"The raging beast had no doubt that some foolhardy adventurers would soon come calling in the hope of righting this terrible wrong, but it would be ready." pg 6, ebook

The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True is a fun and, at times, ridiculous romp through a fantasy world.

A band of adventurers is hired by a village (town!) to rid them of their dragon problem. Heloise the Bard is along for the ride, to tell their story so that they will live on in glory.

The tale she tells, which is written alongside the events as they actually happened, has very little relation to the other story. Sometimes the differences are hysterical.

The songs we sing in taverns are the best bits of a story, but they're not the whole story. pg 26, ebook

This book has been compared to those written by Terry Pratchett, which I would agree with. The bits that are written as asides in the story would be footnotes in the Pratchett books, but they feel very similar.

Another author I would compare Sean Gibson to is Nicholas Eames, who wrote Kings of the Wyld. It is another humorous fantasy tale that feels, in some ways, similar to this book. I would say The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True is raunchier, which some readers may love.

"There's a saying amongst adventurers: it's not a quest until you're covered in snizzard pee and have sh*t on your knees." pg 37, ebook

That being said, sometimes I felt like Gibson took the gags a step or two too far. But that could just be me.

Highly recommended for readers who love fantasy and adventure stories.

Also, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this story. I apologize that I only got around to reading it now. It's excellent.

Overall

This review has been a loooong time coming. I’m pretty sure I received this book from a giveaway last year? Oops. In my defense, things have happened since then. In any case, I’ve been excited to pick this one up since I received it, beacuse it sounds like the perfect book for me, right? Pratchett-esque humor, which is my favorite brand. Roleplaying squady elements. Oh, and a dragon. Plus, with a title like that, how could you not want to pick this up?

The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True takes everything that is good and bad about roleplaying games like D&D, wraps it in a Pratchett-esque humorous narrative, and sprinkled in some adventure gone awry.

Have you ever watched Critical Role? You know, the streamed D&D session by some of my favorite voice actors upon which the new Vox Machina series is based? I bring that up for two reasons. One, if you haven’t watched it yet . . . but are you even doing with your life? Talk about questionable life choices. But second, The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True gave me some pretty hardcore Critical Role vibes in all the best ways. Except it had, like, 1,000% less sex in it. Do with that what you will. So if you’re a fan of that show, this book is likely for you!

My Thoughts

- The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True is narrated by Heloise the Bard (as one might expect from a roleplaying-based story), who happens to be very good at what she does. Maybe a little too good. If we’re being honest, this whole story is really her fault, even though she’d likely fight you on that. To be fair, she’d likely fight you for anything. Even just out of spite. So that’s maybe not much of a feat.

Aside from being a bard, Heloise is a fantastically sarcastic narrator. The particular flavor of humor in this book is tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, which Gibson does incredibly well. His world-building is built snarkily into the narrative, as the reader travels across the world along with the (mostly) brave adventurers . . . and Heloise.

What I thought was very unique and well done is the way Heloise does her bard thing and spins the story to be the adventure one might expect to hear in a tavern being told, all suspenseful and poetic like. But then, interspersed between those, are the actual story, which is significantly less glamorous. As it turns out, adventuring isn’t everything the bards would you have believe it is. And that’s why bards get such a bad rap.

- Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime . . . and then read this instead. Which isn’t that, but mostly because this squad and also Erithea itself and what even is an adventure anyway? This is the sort of adventure that would happen if you, dear Bookwyrm, and I decided to slay a dragon. Which, by the by, would obviously never happen. Not only because dragons are sacred beasts that I would create an army of way before I destroy them, but also . . . I’m not allowed to play with pointy objects. And I’m shite at magic. Which means I’d have to be the bard, and I’m both extremely offended by that but also would make one hell of a bard, okay?

What I’m saying is that, yes, this is an adventure across Erithea. But I don’t think you can exactly call this squad competent. I also don’t think you can suggest that any bit of this went according to any sort of plan. (Not that any one of this group would have actually planned anything.) In many ways, that was the charm of this story. It felt like a D&D session where the DM just went, “Well, to heck with it. We are officially going to wing everything. Time to throw the rulebook out the door.” Which, to be honest, sounds like my kind of DM.

My point is that if you expect a clean-cut, upfront adventure like other adventure books, this may not be the story for you. These are not the well-trained, capable adventurers from your modern adventure story. Nay, they’re people sort of like you and me (except, okay, maybe stabbier and with actual magic and maybe a slight bit of skill) blundering around on a well-intentioned (but ill-advised) quest. So, in other words, every bit the fun that sounds.

