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The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot #1
Scratching a Lich
In the land of Asaches, there are great men and women who have changed the course of history. Their adventures are honored in song; their names are spoken with a reverence normally reserved for the gods; their heroic deeds have elevated them to the status of living legends.
And then there are these guys…
Derek Strongarm and Felix Lightfoot are two hard-luck adventurers for hire looking for their big break — or an excuse to retire before they get killed. Salvation appears in the form of Erika Racewind, a mysterious elven woman with a dark secret and a lucrative job offer. Desperate and destitute, Derek and Felix agree to join Erika in escorting her young charge across Asaches.
Of course, nothing is ever so simple for Strongarm and Lightfoot.
The boy turns out to be no one less than the fabled Reaper, he who is destined to destroy the mad lich-lord Habbatarr and save the world from total destruction. The adventurers soon find themselves fighting off fanatical cultists, hordes of mindless undead, bestial Hruks with a taste for human flesh, and unspeakable subterranean horrors — and things only stand to get worse as they travel ever deeper into Habbatarr’s blighted domain.
The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance, and all that stands in the way of a global apocalypse is a mild-mannered warrior, an occasionally good-hearted thief, an ill-tempered elf, and a Chosen One with a serious attitude problem.
Asaches is screwed.
The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot, the new series from author Michael Bailey (Action Figures), is an irreverent take on the fantasy genre. Get ready for an epic tale filled with action, magic, monsters, quests, treasure, inconveniently located ancient artifacts of great power, curiously specific prophecies, and dangerously rickety rope bridges that someone really should have repaired a long time ago.
And then there are these guys…
Derek Strongarm and Felix Lightfoot are two hard-luck adventurers for hire looking for their big break — or an excuse to retire before they get killed. Salvation appears in the form of Erika Racewind, a mysterious elven woman with a dark secret and a lucrative job offer. Desperate and destitute, Derek and Felix agree to join Erika in escorting her young charge across Asaches.
Of course, nothing is ever so simple for Strongarm and Lightfoot.
The boy turns out to be no one less than the fabled Reaper, he who is destined to destroy the mad lich-lord Habbatarr and save the world from total destruction. The adventurers soon find themselves fighting off fanatical cultists, hordes of mindless undead, bestial Hruks with a taste for human flesh, and unspeakable subterranean horrors — and things only stand to get worse as they travel ever deeper into Habbatarr’s blighted domain.
The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance, and all that stands in the way of a global apocalypse is a mild-mannered warrior, an occasionally good-hearted thief, an ill-tempered elf, and a Chosen One with a serious attitude problem.
Asaches is screwed.
The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot, the new series from author Michael Bailey (Action Figures), is an irreverent take on the fantasy genre. Get ready for an epic tale filled with action, magic, monsters, quests, treasure, inconveniently located ancient artifacts of great power, curiously specific prophecies, and dangerously rickety rope bridges that someone really should have repaired a long time ago.
- GenresFantasy
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2015
13 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Michael C. Bailey
29 books35 followersMichael C. Bailey is a professional writer from Falmouth, Massachusetts who kind of hates writing bios.
Michael has been a working writer since 1998 when he simultaneously (and at the same time) sold his first freelance article to Renaissance Magazine and landed a job as a staff reporter for the Enterprise Newspapers. Michael recently ended his time at the Enterprise to focus on his creative writing.
Over the years Michael has contributed several more articles to Renaissance Magazine and other local publications, and has since 2004 been a staff writer for two New England-based renaissance faire production companies: Pastimes Entertainment and the Connecticut Renaissance Faire.
In September 2013, Michael's debut novel "Action Figures" became available on Amazon.com.
Michael has been a working writer since 1998 when he simultaneously (and at the same time) sold his first freelance article to Renaissance Magazine and landed a job as a staff reporter for the Enterprise Newspapers. Michael recently ended his time at the Enterprise to focus on his creative writing.
Over the years Michael has contributed several more articles to Renaissance Magazine and other local publications, and has since 2004 been a staff writer for two New England-based renaissance faire production companies: Pastimes Entertainment and the Connecticut Renaissance Faire.
In September 2013, Michael's debut novel "Action Figures" became available on Amazon.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2017
I was so excited about this book when I first started it. It had such a great, cheeky humor to it that is so rare in the fantasy genre. I loved the fact that the narrator drew attention to the fact that he/she was a narrator. It just had a really great feel to it. Unfortunately, that didn't last throughout. By the end of the book, I felt like I was just reading a standard fantasy adventure, and I was a little disappointed. There was still some humor, of course, but it was less common and didn't have the same impact when it came along. Despite all that, it was still a well-told, well-written fantasy adventure that I did enjoy.
March 15, 2019
This was a "meh". Standard adventuring party with the normal elves and magic, goes on a quest to defeat a great evil.
It didn't have anything to stand out, so it wasn't really interesting.
2.5/5 Stars
It didn't have anything to stand out, so it wasn't really interesting.
2.5/5 Stars
July 13, 2020
I had a great time on my first "visit" to world of Ne'lan. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the adventuring duo, then quintet, of Strongarm & Lightfoot (and friends). Very excited to see where their adventures take us.
September 23, 2015
This review is based off of an advanced copy, provided by the author.
The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot is a fun adventure novel, with great action scenes and a nice pace. This is not YA novel, like Mr. Bailey’s other book series Action Figures, but follows his style with great characterization and pace, just this time for more mature audiences. This book for sure is one I plan on reading again, and in fact I’ve read it twice already before writing this review. As I said the characterization is great, I found the main characters relatable, and I always find it a good sign when I feel a bit emotionally invested in their story. I have to say one of my favorite things is the narration, it reminds me a bit of Pratchett, which I appreciated and found quite entertaining. Over all, I have to say I am looking forward to any more books that show up in this series, and any other fantasy adventures that this author writes. Now, everyone else go read this book so we can discuss, it’s killing me and I want to talk to people about it.
The Adventures of Strongarm & Lightfoot is a fun adventure novel, with great action scenes and a nice pace. This is not YA novel, like Mr. Bailey’s other book series Action Figures, but follows his style with great characterization and pace, just this time for more mature audiences. This book for sure is one I plan on reading again, and in fact I’ve read it twice already before writing this review. As I said the characterization is great, I found the main characters relatable, and I always find it a good sign when I feel a bit emotionally invested in their story. I have to say one of my favorite things is the narration, it reminds me a bit of Pratchett, which I appreciated and found quite entertaining. Over all, I have to say I am looking forward to any more books that show up in this series, and any other fantasy adventures that this author writes. Now, everyone else go read this book so we can discuss, it’s killing me and I want to talk to people about it.
September 21, 2015
Note - this review is based on an advanced reader copy of the e-book, provided to me by the author. I will start off by saying that as an avid devourer of Mr. Bailey's Action Figures series, I was looking forward to a new series and was giddy when I was given an ARC to preview. That being said, while the book has a good sense of humor, and some character development, I had a very hard time dealing with the faux-bardic third person-based point of view that the book has at times, whereas the story is dictated to you from the "narrator" and his point of view. Apart from that it is a decent "heroes out to make some money but instead have to save the world" fantasy story - and it is a decent start for someone new to the genre. While this wasn't the page-turner I expected, it amused me and I'll check out any sequel book to see how things turn out for the intrepid heroes.hahahahah
November 3, 2021
I've been a fan of the fantasy genre practically since I learned how to read, and I loved the humorous take on all of the tropes in "Strongarm and Lightfoot". I also really liked how the prophecy and the titular lich played out, though I won't go into detail on that here -- no spoilers!
If you're a fan of fantasy and humor, I strongly recommend checking out this first book in a new series.
If you're a fan of fantasy and humor, I strongly recommend checking out this first book in a new series.
November 3, 2021
I've been a fan of the fantasy genre practically since I learned how to read, and I loved the humorous take on all of the tropes in "Strongarm and Lightfoot". I also really liked how the prophecy and the titular lich played out, though I won't go into detail on that here -- no spoilers!
If you're a fan of fantasy and humor, I strongly recommend checking out this first book in a new series.
If you're a fan of fantasy and humor, I strongly recommend checking out this first book in a new series.
March 18, 2016
Strongarm and Lightfoot offers a lively adventure that plays with D & D tropes in sometimes unexpected ways. There is comedy, combat, and a few good plot twists. It took a while to connect with the characters, for me, but it was certainly an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews