Hero in a Halfling

Epik Fantasy, Book 1

By: William Tyler Davis

Narrated by: Elijah DiViesti

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

Not many halflings dream of magic.

But Epik isn’t like the rest. Adventure. Excitement. He craves those things. He would rather learn magic, not follow a wizard on some fool's adventure... or so he thinks.

The problem: magic is outlawed. After setting out for the city, what Epik finds in Dune All-En isn’t at all what he’d hoped. No magic. And few wizards.

Luck, or something more sinister, is on the halfling's side. He meets Gabby, a wizard who is kind enough to rent him a room, or rather a closet, at his now-defunct magical supply store. And as a group of mountain trolls threatens the city, Epik sees the opportunity to do something, well, epic.

If only the halfling inside him would stop peeking out.

Featuring halflings, dwarves, elves, and a ranger or two, Hero in a Halfling is perfect for fans of both Discworld and Middle Earth. Join Epik as he goes from halfling to hero, who just also happens to (still) be a halfling.

©2017 William Davis (P)2017 William Davis

A life lived in fear is a life Halfling lived

Action, adventure, excitement. A Jedi craves these things not, and neither do Halflings for the most part. The exception to that thought is Epik, a halfling who just craves a life filled with magic. Literally. So, he picks up and leaves home because I think his thought was that a life lived in fear is a life Halfling lived. He wants to experience life, not work in a bar where everybody's cup is halfling full or halfling empty. His real philosophy is that a life is halfling spent before we know what it is! So he heads off to learn some magic, only to learn that the king has banned that particular ability from being practiced. Thankfully, he meets Gabby, and just might get his wish when some trolls start eating the locals. That's it for the recap, and thank you for letting me get in my halfling bits, I really found them to be fun.

Anyway, ever since some guy whose initials started with a J and two R's came along halflings have proven themselves to be interesting characters. Aside from the Lord of the Ring books like Dennis L. McKiernan's Iron Tower Trilogy, and Ron Howard's Willow have show the little guys to be more than capable heroes. Davis continues to prove the point, as Epik is a hero through and through, he just needs a chance to prove himself.

The book is a fun romp. The bad thing with funny fantasy is that everyone wants to instantly compare you to Terry Pratchett. Don't get me wrong, Pratchett is funny, but it is like comparing Robin Williams to Brian Regan. Both Hilarious, and neither similar to the other. I think Davis stands out here on his own, and has managed to find his own humorous sensibilities. I will say that a lot of the funny business stems directly from the characters themselves, and the predicaments they find themselves in. You will care about the characters, and will find each one tickles your funny bone in a different way.

Oh, and let me say that I love the cover. It conveys everything about the book in one shot, It caught my eye instantly as soon as I saw it, and made me wonder about the story behind it. Also, it is not one of those crappy take a picture and digitize it into a cover. I hate those things. This is actual art, and it sings!

The narration by DiViesti is not bad. I think he has gotten a bad rap for a few imperfections. I did catch a few misreadings, but nothing I couldn't live with. For example (and this is NOT one of his mistakes) he read a few lines like, "What is that in the road, a head?" where it should have been read like, "What is that in the road ahead?" Nothing that I couldn't overlook or forgive. I was also warned that he has some strange pauses periodically, and he does, but again it is nothing that distracts from the book. I don't know if he is new to narrating, but that is the way it feels. A few more books under his belt and he'll be just as good as Naramore or Hays. I see that he was replaced in the second book by Starla Hutchon, which is sad because A woman has to be twice as good as a man to go halfling as far. She has a lot do in the next book, and I hope she had fun reading it. I'm starting it tonight! I'll let you know soon!

Look, the story is fun and exciting, and you will read this in halfing the time that you should because you will be enjoying it so much. Epik is as epic as he can be, and his crew of compatriots will fill your heart with adventure and laughter. So, get this book today, and don't delay. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

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Delightful light fantasy

A fun light read, moved quickly and it took a while to remember which character was which, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The frequent sprinkling of puns, references to other works (LOTR, Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, Silent Bob, etc.), and the occasional odd-end footnote kept me laughing. Great book for young adults and adults alike. Looking forward to the next book!

Fabulous story

I read this story and was concerned about confusion when listening to it because chapters moved quickly between scenes. However, I really enjoyed hearing it. Elijah DiViesti did a marvelous job with pacing so the conversations were natural. The voices were distinctive so I knew who was speaking each time.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great adventure with interesting characters.

Good first adventure but wasn't anything special

It was a fun story about a halfling named Epik and his journey to another place where he tries to find a wizard. I don't want to give much away but it was a decent story but it didn't have anything special in it for me to give it more then three stars. The narrator was good too but some of the accents were tough to understand at an increased speed and found myself having to rewind a good amount of times to understand what he was saying.

Hero in a Halfling

An interesting book for young adults that is very reminiscent of Tolkien’s work. I found that it started out a bit slow, but as I got to know the characters, my interest picked up.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Loved it from beginning to end

This is one of the better epic fantasy comedy stories I've listened to. The characters are interesting and each have their own quirks and motivations. The author seems to have drawn inspiration from Tolkien and is in many ways a comedic take on traditional fantasy tropes.

highly recommended.

Lighthearted Romp through a Tolkien-Inspired World

The author, William Tyler Davis, gave me a promotional audible copy of "Hero in a Halfling: Epik Fantasy Book 1" in exchange for a fair review.

It was such a pleasure to be able to read this book. In the Halfing Epik's first adventure, Davis lays the foundations for a whimsical fantasy series that delightfully parodies the tropes we've come to know and love (or hate) in the great fantasy epics. The tone is innocent and aloof--much like Prachett in his beloved Discworld Series--and is distinct enough to strike out on its own and stand unique amongst the rest of comedy-fantasy genre.

The plot itself is not unprecedented. Davis cobbles together a band of unlikely characters similar to Tolkien's party in "Fellowship of the Ring." A halfling, a wizard, dwarves, elves, and orcs get dropped into a sandbox to play. Where "Hero in a Halfling" shines is in likable characters and playful humor-- sprinkled with geek-culture references that aren't too heavy-handed.

The book is not without its faults, many of which a lot of new authors struggle with. The action sometimes stutters and setting needs to be made more clear at times. Davis relies a bit too much on dialogue and sometimes forgets to note visuals, audio, and sensation. However, these complaints are minor and do not detract from what the book sets out to achieve.

"Hero in a Halfling" is whimsical tale not to be taken too seriously. Go into this book willing to poke a bit of fun at the fantasy genre and you'll be sure to finish with a smile. I will be following Epik--and William and Elijah--to the conclusion of the Halfling Epik's adventuring, and I am incredibly excited to see them find their strides in storytelling and narrating.

3.5 stars

Audible version. I would give the book 3.5 stars. It starts off a little slow but picks up midway through. The writing seemed a little off to me, maybe it was the pacing of the story? The main character seems to have no potential, but everybody he meets seems to see something in him. Without giving any spoilers, he doesnt really accomplish or do much. The story came together in the and the series may have potential, but I really didn't care for the main character. There was some humor, mainly word play and puns. I received this book for free for my honest opinion. The narration was good, but I prefer more distinction between each character.

Fast paced whit with tons of creativity

Davis has really written a labor of love. Heavy on reference and trope exploitation Epik’s journey is so fully fun and familiar that you at once feel like you are along for the ride while also enjoying from a distance. I found the book allowed me to connect while also enjoying its self aware nature in regards to references. If you want a LoTR/fantasy equivalent of Ready Player One buy this book. It goes up to 11!

Unexpectations

Very good story. More of an easy listening adventure tale and not LITRPG. Could be. But isn't. Still very good and very possible. Maybe not probable. Epik wants to be a wizard and that is his dream. Who would think the half pint would be more or less than that depending upon who tells the tale.

Enjoyable

A very well written book, I look forward to hearing the next one very soon.