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Stuff of Legends
View our feature on Ian Gibson's Stuff of LegendsA true legend rescues maidens...pillages temples...and slaughters evil hordes...
But what does he do when all the fun is over?
When an annoyingly eager young man by the name of Eliott, his Elvish guardian, and a bard-for-hire magically drop into the life of former hero Jordan the Red, the aged warrior wants nothing to do with them. He's had enough of battling the world. But Eliott wants an adventure with the legendary, sword-swinging soldier of fortune-and this hero is about to be forced out of retirement.
But what does he do when all the fun is over?
When an annoyingly eager young man by the name of Eliott, his Elvish guardian, and a bard-for-hire magically drop into the life of former hero Jordan the Red, the aged warrior wants nothing to do with them. He's had enough of battling the world. But Eliott wants an adventure with the legendary, sword-swinging soldier of fortune-and this hero is about to be forced out of retirement.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 10, 2010
2 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Ian Gibson
3 booksIan Gibson works at a theatre in British Columbia, developed the characters in this novel from a comic strip he created in 2003. Stuff of Legends is a comic fantasy about heroism and celebrity, where a 15-year-old boy's fondest wish is granted and he is teamed with his idol, superhero Jordan the Red, to defeat villains, monsters and demonic armies.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 5, 2011
Stuff of Legends / 978-0-441-01930-4
Following a semi-basic plot of a retired hero being called unwillingly back into action one last time, "Stuff of Legends" takes the Shrek approach to the genre and ties modern-day Hollywood sensibilities to his characters. Thus, we have a world where heroes and villains really do have epic battles, and both parties thoroughly intend to win the fight, but the victories and defeats are somewhat guided (and in some cases, outright scripted) by the talent agency bards that follow them around and record their deeds into movies, er, songs.
The setup is done fairly well, with most of the obvious questions and potential loop-holes tidied up along the way. What makes "Stuff of Legends" really shine, however, is not so much the plot, but the delightful characterization of retired hero Jordan and the entourage of villains he encounters throughout the entirety of his unwilling comeback tour. Good protagonist characterization can carry a plot a long way, and author Gibson seems to thoroughly understand that - Jordan is perfectly characterized as a tired war hero, desperately seeking peace and absolution, and yet still alarmingly competent and pleasantly maintaining the same tenuous camaraderie with the villains he encounters (after all, at the end of the day, it's really just business). Gibson perfectly balances Jordan's natural reticence to be pulled back into the hero-ing business and his genuine anger and frustration at those manipulating him, while never descending into excessive angst that would only annoy the reader.
Another high point in favor of "Stuff of Legends" is the wry wit of the writing, reminding the reader of some of the best aspects of British writing humor. Many of the turns of phrases here seem gently reminiscent of Douglas Adams, such as when a bard wryly notes that a dawn "came without metaphor", or when Jordan's injuries are described as his various body parts arguing with each other over which is hurt the most. Perhaps best of all is the tête-à-tête between Jordan and the villains, with each party trying to maneuver the other into an uneasy compromise, rather than alternative of being outright manipulated by the directors back in tinsel town.
If "Stuff of Legends" has a draw-back, it lies unfortunately with the three "support" characters, each of whose job is largely to drive the plot by driving Jordan unwillingly towards it. Eliott, a young boy who hero-worships Jordan, is particularly problematic - to paraphrase Yahtzee, I believe this character was written to be deliberately annoying, in which case the author should be congratulated for doing his job, and reminded that "deliberately annoying" is still "annoying". It's fairly obvious throughout the narrative that Eliott was originally written to be very young - I'd say no more than 10 or 12 at the most - which might at least excuse a little of his more egregious stupid and irritating mistakes, but then at the last minute prior to publish, the boy was given an upgrade to 15 in order to have some initial sexual tension revolving around his elvish babysitter, which is then (thankfully!) never mentioned outside the first chapter. The other two support characters are also remarkably childish and juvenile, despite being an immortal elf and a grown man. The very few tentative steps made towards character growth are always immediately wiped over in the next chapters, and the ending will absolutely infuriate any reader who had hoped that the trio might learn the importance of not screwing with your hero's life on account of him being a *person* and not a source of entertainment.
I would assume that age and personality of the support characters were adjusted to set this novel into the more lucrative "Young Adult" market, but I'm not sure I see the logic of this. The book is almost completely free of gore and sex, which greatly increased my enjoyment of it, but probably means that it isn't "intended" for adult audiences, and yet the wry writing will most appeal to a mature audience who appreciates the tongue-in-cheek nuances presented. I think the best thing that could have been done here would have been to ditch the child-like characters entirely, since they largely only seem to exist for a child reader to sink into, and just market this as a clever retrospective fantasy novel for adults, but that's my opinion.
In the end, "Stuff of Legends" shines beautifully for the bulk of the novel, only really descending into mediocrity in the few pages where we absolutely must deal with the annoying support characters, before climbing back up into the superb fun of watching Jordan wearily battle for the right to live his life in peace and quiet. The book is well worth reading for the wry humor and clever dialogue, and I look forward to reading more from this author - and particularly hopes that next time, he will just leave the annoying support characters at home.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
Following a semi-basic plot of a retired hero being called unwillingly back into action one last time, "Stuff of Legends" takes the Shrek approach to the genre and ties modern-day Hollywood sensibilities to his characters. Thus, we have a world where heroes and villains really do have epic battles, and both parties thoroughly intend to win the fight, but the victories and defeats are somewhat guided (and in some cases, outright scripted) by the talent agency bards that follow them around and record their deeds into movies, er, songs.
The setup is done fairly well, with most of the obvious questions and potential loop-holes tidied up along the way. What makes "Stuff of Legends" really shine, however, is not so much the plot, but the delightful characterization of retired hero Jordan and the entourage of villains he encounters throughout the entirety of his unwilling comeback tour. Good protagonist characterization can carry a plot a long way, and author Gibson seems to thoroughly understand that - Jordan is perfectly characterized as a tired war hero, desperately seeking peace and absolution, and yet still alarmingly competent and pleasantly maintaining the same tenuous camaraderie with the villains he encounters (after all, at the end of the day, it's really just business). Gibson perfectly balances Jordan's natural reticence to be pulled back into the hero-ing business and his genuine anger and frustration at those manipulating him, while never descending into excessive angst that would only annoy the reader.
Another high point in favor of "Stuff of Legends" is the wry wit of the writing, reminding the reader of some of the best aspects of British writing humor. Many of the turns of phrases here seem gently reminiscent of Douglas Adams, such as when a bard wryly notes that a dawn "came without metaphor", or when Jordan's injuries are described as his various body parts arguing with each other over which is hurt the most. Perhaps best of all is the tête-à-tête between Jordan and the villains, with each party trying to maneuver the other into an uneasy compromise, rather than alternative of being outright manipulated by the directors back in tinsel town.
If "Stuff of Legends" has a draw-back, it lies unfortunately with the three "support" characters, each of whose job is largely to drive the plot by driving Jordan unwillingly towards it. Eliott, a young boy who hero-worships Jordan, is particularly problematic - to paraphrase Yahtzee, I believe this character was written to be deliberately annoying, in which case the author should be congratulated for doing his job, and reminded that "deliberately annoying" is still "annoying". It's fairly obvious throughout the narrative that Eliott was originally written to be very young - I'd say no more than 10 or 12 at the most - which might at least excuse a little of his more egregious stupid and irritating mistakes, but then at the last minute prior to publish, the boy was given an upgrade to 15 in order to have some initial sexual tension revolving around his elvish babysitter, which is then (thankfully!) never mentioned outside the first chapter. The other two support characters are also remarkably childish and juvenile, despite being an immortal elf and a grown man. The very few tentative steps made towards character growth are always immediately wiped over in the next chapters, and the ending will absolutely infuriate any reader who had hoped that the trio might learn the importance of not screwing with your hero's life on account of him being a *person* and not a source of entertainment.
