Brigands & Breadknives, the third book in the Legends and Lattes series by Travis Baldree continues where Bookshops & Bonedust left off with Viv inviting her friend and bookshop owner Fern the ratkin to open a bookshop next door to Viv’s coffeshop. It’s a success, but the problem is Fern absolutely hates it. A fear of letting her friend down, a flask, and a mishap in the back of a wagon lead Fern far from home and on an adventure she was not seeking but may have needed.

Fern experiences an arc that mirrors Viv’s in the first book, but rather than wanting to settle down from the road of an adventurer, Fern finds herself seeking it out the further she travels away from her home and her problems. Of the three books so far, this is the most adventure-heavy, with Fern visiting far more locations with Astrix, the skilled and closed-off elven Blademistress, and her capture bounty, Zyll, the goblin with the many-pocketed coat who causes controlled chaos everywhere they try to go. The adventure on paper is simple, to take Zyll to the northeastern city of Amberlin and turn in Zyll’s bounty. Baldree expands upon his world with new, descriptive locations and interesting exposition that never strays from the book’s real conflict: Fern’s inner struggle to admit what they want to themselves and to their loved ones.

It’s fun to see the parallel paths Viv’s arc in Legends & Lattes alongside Fern’s in Brigands & Breadknives go on, and where they diverge. Both are taking on new ventures far from home and far from what they’ve done their entire lives, but where they starkly contrast is Fern’s inability to realize what they actually want. The path in which they diverge, Viv settling in one place to start a new and comfortable business and Fern leaving her comfortable life behind to see the world, is where Fern’s story keeps the cozy adventure aspect of this series fresh. The cozy moments come between adventuring around the campfire and just before bed, with moments of levity, as Fern tends to be foul-mouthed, nosy, and a bit judgmental.

Not that Viv is perfect in either of the previous books, but having Fern’s flaws out in the open, being only semi-self-aware about them, and having characters call her out was refreshing character work from Baldree in this book. Astrix, being an almost stand-in for Viv, comes with her own set of problems that tend to pop up in the realm of fantasy people who live long lives of becoming too set in their ways, which, combined with Fern’s impulsive mouth and Zyll’s impulsive actions, makes the book ripe for the kind of emotional chaos that is fun in fantasy stories. Without spoiling it, the extended cast beyond Ferne, Zyll, and Astrix is a delight in different personalities that work as great fodder for Fern’s truck driver mouth and growing self-awareness of their wants and flaws.

The way Baldree worldbuilds is such a joy. Brigands & Breadknives will introduce new concepts of magic, religion, or culture that reveal previously unknown depths of the setting, then use them to introduce one of the series’ funniest characters. Despite the more adventure-focused focus, it remains just as comfy and brisk a pace as the previous books. Brigands & Breadknives opens up Travis Baldree’s world without straying too far from what made the series popular.

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Joshua was provided an advance copy of the book by Tor Books.

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