A Monk's Tail

by Kyle Spencer

"Filled with quirky characters and action-packed adventure, A Monk's Tail is a fun story that will keep you engaged until the very end." - LT Anderson

For Bow, a gun-toting, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed firefox monk, life as a monster-hunter is pretty straightforward. Until, that is, he runs afoul of a power-hungry warlord and gets himself imprisoned. There he helps a young maus named Susi escape, but in doing so unleashed nightmarish forces hellbent on capturing his new ward. Now, with the help of a giant bear alchemist and a violent nun, Bow must stay one step ahead of his perusers and certain death. But Susi is harboring a dark secret, one that could spell doom for them all.

308 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2018

About the author

Kyle is the author of the debut novel A Monk's Tail. When he's not writing, he's living the glamorous lifestyle of a Math teacher. When he's not doing THAT, he's either cooking up fantastic adventures for his D&D group, watching classic movies, or hanging out with his cats (Kyle loves cats like Hellboy loves cats...or the way Kanye loves Kanye).

Want to reach out , ask a question, or simply discuss D&D strategies? Visit Kyle's twitter @OdsAndBodkins

Reviews

[Vidhya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this a 3.5
First - OMG - What just happened in the first chapter! :P
This was a fun and enjoyable read basically following Bow's adventures. I have no idea why but all through the book my mind could only imagine Bow as 'Rocket' from 'Guardians of the Galaxy' - There is even a similar line - 'Can I buy your gun' or something.
So - This was a fun read - I breezed through it. The foul words did not bother me at all. I enjoyed it. What did bother me was the constant font change. Sorry - But I don't know if that was just me, but there were too many font changes for me to handle.
Apart from that (although this may not be my everyday cuppa tea), I still think that this book was so goofy and quirky and takes you on these crazy adventures. I literally laughed out loud twice :P

[K.T. Munson · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Actual Rating 3.5 Stars***

Characters

Quirky—that is the word that comes to mind when I think of the characters in this book.  At its lead is Bow, a charming dumba**. He is a jerk but in a mostly adorable way...mostly. Susi the second front runner and a sweetie with a secret. After Susi and Bow become fast friends there are a few others that show up. My favorite of the bunch is Talia—she is also a firefox like Bow and a good balance for him. It has a similar feel of Guardians of the Galaxy but in the fantasy genre. My biggest complaint is there are multiple points of view...all in first person. *groan*

Plot

The plot has a tendency to run all over the place. Where the main group is mostly being chased but also hunting monsters. It zigzags like a Dungeon and Dragon (D&D) campaign. Not necessarily a bad thing but it does cause lulls in a few areas that thankfully don't detract from the story. That being said there are lots of impressive action scenes. Ones that make the pages and minutes melt away. There are a few past flash backs that didn't really feel necessary and detracted from the story. That being said the ending is shocking and unexpected and yet realistic. People don't always make the best choices and sometimes they make really terrible ones. 

Overall

There is this kiddish charm with adult themes. Sometimes it is difficult to match the flippant attitude/feel of the book with the violence. I laughed out loud more than once. It had very vivid characters and scenes. The book is littered with fandom references. It make the world seem a little all over the place but had solid enjoyable characters to make up for it. 

The author is clearly a D&D lover. It is apparent from the start. Furthermore, there is D&D overload when one of the characters plays D&D. Like D&D inception. I half expect the ending to be a critical fail on a roll because of how unexpected it was but that just added to the feel of the story. An absolute bonus! I have a feeling Bow's adventures are far from over. 

Rating 

3.5 Stars (rounded up)

It was entertaining. If you love D&D and would like an amusing fantasy adventure—pick this up!

Where did I get it?

Author provided a copy. This is a voluntary review. More reviews at creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com.

[Tia Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amusing story! I really enjoyed the whole book. The world building and descriptions really brought me into another world filled with humanoid animals. I believe the only other book I've read with talking animal characters was The Chronicles of Narnia and that was ages ago. This is very different from Lewis' novel...very different in a good way and there are no people at all, which really makes it that much better.
I think the main character Bow is perfect! He is sarcastic and kind of an ass, but a loveable ass. He really makes the book great and he cracks me up. The great thing about a character like Bow is that even though he is crass and speaks his mind whether he should or not is that he is loyal and he really would die for any of his friends, a true hero.
In fact, I really loved all the characters. They are all a bit cheeky in their own ways and some of them have pretty cool magical abilities.
If you are looking for an adult book with a humorous tone and talking animals this would be a good book for you. It is also good at setting a medievalish tone and sucking you into another world.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Spencer gives us an action-packed adventure filled with really fun characters in A Monk’s Tail! Bow is a monster hunter imprisoned from rubbing a warlord the wrong way. There he meets Susi, a mysterious stranger with a dark secret. Bow frees Susi and together they find themselves on the run. I don’t want to spoil too much from there because the discovery and imaginative characters really bring the story to life. Spencer’s writing is filled with great voice and the story set a perfect pace making A Monk’s Tail one of my favorite fantasy action romps I’ve read this year!

[Brin Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast-paced, action-packed tale and a great read. The characters are animal – never a favourite of mine even in fantasy – but so well-depicted that I had no problem at all engaging with them. The plot is always going somewhere, although sometimes it gets derailed or sidetracked briefly. Our anti-hero is Bow, a monk mercenary monster-hunting red panda only average at his job. He is very likeable and roguish but with an inner core of decency – very inner, it manages to hide most of the time. Captured by much larger bad guys, he escapes with a young female maus who, it transpires, is much more than she first appears. They are pursued by various villains sent after them, as it turns out, by her very powerful and evil necromancing Germanic parents.
The descriptions, world building and fight scenes are all very well depicted. The trek through the forest and discovery of the hidden town is stand-out for its sinister atmosphere. Susi’s parents play a larger role as the story progresses, and are very well portrayed: a passionate, powerful but insanely cruel couple, they nevertheless have depth and humanity – which makes the end all the more shocking.
If I have any criticism, it is that the shifts between different first person perspectives are unclear. The reader has to stay alert and ponder “who is talking now?” every time you start a new chapter or section. Sometimes you are certain that it’s no longer Bow speaking, but don’t know who is. Also, there are flashbacks to Bow’s past monster hunts, inserted into the present with little warning – so I’m thinking “have they suddenly encountered an ogre? Is he remembering this as a past event?”…I see one reviewer mentioned font change between perspectives: I read the story in mobi, and this was not apparent – but also is not an ideal solution anyway, and can be distracting.
I actually didn’t mind the shifts in first person voice, they gave the story a lot of immediacy and allow the reader to engage more closely with the character speaking, but they need to be either much more clearly flagged, or maybe put the others – outside Bow, our main narrator – into third person. Then it reads as “Susi etc etc,” so there’s no confusion.
Also, for me this book is much better than its cover suggests – I wouldn’t be attracted to read it by this cover, so don’t let that put you off.
A Monk’s Tail has masses of gory, well-written action, a liberal sprinkling of humour, a strong story and engaging, very well written characters. It also has some very decent world-building going on. Great story. Fantasy fans (especially D&D fans) will love it, but it’s a fun thrill ride for anyone.
For more of Brin's reviews go to: http://www.brinmurray.com/

[Steven Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bawdy without being lewd, outrageously funny while still dark and exciting, A Monk’s Tail is a rollicking carnival ride of a fantasy story. Bow is a wisecracking, firefox, warrior monk who performs good deeds (kills bad things) for pay. During his travels through his world where magic is commonplace — yet always surprising and inventive — he joins forces with a cast of fascinating talking animals. One has a secret that sends their band fleeing from terrifying winged assassins. The character development is great and the dialog stellar. The many fight scenes are very well done.

There are a few flashbacks to Bow’s backstory and jumps to happenings in other areas of the world that build a nice wave of character and suspense. Since I’m not used to reading such stories, it took me a while to get a handle on the fact that all the characters are animals. Several times I had to stop and say things to myself like, “Okay, she’s a female pirate ship captain… who’s also an otter.” The narrator sometimes changed from chapter to chapter without sufficient warning. This left me scratching my head at times.

I thought the ending was a bit subtle, given the buildup. Also (and this may just be me) Kyle Spencer tried >just a little< too hard to lead me to a sequel. It was a lot to swallow that just before Bow’s group resolves their current problem, another of the gang telegraphs a very similar problem ahead. The negative aspects I list above are trifling, really, and I loved the story and characters. Highly recommended!

[Michael Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hugely enjoyable. The characters are likeable and the action is fast paced. It has a Joe Abercrombie charm to it (in terms of the sex, violence and copious amounts of swearing) while being set in a world inhabited entirely by animals. Sort of like an X-rated version of "The Animals of Farthing Wood"

The story centres on Bow who is an ex-monk, part-time monster hunter and expert at being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is a very likeable protagonist and his storyline is easy to get lost in. Throughout the book he ends up collecting a ragged band of followers who must overcome the darkest opponents possible if they are to keep breathing.

The pace steadily increases as the book progressed and I read the last fifty or so pages in one sitting. The action is well written and the author clearly has a talent for description. My only niggle would be the unnecessary font change to show different points of view, but this is a minor point.

Well worth a read. 5 stars.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Monk's Tail stars an anthropomorphised red panda as a rapscallion monk and part-time monster hunter. Expect liberal helpings of bawdy humour, sweeping vistas and nice descriptive work. At first I was a little unsure about whether the book might begin to strike a slightly cynical tone, but I quickly grew to like the charmingly-inept Bow and was drawn in by the impressive world-building and the references to Japanese folklore. The brisk pacing is helped by the use of first-person perspective (I like to write from this perspective myself), which lends an immediacy to events and fully immerses the reader. As other reviewers have mentioned, I struggled slightly when the perspective shifted to a new character, but this is only a minor technical blemish in a thoroughly enjoyable, good-natured jaunt from start to finish.