I would assume that age and personality of the support characters were adjusted to set this novel into the more lucrative "Young Adult" market, but I'm not sure I see the logic of this. The book is almost completely free of gore and sex, which greatly increased my enjoyment of it, but probably means that it isn't "intended" for adult audiences, and yet the wry writing will most appeal to a mature audience who appreciates the tongue-in-cheek nuances presented. I think the best thing that could have been done here would have been to ditch the child-like characters entirely, since they largely only seem to exist for a child reader to sink into, and just market this as a clever retrospective fantasy novel for adults, but that's my opinion.
In the end, "Stuff of Legends" shines beautifully for the bulk of the novel, only really descending into mediocrity in the few pages where we absolutely must deal with the annoying support characters, before climbing back up into the superb fun of watching Jordan wearily battle for the right to live his life in peace and quiet. The book is well worth reading for the wry humor and clever dialogue, and I look forward to reading more from this author - and particularly hopes that next time, he will just leave the annoying support characters at home.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
September 11, 2020
Very funny and entertaining. A parody of the swash-buckling fantasy stories with invoncible heroes. Loved it.
January 19, 2011
I would have given the book a fourth star if Eliott and the bard hadn't been such annoying turnoffs. There is never anything shown about Eliott's character that would inspire the friendship and devotion of Kess, his longtime Elven friend. She and Jordan are the only sensible and intelligent characters in the book. The bard is suddenly competent at the end of the book. Where did that come from?
The story itself was very good, especially the idea of heroics as entertainment work-for-hire. The hidden gags and puns scattered throughout the book make it a treat for a careful reader, but also are a little distracting, as you may end up searching for jokes that either aren't there, or that are based on something unfamiliar. I mean, dropping a Joni Mitchell-based gag in the middle of a fantasy novel may be a bit too obscure for the casual reader...
The hero-villain banter in some of the scenes was delightful. There were some minor logic holes, but nothing too bad, and the book was hard to put down. I just wanted to smack Eliott and the bard too many times.
The story itself was very good, especially the idea of heroics as entertainment work-for-hire. The hidden gags and puns scattered throughout the book make it a treat for a careful reader, but also are a little distracting, as you may end up searching for jokes that either aren't there, or that are based on something unfamiliar. I mean, dropping a Joni Mitchell-based gag in the middle of a fantasy novel may be a bit too obscure for the casual reader...
The hero-villain banter in some of the scenes was delightful. There were some minor logic holes, but nothing too bad, and the book was hard to put down. I just wanted to smack Eliott and the bard too many times.
May 26, 2017
I loved this book. I needed to read something light and this certainly fit the bill while having plenty of deeper thoughts. It gives a nice twist to the Hero of Legend trope as well as several others; some of which become clearer toward the end of the book. The ending is telegraphed well in advance so if you don't like that steer clear. (And I'm going to mark this as spoiler filled so that I don't cause people to search for it if they miss it. I don't see how you could. It's blatant but there we go).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
It’s said that you should never meet your idols. One young boy learns this lesson the hard way. But does he really?
Throughout this hilarious and painful sendup of classic sword-and-sorcery genre, we are sent on a roller coaster ride of what happens when an aged former hero meets a starry-eyed fan. Jordan the Red’s blunt rejection of re-engaging in heroic derring-do must contend with the equal stubbornness of young Eliott, a lad who absolutely refuses to accept that Jordan is retired, that he wants nothing more to do with heroism and that the act of adventuring isn’t quite as romantic as the sagas made it seem.
Complete with resurrected foes, a disgruntled baker-turned-wizard, a PR agent determined to wring one more adventure epic out of the most famous barbarian hero of all time (complete with copyright, trademark and licensing rights), an elf who thrives on the imagination of young children, song-stealing goblins, villains and monsters straight out of Central Casting and a struggling bard desperate to make a name for himself, this is one of the funniest parodies to come down the pike. If you’re a fan of Terry Pratchett, Terry Gilliam or Piers Anthony, you have got to try Stuff of Legends.
Throughout this hilarious and painful sendup of classic sword-and-sorcery genre, we are sent on a roller coaster ride of what happens when an aged former hero meets a starry-eyed fan. Jordan the Red’s blunt rejection of re-engaging in heroic derring-do must contend with the equal stubbornness of young Eliott, a lad who absolutely refuses to accept that Jordan is retired, that he wants nothing more to do with heroism and that the act of adventuring isn’t quite as romantic as the sagas made it seem.
Complete with resurrected foes, a disgruntled baker-turned-wizard, a PR agent determined to wring one more adventure epic out of the most famous barbarian hero of all time (complete with copyright, trademark and licensing rights), an elf who thrives on the imagination of young children, song-stealing goblins, villains and monsters straight out of Central Casting and a struggling bard desperate to make a name for himself, this is one of the funniest parodies to come down the pike. If you’re a fan of Terry Pratchett, Terry Gilliam or Piers Anthony, you have got to try Stuff of Legends.
August 6, 2024
I couldn't put this book down. It was outrageous and brilliant with unpredictable twists and turns. Highly recommend!
February 10, 2025
Amusing tongue-in-cheek tale of heroes. Eliott adores Jordan the Red and wants to go adventuring with him.
July 14, 2021
From the premise, I had really hoped for more from this book. However, the Kess and Eliott characters felt hackneyed and unbelievable, and the character I cared the most about, Jordan, rarely had POV. Furthermore, the book never establishes its worldbuilding; there are a number of references to real-world locations and historical events, but there are also standard DnD-style goblins and wizards. Just a little more specificity there would have helped my immersion. All in all, I only made it halfway before realizing I'd rather be reading Discworld.
March 26, 2011
I liked the humor in this book, as well as the idea of a retired hero. It was pretty average in terms of material, but I think Terry Pratchett did it way, waayy better in The Light Fantastic and Interesting Times.
That's pretty much all I have to say, really. As sad as this is to admit, the best thing I liked about this book was how much it reminded me of Terry Pratchett's and how much better those were.
That's pretty much all I have to say, really. As sad as this is to admit, the best thing I liked about this book was how much it reminded me of Terry Pratchett's and how much better those were.
March 29, 2013
Didn't work for me. I'm all for satires of traditional fantasy, but this had some devices that just went Thud for me.
The wish threads are too easy, and the Starmacher stuff just falls flat. The ghost riders are just too convenient.
And it never really seems that anyone important is in real danger.
As others have noted, some of the jokes are not bad but they knock the reader out of the narrative.
The wish threads are too easy, and the Starmacher stuff just falls flat. The ghost riders are just too convenient.
And it never really seems that anyone important is in real danger.
As others have noted, some of the jokes are not bad but they knock the reader out of the narrative.
March 7, 2013
A fantasy book that pokes fun at itself and its genre. It puts heroic fantasy into a HOLYWOOD setting of agents to the hero's, central casting for the bit players and props. With the bards as witness and purveyors of the saga's. I am just sorry that he didn't use the oppurtunity to have his main characters grow in understanding of themselves and others.
December 3, 2020
A good lesson to leave those happily retired alone to their happy retirement. If not, you get this wild ride. By land or air, with man or dragon, this thrown-together crew is forced to relive battles and challenges long since destroyed. Laying old-demons to rest and finding their own way, the heroes embark on an adventure worthy of their bards.
June 6, 2011
Stuff of Legends is funny and cute. It looks cliches in the face and thumbs its little paper nose at them. It's easy to read and good for all ages. If you're looking for a light-hearted giggle in a traditional(ish) fantasy setting, this is a good choice.
August 21, 2010
Someone was bound to write a spoof on the huge fantasy epic, and this one is pretty good. Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor made this a fun read.
February 14, 2016
Epic fantasy adventure meets reality TV in this amazing novel (but replace cameramen and TVs with bards and ballads). Hilarious, yet heart-warming, this novel is highly entertaining.
Read
November 7, 2021Really fun comic fantasy with a great angle. So glad I read it, loved the humor!
I work for Penguin but that did not influence this review.
I work for Penguin but that did not influence this review.
July 27, 2014
Eh, it was okay. Shipping this crap off to listia. =)
November 2, 2014
Has a funny premise. Maybe I'm too jaded with fantasy stories this day. Just a chuckle or two here, but I did finish it...
Read
January 31, 2015It was goid and funny
Want to read
March 1, 2020'An author's debut book' Got it on eBay.
May 14, 2011
very fun and light reading. Good light hearted page-turner.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews