Legends & Lattes - A Review

If you're in a mood to read about nice, friendly monsters instead of brutal, bloodthirsty ones, then Travis Baldree's book Legends & Lattes is for you. It's a very pleasant read, and time well spent.

Meet Viv. She's a gigantic orc who has grown tired of pillaging and killing. Her one heart's desire is to hang up her sword for good. And then? Why, she wants to open up a coffee house!

Wait, what?

You read right. She finds a suitable place in the town of Thune and, with a little help from an industrious hob named Cal (short for Calamity), converts it from a livery stable into a cozy place, complete with kitchen. Then she gets her coffee making machine, and her first shipment of roasted beans. As she constructs her place of business, she meets others who share her dream of self-sufficiency. A succubus named Tandri agrees to be her first employee and, a little awkwardly, possible business partner. A ratkin named Thimble comes on board as a baker, and proves to be a remarkable genius when it comes to pastries. Even the frighteningly huge neighborhood dire-cat, whom they jokingly name "Amity," decides to take up occasional residence at the business. The enterprise might end up being profitable, if anybody in Thune ever learns what the hell "coffee" is.

In a breath of creativity, it is Cal who comes up with a name for Viv's new shop: Legends & Lattes.

As Viv's business grows, so also do her problems. Almost immediately, representatives from someone called "The Madrigal," come seeking payments for an ongoing protection racket. Viv, who is larger and stronger than any of the gangsters, repeatedly, politely, yet firmly tells them no. They, in turn, withdraw with polite yet progressively more insistent demands. Viv knows it is only a matter of time before they come back with more drastic measures. She can defend herself, but can she effectively defend her business? Her employees?

When Viv's old battle-gang comes around (an elf named Fennus, a dwarf named Roon, a stone-fey named Taivus, and Gallina the Gnome), they can scarcely believe that Viv has abandoned her warrior's life for this strange, brewing business. They also can't believe that Viv is unwilling to simply take up her sword, Nightblood, and simply cleave The Madrigal in half. But Viv is unwilling to cross that line. When she hung up her sword, she meant it. Resorting to it in order to save her budding franchise would be contrary to her new identity, and would send the message to everyone that orcs cannot change.

On top of all this, or rather, beneath all of it, is a Scalvert's Stone - a charm which Viv obtained on her last raiding party, and which might be responsible for bringing her good fortune. Or possibly bringing about her downfall. Fennus, in particular, learns of the stone, and deeply covets it.

The customers are almost as much fun as the characters. There is a scholar (who seems to be able to detect the thaumic powers of Viv's hidden stone, much to her discomfort), a little old neighborhood lady, a chess-playing gnome, and a shy musician who discovers his self-confidence playing at the shop for coins. It's your typical coffee house - if by typical you also include the occasional mythical creature or three.

Legends & Lattes is a soft story-arc. There are no grand battles. There is no real violence to speak of. There is sudden tragedy, but I'll leave the reader to discover what that is. Liv and her friends are adorable monsters who only want to enjoy a fair existence within their business, and perhaps provide a nice place to gather as well. People eventually develop Viv's love for coffee. They all develop a love for their new business. And there might be a little bit of romance thrown in there as well.

Great story, great read, highly recommended!

Eric

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