- This squad is . . . something else. No, seriously. It’s something else. I’m not quite sure what, and I’ve spent 300 pages with them. Whatever they are, I absolutely love them. Think they’d let me join their squad?! Maybe as an honorable member that doesn’t regularly risk their life? I could be, like, waiting for their return at taverns and provide emotional support. From a safe distance, of course.

Whiska is obviously my favorite character. She’s the (slightly too powerful) mage who’s all too happy cursing others or smiting them. Come to think of it, who wouldn’t be happy with that? She wouldn’t exactly be your first choice when forming an adventuring squad (though, then again, who in this group would be?). However, her proclivity for powerful spells and pointy objects is exactly what makes her a valuable asset to the team. As much as a mouthy rat-person can be, of course.

Then there’s Nadi, who is basically the only thing holding the team together. Basically, she’s the duct tape and prayer of the bunch, somehow managing to keep them (mostly) in one piece and going forward. Probably the only rational member of the group, but hey, there has to be at least one of those, right?

Rummy is quick with his hands and wit. He’s not exactly bringing much to the table in a fight (or, you know, anything at all, really), but he could steal a room blind without anyone being the wiser. Which I only now realize is probably a weird thing to brag about, but I’m rather fond of this character, so you leave him and his proclivity for sleight of hand alone.

Then there’s obviously the one who’s really carrying the team, Borg, who is a giant rock person. He may be a little slow when it comes to keeping up with . . . well . . . anything. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have plenty to contribute! Despite his rough exterior (*snort* get it?!), he’s actually a big ol’ teddy bear at heart. Which makes it all the more a shame that he happens to fall in with this lot.

All together, they’re not the squad we wanted . . . or probably even the squad we deserve . . . but it’s the squad that we need!

- The humor in this book isn’t going to be for everyone (obviously). But if you enjoy semi-aware, tongue-in-cheek sarcasm that pokes fun at tropes and expectations, this will likely be a book for you. I feel like comedic fantasy in and of itself is a bit of an acquired taste. You either love it or you don’t. Obviously, I can’t get enough of the stuff or we wouldn’t be here right now. However, I am aware that this isn’t always the case for everyone. Those people are obviously wrong, but alas, that is their right!

There’s a very irreverent, almost Pratchett-meets-Monty-Python type of humor to the story. The protagonists are all older, which I love to see in my adventure books, because older people deserve adventures too. Even if we complain more about them (and reasonably so). As I said, it won’t be for everyone, but if this is your sort of humor, definitely give it a try!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I wasn't a fan of Heloise. The pacing of this book is good. This book is set in Erithea. This is a pretty good fantasy book. It is a 3 star read. But I would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy. This ebook is in stores for $4.99 (USD). It makes you think dungeons and dragons. I plan to read another book by this author.

The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True is a tongue-in-cheek fantasy novel that pokes fun at every fantasy character and trope you can imagine. It can be very funny, and is often punny to an eyeroll-inducing level! In terms of audience, this is definitely a book for adults. It has plenty of mature situations and adult humor. Overall, I did enjoy it and liked what it was trying to accomplish in terms of upsetting fantasy tropes
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

Mr. Gibson is a very funny man - funny ha ha, not funny peculiar (maybe he's both, if you know him more personally, I can't say). I'm just not sure this book showcases he funniness properly.

Of course there are lots of comparisons with Terry Pratchett, and although the book is quite enjoyable, Pratchett it isn't. The characters aren't as intricate, the humour isn't as layered. It is, of course, an unfair comparison to begin with. A much better comparison is with young Pratchett, his first two books. There Pratchett was more enamoured with the trappings of fantasy fiction, more satirical with them but without the wit that would later become emblematic of his writing. And I think that's where we are with The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True.

It's satire on a surface level, with quick little sidesteps into more layered ideas. It's fun to read, but isn't gripping or interesting enough to entirely hold my attention for the length of a novel. And that comes down to characters that tend to be quite flat, a plot I'm not really invested in, and jokes that aren't strong enough.

Heloise is a perfectly fine narrator, although the joke that we get two versions of the same event (the edited and then the real version) quickly gets repetitive, as does the joke where she big ups herself. Heloise tends to shift focus a lot, which does weird things to the novel's pacing (I hate to keep going on about Pratchett, but he basically hid those sidesteps in footnotes, which for some reason works much better), and becomes actively annoying.

I'm sounding quite negative, and that doesn't feel right - the writing itself flows beautifully, and I am looking forward to mr. Gibson's next book.

Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to the hype. Definitely wouldn't say there was anything "prattchettian" about it, and the story didn't fascinate or grip me in any way.

