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Small Medium #1
Small Medium: Big Trouble
Chase Berrymore dreams of adventure, excitement, and getting the heck out of her pastoral halven village. But when adventure finds her, she'll be scrambling to save her family and friends from a necromancer's wrath. Outmatched in almost every way, she'll have to use her wits, charisma, and a bit of divine favor to figure out the path to victory. Even worse, she'll have to figure out ways to deal with the weird and nigh-immortal beings that call themselves "playas..." And she'll have to do it with the most powerful weapon she has available: words.Violence is not her forte, but cunning, deception, and careful negotiation with unstable and self-centered sociopaths might just win the day, and save herself and her family from this horrible situation which she is absolutely not to blame for in the slightest.A LitRPG romp from an NPC's point of view!
260 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2018
76 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 17, 2020
Mini-Review:
4 Stars for Audio, 3.5 Stars for Book
4.5 Stars for Narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds
4 Stars for Setting
3.5 Stars for Characters & Placing
I found out from Iain that there were more books by the author of Threadbare, I jumped in for the Buddy Read to read the new books. =)
Pretty sure the story takes place within the same world as Stuff & Nonsense. However, it is a whole new cast of characters and plot shenanigans. This story was not as well paced or developed as S&N. I'm a little fuzzy on what Chase looks like. I'm guessing half-elf?
I like the way AS handles the game mechanics and how his characters end up learning to use their abilities. None of the known characters are in this book but there are small mentions of them which I love. You have to be patient with this book because it does not try to hold your attention completely from the get go. It was a nice intro to a new trilogy and I am excited to see how the plot will unfold.
While reading S&N, I never thought of the book to be a kid story but I do get that vibe from this one. It reads like a YA.
4 Stars for Audio, 3.5 Stars for Book
4.5 Stars for Narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds
4 Stars for Setting
3.5 Stars for Characters & Placing
I found out from Iain that there were more books by the author of Threadbare, I jumped in for the Buddy Read to read the new books. =)
Pretty sure the story takes place within the same world as Stuff & Nonsense. However, it is a whole new cast of characters and plot shenanigans. This story was not as well paced or developed as S&N. I'm a little fuzzy on what Chase looks like. I'm guessing half-elf?
I like the way AS handles the game mechanics and how his characters end up learning to use their abilities. None of the known characters are in this book but there are small mentions of them which I love. You have to be patient with this book because it does not try to hold your attention completely from the get go. It was a nice intro to a new trilogy and I am excited to see how the plot will unfold.
While reading S&N, I never thought of the book to be a kid story but I do get that vibe from this one. It reads like a YA.
March 13, 2023
Once upon a time there was a halven named Chase Berrymore. Chase has dreamed of adventure her whole life with the hope of leaving her tiny village, Bothernot. And then one day adventure finds her. Not being one for violence, Chase is going to have to use her wits and the power of words if she hopes to save her friends and family from a new form of beings called "players."
Big Trouble is the first in the Small Medium series by Andrew Seiple. Set in an entirely different corner of the land of Generica, it sure felt good to be back in the Threadbare-verse. While this story does not rely on any prior knowledge of the world, you may want to read the original Threadbare trilogy first as this contains some minor references and links back to that trilogy.
Chase Berrymore and her sister Gretta are halvens which are this world's version of halflings. They live in a pastoral village where everyone knows everyone, eat multiple meals a day to keep their stamina up and Chase makes it her business to know everyone else's business. This uniquely prepares Chase to become an Oracle once the excitement starts. I love just how well she uses her talking skills and her innate sense to know people to navigate her village through the trouble they've found themselves in instead of the traditional method of fighting everything. It makes for a very different style of adventure story. Chase makes some friends along the way, my favorite of which is Remy a toy golem. There are plenty of nods to RPG-style games as well as some pop culture references and silly puns to go around. I found the humor to my taste.
I am intrigued at how Seiple decided to expand upon the world. The addition of "players" adds a whole other spin on the world I thought I knew. I hope this mystery is explored further as
I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. He's an amazing narrator and voices the characters brilliantly. I'm glad he stayed on for this sequel series.
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Initial thoughts: I had a good time getting to know Chase and the halvens in her town. This story has expanded the Threadbare-verse in an interesting way. I'm still deciding how I feel about the addition of players to the world. The Oracle job is fascinating. Only one way to see how it all plays out - continue the series!
Tim Gerard Reynolds is an amazing narrator. I'm glad he signed on for this sequel series too.
Big Trouble is the first in the Small Medium series by Andrew Seiple. Set in an entirely different corner of the land of Generica, it sure felt good to be back in the Threadbare-verse. While this story does not rely on any prior knowledge of the world, you may want to read the original Threadbare trilogy first as this contains some minor references and links back to that trilogy.
Chase Berrymore and her sister Gretta are halvens which are this world's version of halflings. They live in a pastoral village where everyone knows everyone, eat multiple meals a day to keep their stamina up and Chase makes it her business to know everyone else's business. This uniquely prepares Chase to become an Oracle once the excitement starts. I love just how well she uses her talking skills and her innate sense to know people to navigate her village through the trouble they've found themselves in instead of the traditional method of fighting everything. It makes for a very different style of adventure story. Chase makes some friends along the way, my favorite of which is Remy a toy golem. There are plenty of nods to RPG-style games as well as some pop culture references and silly puns to go around. I found the humor to my taste.
I am intrigued at how Seiple decided to expand upon the world. The addition of "players" adds a whole other spin on the world I thought I knew. I hope this mystery is explored further as
I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. He's an amazing narrator and voices the characters brilliantly. I'm glad he stayed on for this sequel series.
-------------------
Initial thoughts: I had a good time getting to know Chase and the halvens in her town. This story has expanded the Threadbare-verse in an interesting way. I'm still deciding how I feel about the addition of players to the world. The Oracle job is fascinating. Only one way to see how it all plays out - continue the series!
Tim Gerard Reynolds is an amazing narrator. I'm glad he signed on for this sequel series too.
August 6, 2019
4.5/5 Small Medium brings us back to the world of Generica Online, the setting for Andrew Seiple’s amazing Threadbare series. He also supplies us with another toy golem in the form of a fox named Remy he’s not the lead in this tale but it’s good to have them around since they were the basis for the last series. The writing is packed with wit, humor, and puns. Which I’ve come to expect from these books and have yet to be disappointed.
This is a LitRPG series so expect stats and level ups and all sorts of game mechanics and some jargon but nothing to hard to puzzle out for no gamers.
While not quite as good as the Threadbare books I an still really looking forward to the next 2 books in this trilogy.
This is a LitRPG series so expect stats and level ups and all sorts of game mechanics and some jargon but nothing to hard to puzzle out for no gamers.
While not quite as good as the Threadbare books I an still really looking forward to the next 2 books in this trilogy.
June 5, 2019
Andrew Seiple's 2018 novel "Small Medium, Book 1: Big Trouble" is the first book in his follow-up series to his "Threadbare" series. It takes place a short time after the end of that earlier series and has an (almost) entirely new cast of characters and setting. As with "Threadbare," I remain amazed at how much I enjoy his LitRPGs. In this particular case, I found the story to be, maybe, a smidge less fun than "Threadbare." But, that's counteracted by Seiple not having any characters swearing in this one (yay!). So, I'm happy to rate the book at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5 and am moving on to the next book in the series.
June 18, 2020
Another series in the world of threadbare, so if you got along with those game mechanics you'll probably like these too.
February 11, 2020
Audiobook.
At the start, I didn't like the VA. He sounded old and raspy and the character he was narrating was a young halfing girl, it just didn't fit.
Naturally I got used to it after a while.
The Book itself, I REALLY enjoyed the start of it where we meet Chase. I liked her 'mischievous' personality and how it was shown.
The plot was okay and I did like the light rpg elements as they were quite light, more of a progression system (it's always horrible when they just narrate an entire character sheet and skill tree that you don't need to know about and won't remember. Not much of that here that I recall, maybe once).
