Hat's Entertainment!: A Humorous High Fantasy

Hat Trick, Book 2

De: Luke Chmilenko, G. D. Penman

Narrado por: John Lee

Magically transformed into a hat, a wizard must endure being worn by a dwarf questing through a labyrinthine underworld, in this comical fantasy adventure.

Answers and vengeance are so close that Absalom Scryne can almost taste them. Perhaps if his consciousness had been transferred to a pair of shoes instead of a hat, he would've had the necessary tongue to do so . . .

Having made it through the Badlands by the skin of his crooked yellow teeth, Ig the kobold celebrated the achievement by blowing everyone up. Now, separated from the unhygienic scalp of his apprentice, Absalom must navigate the pitch-black underworld—traversing a miners' strike, a dungeon complex, a dragon's lair, and the domains of creatures best described as eldritch—perched atop a dwarf.

But will they make it back to the surface? Will we ever see sweet, stinky Ig again? What has the circus got to do with anything? Discover all this and more as the adventure continues!

©2024 Luke Chmilenko and G. D. Penman (P)2024 Podium Audio

Even more silly and fun than the last one

The way Absolam Scrime, or however it is, this is audiobook, describes everything with such colorful disdain is so hilarious. And even the things he DOESN'T dislike are described so wonderfully

Entertaining like the last book

I preferred this book to the previous one. I am looking forward to the third book!

as per norm for these writers; the worst part of this novel is when you know it is at an end.

I am specifically a fan of these authors collaborations, while this one doesn't display the dark comedy of one of their earlier series (Savage Dominion) it does present a slightly more wholesome but just as humorous narrative. I'm excited to see whatever they manage to conjure up next.

Penman and Chmilenko do it again

Classic wit and humor that is so unique to this genre. Worth the read just for the laughs.

Just delightful

🙂 15 words are required when you write your review. But the title says it all.

Pratchett-esque

Love these books! Lots of action and heart warming. Definitely not YA. Readercl does a great job. Me needs more🤣💯

igg was only in the last 3 hours

not enough Kobold he was only in the last 3 hours or so honestly this whole book could have wrapped up in 2-3 hours, its skipable, just know there is female dwarf wizard now and they made it to the city and that's all you need to know, you can skip this book and go straight to the 3rd

DR:Sillily hilarious, now w/dwarfs and the big bad

Following Book 1, Hat Trick, Absalom Scryne, the hat, the greatest living mage is lost and found again. This time by a dwarf drone, if that sounds weird - good, it's just the start of weirdness that is dwarven biology. Siggy, the drone dwarf, is skeptical about anything coming from a hat. Going deeper into the Kanute's Crack, the dwarven kingdom, Absalom does his best to weasel his way into Siggy's good graces and continue on his way to Arphanpholigan. Ancient dwarven history, old comedic relief nemesis making an appearance, separated hat and kobold.

The author's unorthodox take on dwarfs made me guffaw. Similarities between ants and dwarves brought to extreme. Most things of dwarven biology were sillily hilarious. The ancient history of dwarf mages, scrynium and ancient evil set the big bad for the series finale. The circus' arrival in magocracy of Arphanpholigan was speedy. Mage battle between Scryne's apprentices and those others reinforced 'Hat Trick' magic system. It being twofold, one is belief and the other is knowledge. As long as a mage believes something to be possible, has basic understanding of what he is doing and has sufficient quintessence, he can do it - e.g. Ig.

Book has two distinct parts, that possibly would have benefited from being split into two series installments (book 2, ch.1-ch.12, book 2 ch.13-cp.21). There was a certain tonal shift starting chapter 14. Until then the story was quite similar to book 1 - the hat, Absalom trying to connive his new below the brim part to do what he wants, then the repeat of book 1 ending where Absalom is in the darkness without sensory inputs from outside the cloth. And cp.14 party reunites and closes an old case where the perpetrator would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the meddling ex-warlord, dwarf droid, kobold and a hat.

Conclusion: 3/5. Listened on Audible included in plus catalogue. Narrated by: John Lee. Book 2 of 'Hat Trick' continues what book 1 did. Farcical situations, humorous dialogue. As long as the reader doesn't expect the next installment of LOTR or The Hobbit, i.e. a serious character driven fantasy adventure, and is ready for nonsensical interactions and genitalia jokes they will enjoy 'Hat's Entertainment!'. Terrible value for the length of the book - 3.22 $/hour ( 33.90 $ / 10 hrs 31 mins ).

Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour