The Buttersmiths' Gold

Evertaster #2

by Adam Glendon Sidwell

BATTLES. BLUEBERRIES. BOVINES.

TORBJORN AND STORFJELL'S HISTORY UNFOLDS IN AN EPIC EVERTASTER NOVELLA.

Everyone knows the most coveted treasure of the Viking Age was blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins so succulent that if you sniffed just a whiff, you'd want a whole bite. If you bit a bite, you'd want a batch; if you snatched a batch, you'd stop at nothing short of going to war just to claim them all.

Young Torbjorn Trofastsonn comes from the clan that makes them. He's a Viking through and through, he's thirteen winters old, larger than most respectable rocks, and most of all, a Buttersmith. That's what he thinks anyway, until a charismatic merchant makes Torbjorn question his place among the muffin-makers. When Torbjorn lets the secret of his clan's muffin recipe slip, he calls doom and destruction down upon his peaceful village and forces his brother Storfjell and his clansmen to do the one thing they are ill-prepared to do: battle for their lives.


About the Author: In between books, Adam Glendon Sidwell uses the power of computers to make monsters, robots and zombies come to life for blockbuster movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, King Kong, I, Robot and Tron. Long ago he spent two years wandering the land of the Vikings without being slain, so feels very qualified to write this book. He once met a Norwegian with 1,000 neckties. For the time being, Adam lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, where he can’t wait for the big one to hit.

Say hello to Adam at http://www.evertaster.com.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

118 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2013

About the author

In between books, Adam Glendon Sidwell uses the power of computers to make monsters, robots and zombies come to life for blockbuster movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, King Kong, Transformers and Tron. After spending countless hours in front of a keyboard meticulously adjusting tentacles, calibrating hydraulics, and brushing monkey fur, he is delighted at the prospect of modifying his creations with the flick of a few deftly placed adjectives. He's been eating food since age 7, so feels very qualified to write this book. He once showed a famous movie star where the bathroom was. Adam currently lives in Los Angeles, where he can't wait to fall into the sea.

Reviews

[Adam Sidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello there! Confession: I'm Adam Glendon Sidwell and I wrote this book. That's why I like it. This is a spin off novella in the Evertaster series. It's about Torbjorn and Storfjell, those two gigantic Vikings Guster meets on his journey to find the most delicious taste in the whole world in Evertaster. Basically, long ago two Vikings named Torbjorn and Storfjell get into a heap of trouble when everyone tries to steal their blueberry muffins. This book is an epic adventure, all packed into a 120 short pages! Unbelievable! If you liked Evertaster, you'll love this! Even if you didn't, read this book. It's got Vikings in it!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story reached my every expectation. I’ve seen this book promoted on a couple of my favorite blogs and I was very curious to read it. Imagine my delight when “The Buttersmith’s Gold” was free for download on Amazon! It’s original, unique, imaginative and engaging, and can be enjoyed by young and old. I definitely want to get my kids this series!

[S.A. Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect middle grade tale to read with your kids! There's action, mystery, and valuable lessons on loyalty and purity. Oh...and trolls!

Humorous and enticing narration. Plus, the cover is a hoot! Just look at it. Seriously. And once you read the story, the cover will hold such meaning for you.

This is a great MG tale of self-awareness--in oneself as well as in one's place within a family unit. Torbjorn seems to always come up short in comparison to his brother. It's a constant battle for him, struggling with feeling like he has to prove himself to his family and clan. This stress aka drive pushes him to make some risky decisions, endangering the life he's always known, including the precious secret of his people's successful muffin business.

Most of you can relate to that movie, where you know a character shouldn't enter or go. Torb does exactly that, which is where this tale truly begins. Vivid description of setting and place gave the story breath and life. Coupled with Torb's inner contemplation about a strange man who sudden comes into his life, the story takes of in mystery and the unknown. This man, who sudden appears when Torb need help, seems to know more about Torb's muffin making clan than he does; and it just doesn't feel right.

The world building is stellar, with colorful vocabulary and character quirks. This world is not only pleasurable, but tangible to the eye and ear. Streets and city names paint the world brightly. Smells of the sea and ancient honor fill the air.

Most important--at least to me as a reader--is the underlying message of truth and honor, even when the truth is not popular. This tale ultimately asks the reader to explore his/her motivations for performing a specified task and for whom they're doing it for.

I'd recommend this story to readers of MG age, those who love a comical adventure, and those with a vivid imagination not afraid to stretch those limits.

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series and can't wait to read this novella! And that cover is too flippin' awesome!!!

(after reading novella)

Adam has done it again! The Buttersmiths' Gold is just as captivating, imaginative, and fun as Evertaster. Fans of Evertaster will love delving back into this thrilling world and meeting the Torbjorn and Storfjell, the original buttery, blueberry muffin lovin' vikings. Adam's signature clever, sparkling middle-grade storytelling and humor bring this novella to life and offer readers of all ages a wildly entertaining read.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received my copy through first-reads, last year, but have only recently found the time to read it. It's very cleverly written and very entertaining. Though I never read the previous book, I never felt lost - it's a completely separate story. However, it has definitely made me interested in finding a copy of the first book!
The only thing that bothered me was how much plain butter was Ingested. I cringed each time the book mentioned a Viking scooping out a handful of butter! I could FEEL my arteries clogging just a bit by the mere imagery! Ugh!
But other than that, definitely a good read. :)

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute addition to Evertaster. It is the story of the Buttersmith's and how they came to have the best butter in the world.

Torbjorn and Storfjell are two lovable vikings in Evertaster. They share the story of their clan with the pilot, also from Evertaster.

The story is imaginative and full of and adventure. Vikings fighting trolls, stuff great adventure is made of.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this over the weekend on the beach in Tahoe! Fun story - but probably hard to follow if you haven't read Evertaster. Love these darling characters!

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it - maybe a bit more than Evertaster

[S. Policar · Rating 5 out of 5]

As stated in the Forward, Reading Evertaster is not mandatory before reading this book. This book tells the tale of how the butter came to be. A very fitting companion to the trilogy if I do say so myself.
The story begins at some point after Felicity's helicopters come and whisk the Johnsonville's to complete their part of the creation of the One Recipe, which left Braxton, Torbjorn, and Storfjell knocked out on the viking long boat with the cows (who were still doing all the rowing).
The viking brothers tell Braxton that while everyone thinks vikings love blueberry muffins above all else that the best food in all of Midgard is the butter! With further prompting, Torbjorn begins to weave the tale of his clan's butter and why is it better than any other in all the world.
I found myself chuckling as I read of Torbojorn's first venture into the biggest village in Midgard. To viking style, there was most certainly a brawl that would more than likely become a legend.
There is so much actual Norse myth and legend woven into this story, it was a delight for me to read. I'm as huge fan of all things Midgard as anyone that knows me can attest lol.
I do hope the author will make other companion stories for the trilogy, like the how the eggs came to be, or Arreviderci's chocolates. I'd most definitely be interested in those stories too and I'm sure others would be as well.
I give this book 5 of 5 paws.

Reviewed by
S.Cu'Anam Policar
Freaky Fiction Writing Author
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[Myra (Pieces of Whimsy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review first published on my blog, Pieces of Whimsy

The Buttersmiths' Gold has got to be one of the quirkiest, most ridiculously brilliant books I've read and I could not get enough of it. There was both a serious and silly tone throughout this book that both blended together beautifully. The story's just so quirky that that you can't help but accept the silly as normal, leaving you to see some of the more important points of the book. All the different components were balanced out to give this book the perfect mood for the story it told..

This book doesn't have the most amazing, edge-of-your-seat, enthralling tale but you can tell this if you read the blurb. The story is engaging and fun! It's a very comical story line and I think it can be enjoyed by people of all ages. After all, I'm a fussy, moody, hard-to-please teenager and I really enjoyed Torbjorn's (and Storfjell's) story so I think this book can be enjoyed by anyone, as long as they look at it in the right way.

The writing was simple and elegant, it flowed really well with the story and I could easily grasp what was going on. Though the viking names were very different from names of now-a-days, once I decided on a pronunciation I was easily able to keep/recall it as the smooth style of writing didn't leave me fussing over confusing words/sentences.

The subject of the story is just so different, I couldn't help but be intrigued and after finishing the book I just want more! It's a light, quick read but it is filling, it satisfies my bookish needs (at least until something else catches my eye). At the end, this story lets you go, not in a 'this book's so forgettable' way but more an 'it was a good meal and now I shall sit back and relax for a while' (I think the books food-talk is rubbing off on me!). I really enjoyed this book and will happily read more from this author!

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evertaster & the Buttersmith's Gold tells the story about the Vikings and how they came to have so rich butter from their cows. We met Torbjorn and Storfjell in book 1. This story is all about their Viking ancestors.

It is a lot shorter story, but a fun adventure one. A different Torbjorn and Storfjell are the main characters. They live in a village that was isolated from others. They would trade their butter and blueberry muffins to others then leave to go back home to wear they lived.

They said Torbjorn was old enough to handle the bargaining at a young age. He made a lot of mistakes as was normal for first timers. But one mistake he told his village greatest seceret.

The Buttersmith's gold is not over the top silly like the first book. You can almost believe that it really happened that way. It grabs your attention and holds onto it. It has a battle or two. Also Trolls chasing them. It shows how the different choices they made effected their whole tribe.

The characters Torbjorn and Storfjell are just teenage brothers who are around 8 feet tall. Storfjell is the older brother. He makes a choice that his tribe does not like but saved them.
Torbjorn made a mistake and then kept it a secret and made the problem worse before he told his tribe. They are likeable characters.

I can't wait for the next Evertaster that brings Guster and his family their next adventure.
I was given these two ebooks and asked in return to give honest review as part of their blog tour.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book in a great series for kids!! We meet the Vikings Torbjorn and Storfjell in Evertaster and we get to hear more about their story. Sidwell does such a great job of making you believe that this is a true story! Braxton knows the Vikings' butter is creamy, rich and smooth but he wants to know what makes their butter so special. They tell the story of their ancestors and how the butter became an important part of the mission we learn about in Evertaster.

Torbjorn and Storfjell are such fun characters and it was fun to meet their forefathers as well. One of them, also named Torbjorn, who lived many, many years ago, is selling muffins and meets Rotte the Righteous who wants to know the secret of their butter. Torbjorn realizes that he doesn't really know and Rotte gets angry and throws him out. Torbjorn later asks his father about it. His father tells him and he comes into contact with Rotte again, even though he tries to avoid him, and during their conversation, slips and tells Rotte their secret. He immediately realizes what he's done and hopes there won't be any consequences. But of course, there are. This is a great series to read with your family and your children will be entranced with this story!

Mel's Shelves

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when authors write books that can be enjoyed by parents and children alike. This is one of those, although you might want to make sure that you've read the original Evertaster book in order to have everything make sense!

Guster and his whole family really are kind of quirky and funny. I loved reading this story from his point of view. I love the way that he can determine things from his food, at the beginning of this one, he realizes that he's tasting fear in his sandwich and he's not sure what that means, but knows that it can't be good.

His brother Zeke is really supersticious in this one and he tries to convince Guster that he's being followed by a Sasquatch. So funny, but it was also really kind of funny how close to the truth he ended up being. I love his mom too! I love the way she's always making Guster and his family something great to eat, and I loved the way she was adaptable at the end of the story.

I loved that this book takes us from the Johnsonville's home to New York City to the Himalayas in a grand adventure that will leave you wanting to read more!

[L_manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Torbjorn and Storfjell helped Guster in his story, and now they get a tale of their own. Their people are known for their outstanding butter, but one day Torbjorn accidentally gives the secret of their amazing butter away to a stranger. This soon brings war and gloom to his people. Torbjorn must call upon all the bravery he has to do what he needs to do.

This novella continues the humorous and fun tone of the original novel. Taking two of the more memorable characters from the book, it tells a side story full of adventure. I enjoyed getting the background on Torbjorn and Storfjell. They were pretty hilarious in the book. More than anything, they stand up for themselves and each other. This fun story will be sure to entertain and help tide you over until the next book comes out!

Book provided for review.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a FUN tale!

In the first book of the series, Evertaster, you learned about Torbjorn and Storfjell and their very tasty butter.

Now you can learn how the butter came to be...
It is all about BATTLES. BLUEBERRIES. and BOVINES!

Young Torbjorn is sent to trade the delicious blueberry muffins for treasures that the clan is in need of.

But when he slips and tells a merchant the secret of the tasty butter a terrible fate comes to the clan.

Now Torbjorn and Storfjell must save the day and the bovines.

A FUN FUN adventure awaits the reader!

This book can be read as a stand alone book...but the ending does make more sense if you have read Evertaster first.

I HIGHLY recommend this series!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never judge a book by it's cover! A viking and a cow? I wasn't impressed. Upon reading the book I now adore the cover. I loved every bit of this book. Torbjorn (well one of them) totally captured my heart. I think this would be a great read for any age any gender. It has battles but it also has amazing emotional depth. I have to say though, I am a sucker for anything with trolls and once they were introduced this book was an easy 5 stars!

I plan to read it again to my son. Hopefully I can find more of the series too!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books (Evertaster, Buttersmith's Gold) are a hoot! This book is a prequel that gives you a back story on two characters introduced in Evertaster. I liked the characters before but I like them even more now. Definitely read it after Evertasters. It is a nice and quick read following the first story.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading this with my kids and they loved it. It's sort of a prequel to Evertaster, which we also enjoyed. A silly and fun story with some nice Viking fighting that little boys love.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'd still like to read more in the series.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. I haven't read anything else in this series, but this is fun as a standalone story.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read, enjoyable and fun. Loved the story and the brother's adventure.