Fern’s Worst Hangover: Read an Exclusive First Look at Travis Baldree’s Brigands & Breadknives
Travis Baldree’s third book in the Legends & Lattes series, Brigands & Breadknives, is scheduled to arrive in bookstores on Nov. 11 from Tor Books. Ahead of that release, Tor provided an exclusive excerpt to Polygon showing an early scene featuring Fern, the rattkin bookshop owner who becomes the novel’s protagonist.
- New book: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (release date: Nov. 11).
- Publisher: Tor Books; an exclusive excerpt was made available to Polygon.
- Series context: follows Legends & Lattes (2022) and the prequel Bookshops & Bonedust (2023).
- Excerpt highlights: Fern wakes bound in a cart and meets Astryx and a goblin; the scene establishes tone and characters.
What’s happening
Travis Baldree, known for co-creating Torchlight and Rebel Galaxy, published Legends & Lattes in 2022. That first book became a New York Times bestseller and later was a finalist for the 2023 Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel. Then, in 2023, Baldree released a prequel titled Bookshops & Bonedust, which explores Viv’s earlier days. Now, his third book shifts focus to Fern, who was introduced in the prequel and is the lead in Brigands & Breadknives.
About Brigands & Breadknives
The book centers on Fern, a rattkin who previously helped run a small bookshop. According to the publisher’s excerpt, the story opens with Fern waking up in a buckboard cart, bound and disoriented. In the scene, she meets Astryx One-Ear and a goblin; dialogue and action establish the characters and set up a new arc for Fern.
Key facts
The release date is Nov. 11. Tor Books is the publisher. The novel continues the cozy-fantasy tone Baldree established, while moving the narrative focus from Viv to Fern. Moreover, the excerpt shows Baldree’s blend of character-driven scenes and light humor.
Exclusive excerpt details
The excerpt provided to Polygon begins with Fern waking to “an alligator grin and eyes the red of a harvest sunset in a round, green face.” The scene includes direct lines of dialogue, such as Fern’s exclamation: “What… what in the faithless fuck?” and a later exchange where Astryx offers food and remarks on Fern’s prospects.
In the passage, Astryx estimates travel time (“We’re a day and a half out, and three days to the next town.”) and assesses Fern’s situation. Fern identifies herself as a bookseller, and the excerpt ends on a blunt goblin line that Fern translates: “It means, ‘you’re fucked.’” These concrete beats show the tone and stakes for the opening of the book.
How this fits the series
To be clear, Brigands & Breadknives follows the timeline of Baldree’s earlier novels: Legends & Lattes introduced Viv and a cozy coffee-shop setting in 2022, while Bookshops & Bonedust (2023) served as a prequel focused on a different period in Viv’s life and introduced Fern. This new volume continues the worldbuilding and shifts to Fern’s perspective.
Where to read
The full novel will be available in bookstores on Nov. 11 from Tor Books. Meanwhile, the publisher released the excerpt via Polygon prior to publication.
