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Hat Trick #2
Hat's Entertainment!: A Humorous High Fantasy
Magically transformed into a hat, a wizard must endure being worn by a dwarf questing through a labyrinthine underworld, in this comical fantasy adventure.
Answers and vengeance are so close that Absalom Scryne can almost taste them. Perhaps if his consciousness had been transferred to a pair of shoes instead of a hat, he would’ve had the necessary tongue to do so . . .
Having made it through the Badlands by the skin of his crooked yellow teeth, Ig the kobold celebrated the achievement by blowing everyone up. Now, separated from the unhygienic scalp of his apprentice, Absalom must navigate the pitch-black underworld—traversing a miners’ strike, a dungeon complex, a dragon’s lair, and the domains of creatures best described as eldritch—perched atop a dwarf.
But will they make it back to the surface? Will we ever see sweet, stinky Ig again? What has the circus got to do with anything? Discover all this and more as the adventure continues!
Answers and vengeance are so close that Absalom Scryne can almost taste them. Perhaps if his consciousness had been transferred to a pair of shoes instead of a hat, he would’ve had the necessary tongue to do so . . .
Having made it through the Badlands by the skin of his crooked yellow teeth, Ig the kobold celebrated the achievement by blowing everyone up. Now, separated from the unhygienic scalp of his apprentice, Absalom must navigate the pitch-black underworld—traversing a miners’ strike, a dungeon complex, a dragon’s lair, and the domains of creatures best described as eldritch—perched atop a dwarf.
But will they make it back to the surface? Will we ever see sweet, stinky Ig again? What has the circus got to do with anything? Discover all this and more as the adventure continues!
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2024
18 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Luke Chmilenko
39 books1,575 followersWriting far faster than his hands can withstand, Luke Chmilenko hails from the Great White North where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Toiling endlessly Luke juggles his time between a rapidly growing catalogue of series while playing far more video games than he would ever openly admit.
If you're interested in getting all the news about Luke's upcoming work, check out his website at: http://lukechmilenko.com/
If you're interested in getting all the news about Luke's upcoming work, check out his website at: http://lukechmilenko.com/
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 3, 2025
These are such fun books
The series is a perfect balance of lovable characters and peril, mixed with hilarious moments
The series is a perfect balance of lovable characters and peril, mixed with hilarious moments
July 16, 2024
The second book in this series is as funny, whimsical, and well-written as the first. I highly recommend both books for a nice change of pace from all that serious stuff you've been reading.
November 14, 2024
They cycled a lot in this book, about a hour before the end the narrator tells you to stop reading, i couldnt think of an argument against it. Magic was lost to make the same 3 jokes for about 6 hours.
June 7, 2025
DR
Following Book 1, Hat Trick, Absalom Scryne, the hat, the greatest living mage is lost and found again. This time by a dwarf drone, if that sounds weird - good, it's just the start of weirdness that is dwarven biology. Siggy, the drone dwarf, is skeptical about anything coming from a hat. Going deeper into the Kanute's Crack, the dwarven kingdom, Absalom does his best to weasel his way into Siggy's good graces and continue on his way to Arphanpholigan. Ancient dwarven history, old comedic relief nemesis making an appearance, separated hat and kobold.
The author's unorthodox take on dwarfs made me guffaw. Similarities between ants and dwarves brought to extreme. Most things of dwarven biology were sillily hilarious. The ancient history of dwarf mages, scrynium and ancient evil set the big bad for the series finale. The circus' arrival in magocracy of Arphanpholigan was speedy. Mage battle between Scryne's apprentices and those others reinforced 'Hat Trick' magic system. It being twofold, one is belief and the other is knowledge. As long as a mage believes something to be possible, has basic understanding of what he is doing and has sufficient quintessence, he can do it - e.g. Ig.
Book has two distinct parts, that possibly would have benefited from being split into two series installments (book 2, ch.1-ch.12, book 2 ch.13-cp.21). There was a certain tonal shift starting chapter 14. Until then the story was quite similar to book 1 - the hat, Absalom trying to connive his new below the brim part to do what he wants, then the repeat of book 1 ending where Absalom is in the darkness without sensory inputs from outside the cloth. And cp.14 party reunites and closes an old case where the perpetrator would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the meddling ex-warlord, dwarf droid, kobold and a hat.
Conclusion: 3/5. Listened on Audible for 1 credit. Narrated by: John Lee. Book 2 of 'Hat Trick' continues what book 1 did. Farcical situations, humorous dialogue. As long as the reader doesn't expect the next installment of LOTR or The Hobbit, i.e. a serious character driven fantasy adventure, and is ready for nonsensical interactions and genitalia jokes they will enjoy 'Hat's Entertainment!'. Terrible value for the length of the book - 3.22 $/hour ( 33.90 $ / 10 hrs 31 mins ).
Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour
Following Book 1, Hat Trick, Absalom Scryne, the hat, the greatest living mage is lost and found again. This time by a dwarf drone, if that sounds weird - good, it's just the start of weirdness that is dwarven biology. Siggy, the drone dwarf, is skeptical about anything coming from a hat. Going deeper into the Kanute's Crack, the dwarven kingdom, Absalom does his best to weasel his way into Siggy's good graces and continue on his way to Arphanpholigan. Ancient dwarven history, old comedic relief nemesis making an appearance, separated hat and kobold.
The author's unorthodox take on dwarfs made me guffaw. Similarities between ants and dwarves brought to extreme. Most things of dwarven biology were sillily hilarious. The ancient history of dwarf mages, scrynium and ancient evil set the big bad for the series finale. The circus' arrival in magocracy of Arphanpholigan was speedy. Mage battle between Scryne's apprentices and those others reinforced 'Hat Trick' magic system. It being twofold, one is belief and the other is knowledge. As long as a mage believes something to be possible, has basic understanding of what he is doing and has sufficient quintessence, he can do it - e.g. Ig.
Book has two distinct parts, that possibly would have benefited from being split into two series installments (book 2, ch.1-ch.12, book 2 ch.13-cp.21). There was a certain tonal shift starting chapter 14. Until then the story was quite similar to book 1 - the hat, Absalom trying to connive his new below the brim part to do what he wants, then the repeat of book 1 ending where Absalom is in the darkness without sensory inputs from outside the cloth. And cp.14 party reunites and closes an old case where the perpetrator would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the meddling ex-warlord, dwarf droid, kobold and a hat.
Conclusion: 3/5. Listened on Audible for 1 credit. Narrated by: John Lee. Book 2 of 'Hat Trick' continues what book 1 did. Farcical situations, humorous dialogue. As long as the reader doesn't expect the next installment of LOTR or The Hobbit, i.e. a serious character driven fantasy adventure, and is ready for nonsensical interactions and genitalia jokes they will enjoy 'Hat's Entertainment!'. Terrible value for the length of the book - 3.22 $/hour ( 33.90 $ / 10 hrs 31 mins ).
Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour
April 12, 2024
Fun fun fun
I'm not sure if the ending was supposed to be a surprise, if it was I was not bothered in the least at my lack of surprise. The book is engaging from beginning to end. Despite being a comedy there is a great deal of personal growth in all of the major characters.
The only downside: Not enough kobold. Tom out
I'm not sure if the ending was supposed to be a surprise, if it was I was not bothered in the least at my lack of surprise. The book is engaging from beginning to end. Despite being a comedy there is a great deal of personal growth in all of the major characters.
The only downside: Not enough kobold. Tom out
August 31, 2024
Ig and Friends
I really liked this book, there were a lot of scenes that made me want to keep reading and an ending that is making me demand, "WHERE IS THE NEXT BOOK?!". I like the character growth and there's some parts that made me laugh out loud.
I really liked this book, there were a lot of scenes that made me want to keep reading and an ending that is making me demand, "WHERE IS THE NEXT BOOK?!". I like the character growth and there's some parts that made me laugh out loud.
January 20, 2026
The ridiculous humor continued. The middle seemed a little random but the second half was excellent and called back some great moments from book one as well this one. The ending was a clever surprise. I'm looking forward to seeing how he wraps it up in book 3.
May 3, 2025
Love IG
Love where the story is going and cliff hanger ending. Can’t wait to dive into book 3. Hopefully IG continues to have a large roll.
Love where the story is going and cliff hanger ending. Can’t wait to dive into book 3. Hopefully IG continues to have a large roll.
August 25, 2024
Good story
Good narration
Good narration
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews