Tales from Gundarland

Hank Quense

 Gundarland is populated by humans, dwarfs, elves and other races; it's the backdrop for unique adventures, brilliant heroes and cunning villains.
There are six short stories and two novellas in here. All are new. You'll meet some of Shakespeare's most famous characters, a warrior-cook, vigilantes, a trio of beautiful, lusty princesses to mention just a few of the memorable characters in the stories.

 My Take:

Satire is a difficult genre to pull off successfully.  If it isn't done just right, it can seem forced and just doesn't feel right.  I'm not quite sure if Tales of Gundarland pulled off a seamless satire, some of the stories seemed very rushed, so you didn't always get a full image of what the author was trying to put out there.  The writing itself was mostly funny, and the characters were quite quirky, but I don't think it completely pulled of what it set out to accomplish.  This book contained a number of stories, some I enjoyed, other, not so much.  Some of the stories were not original, but retellings of famous tales.  One of the retellings was of Romeo and Juliet, and I didn't really care for it.  An author needs to be very careful when revamping a classic, especially one written by one of the greatest writers of all time.  You've got to make sure that your retelling is absolutely mind blowing, or it will fall totally flat.  I enjoyed the stories that had more original subject matter immensely as the writing was humorous and engaging and I wasn't too busy comparing it to the original (which is inevitable with a retelling).  I think my favorite part of the book was the very beginning, when the reader is introduced to Gundarland.  It started the book out on a very original foot.  4, Borrow from a Friend 

Do you agree with my review?  Do you think I'm totally off base?  Either way I'd love to hear from you, be sure to leave a comment and tell me how you feel.

If this book were a movie, it would likely be rated PG-13 for sexual references

***FTC Disclosure:  This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, no other compensation was given, all opinions are my own***

If you are interested in purchasing Tales from Gundarland, please consider supporting The Book Buff by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

.