Spit and Song: a tale of friendship and rediscovering yourself

About

Spit and Song is authored by Travis M. Riddle.

This standalone book is part of the Ustlian Tales series and can be read on its own.

Blurb

Kali is a merchant who yearns to leave the harsh deserts of Herrilock and travel across the sea, trading goods and soaking in the sights and cultures. With a new potion on the market undercutting her profits, though, her seabound dreams are put on hold indefinitely.

Failed musician Puk hits rock bottom after yet another catastrophic performance. Wandering the city streets in search of any sip of booze or whiff of fire-spit he can get his hands on, he resigns to the fact that he’s stuck in the desert with no way back home to Atlua.

Until one day, their paths cross with an illicit job opportunity. With its hefty payday, Kali and Puk could afford to finally escape the desert heat and set sail across the gulf.

The black market job would see them travel endless dunes on a road made from a massive dead beast’s ribs and out to a mythical city in the sea, scuffling with monsters and thugs in search of a long-lost book that might be the most dangerous object in the world.

How hard could it really be?

Review

Having read Balam, Spring before, I've been meaning to read more books by the author for about 2 years now. My TBR pile is an uncontrollable mess, sigh.

Like Balam, Spring, this book had a slice-of-life feel as well. Spit and Song starts with 🌻 Kali's story, which I was immediately drawn to. Just as well, because I might've quit if it had started with 🐸 Puk's story (I usually avoid books with drug addict MCs).

The writing is easy to follow and I enjoyed the sedate pace and interesting world building. One of the best things I like about Riddle's books is that the setting has various kinds of sentient beings and it is a welcoming place for all kinds of identity and orientation.

The illicit job opportunity mentioned in the blurb turned out to be a funny, adventurous and horrifying experience for the characters. Along the way, the ill-suited pair come to rely upon each other and rediscover themselves. Special mention for Bella, their trustworthy mount, who definitely earns a spot on the book cover.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Weatherwax Report:

All in all this was a solid read and I’d recommend it for people who enjoy high fantasy, multi pov, non human pov, clean writing, and one of the more original reads you’re going to find out there.

From Calvin Park's review on goodreads:

The Dark Crystal meets Final Fantasy IX. Spit and Song is a whimsical, comical tale that is intensely personal in scope. Sure to appeal to fans of character-driven fantasy, Travis Riddle’s latest hits for me. There is a sense of wonder to the world and story akin to classics like The Neverending Story. Riddle tells stories that mean something, that challenge expectations, and that take place in richly crafted worlds. Spit and Song is no exception.

Bingo

/r/Fantasy/ 2021 bingo categories:

• Cat Squasher: 500+ Pages
  • Paperback is 510 pages, kindle edition is just short of 500 pages
• Self-Published
• Has Chapter Titles