Baron Theodus of Sursival arrives at the Green Wyvern Inn to tell his life story. Each night, he returns to regale the townspeople with tales of monsters, treasure, foes, and friends. And when his story is done, he says he will leave his subjects, never to return.
To most people, the baron’s name is Bull. He is a giant of a man. They say the great warrior has never been defeated in battle, but he will tell you those tales are lies. He has come to set the record straight and promises to tell the whole story of his life: victories and losses alike.
Tonight, he will tell the tale of his road to adventure. It starts with a goblin raid that leaves Bull, his sister, and his mother as penniless refugees on a perilous journey. The trials that follow push Bull to the very edge of human endurance.
Green Wyvern of four interconnected novellas makes for a fast-paced, wildly entertaining ride through a world teeming with classic fantasy creatures, and more than a few surprises.
It took me a little while to fully get into the first story; initially, it felt a bit too straightforward. There was a certain predictability to the setup that made it feel more like the opening to a standard fantasy novel than a gripping standalone novella.
But once it found its stride, I was hooked. The pacing picked up, the characters began to shine, and from there I tore through the rest of the collection in no time. What really elevated the experience for me was the narrative structure, stories within stories, layered tales that gradually reveal more than you expect. I’ve always been drawn to that kind of framing, and here it was handled with just the right balance of charm and clarity.
While the tone leans light and humorous, don’t let that fool you. There’s plenty of action, and the stakes are often deadly serious. The stories don’t shy away from violence, battles, and loss, but they manage to carry all that weight without becoming grim or heavy. It’s a tricky balance to strike, and one this collection pulls off surprisingly well.
What truly won me over, though, was the banter. The dialogue is quick, clever, and often laugh-out-loud funny. I found myself snorting, chuckling, and at one point having to reread a line just because it caught me off guard in the best way. Given how personal and subjective humor can be in fantasy, I consider that no small achievement.
The world itself is delightfully packed with a who’s who of classic fantasy creatures: goblins, dwarves, wargs, orcs, bugbears, ghouls, and more, each with their own unique flavor. There’s a sense of chaotic joy in the way these beings are thrown together, and yet it never feels messy or overstuffed. Instead, the world feels alive, like a sandbox where anything could happen and usually does.
Overall, this is a high-energy, witty, and refreshingly self-aware fantasy romp. It’s the kind of collection that reminds you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place: for the fun, the adventure, the camaraderie, and the sheer imaginative joy of it all. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still delivers solid storytelling, this one’s definitely worth your time.