What a unique book, the storytelling style is fresh and creative. I haven't enjoyed a book in this way in a good while. The style of narration fits the narrator being a bard very well and feels natural. I want to look up more books by this author to see what else this author has to offer. The characters are deep enough without getting lost in the details.

If you like your fantasy with a heavy dose of humor, this is the book for you. Heloise the Bard has been set with the task of finding a party of adventurers to slay a dragon plaguing a village. Her problem, the town that hired her has no money. So the adventurers she finds aren't very seasoned. She tags along as our party of adventurers stumbles into victory and defeat.

Sean channels some Monty Python along with a dash of Terry Pratchett and a little Robert Lynn Asprin as he brings this story to life. This book is smartly funny as Heloise first tells each chapter with the Bard's tale version followed by what actually happened. I love how Gibson steeps the story in people's (along with orcs' and other mythological creatures) misconceptions turning them on their ear to hilarious effect. I'm very much looking forward to hearing Heloise's next tale.

I had quite a tough time rating and formulating a review for this one for various reasons, but chief among them would be the fact that I don't generally go in for humorous novels all that often, and when I do, I'm extremely discerning about whether or not it works for me. The answer to that in this case is: on the whole, it does.

I've seen Sean Gibson's reviews on Goodreads many a time before, and I always marvel at how seemingly effortlessly he manages to weave together sentences that capture a moment or feeling or idea through a deliciously witty lens. Thus, when I saw this ARC on Netgalley and recognised his name, I was intrigued, and even more so when I read the summary.

Very often, humour writers fall prey to "trying too hard", and I was pretty much convinced that Gibson would too. Me being a pessimist. But, here it is again: on the whole, he didn't. I genuinely snorted out loud more times than I could count, and I have a connoisseur's appreciation for his double entendres and punny character names. The characters were all also really well-rounded and distinct, and I found myself visualising the band of adventurers in the finest detail, down to being familiar with the way they would act in different situations, which I loved. I absolutely see the comparison to Terry Pratchett (who, aside from Douglas Adams, is the only humourist I rank anywhere near my list of favourite authors), and I think with some more books and a few more years' seasoning and wisdom-gathering, Gibson can really be counted up there too.

In the case of this book (honestly, the title is way too long to type out), the thing that kept me from rating it higher was what I felt to be a disproportionate emphasis on jokes of a excremental or sexual nature. I need to make it clear here: in the same way I like my food, I myself can get quite salty. I am often crude and below the belt in my humour, and I love a good bawdy character. But again, like with food, too much saltiness, or saltiness in the wrong place, can ruin a thing. There were moments where I thought that the highly intelligent wit that permeates the rest of the book was diluted by someone's bowels doing something icky for the umpteenth time. Had this toilet humour been spread out throughout the book and used in choice moments, it would have worked perfectly - and it really did in some instances - but it just ended up being too much.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the crap out of this, and I can really say I haven't read anything similar in recent years, so I'm definitely excited for the next installment.

3.5 stars

Heloise the bard embarks in a wild adventure with the mission to record the journey of a particular group of heros trying to build a reputation by accepting the quest to slay a dragon for a small village.

This book has a very particular concept that I just adored! Heloise, the narrator, breaks the fourth wall, which is a concept I haven't read much (except in plays written that way). Having myself a degree in theatre studies, I really enjoyed that concept being translated to a book. The world building is very elaborate and the portrayal of the characters really set the parody and humoristic mood well.

It is full of first degree humor and it portrays a sort of parody of a quest you could do in an RPG-type of game (like World of Warcraft). This really gave me some "Donjon de Naheulbeuk" vibes. (If you are not familiar with "Donjon de Naheulbeuk", it was first a French audio series of a group of heros portrayed as a parody of an RPG-type of game with lots of humor. They now have comic books based on the serie). Another thing that I absolutely loved about the concept of this book is the comparison between what is told in the stories versus what actually happened. It is still something I haven't read very much and I thought it fit very well with the world and the characters.

I did have some issues with the resolution of the book that did not make total sense to me (it wasn't coherent with what the characters had to go through just before...). As much as I loved how much the world was well-built and the humor was interesting, it was sometimes a little too much. There was a lot of "invented words" and Heloise did take the time to explain what every "new" word meant. The insults meant for humor were sometimes great, and sometimes redundant. I felt like the concept with the humor and how the world was built didn't evolve throughout the book, making it repetitive to me.

Overall, I still really enjoyed my reading experience with this book. I thought it was a light, fun and very different read.

I do think that this book has a very niche target though and is not for everyone. If you like first degree humor, RPG gaming and light reading, this book is definitely for you!

A special thanks to NetGalley and The Parliament House Press for the ARC.

This is the type of book that reminds you that there are books out there that are just fun and entertaining and authors you may have not read before but are so glad you found them now.

I didn't really know what to expect starting this book (I was unaware of the previous work The Chronicle of Heloise & Grimple, but I will certainly be reading it very soon). It was entertaining from the very beginning. I enjoyed that we actually got two tales in this book, the overly descriptive story that was spread far and wide by Heloise and then the "real" story. The world building was built in throughout the story by Heloise who so helpfully doled out facts and opinions about the various races, towns/villages, species, and a wide array of descriptive odors, all while dropping puns and jokes along the way.

The adventuring team all had their own unique abilities and quirks that made them interesting, and were often dropping their own jokes that sometimes made you laugh and at other times roll your eyes and groan. The only mild complaint on my part was that, by the end, perhaps there was a little too much poop humor.

All in all, this was very enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy stories and humor rolled into one big adventure, that has you rooting for the underdogs even while you are laughing at them (not with them).

The Bard Heloise tells the real story of the Red Dragon. This story is a fun, witty adventure for anyone who likes stories of mythical creatures and dragon slaying. I found myself reading it v very quickly to find out what really happened when the dragon attacked the village of Skendrick. It is not always quite how the stories spin it, but it was always entertaining. Who would want to hear the story with the mundane? We all want the epic tale! Here, we get both.

A new release from our favorite wordsmith?!
I have been waiting to get this gem in my hot little hands (not so little, I am no carnie), but I jumped the gun and grabbed it off NetGalley while awaiting the release date.
Gibson did not disappoint!

Not only did it have me snickering quietly as the boys watched Forged in Fire in the background, I truly fell for the characters as they wove their way through this quest. I loved re connecting with Heloise the Bard and getting to know her new friends was a delightful experience.
A very different feel from his first release The Camelot Shadow, which I enjoyed as well, this was much lighter and playful but also opened up a world full of potential adventures/misadventures (one in the same for this group I think).
Just in time for a fun holiday read this one comes out soon!

Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3483809086?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

To give a very short review: I enjoyed this book for the most part, but there were some bits that eventually started to get on my nerves.
Now to elaborate:
The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True tells the story of an adventuring group that tries to kill a dragon to save the people from the small village/town Skendrick. With them on their journey the bard Heloise, who wants to tell their story.
The most interesting part of the book was definitely the contrast between the version of the story that has been told to the people of Skendrick and what actually happened. I loved how the author would write a short chapter of typical epic fantasy, the story as Heloise told it to other people, and then follow it up with a chapter about what actually happened. I haven’t read a book like this before, and I found it really funny.
Furthermore, the imagination of the author really has to be applauded. I don’t think many people could come up with people like Ratarians (a folk of, well, rat-people) and actually make me like them. Basically, he managed to surprise me with all his new additions to typical epic-fantasy.
There were, however, some parts of the book I didn’t like as much, mainly that I felt like there was a handful of jokes that just kept repeating themselves. There are only so many times I can hear a joke about feces or dwarf-butts before it gets a little boring. Heloise also had a tendency to go off on long tangents before coming back to the main story, but I’m sure there will be people who really enjoy this style of narration, it just wasn’t for me.
All in all, it was still a very enjoyable book, and I would definitely recommend it to lovers of humorous fantasy, though maybe not to people who want to read a typical, serious epic fantasy book.

The experience of an epic adventure featuring all the not so epic details. The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True follows four vastly different and mildly competent adventurers, plus one fabulous bard, on a heroic quest to save a village from a fire breathing dragon, and hopefully gain fame and fortune. The narration is delightfully quirky and really allows the full personalities of all characters to pop. Now if someone could pay Heloise so she can follow through on that sequel involving a certain crazed wizard, it would be much appreciated.

I found parts of this book irritating but nonetheless am giving it a favorable review because the author is quite talented and my irritability shouldn't interfere with others enjoying this book.

First of all, I received The Part about the Dragon free from Netgalley but I don't hold it against them. It's a fine website and I encourage you to visit it.

Most of Sean Gibson's book is a cleverly written back and forth accounting of a famous bardic tale. First you get the version from Heloise the bard's tale--then you get what really happened, and directly from the bard herself and she should know as she was embedded within the group of adventurers that confronted the dragon. As well as goblins, and ogres, and orcs and even a stinky Minotaur. This will certainly give you some insight into how much to trust tales told by bards.

The witty chatter of the adventurers, sometimes excessive, as well as a good amount of nasty invective from a magic wielding rat-woman was sometimes distracting but I suspect most people will find it entertaining. No accounting for taste. Gibson certainly has an amazing imagination because the banter between characters as well as the bard's communication direct to the reader was often alarming, but in the best possible way. The world defining background information given was quite illuminating, often humorous, frequently disturbing and occasionally head-scratchingly peculiar. Okay--it was quite a romp, but did there have to be so many mentions of nasty fluids and obnoxious body functions?

The long title is pretty descriptive of the kind of book this is, a comedic fantasy that relies heavily on verbal acrobatics. It’s told by Heloise the Bard (or was it Heloise the Beautiful, as she is very fond of reminding the readers), a half-elf bard (I don’t remember what the other half was) who sets out to give the reader a true account of what went down with the red dragon (the false account of which she is also responsible of.)

We follow an odd-ball team of would-be adventurers who want to make name for themselves by killing the dragon (though they probably should’ve been taking care of the mad wizard they accidentally unleashed), lured there by Heloise’s somewhat inflated promises of the dragon’s gold. There’s a half-dwarf, half-halfling street magician (I’m sorry, prestidigitator), an elf archer (though aren’t they all), a rock giant who’s both slow and sweet, and a wizard who belongs to a race that look like rats. Heloise joins them to be able to tell their story accurately (to the readers anyway; the tavern folk get the official version because it pays better). They’re not exactly a seamless and accomplished team, but they’re getting (mostly) there.

This was a fun book, but not quite laugh-out-loud funny; clever rather than comedic. It’s a bit slow read too. Heloise has a tendency to go off on a tangent (or a tangent’s tangent) in practically every paragraph and I had to read everything twice to remember what the actual sentence was about. Moreover, there are two stories going side by side, the official one and the truth, so the plot takes forever to get to the point. After a while, I began to skip the official accounts that were helpfully in italics. They weren’t as interesting as the truth anyway. But despite the slowness and the tangents (or maybe because of the tangents, as the cleverest bits tended to be there), this was a pleasurable read where the characters turned out to be something other than their stereotypes and the truth was stranger than—well, I’ll let you find out yourselves.

We follow Heloise the Bard as she tells the true story behind a group of adventurers, a Ratarian, an elf, a rock giant and a half-dwarf /half-halfling, and how they (supposedly) slayed the dragon that terrorized Skendrick.

The characters were fun, especially Borg, and I liked how he ended up being smart, even though he's slow. After about a quarter of the way in, where I was thoroughly confused due to the massive info dump, I started being invested in the characters and enjoying their adventure.
However, the constant "ah but this" annoyed me. For example, when they go through the swamp and find out there was a faster way or when they find out that orcs aren't actually what they assumed they were. There were too many for me to find funny. Finally and most importantly, Heloise was annoying and very confusing as a narrator. It felt like a roller coaster trying to understand the 100 things mentioned to explain one thing. Also, I felt like Nadi most of the time: exasperated and annoyed with Heloise.
Overall, a fun read, even though I doubt I will pick up the sequel.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot. I loved the way the author writes as it's both fun and hooks you in.

Hello, tiny people in the glowing box! It is I, the illustrious bard Marjory Thistlewood, esteemed storyteller, skilled singer, exceptional dancer, talented shawm player, and smartest person I know. But enough about me, as if that's possible. Today is about my dear friend Heloise, the only other bard to give me a run for my gold pieces (although she will always win when viewed from behind. I may be equally gorgeous, but that ASS. Work it, girl). This is a story from a long time ago that she has told me numerous times over pisswater beer at inns across this great land. She told me of the small prestidigitator Rummy (I made her spell it once when she was 5 pints in. Hilarious. Not Rummy. Prestidigitator.) and his unending optimism. The lovable rock giant Borg who always makes her smile. The beautiful and heroic Nadinta, who Heloise greatly admired. And Whiska. She was there, too. My favorite part is when she talks about the little Orc girl she met in the swamp--she reminds me of soooo many people from my home village. I always make her do the voice and she loves to throw in a "Make Erithea Great Again" every time. I won't tell you the whole story, because she does such a great job (not to say I couldn't. I mean, I could tell it just as beautifully. But, you know, copyright...), so you should totally go get this book and fall in love with my friend as much as I have over the years. She's truly astonishing. And did I mention that ass? The stuff of legend. I'm glad she had her scribe, Sean, to write it for her, since I'm sure she was drunk off her gorgeous hinders for at least half the book. He's pretty gifted at sifting through her ramblings to find the real meat of the tale. Can't wait to hear the next one...I wonder if she'll tell the story of the idol from the cave? I love that one...