The most interesting part was the 'playas' and their circumstance but it wasn't addressed at all. It was kept mysterious throughout which is fine but by the end you still don't really know anything.
I was interested the entire way through and read the sequel right after.
At the start, I didn't like the VA. He sounded old and raspy and the character he was narrating was a young halfing girl, it just didn't fit.
Naturally I got used to it after a while.
The Book itself, I REALLY enjoyed the start of it where we meet Chase. I liked her 'mischievous' personality and how it was shown.
The plot was okay and I did like the light rpg elements as they were quite light, more of a progression system (it's always horrible when they just narrate an entire character sheet and skill tree that you don't need to know about and won't remember. Not much of that here that I recall, maybe once).
The most interesting part was the 'playas' and their circumstance but it wasn't addressed at all. It was kept mysterious throughout which is fine but by the end you still don't really know anything.
I was interested the entire way through and read the sequel right after.
October 24, 2021
Continued adventures from the ThreadBare world
First off. I really enjoyed this book and want to read the next one right away.
I liked threadbare a lot so I thought I'd give Andrew's other books a try. I didn't realize this was a continuation or I'd have jumped on it much sooner.
This story is set in a little village far away after the kingdom of Cylvania is opened and scouts have ventured forth to explore the mysteriously devastated borderlands. This book has a whole new set of characters but the same rules and game dynamics.
This one is a little less twee than the last, if Threadbare was just a touch too cutesy for you. In addition the mysteries surrounding the world of Generica are explored further.
If you want more like Threadbare but something new then the book gods have smiled on you.
First off. I really enjoyed this book and want to read the next one right away.
I liked threadbare a lot so I thought I'd give Andrew's other books a try. I didn't realize this was a continuation or I'd have jumped on it much sooner.
This story is set in a little village far away after the kingdom of Cylvania is opened and scouts have ventured forth to explore the mysteriously devastated borderlands. This book has a whole new set of characters but the same rules and game dynamics.
This one is a little less twee than the last, if Threadbare was just a touch too cutesy for you. In addition the mysteries surrounding the world of Generica are explored further.
If you want more like Threadbare but something new then the book gods have smiled on you.
October 17, 2020
This was a decent book. I was very excited to get back into the Threadbare verse, but something was lost. A fun little adventure with cute characters in a familiar environment, but it had such a high standard to live up to and it didn't really come close. 👍🏽
February 27, 2020
Didn't follow this particularly well... was a bit rough going for some reason... but it definitely improved towards the end...
May 15, 2021
The first volume in a sequel series for Threadbare.
This new series is set in the same world as Andrew Seiple's previous trilogy, Threadbare, but does not involve the same characters. In the same irreverent vein as the previous one, it follows a young halfling (or rather, the transparently equivalent there) who finds herself involved in... well, big trouble, like the title suggests.
The main theme here is overcoming your limitations, and figuring out that, if you are not going to fit, you are going to live in interesting times. All of which are set in motion by the first volume, and some interesting revelations and antagonists.
Although not strictly necessary for the reading, it is highly suggested to have read the previous trilogy, because some aspects of the story get really enhanced by the contrast to the previous trilogy.
This new series is set in the same world as Andrew Seiple's previous trilogy, Threadbare, but does not involve the same characters. In the same irreverent vein as the previous one, it follows a young halfling (or rather, the transparently equivalent there) who finds herself involved in... well, big trouble, like the title suggests.
The main theme here is overcoming your limitations, and figuring out that, if you are not going to fit, you are going to live in interesting times. All of which are set in motion by the first volume, and some interesting revelations and antagonists.
Although not strictly necessary for the reading, it is highly suggested to have read the previous trilogy, because some aspects of the story get really enhanced by the contrast to the previous trilogy.
February 5, 2020
I didn't realize at first that this was part of the Threadbare series right up to the point where the first plushy showed up. Andrew Seiple has a skill for making charming characters and simple mechanics used creatively. The scale of this book is relatively small, but the lore drops in this book are huge. I'm wondering if there's a Forever Fantasy Online like situation going on here now.
March 18, 2019
This book was a joy to read. I love Chase, the main character, and her ability to manipulate her way to victory. She has a knack for being very clever with the world's game mechanics, bending things to her advantage. If you've read the threadbare books, then you have a good idea of how the gamified systems work here.
I really appreciate how the narrative stays firmly rooted in the perspective of an NPC, which added a lot to my enjoyment. There are numerous in-jokes to RPG games that go over the character's head, but delight the reader.
My biggest gripe is there there should be more! Like any good book, you're left wanting more by the time the book is wrapping up.
I really appreciate how the narrative stays firmly rooted in the perspective of an NPC, which added a lot to my enjoyment. There are numerous in-jokes to RPG games that go over the character's head, but delight the reader.
My biggest gripe is there there should be more! Like any good book, you're left wanting more by the time the book is wrapping up.
March 22, 2024
This is set in the same world as Threadbare series. I highly recommend you read that first--partly because it's a great series! But it's not an immediate continuation of that series. Without spoilers, I can say that it skips to another part of the world and deals with other characters facing other problems.
It is written with similar skill. The characters are creative and endearing. The plot has huge surprises. And the writing is excellent.
If you like the story of the little dreamer with no special skills who uses their wits to manage a crisis--and grows a lot in the process--then you'll love this book.
It is written with similar skill. The characters are creative and endearing. The plot has huge surprises. And the writing is excellent.
If you like the story of the little dreamer with no special skills who uses their wits to manage a crisis--and grows a lot in the process--then you'll love this book.
March 6, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
I really needed something fun and feel-good after the heartbreak of The Raven Scholar, and this hit the spot. It did get dark in places, but the focus of the story was on family and friends.
And adventure! All Chase wants is excitement, but little is found in the village of Bothernot. She's clever and mischievous, and always poking her nose into everyone's business. Naturally, this get her into trouble when she goes exploring where she shouldn't.
I loved Chase and her sister, and the other characters so much! The plot was quite a whirlwind. This was fun, and I'll probably read the next book in the series this month since I've got several heavy books ahead of me.
I really needed something fun and feel-good after the heartbreak of The Raven Scholar, and this hit the spot. It did get dark in places, but the focus of the story was on family and friends.
And adventure! All Chase wants is excitement, but little is found in the village of Bothernot. She's clever and mischievous, and always poking her nose into everyone's business. Naturally, this get her into trouble when she goes exploring where she shouldn't.
I loved Chase and her sister, and the other characters so much! The plot was quite a whirlwind. This was fun, and I'll probably read the next book in the series this month since I've got several heavy books ahead of me.
dnf-did-not-finish
October 2, 2020I planned to read this book for about a year now, I can't remember why I put it off...
It seems I forgot that this author loves his stats...
I think I see why I didn't bother reading this book for so long. From what I read so far it seems to be in the Threadbare universe (toy fox showed up).
I think I will put this book on hold (might be permanent). I just can't deal with this autor's "wholesome" type of writing right now.
It seems I forgot that this author loves his stats...
I think I see why I didn't bother reading this book for so long. From what I read so far it seems to be in the Threadbare universe (toy fox showed up).
I think I will put this book on hold (might be permanent). I just can't deal with this autor's "wholesome" type of writing right now.
February 16, 2019
This is a pretty interesting book. Now it has me curious about what the deal is with the "playas". I wonder if the cause for the game like aspect of the world is due to them. I am interested in seeing where this goes. It seems like it will be awesome. A grifter oracle. Seems like a game version of Cassandra. Since few will be likely to believe her.
October 24, 2020
Much like the author's other series in this same universe, I couldn't put the book down. I read it in less than a day, and nam ot allowing myself to continue to the next couple in the series (which I have already purchased!) until I've done some thesis work. Funny, heart-warming, inclusive, action-driven, and full of fun upgrades.
Recommended for anyone into gamelit/litrpg.
Recommended for anyone into gamelit/litrpg.
May 8, 2021
Another fun installment in the Threadbare universe, now with new plucky main characters to develop and a new main mystery to solve.
Only thing I found kind of odd was a group of explorers from the kingdom in the previous books doesn't have any Explorers in it, and seem rather more Murderhobo than anything else.
Only thing I found kind of odd was a group of explorers from the kingdom in the previous books doesn't have any Explorers in it, and seem rather more Murderhobo than anything else.
October 28, 2023
DNF: 30%
I read LitRPG exclusively (check my reviews), and Andrew Seiple is one of my favorite authors of the genre. I loved his Threadbare series...but I have no idea what this was. There are so many bizarre plot lines that one has to follow, that trying to figure out much of anything is very difficult. The MC gets some really cool powers and just about never uses them. I didn't get it.
I read LitRPG exclusively (check my reviews), and Andrew Seiple is one of my favorite authors of the genre. I loved his Threadbare series...but I have no idea what this was. There are so many bizarre plot lines that one has to follow, that trying to figure out much of anything is very difficult. The MC gets some really cool powers and just about never uses them. I didn't get it.
February 14, 2019
I don't think I've ever been disappointed with an Andrew Seiple book, and this one is no exception. Set in the same world as the Threadbare novels, though not a direct sequel, this has much of the same adorbs and excites as those books.
I'm looking forward to a sequel!
I'm looking forward to a sequel!
April 23, 2019
Fun
Halvens, normally love a quiet peaceful life with frequent meals. But Chase is different she longs for an exciting life of adventure and danger, like the heroes in stories live. What happens when her dearest wishes come true?
Halvens, normally love a quiet peaceful life with frequent meals. But Chase is different she longs for an exciting life of adventure and danger, like the heroes in stories live. What happens when her dearest wishes come true?
August 4, 2019
I liked the MC but not the story. It was well written, sometimes even great, but ruined for me by horrible or stupid messages. There's no winning just losing less badly. It wanted to be cute but was often too gross. I just didn't enjoy the journey.
March 25, 2020
2.5 to 3 stars, It was okay, I liked it for the most part but it was nothing great or a must read. It had some interesting elements and some potential but I am on the fence if I wish to continue with the series.
February 11, 2021
Another fun read
At first I was skeptical this book would be able to hold up to the Threadbare series. I am tickled to be wrong. This was a blast. Loved the character progression in fun and interesting ways. Not quite as clever as Threadbare but still a ton of fun.
At first I was skeptical this book would be able to hold up to the Threadbare series. I am tickled to be wrong. This was a blast. Loved the character progression in fun and interesting ways. Not quite as clever as Threadbare but still a ton of fun.
May 18, 2023
A good start.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun and entertaining. The story and characters were interesting and engaging. I'm curious to see what happens next. This book is definitely worth checking out.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun and entertaining. The story and characters were interesting and engaging. I'm curious to see what happens next. This book is definitely worth checking out.
August 19, 2025
Really just couldn’t get into this book as the level up thing was just annoying me so much, without this the story would have been a great listen, however it seemed to be a focus of the book, and I just got fed up with it!
January 8, 2019
Great!
Another great dive into Threadbear's world. New characters and adventures, same excitement and great story telling. Can't wait for more!
Another great dive into Threadbear's world. New characters and adventures, same excitement and great story telling. Can't wait for more!
July 1, 2019
Quite cute and fun
Has a few editorial hiccups (learn your commas, people!), but overall a fun, fast, story with a load of RPG and fantasy in-jokes that weren’t belabored.
Has a few editorial hiccups (learn your commas, people!), but overall a fun, fast, story with a load of RPG and fantasy in-jokes that weren’t belabored.
October 25, 2019
This one was fun.
February 10, 2020
3.5*
Good book. Was an entertaining read, possibly a little I cheesy in areas but I'm interested in seeing where this story is going.
Good book. Was an entertaining read, possibly a little I cheesy in areas but I'm interested in seeing where this story is going.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews