? Somewhere out there, someone must be writing cosy splatterpunk.

I really enjoyed this novel more than the three stars indicate. It's a nice idea. It's a nice mix of characters. It's nicely told. Baldree neither has nor tries for the wit of Pratchett, or the politicking of Martin, or the hard questions of LeGuin, or... (can you tell I'm not a deep-cut fantasy reader?) It's all almost frustratingly nice. It's sweet and fluffy like a good cinnamon roll. It goes down perfectly with a cup of good coffee. That makes it a very good holiday read, even if I'd probably get sick of it if I decided to read a dozen more like it.