Title: The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword
Author: Dewey Conway & Bill Adams
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Format: Paperback / Hardcover / Ebook
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Star Rating: 7,5/10
*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword by Dewey Conway & Bill Adams, which was Philip Chase’s’s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off.
You can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
*Blurb*
Galdifort Quillpen has grand dreams of writing epic tales of heroic deeds, just like his famous aunt. Unfortunately, he’s been assigned to Tanna the Tendersword, an excruciatingly carefree would-be-champion who can’t seem to find a qualifying entry-level quest.
When things are at their most miserable, the young Questers meet an enigmatic old woman who offers Tanna a quest: follow a peg-legged, sword-wielding rooster to help save a crying mushroom lost within a haunted forest. Tanna heroically accepts, regardless of how incredibly unsafe the odd quest seems.
But Galdifort’s fears become reality when a sorceress sends her fog monster and lizard henchmen after them. Only a true Champion should confront a sorceress, and, in his eyes, Tanna is not up to the task. But if he wants to write his chronicle, Galdifort must learn to do something he certainly isn’t comfortable doing — trust in honest friendship with Tanna the Tendersword.
He’s just a chronicler, after all, not a hero!
Our Thoughts:
Adawia: Did I have a good time with this story? Absolutely!
Though I may not quite muster the same crazy level of enthusiasm as some of my compatriots, I will whole-heartedly champion this book. It’s fun, and funny, it’s exciting and has all the feels. It’s truly a great story (and not just ‘for a middle grade book’) that is very well written. I honestly would struggle to find any serious negatives. The pacing and flow are spot-on, the character and world building are engaging, and the plot is intriguing with just the right amount of complexity (and silliness) to keep me turning pages.
I particularly commend the way the violence and destruction is written. It’s done in a way that excitingly portrays what’s happening – the action, the tension, the stress, and mayhem, but also remains appropriate and accessible to its intended audience without being too ‘fluffy’. I feel like a lot of thought has gone into the language and descriptors used for the fight scenes and the authors pull it off well.
While I usually can’t handle that much positivity in a small space, Tanna’s unwavering courage and tenacity actually moved me. There were a few moments where Tanna’s behaviour bordered on being obnoxious, but that made later (redeeming?) scenes better. And as for grumble-guts Galdifort, well he’s the absolutely perfect grumpy companion to Tanna’s enduring, all-encompassing, and infectious sunshine. They’re kinda like a new Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
A little disclaimer: part of my enthusiasm for this book stems from having read a few YA/children’s books that feel more like stories written for adults, but with the language dumbed down. I’m certainly no expert, and I don’t intend on getting bogged down with technicalities, but this children’s book just feels like it works really well, and is suitable and appropriate for children while also being enjoyable for adults – well, this adult at least.
Kerry: TTToTTS is a book that can appeal to all ages – I’ll soon be in my 6th decade and it’s been a number of years since I read to children but I enjoyed this immensely. With the real world being a total sh*t show at present, some escapism and magic was sorely welcome and I thought this book delivered in spades. It really took me back to why I was drawn to fantasy decades ago. What’s not to love about a sword wielding, peg legged chicken, large flying birds, snarky owls and magical houses inside trees?
Loved the two main characters; the grumpy Galdifort and the whirlwind that is Tana are perfect foils for each other; whilst they may often rub each other the wrong way, they learn the value of friendship and cooperation.
I thought the pacing and plot were fine; after reading this in my head, I read some passages out loud as if I was reading to a child and I would happily read this to my great nephews (or future grandchildren). There were some words that would likely need explaining to a younger reader/listener (this is where purchasing your child a dictionary is a bonus for future readers ?) but it didn’t distract from the story. The tension and relatively “scary” parts were always diffused with some humour which I appreciated.
The drawings too were a brilliant addition to the book. I have trouble picturing characters and scenes so to be able to see the authors’ visualisation was a bonus. (will we see a Tana colouring book in the future please ?)
Patrick: Tanna is an unusual finalist in SPFBO in that it is unashamedly a book for Middle Grade readers (ages approximately 8-12). It’s written for them, aimed at them, and either works or doesn’t for them. It is also being judged in contest where all of the judges are adults. I’m sure we’re all doing our best to judge it as a book for children, but inevitably we are not the audience.
One thing Middle Grade books need to do is to work both as books read by a child and as books read out loud to a child by an adult. While I think this would work for the former, it does have some flaws when used for the latter. I decided to read this book to my eleven-year-old daughter both to see how she reacted to it and to see how well it worked out loud. Unfortunately, it’s not a great book for reading out loud. Many of the sentences are too long and awkward to parse easily, particularly in the first half of the book, and I often found myself having to backtrack and read them out again. The chapters are also too long. (Please have mercy on a parent trying to get their kid to sleep and faced with a chapter that takes half an hour to read…) That said, my daughter enjoyed the book very much. It wasn’t her absolute favourite, but she was never bored or distracted.
This is a traditional quest fantasy with some cool original ideas, plenty of action, strong characters and humour. In other words, something most fantasy-loving kids are going to enjoy. However, I cannot recommend it to parents of kids in the UK or anywhere else that understands British slang as there are multiple uses of the word “slag” as an insult used. That’s just not an appropriate word to use in a kids’ book. I believe the authors are American and so may not be as familiar with the way the word is used elsewhere, but please do your research when using slang in kids’ books!
Julia: Unfortunately this didn’t work for me over all.
I did adore the illustrations, they are super cute and very well done.
I also liked the start with the humour and mystery of where things are going. The very different main characters played off each other well, but about one third in, the story simply lost me.
I can’t even really say what it was exactly, I simply stopped caring about the characters and the plot, and in the last third I found myself skipping or skimming every so often.
I am glad my fellow judges got on with this so much better than I did, as it was a nice change of pace in the contest!
