ARC Review: "The Legend of Uh" by Aaron N. Hall ★★★★

ARC Review: The Legend of Uh by Aaron N. Hall

Aaron N. Hall has created a delightfully quirky and funny yet wholehearted young adult fantasy comedy adventure, about a knight and his quest to prove his worth. And maybe the quest was the friends (and foes) he makes along the way! Filled with self-discovery and found family, for fans of Dungeons & Dragons and Terry Pratchett.

Riley was there. She was always there. A shadow cast over them as Francis got up and encased them in his big green arms. Then Steve got to his feet and plastered himself across the group. Together, they cocooned DJ in a warm embrace. And in his chest, his heart settled. Here, in the arms of his friends, he wasn’t forgotten.

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
A validation-driven knight, a baker’s daughter, a noisy friar-mage and a scholarly orc …walk into a bar. Well, an inn. Several inns. The innkeeper says “I would say look out for the plot twist, but this whole group is a walking narrative anomaly.” – He doesn’t say this, haha I’m sorry! But the number of inns they visit is true!

15-year-old Dashing Junior “DJ” becomes knighted but is ever in the shadow of his father the famous Sir Dashing Senior, most charming and bravest of all knights, slayer of dragons, and an overall living legend. At his own knighting ceremony, everyone ignores him except for his best friend Riley, the baker’s daughter. He is tired of being pitted against his father and decides that he will set off on a quest from his hometown of Beregond to The Temple of Amulet to hold the amulet and prove himself worthy of his knighthood.

He assembles a small fellowship consisting of Riley who dreams of becoming a ranger, a loud friar called Steven “Steve” who aspires to be a priest and a well-read orc with a mysterious past named Francis who runs the local bookshop and desires to visit the Library of Artak as sees this quest as his opportunity.

As one can imagine, this turns into something more complicated and chaotic than they could ever imagine. They meet several interesting and unforgettable characters along the way – from a wizard who sells magical waffles to an author who can only write long books to a band of bards to a gnome on a direcat to a half-giant to a crazy cult – and, of course, no fantasy world is complete without dragons. There is a side quest or two… or three… definitely more than four! And there is danger at every turn. Will DJ succeed?

That’s kind of the story of our journey, huh? Get broke, find a job, barely escape, earn some coin. Rinse and repeat.”
“Sounds like lazy writing,” Francis said.

This is told from the third-person past-tense perspective of mostly DJ but interestingly switches at one point to Francis when he is with Gasha.

OVERALL OPINIONS
I had a feeling I would love this after reading the blurb, and I was not wrong. (I took the Truth Serum for this, iykyk.) The rapid pacing of the narrative and the irresistible charm of the writing made it impossible to put down! There were plenty of hilarious moments that had me in stitches, and I truly savoured every second! The humour and bizarreness of events reminded me of Terry Pratchett’s Diskworld series and therefore a perfect book for anyone who loves this.

Areas in the story were predictable (ideal for the ya genre) and did not spoil my overall positive experience as it progressed. At the same time, there were plenty of plot twists.

ㅤ⚔️characters and quirkiness
Every main character has their moment to shine, which really gives the essence of teamwork. None of this quest could have been achieved without the others: Riley with her Ranger knowledge of foraging and hunting helping them through their journey, Francis with his general knowledge as well as that of swordplay and his diplomatic side, Father Steve with both his knowledge and experience with magic but also his loud booming voice aiding them in situations, and DJ with his all-round knowledge that he picks up from everyone.

There were so many quirky characters and they all enchanted me. Even the Highway Hag (who I’m glad shows up more than once as I found her first meeting anticlimactic). My absolute favourite characters were the waffle wizard, Sandy Brambleton and Devin.

I knew the moment I read the waffle wizard that I would love him, and I hoped he would show up again – and I’m so glad he did. I just love how he has a crossbow sitting under the table! I couldn’t stop laughing!

The wizard winked and said, “Observe!” Without taking his eyes off DJ, he reached under the table, pulled out a small crossbow, and fired a bolt into Francis’s shoulder.

Sandy Brambleton is hilarious, unable to stop writing long books! I think it’s so amusing that he thinks he is cursed but it’s that he simply wants to write long books.

Devin was really cool but funny too, especially after the dragon fiasco

Walking ahead of the group, swinging his arms, Devin looked over his shoulder. His face was bright and cheery, despite being half-smeared with dragon blood. He said, “All things considered, I think that went pretty well!”

I wish I had an enchanted bag that could carry nearly 300 pounds of stuff – mind you, it’s not so handy to find specific things you need!

