Humanoid rodents living in a high-fantasy realm have midlife crises, too! This is the hook of Brigands & Breadknives, Travis Baldree’s latest installment of the Legends & Lattes series. The first book is described as “a novel of high fantasy and low stakes.” These are stories of what happens when the D&D campaign is over, giving us some fun expansion of high fantasy world-building by peeking into everyday life of retired heroes. These books are cozy, joyful, and kind in all the right ways. But as much as I enjoyed reading them, I never had much to say about them.

Imagine my surprise when this third book had a lot more action, along with some gentle insight about aging, friendships, and forgiveness. Our protagonist is Fern, the rattkin (the aforementioned humanoid rodent). We readers first met Fern in Bookshops & Bonedust as a foul-mouthed bookseller who seemed content with her quiet, little life. Brigands & Breadknives finds her 20 years later, full of ennui, angst, and restlessness. She gets drunk and fucks up royally, accidentally finding herself on the road with the famous Oathmaiden, a bounty hunter elf, and Zyll, a delightfully chaotic goblin with a price on her head.

Okay, I’ll stop there. Fern and her companions get into all sorts of scrapes, jams, and pickles. It’s loads of fun. But about two-thirds of the way through, Fern comes to terms with her life and choices at a rattkin monastery. She has to apologize to her friends, take some responsibility, but also take care of herself. Going in, I expected an easy coziness, and this book has that. But I came away with a little more satisfaction this time around.

I hope Travis Baldree continues to expand this fantasy world and explore other characters and places. I’ll go along, whether the stakes be high or low!

In the meantime, stay safe and warm this weekend, friends. I hope your power stays on so you can enjoy some cozy reading!