No Country for Old Gnomes

No Country for Old Gnomes is a new humorous fantasy co-written by Delilah Dawson (Blud) and Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Chronicles). The second book in the Pell world, it's a standalone novel and can be read without prior familiarity with the earlier book.  Due out 16th April 2019 on Random House's Del Rey imprint, it's 416 pages and available in hardback, ebook, and audio formats.

I originally picked this one up because, although I hadn't read the first book, I had enjoyed books by both of the authors previously. For fans of their other works, this book is completely different.  It's absolutely full of every punny in-joke imaginable.  There isn't a single cultural reference which can't be wrangled, hog-tied, and contorted into a joke.  Everything from the title of the book to the chapter header quotes are fair game. I found the unrelenting in-your-face attempts at clever repartee wearying. There's an almost aggressive undertone to the humor in the book. 

The blurb compares it to Monty Python and Pratchett's Discworld.  The difference is that both MP and Pratchett had a much defter touch with humor (even punnery and slapstick) and an instinctual understanding of varying the rhythm and construction of their humor.  This book speeds along at breakneck speed fish-slapping the reader for 400+ pages.

It is a moderately fun read and I did enjoy it enough to look for the first book in the Pell world and likely pick up the third book, The Princess Beard, when I get the opportunity. 

Three and a half stars.  I can recommend it to readers on the hunt for extreme farcical silliness. The art and formatting as well as the typesetting are up to a very high standard.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.