ㅤ⚔️references and vibes
Inspired by the first of his own D&D campaign with his friends, Hall has created a world with very D&D vibes: the recommended number of people in a team is 4; the races include Elf, Human, Dwarf, Half-Orc (In this case we have Orc and Half-Giant), Gnome, Goblin, Dragonborn (As opposed to Dragonspeaker here); the classes of Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue, Ranger.

The idea of this also reminds me of the interactive adventure video game Sorcery! where usually a lot of misfortune befalls the player and even if you intend to be a pacifist like DJ you will still end up fighting someone. You can encounter very interesting and odd characters along the way too.

Not only that, there were many references to other media, most of all my favourite world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, namely Lord of the Rings. I must list them because they are great:
•The moment I read the name Beregond, I cried out “Tolkien!” – for that is the name of the Guard of the Citadel who is assigned to show Peregrin Took the ropes of being a guard.
•The friar using his cast iron frying pan as a weapon reminded me of Samwise Gamgee.
•The witch opening the peephole and saying “Wuddaya want?” definitely is the quivalent to Harry Goatleaf the gatekeeper in Bree.
• “alright-then-keep-your-secrets,” is 100% what Frodo says.
• “He has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox” – word for word!
•The goblin king, from The Hobbit.
•The guide they consider hiring is called Gog’m, “a slippery, hunched little fiend with large eyes and a loincloth. Didn’t seem particularly trustworthy.”, very akin to Gollum.

Skyrim references also crop up here, one of my favourite computer games. Francis wanting to visit the Library of Artak is like the college of Winterhold simply because its library was run by the orc Urag gro-Shub. We have a town called Skyhole instead of Skyrim, a Dragonspeaker, able to communicate with the dragons like the Dragonborne. “Dun-Ku-Rah” instead of “Fus Ro Dah” (very different things though as the former isn’t a dragon shout, more an event: a duel to the death) – and a beautiful rendition of the Skyrim guards “I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee”:

“If he’s so big and mighty, why does he need guards at all?”
“Someone’s gotta walk around and tell people to behave themselves. We don’t do much else.” The guard tapped the armor on his leg. “Arrow to the knee. Put an end to my adventures long ago.”

I mentioned Terry Pratchett previously, the box that sprouts legs reminds me of the luggage in The Colour of Magic. Also, a section here was akin to Pratchett’s saying of “The pen is mightier than the sword”:

He stood at a table, his arm moving with the precision of a swordsman. But his weapon of choice was a quill and ink.

This is actually one of my favourite quotes from this book!

The drugged noodles idea is reminiscent of the Lotus Casino in the Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief film where if you eat a Lotus Flower food, you are trapped in the Casino permanently.

The Evercloak spell made me think of Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility.

“All magic, no maidens” (I laughed every time) resembled the idea of being maidenless in the video game Elden Ring.

People are worried about losing sacred knowledge from the Library of Artak: one false move and the Nighwolves have threatened they will burn it. This is comparable to the Library of Alexandria from actual history which had a huge amount of its work destroyed in a fire.

 

The Legend of Uh art by @thorkart

ㅤ⚔️themes
This book covers some very good themes that people of all ages can relate to.
Self-worth and acceptance
Just about all of the gang are considered different by everyone else.
• DJ is overlooked and underappreciated but is self-conscious about what everyone thinks of him when he does overhear them. This makes him refuse to do things, like studying magic because of the view that if you are a mage, you’re “all magic, no maidens”. Francis reprimands him about this:

“What I understand,” the orc said, “is that you have a serious talent for something and you’re afraid to explore it because you’re a fifteen-year-old boy who desperately cares what other people think. And what you need to understand is that although you are Sir Dashing’s son, you are also your own person with your own destiny, and that is something that is all your own.”

He also wishes he was more like his dad. But he undergoes a lot of character development, first shown through the fact that DJ hates that he gets greeted as “New Philip” – he does, in fact, value his individuality and who he is. This is solidified when the thought of achieving his quest and getting the amulet no longer appeals to him as it once did. He no longer feels the need to prove anything, which is beautiful.
• Friar Steve is often alone and given looks by his fellow Stewards of the Goddess, due to both his appearance and the fact he is often loud when he speaks. Even DJ isn’t keen on him at first, though ironically the townsfolk do the same to him. His voice projection comes in handy when they peacefully take back the Library of Artak. The Orcs of the Nether Region also practically worship and admire him, saying “Your chest is strong… you must be a warrior of great deeds.”
• Francis has been an outsider from his orc clan, the Ironhands Clan, for 8 years after his desire for peace talks went wrong and many were slain. The orcs felt Francis “turned his back on tradition... Favoring the book over the ax! An orc must *never* forsake battle!” He is not made for war, which to the orcs is an issue. But this makes him unique. If he had nothing but a thirst for fight then he would never have left the Region, never have been a strongarm for DJ, and DJ may have never learned how to be merciful which comes in handy later on. This proves that he was meant to be the person he is, otherwise none of the events would have transpired the way it did.

Looks are deceptive
This is the main theme throughout the book, nearly every chapter has something to do with this. Our main group doesn’t match the usual stereotypes but are extraordinary people. People underestimate what DJ is capable of. The witch is a reasonably harmless prankster. The goblins pursue the gang to thank them, not harm them. The Phillips look and seem welcoming but are actually a very dangerous group of people. The God they worship you think would be something impressive but is actually just an ordinary-looking man. The people of Blight’s Respite seem bitter and unwelcoming but deep down they are lovely especially when the group help them. Devin the Dragonspeaker sounded impressive but when they finally meet him he looks so small and unordinary.

What makes someone noble
Another theme throughout is the question of nobility, what makes someone this. Some like Francis are born into it, but do not necessarily want to rule. Others have an idea of nobility based on how others are perceived, like DJ’s idea of nobility is everything his father embodies. The gnome Buttons has been cast out of his village until he does a noble deed, which he decides is taking Riley back to her father. DJ’s mother is a member of nobility in Varis and values her reputation above ever visiting her son, as having children outwith Varis is a scandal.

Bonds between parents and children This is covered through various dynamics.
The first of which is DJ and Sir Dashing: supportive yet rather distant, which turns into deep-found respect and appreciation of DJ from Sir Dashing the longer his son is away. He realises the best thing in his career was having DJ for a son, and this was lovely to see.

“He’s not perfect—he’s really distracted by his past heroics—but he’s always been there for me. Tried to show me that I was okay when no one else did.”

Another is the more tense and bitter relationship between DJ and his mother Melanie. She abandoned him when he was a child and has been an absent parent all of his life. I like that DJ gets to reprimand her for what she did. Francis also has this: he had a father who didn’t respect him unlike DJ whose father did.

And then there is the kind of parent who will love their child from afar and try to be present in their life. This is what Francis pledges to do with Gasha’s child, showing he has broken the cycle of his toxic father. I was very moved by this.

In the Acknowledgements, Hall dedicates this book to his late father, which was so moving especially considering he refers to his own dad as “the original Sir Dashing”. I have a feeling a lot of these moments where we see the bond between DJ and his father Sir Dashing in the story are reminiscent of his own lovely bond with his father. I can without any doubt say he would be very proud of this beautiful and amusing story.

ㅤ⚔️realistic elements in a fantasy setting
• gay representation through Pebble and Brooks (I love their names because they go well together: you are likely to find pebbles near brooks)
• a brief political side mentioning a corrupt government system through the Goblins (“This new freedom will allow our clan to pick a new leader—one that’s democratically elected! After all, a leader should be established by the consent of the governed”)
• oftentimes religious views, through Friar Steve’s worship of the Goddess Uh and the worship of the false god Phillip.
• sexism through the Orcs: there hasn’t been a She-Chief in a while and people only see the she-orcs as “hardly more than vessels for childbearing”. Yikes!

<< Positives >>
🠚The story is amazing.
🠚The cover is very fun (I felt mislead because I saw the dragon haha I expected one sooner).
🠚The coverage about the different types of love: love lost via DJ and his mother; love from afar Francia and Gasha; love grown DJ and Riley.
🠚The characters – especially the waffle wizard! So quirky. I want a bag where I can carry anything too.
🠚Some great quotes!
🠚The use of Latin for the spells. “Scintyll” which he uses for fire magic is after the Latin “scintilla” which means “spark”.
<< Negatives >> 🠚I really would have loved an epilogue to find out what happened to everyone after the events. If the townspeople came to respect DJ on his own, for example. Gasha and Francis. DJ and Riley, what happens to them. If any of their friends come to visit.
🠚We never get a moment after DJ fighting the Harpygriff to return to the waffle wizard!
🠚I didn’t vibe with some of the names. Uh, unfortunately, and Odambro haha I’m so sorry all I can see is “Oh dayum bro”. The brassiere of Uh is such a random concept, though rather funny.
🠚I felt Sir Dashing should have signed off his messages with Dad. Though, I daresay this is symbolic about how he is quite vain about himself.
🠚Chapter 16 is the first time the perspective shifts to another character. I would have preferred more of this, but ultimately don’t mind.
🠚DJ never has any proof of his heroic deeds by the end. I would have preferred if he had something to take with him.
🠚DJ and Riley are cute in that scene where they decide to date, but they really should have kissed!
🠚I thought the dragon Grythure would return and help or something.
🠚The map in my digital copy seemed quite small. I think it should have been rotated to take up the full page.

CHARACTERS -ˋˏ ꒰ DJ꒱ ˎˊ- ↳ He has good gut instincts, like about Vennick. I like that he doesn’t want to fight, a good internal conflict, and the way that the emptiness after killing people is covered.

“I have a famous dad. Everyone expected me to be like him, but I’m not. I went on this quest to prove to everyone that I’m worthy of being a knight like him, but along the way, I stopped caring what they think. I’m not my dad—I don’t slay dragons and save maidens. At first, I hated that. But in the last few months, I learned that I’m actually okay as I am.”

-ˋˏ ꒰ Other characters꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Francis preferring books to parties is very relatable haha. I will not stop talking about the waffle wizard he is the best!

FAV QUOTES
• Even at his knighting ceremony, it was like any other day. Everyone was enraptured with their own groups of friends or with the tales of his father. As far as they were concerned, DJ didn’t exist. The newest Knight of Beregond wasn’t worth a glance.
• It was the way she looked at him and smiled. It didn’t happen often, but when the light hit her face just right, illuminating her fair skin and chestnut eyes, it made DJ’s heart sigh.
• She sat up, and DJ held her. The two hugged for a long while. “I’m still glad you’re here with me,” DJ whispered. She held him little tighter when he said that.
• With his hunched back, chinless face, and lazy eye, he wasn’t much to look at. But there was something that radiated deeper within this friar. DJ wondered why he never noticed it before. “You’re a blessing, Steve,” DJ said. “People don’t appreciate you as much as they should.” For the first time in a while, Steve smiled.
• Love was once my only care— a medal to be earned. Finding love in solitude— my sweetest lesson learned.
• “He’s actually a really good dad.” His heart pricked when he said the words. The thought had never dawned on him until this moment. And with that thought, a dozen memories sped through his mind. The time Sir Dashing surprised him with a stuffed dog toy. The time Sir Dashing comforted him when DJ’s bullies reduced him to tears. The time Sir Dashing pulled DJ out of a battle instruction class because he hated every moment of it. Hundreds of miles away from home, DJ realized that Sir Dashing was a good father. He really was.
• “The mightiest battles are often fought within.”
• They were always together—like a sword and shield.
• Seeds of tears grew in Gasha’s eyes. “Do you not want to return to me?” Francis was on her in a heartbeat, holding her face. “For eight years I craved your touch. Ached to hear your voice. I slept for thousands of nights wishing I was here to keep you warm. I want to return to you so badly that everything inside me is *breaking*.”
• they held a gaze that could have written thousands of sad stories.
• The DJ back in Beregond never could have imagined the things he would experience in the coming months. The jeering boys and ignorant townspeople would definitely be surprised to hear them.
• DJ imagined the Amulet of the Goddess in his hands. Proof that he was worthy of knightdom. He had imagined it many times before, but for some reason, the current image in his mind felt less… shiny than it did before. What did feel shiny were the people he had met and the places he had seen.
• They looked like a group of bandits ready to commit a burglary, which wasn’t far from the truth.
• Writers are tremendous! I find them charming, personable, intelligent, thoughtful, empathetic, beautiful, magnetic, and most of all, underpaid!
• A dragon. A battle with a dragon. One of the very things DJ was trying to *avoid* on this journey. One of the things Sir Dashing told him he wouldn’t be ready for. It was here, whether DJ liked it or not.
• DJ’s heart became thick. He had left Beregond with just one friend, but now he had three—not to mention all the friends he made along the way.
• Together, the four of them sat under the western clock face with their feet dangling off. They watched the sea as a brilliant moon cast shimmering light over the water. The stars couldn’t have been brighter. A perfect summer evening.
• “I wanted to tell you that among all of my adventures, I’d say my favorite of all has been… raising you. You’ve become your own man, different from me in so many ways, and I think that’s wonderful. I bless the day that you were left at my doorstep. If I could, I would do it all again. No question in my mind.”

══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Aaron N. Hall for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“The Legend of Uh” is out February 25th!