The Heartwyld

Also posted at Booknest

“Leaves are falling all around, It’s time I was on my way.  Thanks to you I’m much obliged, such a pleasant stay.”

Humor is tough to pull off.  Inside jokes can fail if they are too deeply buried to be noticed or so obvious they are less a joke and more a reference (hello Scary Movie and all of its knockoffs).  Running gags can fall flat if used too often; or worse if they were not even funny in the first place (look up a Nakumara).  So when an author proves within pages to be a deft hand with the dealing of jokes I already know I hold a book worth reading.

Dark fantasy can likewise be hit or miss.  Without some sort of levity, be it through hope or humor, it has to be damn near perfect to justify the grimness or risk losing a…