Kill All Wizards

The Barbaric Ledgers #1

by Jedediah Berry

SWORDS, SORCERY, AND A SPOT OF TEA

Kill All Wizards is a blood-soaked romp through high society—picture Conan the Barbarian caught up in a comedy of manners, and you're almost prepared for this unmissable new series.

We could think of nothing but the barbarian. He had come here, surely, to murder or marry someone, to exact revenge, or to say or do something very scandalous. We could hardly wait to see which it was. We hoped it would be all of them.

The barbarian traveled far to consult the wizards of the empire. Instead of lending their aid, they ensorcelled him, exploited his strength, and stole his sword. They should not have done that.

Now the barbarian plans to kill every wizard who wronged him, even if that means blending in with their vile dressing in finery, taking tea in exclusive clubs, and reserving the best box at the theater.

Oh, he hates it all with the fiery passion of his savage heart—but not as much as he hates these wizards.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Novella, Humor, Adventure, Magic

144 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Jedediah Berry is the author of two novels, The Naming Song (Tor Books, 2024) and The Manual of Detection (Penguin Press), and a story in cards, The Family Arcana. He lives in Western Massachusetts. Together with his partner, writer Emily Houk, he runs Ninepin Press, an independent publisher of fiction, poetry, and games in unusual shapes.

Reviews

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really liked this author’s work in the past, so I was curious to see him step into the cozy fantasy space that’s having such a moment right now. And for the most part, this was a fun time.

The setup alone does a lot of the heavy lifting: a furious barbarian forced to navigate high society, tea service, theater boxes, and wizard politics while plotting revenge against the people who wronged him. The contrast between the blood-soaked Conan-esque energy and the comedy-of-manners atmosphere makes for a lot of playfully entertaining moments.

That being said, much of the novella felt more like a series of side quests and chaotic shenanigans than a fully grounded story. It moves quickly, keeps the tone light, and is clearly aiming for charm over heft. And while I enjoyed that well enough, I did find myself wishing for a bit more depth and emotional weight earlier on rather than saving most of those threads for the latter portion of the story. There at the end, a huge anvil of emotional depth gets dropped suddenly and then is promptly — and largely — ignored.

Still, the voice is strong, the premise is fun, and the whole thing has an easy momentum that makes it fly by. A fun entry into cozy fantasy, even if it didn’t quite hit me emotionally as hard as I’d hoped it might.

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotchimus “Gotch” the Barbarian appeals to the council for help seeking justice and change after his brother is killed, but instead of helping they stall and then set him up. Now, he’s determined to mete out his own justice and kill all the wizards responsible. Gotch recounts his dangerous adventures conquering his crafty enemies in this strange magical world. The tales are different and engrossing, a bit sad in places but also clever and fun.

This original novella is amusing, witty, and sprinkled with a wee bit of romance. I can’t wait to see where Gotchimus wanders next.

I thought Raphael Corkhill did a wonderful job narrating a variety of characters, male and female and I enjoyed his English accent!

I voluntarily listened to an audio copy courtesy of the publisher. These are my thoughts and opinions.

[Kayla Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
This was such an unexpected read! Funny, fantastic writing, great characters, and a story that keeps you firmly engaged the whole time. I absolutely love the world that Jedediah Berry has created and l can’t wait to read more! Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute delight.

From the moment Gotch marched onto the page, determined to get revenge on the wizards who had wronged him, I was hooked. What follows is a wonderfully entertaining adventure filled with wizard politics, high society chaos, unexpected friendships, and one barbarian who has very little patience for any of it.

The humor landed perfectly for me. Watching a larger-than-life warrior navigate paperwork, social events, and magical bureaucracy never stopped being amusing. At the same time, the story still delivers plenty of action, heart, and genuine character moments.

I especially enjoyed the worldbuilding. The mix of magic, strange inventions, and quirky fantasy elements gave the story a unique feel. It felt familiar enough to settle into quickly while still offering plenty of surprises along the way.

Most of all, this book was simply fun. It’s the kind of story that keeps you turning pages with a smile on your face, eager to see what trouble the characters will find themselves in next.

If you enjoy fantasy adventures with humor, memorable characters, and a barbarian causing absolute chaos wherever he goes, this one is well worth picking up. I had the audio and I loved the narrator he was perfect for this story.

My only complaint is that it’s over and I now I want more!

[A Dreaming Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC.

This was a fun concept for a cozy fantasy. Gotch's adventures were fun to read about but unfortunately the story itself did not click for me. I found myself zoning out very frequently. I know it's supposed to be humorous but too many things were happening for me to feel the flow of the story unfortunately. I think this would be great for those who love cozy fantasies filled with humor and adventure.

The audiobook narration was done well but since I didn't enjoy the story itself as much, I'm not sure if it specifically improved my experience.

[Mimi Schweid]

Listening to the ALC from Libro.FM, which sounds AMAZING, BUT, I also have the physical ARC & may inhale this tonight.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Mac audio for this ALC. I picked this one because me and my spouse really like listening to DND adjacent books together and thought this would be a good fit. Unfortunately it was a bit of a miss for both of us. I think the narration was really hard to adjust to and for some reason took me out of the story instead of bringing me in. It’s really short book though so if you still think it sounds good (dnd, wizards, barbarians, magic, dnd world, quests, etc) I def recommend giving it a try!

[Reactor Magazine]

"Was I expecting an irreverently-titled short novel about the adventures of an eyepatch-wearing barbarian warrior in a city of tetchy wizards, delirious gods, and complicated social hierarchies? I was not. Still, that’s a reasonable thumbnail sketch of what to expect from Kill All Wizards, which is the first in a planned series of books (the followup is announced at the end of this volume) about a barbarian named Gotchimus."

Read Tobias Carroll's full review at Reactor

[Peter Tillman]

New Tor novella, TBP June 16, 2o26. Recommended by John Joseph Adams, who wrote on his blog: "So fun, so clever, so well-written. Really just a joy from start to finish. A must read! Rating: 9/10"

$13 ebook. Hopefully a library copy will appear.....

[Amanda F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun, but I spent quite a bit of the book confused about who everyone was and what everyone was doing. This one might be better in an ebook format or physically read instead of on audio only. I liked the premise, just couldn't follow it as well as I wanted.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has no business being this good and entertaining!! I can not wait for the next installment!!

[Twainy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry is a high stakes fantasy with aspects of action.

Underdogs! I love them!!

We’re in a world where using magic is a death sentence. A disgraced decidedly non-magic soldier unites rebels & this rag-tag team of mercenaries goes on a QUEST! YESSS! A quest to hunt down the very powerful sorcerers who rule this place before they finish a spell that will enslave all of humanity.

How will they fight sorcerers without magic? TECH! It’s a rebellion with arrows, alchemy & tech warfare VS spells & fireballs. Who will win?

Humor. Likable characters.

It’s John Wick meets Kings of the Wild maybe?!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio. I need more of this!

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the preview. All opinions are my own.

I’m not 100% sure what I just listened to, but Raphael Corkhill utterly enchanted me with his narration. I would have listened to something twice as long just to keep hearing his voice.

This was a super quick and entertaining read. Like I said, I’m not sure I was 100% following what was happening, but I had a good time!

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Most of the story went over my head and I got confused in some parts about who was who. The narrator was soothing though and there were moments of humour.

[Sammie Striar · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was like nothing about this book that felt special to me. I did not love the characters, and the story was disjointed and lacking. It was definitely not what I expected. It was not even a long story, but I struggled to finish this title.

[Thushara]

Reasons to read

~ Swords and sorcery
~ comedy
~ novella under 150 pages

[Noah H-I · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to like this one, but it just never clicked for me.

My biggest issue was that I never felt connected to the characters. The collective “we” narration and the non-linear timeline created so much distance that I struggled to get invested in anyone or anything that was happening. Instead of feeling pulled into the story, I always felt like I was standing on the outside looking in.

The humor didn't really work for me either. This is marketed as a humorous fantasy, but I never found it particularly funny. There were moments that felt like they were supposed to be jokes, but they mostly left me wondering what tone the book was actually aiming for.

One thing I did enjoy was the worldbuilding. The blend of whimsical fantasy and mundane bureaucracy was genuinely interesting, and I often found myself more invested in the setting than in the characters. I wish the rest of the book had grabbed me in the same way.

In the end, this felt like a book with a great idea behind it that never quite came together on the page. It's short, which is probably the main reason I finished it, but it ultimately left very little impression on me.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this novella dealing with the adventures of a barbarian trying to charm his way into the bureaucratic high society of the upper-Wizard class, his reasons why, and the horrible things he has planned for as many magic users as possible.

I was a huge reader as a child, one that went through our small town library quite quickly. Especially when it came to genre books. My parents thankfully loved tag sales, flea markets and book sales, so my addiction was fed every weekend the weather held out. I loved, and still love going under tables, looking in boxes and finding treasures. A lot of books that young boys shouldn't have seen, but tons of fantasy stories, which I loved. Especially tales about barbarians. Conan was King, but Kull was cool, as was Dirshan, any books by Howard, Carter, de Camp, Brackett, really anyone with a bare-chested man, a sword, a demon and usually a almost bare young woman. I have read many tales of wild men, big swords, and their apathy towards users of magic. However I never read such a wild story, one that went places I did not expect, a novella that made me want more. More of the characters, more of the magic, and more dead spell casters. Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry is the first novella in a series about a barbarian, his fancy clothes, his sword, vengeance, entrenched bureaucracy, and love.

The barbarian stands in the foyer way of a vast building, waiting for a chance to meet with the wizards who can help him. This is is fourth or fifth visit. His paperwork is hopefully right, in triplicate and with the proper up-to-date forms. Turned away at first, he is given a chance. And is again betrayed by the wizards who rule. Gotch, the barbarian vows revenge. Gotch enters high society using stolen plunder from the wizards, buying fancy suits, aftermarket wagons painted garishly, a fancy new eyepatch. On his quest he finds more friends, lots of enemies and even more wizards to kill. For he is on a path of revenge, that nothing will stop, even if it kills him.

Not at all what I expected. I thought this was a sort of Dungeon Crawler Carl kind of adventure, humourous, slight and forgettable when the book closes. This is more picking up an old Karl Edward Wagner Sword and Sorcery anthology and finding a story by an unknown author who wrote a fantasy story without knowing the rules of fantasy. Which means this is great. The characters are fun, interesting and full of unique traits. The writing is really good, with asides, comments, jokes, and real feeling. For a novella there was much going on. With a world that seemed so real, a Wizard world with rules for magic, with air cars, and all sorts of steampunk ideas. Yet with a strong folk horror mix.

I can't praise this book enough. A book so surprising I kept looking at the cover to see if I was reading the right book. I really enjoyed this a lot and can't wait to read more in this series. A book for those who not only love fantasy, but great writing. I can't say enough, just that I want more.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn't affected the contents of my review.

Please note, I was physically and mentally depleted while listening to this, so it's very possible that the book is much easier to comprehend than I am making it out to be. (Not to self: don't listen to audiobooks when exhausted.) In fact, I'm almost certain of it.

Kill All Wizards is a fantasy novella following Gotchimus, a Conan-style Barbarian, who has sworn revenge on wizards for being dicks to him. The POV is told chorus-style (i.e. "We") as if we are reading the book from the POV of the citizens of this world. It mostly reads like third-person, and I actually would have appreciated more of the input from the collective We. It's also told in a non-linear timeline, which is the part that my v. tired brain couldn't handle. If you offered me a million dollars to tell you in what order the events of this book occur, I wouldn't be able to do it. This is the part that i feel unqualified to judge, because again, I was so depleted I genuinely cannot tell if it was me or the book.

But I'm also giving this three stars for a couple of other reasons. Even though I thought the writing itself was very entertaining, the style of it also created a distance between my emotions and the characters. I was only beginning to emotionally vibe with them, and then the book ended. I am also having a hard time pinpointing the tone of this book. Is it satire? It's billed as being humorous, but I didn't laugh once, though I would describe the events and the imagery in here as being distinctly whimsical. Was it just poking fun at the Conan the Barbarian archetype? And like, putting that guy in fancy clothes? Because there wasn't even that much of that contained in the book.

I do think the novella length here was the right call. There wasn't enough substance to fill a novel, and I probably would have ended up DNFing it if it was longer.

The audiobook narrator, Raphael Corkhill, has a fantastic voice, and I would definitely read books narrated by him in the future.

[Later: I forgot about the Barbarian being bisexual, and the gender fluid love interest, which both gave me great pleasure, so bumping this up to 3.5 stars.]

Buzzword Reading Challenge 2026: instructional title

[Izzy of Unapologetic Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry purely for fun, without trying to fit it into any reading challenge, and it ended up being quite different from what I expected. According to Goodreads, it's supposed to be humorous, but I honestly didn't find it particularly funny. Instead, I found it to be an imaginative, fast paced fantasy adventure with a surprisingly serious tone.

The story follows a barbarian who, as the title suggests, begins killing wizards. The novel gradually reveals both how he manages to do something that should seem impossible and why he has chosen this path. What kept me listening was the world itself. It blends several fantasy traditions together. There are barbarians, powerful wizards, gods, ordinary people without magic, and even airships, giving the setting a light steampunk flavour without fully becoming steampunk.

The magic system was easily my favourite part of the book. It's unlike the spell based systems that appear in so many fantasy novels. Magic works according to its own strange logic, and although it's difficult to explain without spoiling the experience, it constantly felt fresh and original. Discovering how it all worked became part of the enjoyment.

The barbarian himself was also a pleasant surprise. Instead of being a simple brute, he is thoughtful, capable, and far more cultured than the stereotype his title suggests. As the story progresses, he gathers companions along the way, and their interactions help keep the novella moving at a brisk pace. Despite its relatively short length, the story packs in an impressive amount of adventure, never really slowing down from beginning to end.

If I had one expectation that wasn't met, it was the humour. Going in expecting a comedy probably set me up for something the book never intended to deliver. Once I accepted that it was telling a more serious fantasy story, I enjoyed it much more.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Kill All Wizards to readers looking for an inventive fantasy novella with an unusual magic system, an engaging protagonist, and plenty of adventure packed into a short page count. I'm looking forward to continuing the Barbaric Ledgers series and seeing where this wonderfully strange world goes next.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was delightfully different in so many weird ways — like a fever dream watched through a kaleidoscope. It's not going to be for everyone, but anyone that enjoys it will appreciate its novelty.

The protagonist, the barbarian Gotchimus, is surprisingly clever and well-spoken, and the trials he suffers throughout this novella are each stranger than the next. Nothing is as expected, and the author paints the narrative so vividly, in fresh, wonderful prose, that it compelled me to pay closer attention than I'd admittedly thought I'd have to pay to a simple barbarian revenge tale. Because this story, as told, is so much more elevated than that.

The one small gripe I have is that it's being marketed as a hyper-violent comedy, but it's really not. It's unique, witty and intricate, and everything in it, as bizarre as it may be when it's happening, all pays off at the end. But I don't think I really laughed while reading it. The cover art, however, gives off a very comedic, juvenile vibe, and the tagline, which I've added below, is almost entirely inaccurate.

Kill All Wizards is a blood-soaked romp through high society—picture Conan the Barbarian caught up in a comedy of manners, and you're almost prepared for this unmissable new series

In fact, the only thing it nailed is that it's unmissable, and it's a mystery how they arrived there from a description that missed the mark so wide. (Note that I'm well aware that authors rarely write their own blurbs, so I'm not faulting the author for this, I'm pointing it out because anyone reading this review should know what they're signing up for, which is something far more interesting, and far more bizarre, than "Conan the Barbarian caught up in a comedy of manners.")

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR: This felt like Conan had an acid trip in a wizard city.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much!

Plot: Gotch is trying to avenge his brother in a city run by wizards, the weird follows
Characters: Gotch was our best character, but I really liked the variety we were introduced to
Setting: This city had to have been dreamed up on some sort of substance. It felt weird and trippy but also very… Bridgerton? almost?
Fantasy: A fantastic, weird but also well executed classic type of fantasy.

Thoughts:

I really hope I’m not the only one that got weird acid trip vibes from this but I really did. It’s described as Conan meets a comedy of manners, but I’ll also add the weird trippy feeling or even compare this to Pratchett. Gotchimus is trying to avenge his brother in a city run by wizards. He tells his story of what has happened so far and we find out the truth of things.

The voice in this was great. It’s told almost as if we’re reading this story through the retelling of a newspaper or a magazine. Gotchimus is mysterious, but also endearing in aggressive style. He’s here not only to avenge his brother, but to try and fix his homeland. His land the wizards have ruined. Along the way he makes friends with a thief and a brother & sister I adored.

Contrary to some of it’s marking it, it’s not hyperviolent, though there are moments of violence. It’s got a lot of heart and humor, and there were some deeper peeks at conversations in there about native land and trauma responses. I really enjoyed this and spent a lot of the time wondering what on earth was going to happen next. A real win for me, and one I really recommend if you’re at all interested.

[Asher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a romp, a fun little novella. There's two things preventing this from having the heft of The Naming Song, which was maybe the best book I read in 2024 (and was the reason I jumped at the chance to read this): first, it's too short to really get deep into any of the emotions it might get to over the course of a novel, and second, there's no real sense of true peril for our main characters. The first of those things comes with the territory of being a novella, though, and the second one doesn't prevent it from being a lot of fun, so I'd still recommend it without hesitation.

Gotch, our barbarian protagonist, keeps having things revealed to him that give the sense of him being a tool moved around by more powerful entities, in much the same way that the gods of Discworld directly play with the fates of Rincewind and the rest. This means that he doesn't have as much agency as he might; I couldn't help but feel that whatever he did would be part of some larger plan of mage or god, and that therefore there was no real chance of his death or failure. The flipside of this is that it allows us to pay more attention to the world around him, which is certainly very cool, and to more or less relax. It means it's not a stressful read, and there's enough cool ideas and magical baubles everywhere to keep things moving apace and keep the reader having fun.

[Me, My Shelf, & I]

The cover and the title intrigued me and seemed to be quite humorous, so I was interested in picking this up (though a little nervous since humor is so subjective).

Well, unfortunately it was not for me. I think that the sidekick did make me smirk a little against my will, but otherwise the text didn't read as humorous at all to me but just a super serious dude. Rather, it for sure lived up to the name and was almost like an anthology of short stories in which he targets individual wizards; super seriously intent on systematically doing some targeted, serial murders (presumably to be continued in sequel/s).

The ending got a bit more existential than I felt was truly setup or paid off or had time to breathe. I see that this will be a series so maybe that'll be explored more in future, but it left this book feeling somewhat unfinished.


Audiobook Notes:
I actually really appreciated Corkill's narration and almost certainly wouldn't have finished the book without it. Though I found his voice to be both charming and engaging, I did have to restart the book from the beginning at least twice. I don't know if it's because of his narration or because of the text, but I kept finding my mind wandering too much and I had to restart in order to dial in and absorb it. It could very much be a personal issue and just that the text isn't really my jam, but it's worth noting regardless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me an ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book feels like someone tossed Conan the Barbarian into a Regency drawing room and then refused to explain themselves. A furious barbarian plotting revenge while navigating tea service, theater gossip and wizard politics is such an absurd setup and it works. 😂

The story is less a tightly plotted narrative and more a series of increasingly bizarre side quests. Every time I thought I knew where things were headed, the book gleefully wandered off into fresh nonsense. The story runs almost entirely on charm, momentum and sheer audacity. ✨

For a man who appears capable of solving most disputes by throwing someone through a wall 💪 he's surprisingly thoughtful, articulate and clever. Unfortunately for him, every new revelation also seems designed to remind him that he's less a fearsome agent of vengeance and more a very muscular chess piece being shoved around the board by people playing a much larger game. 😩

Despite the cover's goofy energy, I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny. The humor is more amused smirking than cackling. The comedy comes from the absurdity of the situations rather than punchlines.

This novella has absolutely no business being as entertaining as it is. 🙌 It's weird, chaotic, oddly sophisticated and feels like a fever dream experienced by someone who fell asleep reading both Conan and Jane Austen at the same time. 😵‍💫 It won't be everyone's cup of tea (ironically there is quite a lot of tea) but readers who enjoy strange, genre bending nonsense will probably walk away delighted. ☕

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun adventure that can easily be read in a day, perfect for a little beach read or a rainy day in or just because you want to read. Honestly, the only reason this wasn't a 5-Star read for me was because I didn't always vibe with the writing style of the author. There are several points in the book where the 4th wall is broken. It was kind of fun, but I didn't really love it. I think breaks like that are very hard to do without also taking the reader out of the story.

The story follows Gotch the Barbarian, initially we start with Gotch sitting down to tea with a friend. From there Gotch is recounting his adventures to his companion and how Gotch lost his eye. I do think that the author does a great job of weaving through the backstory and the current story, there are several seamless transitions from Gotch at the tea table to Gotch in the past. This is a short book, but the characters are easy to invest in. I think I could have done with a prologue explaining the politics of the world a little better.

While Gotch, our barbarian, does a good job through his narration talking about the wizards and the 5th Committee. However, I still didn't have a good feel for Gotch's own background. I would read the next book in the series though and I'm excited to see how the characters continue to develop.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor - Tordotcom for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

[Brittany Montano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

This was one of those books where I could absolutely see the craft, the cleverness, and the audience it was written for—even if I personally never fully connected with it.

The premise is wildly fun: a barbarian wronged by wizards, forced into the polished absurdity of high society, while quietly plotting revenge against the magical elite who exploited him. There is sword-and-sorcery energy, dry humor, strange magic, and a sharp contrast between brutal vengeance and tea-room manners that I think a lot of readers will adore.

For me, though, the experience stayed more intellectually interesting than emotionally engaging. I appreciated the wit and the concept, but I never felt fully pulled into the characters or invested in the journey the way I wanted to be. It had all the ingredients of something I should have loved, but the execution just didn’t hit that deeper reading sweet spot for me.

That said, this is absolutely a “right reader, right book” situation. If you love quirky fantasy, old-school sword-and-sorcery vibes, satirical worldbuilding, and a barbarian trying very hard not to lose his mind in polite society, this may work much better for you than it did for me.

A solid, clever read—just not one that left a lasting mark on me.

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jedediah Berry for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for me fair and honest review.

[Taylor M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Kill All Wizards is the perfect read/listen for those who already love books along the vein of Dungeon Crawler, or Martha Wells. This is a LitRPG fan's dream because it has all the fantastical, D&D elements while also toeing the line of being a novella. This is the perfect story for someone looking to scratch that itch while in between series or needing a little palate cleanser, maybe even needing one's own creative inspiration for your next campaign.

I, personally, may have mistakenly wandered into this audiobook with the notion that it would be strictly a hilarious, good-time gal of a book; chock full of humor and goofy situations. What I ended up listening to was far more serious and fantastical, albeit humorous in a very dry manner. However, I really enjoyed it. It was a short listen, and the narrator really gave a shining performance. He was a pretty quick speaker (which I appreciated) but he managed to convey emotions and depth with ease.

I agree that this did feel a bit like being dropped into a side-quest. There's a lot of world-building questions I have. Perhaps that's the point..."If you liked this, check out X/Y/Z". It will work on me because the characters were fascinating and their motives intriguing. For a minute I thought this book was veering into romance territory. It definitely kept me on my toes in the best way possible.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[ancientreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is cover art so often misleading? "Kill All Wizards": a case in point, with its cartoon-grotesque Barbarian -- the protagonist, Gotchimus -- hulking over a tea service, holding a comically outsize sword, and set against a fluorescently green background. Even the lettering of the title is absurdly overstated.

And, well, fair: Gotch's name is a form of comic relief all by itself. The wizardly bureaucracy functions, or doesn't, on an infinity of preposterous forms. And maybe a title like "Kill All Wizards" insists on an overstated font.

But I still maintain that the cover art's misleading, because it doesn't convey the underlying gravity of Gotch's story -- his grief, his fury, the extent of his suffering, the devotion of the two or possibly three people who care for him. "Kill All Wizards" isn't, despite its absurd and OTT aspects, just a violent bro-ey romp; toward the end, in fact, it gets a bit slippery with respect to gender, so fans of dudebro SFF should find something else to read (or listen to: the audiobook is narrated by Raphael Corkhill, who also performed Everina Maxwell's "Winter's Orbit" and "Ocean's Echo," and who is the reason I requested this ARC).

What with the sword fights and the revenge quest, "Kill All Wizards" is a ways out of my usual wheelhouse, maybe a ways out of most people's. Worth the excursion, though. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC.

[Hone · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review copy courtesy of Jedediah Berry, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley.)

4⭐

A new Jedediah Berry! I loved The Manual of Detection and was eager to jump into another of his works. (Plus, this one just sounded incredibly fun.)

This novella leans a bit ‘style-over-substance,’ but honestly, it’s short enough that the vibes carry it just fine. I noticed other Goodreads users tagged it as humorous, and the marketing calls it a “comedy of manners,” but I guess the LOLs were largely lost on me? It’s more just… over-the-top. Campy. The kind of story where the MC is a barbarian, but his best friend has successfully convinced him of the value of a well-tailored suit. Amusing? Sure. But not really funny-funny.

I was super charmed by the casually queer romance, though. I especially enjoyed the barbarian falling for the gender-shifting Theodora, particularly the moment where he wasn’t sure whether he was being kissed by Theo or Dora and seemed quietly hopeful that it was somehow both. Very sweet.

For such a short book, there are quite a few twists. I guessed most of them ahead of time, but even so, it was very satisfying to watch them unfold.

It also looks like this is intended to be the start of a new series. (The Barbaric Ledgers.) While it’s not an auto-read for me, I’ll definitely be checking out the synopsis for the next installment when it releases. If it sounds as interesting as this one did, I’d be happy to continue.

Audio-Specific 🎧: 4 Hours, 35 Minutes. Not a ton to say about this one, honestly. Raphael Corkhill does solid work here. His accent is pleasant and understated, fitting the tone of the story really well. I listened at 1.5x speed and didn’t encounter any tearing or audio quality issues.

📌 TL;DR: A short, vibe-y novella with satisfying twists and a great little romance. Less of a comedy than advertised, but very much worth the 4 ½ hour investment.