Paperback, 304 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 2022 by Tor Books.
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
What a joy. This novel is a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day. It's a comfortable shirt with too many holes in it to keep, but which is just too soft to throw out. It's queer coffeshop AU fanfiction for characters you've never heard of before yet immediately feel utterly at home with. Just a fantastic delicious cinnamon roll of a book.
Viv-örkki on kyllästynyt väkivaltaiseen barbaarielämään. Kuolleen skalverttikuningattaren päästä löytyy kivi, jonka Viv nappaa viimeisen seikkailunsa saaliiksi. Sitten hän marssii pois entisestä elämästään kohti uutta.
Uusi tarkoittaa kahvilan perustamista Thuneen, kaupunkiin, jossa juuri kukaan ei ole koskaan kuullutkaan kahvista. Viv on matkoillaan törmännyt maahisten kahvilaan, jossa tarjoiltiin herkullista kahvia, ja sitä hän haluaa nyt muillekin tarjota. Thunesta löytyy karmivassa kunnossa oleva talli, mutta sen sijainti on erinomainen, joten Viv ostaa sen ja löytää sitten taitavan hiiden kunnostamaan sen kanssaan. Työpaikkailmoituksen myötä löytyy succubus hoitamaan tarjoilua Vivin seuraksi ja niin kahvila saadaan auki.
Kaupungin ensimmäisen kahvilan perustaminen ei kuitenkaan ole helppoa. Vastaan tulee tavanomaisia uuden yrityksen vaikeuksia. Vivillä on onneksi seikkailujensa myötä hyvät starttirahat ja parimetrisenä örkkinä keskimääräistä enemmän vipuvartta suojelurahojen perässä olevien gangsterien hätyyttelyyn, mutta entä kun menneisyys hiipii varjoista uhkaamaan Vivin uutta onnea?
Tarina on leppoisaa hyvän mielen fantasiakirjallisuutta, jossa keskitytään suurien seikkailujen sijasta yksinkertaiseen, hiljaiseen elämään kahvilanpitäjänä. Kahvilan pitämiseen …
Viv-örkki on kyllästynyt väkivaltaiseen barbaarielämään. Kuolleen skalverttikuningattaren päästä löytyy kivi, jonka Viv nappaa viimeisen seikkailunsa saaliiksi. Sitten hän marssii pois entisestä elämästään kohti uutta.
Uusi tarkoittaa kahvilan perustamista Thuneen, kaupunkiin, jossa juuri kukaan ei ole koskaan kuullutkaan kahvista. Viv on matkoillaan törmännyt maahisten kahvilaan, jossa tarjoiltiin herkullista kahvia, ja sitä hän haluaa nyt muillekin tarjota. Thunesta löytyy karmivassa kunnossa oleva talli, mutta sen sijainti on erinomainen, joten Viv ostaa sen ja löytää sitten taitavan hiiden kunnostamaan sen kanssaan. Työpaikkailmoituksen myötä löytyy succubus hoitamaan tarjoilua Vivin seuraksi ja niin kahvila saadaan auki.
Kaupungin ensimmäisen kahvilan perustaminen ei kuitenkaan ole helppoa. Vastaan tulee tavanomaisia uuden yrityksen vaikeuksia. Vivillä on onneksi seikkailujensa myötä hyvät starttirahat ja parimetrisenä örkkinä keskimääräistä enemmän vipuvartta suojelurahojen perässä olevien gangsterien hätyyttelyyn, mutta entä kun menneisyys hiipii varjoista uhkaamaan Vivin uutta onnea?
Tarina on leppoisaa hyvän mielen fantasiakirjallisuutta, jossa keskitytään suurien seikkailujen sijasta yksinkertaiseen, hiljaiseen elämään kahvilanpitäjänä. Kahvilan pitämiseen liittyy kaikenlaisia pulmia, joita ratkotaan yksi kerrallaan. Mieleen tulee managerointipelit, joissa edetään tasolta toiselle ja saadaan aina uusia ominaisuuksia. Samalla logiikalla tämä tarinakin toimii.
Mukana on vähän slow burn -romantiikkaa, vahvaa ystävyyden puolestapuhumista ja pyrkimystä ratkaista ongelmia väkivallan sijasta rauhanomaisesti. Viv voisi isona örkkinä helposti ratkaista pulmia väkivalloin, mutta hän vastustaa vanhoihin tapoihinsa palaamista kaikin voimin. Jos siis haluat hengailla eeppisessä fantasiamaailmassa ilman eeppisiä seikkailuja, taisteluita ja konflikteja, Legendoja ja latteja on ilahduttava elämys. Siitä on tullutkin monille lukijoille lohtukirja, josta voi hakea turvaa.
Ennen kaikkea äänikirjojen lukijana tunnetuksi tullut Travis Baldree kirjoitti tarinan alunperin NaNoWriMoa varten. Siitä on sittemmin tullut melkoinen menestys. Englanniksi sarja on saanut jo jatkoa, esiosa Bookshops & Bonedust kertoo Vivin taustoista ennen Legendoja ja latteja -kirjan tapahtumia. Toivottavasti sekin saadaan suomeksi. Tämä suomennos on Jade Haapasalon käsialaa ja fantasiamaailman sanasto on kääntynyt suomeksi oikein sujuvasti. Legendoja ja latteja on nopea- ja helppolukuinen kirja, oikein ilahduttava pieni kirjallinen kahvikuppi ja kanelipulla.
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The protagonist, Viv, grows weary of the violent barbarian lifestyle and embarks on a final adventure, acquiring a stone from the skull of a deceased queen. With this newfound treasure, Viv forsakes their old life and ventures to Thune to establish a café, introducing the city to the concept of coffee. Despite facing typical challenges of starting a new business, Viv perseveres, utilizing their adventure earnings and physical prowess to fend off threats. However, the shadows of Viv's past threaten their newfound peace.
The narrative focuses on the serene, mundane life of a café proprietor, akin to management games where problems are solved methodically. There's a hint of slow-burn romance, a strong emphasis on friendship, and a commitment to resolving conflicts peacefully. "Legends and Lattes" offers a comforting escape for readers seeking a fantasy world devoid of epic quests and battles. Written by Travis Baldree for NaNoWriMo and translated into Finnish by Jade Haapasalo, this book has garnered significant popularity, with an English prequel already in circulation.
I do not read all that much fantasy, and I did not expect all that much, but this book provided a surprisingly pleasant reading experience.
Breaking free of old habits, friendship, opportunities and coffee are things most of us can relate to. Hence I would recommend this book to everybody, with a good cup of coffee on the side. I might even read this book again.
While I am new to cozy fantasy as a genre, I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste with Legends and Lattes. While I was on edge waiting for action I am so used to getting in fantasy, I was not disappointed when little came. I found myself wanting to try a hand at baking the treats found in the little cafe from Thune. And I am not known for my cooking nor baking skills. I highly recommend for a relaxing read.
Comfy, good natured fun when one needs some kind of feel-good read. It was exactly what I needed. The way coffee and cinnamon buns are described reminds me Night Circus - everyday tastes and smells elevated almost up to the point of magic. The plot was simple enough not to drive me anxious (sadly that happens to me quite easy), yet captivating enogh to make me care about Viv's success. And I really liked the final reveal, it felt very fitting.
This book is a very refreshing change of pace in the fantasy genre, just as advertised. It is well written and has a lot of nifty nods to modern culture but couched in setting-appropriate ways. The phrase "Technology, when sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic" comes to mind when thinking of how the gnomes, being technical savants of their time, could make versions of the various coffee-making apparatuses that are commonplace to us today. The "magic" of sufficiently advanced technology relative to the time period and setting in which the story is told makes it easy to accept.
The characters are all interesting in various ways, well thought out, and easy to identify with. There are one or two mysteries left unexplained by the end, although not major plot points, which leaves just enough desire for the next tale in the series without being a cliffhanger. This book is (hopefully) …
This book is a very refreshing change of pace in the fantasy genre, just as advertised. It is well written and has a lot of nifty nods to modern culture but couched in setting-appropriate ways. The phrase "Technology, when sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic" comes to mind when thinking of how the gnomes, being technical savants of their time, could make versions of the various coffee-making apparatuses that are commonplace to us today. The "magic" of sufficiently advanced technology relative to the time period and setting in which the story is told makes it easy to accept.
The characters are all interesting in various ways, well thought out, and easy to identify with. There are one or two mysteries left unexplained by the end, although not major plot points, which leaves just enough desire for the next tale in the series without being a cliffhanger. This book is (hopefully) just the first of several in this world, but is a self-contained story that doesn't need a sequel in the sad event that it never gets one.
The paperback version that I picked up also included a short prequel vignette called "Pages To Fill" that was a nice set piece to fill in some of the back-story after finishing the main story.
L&L is a short, relatively fast read but is so rich with characters, world-building, and details that you will want to savor it as if it was one of Thimble's cinnamon rolls!
If you are in the mood for incredibly low-stakes and predictable cozy fantasy, this absolutely ticks all the boxes. The few twists are so trope-y they aren't even twists. I'm absolutely sure if this was set in the real world I would find it immeasurably dull.
A Tim Horton's French Vanilla of a book: cloyingly sweet.
Can't wait to read the next one
As lovely and fun as I'd been hearing.
This is a fantastic January read for when the weather's bad and you're curled up inside. The plot is very slice of life focused, and it's as warm and cozy as the drinks described in the novel itself. Highly reccommend for anyone who feels they need to escape from real life for a couple of hours.
"A novel of high fantasy... and low stakes"
You get exactly as it reads on the tin for this book. It feels to me like a romantic comedy in book form. An orc woman stops adventuring to start a coffee shop. What follows is hi-jinks, suspiciously convenient events, and mostly non-conflicts. Even the worst thing that happens to the main character in the book is not so very terrible in the end.
Unless you are bothered by same-sex relationships, nothing in this book is a game changer for fantasy nor will it challenge your view of the world. Personally, I loved it. It's like a warm cup of coffee in the morning.
Simple and cozy DnD coffee shop AU, and just what I needed.
What a lovely time! It left me feeling refreshed and joyful.
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
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