My Five Word TL:DR Review: Easy to Read Cosy Fantasy

At 160 pages Nine Goblins was a book that I picked up and completed in virtually one sitting. It was fun, entertaining, had moments of darkness and death, an impressive body count and plenty of Kingfisher’s trademark humour. I wouldn’t say this is my favourite book by Kingfisher but being one of her earliest books (if not the first?) you can already see her style shining through, the humour mixed with dark moments, the characters that are easy to like (and the ones that are not) and always bundled into a fairytale-esque story.

If you imagine a strange mash up of Tolkien’s LotRs and Pratchett’s Wee Free Men, then added in a touch of James Herriot’s beleaguered vet – you wouldn’t be far off the mark for Nine Goblins and to me that kind of description would always work very well and have me hooked.

So, goblin sergeant Nessilka finds herself in a spot of bother when, having rushed at a wizard during the throes of battle, followed by 8 of her party, the nine of them fall through a magical escape route (conjured by said wizard while he’s trying to escape said goblins) that transports them deep into enemy territory. It’s now up to Nessilka to get everyone out of there in one piece. A challenge that is made much worse when the nearest village they discover is completely empty of any life at all – everyone knows how despicable goblins are after all so if any of the enemy come across them at this point – well, the inevitable conclusions would be drawn quicker than you can blink an eye. Even if they are wrong and the goblins are totally innocent.

Now, enter the scene an elf called Sings to Trees – he’s basically a vet. He lives a reclusive lifestyle deep within the forest treating all kinds of critters in need, even some very strange and unlikely specimens. This character put me in mind a little of Tom Bomadil in that he’s so caring of every living thing. He and Nessilka are about to cross paths – fortunately – because he could very well help to save their lives.

This is going to be a short and sweet review. This is a quick read, as I mentioned already I completed it in one cosy sitting. The writing is what I would expect from this author. The story is infused with fantasy elements and characters. There are all sorts of the weird and wonderful, not least, skeleton like deers, telepathic teddy bears and trolls that are a lot more friendly than they are given credit for.

I’m definitely on a Kingfisher trip at the moment, I’ve already read and reviewed four of her books this year (including this one) and still have two more forthcoming on my shelf. Happy days indeed.

In conclusion. A lovely cosy fantasy with cute characters and a little bit of danger thrown in for good measure.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars (rounded to 4)