4 out of 4 stars
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Three Cheers for Boner! is the first novel in a new fantasy series by Amir and Chris. This book falls in the sub-genre of 'hero fantasy', and reminds me very much of the original Conan stories, by Robert E. Howard.
To some extent Three Cheers for Boner! is a parody of this sub-genre, a very irreverently self-aware take on hero fantasy, but while that may have been the initial intention of the authors, their book turned out to be a decent novel. In this story, Boner, a huge and very muscular but not terribly bright lad, serves as a bodyguard for a man named Brahmin in the magical world of Worldster. Brahman and Boner set out together on a quest to retrieve an ancient treasure, and encounter the usual mix of magical creatures, sorcery, and beautiful women typical of tales in this sub-genre.
I was a bit unsure about this book from its title, and from the few reviews I could find about it when I decided to read it, I expected a graphic, adolescent narrative with lots of gratuitous sex. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is quite well written, with correct grammar, good pacing, and very little sex. There is a lot of wordplay throughout this novel, clever innuendos that make fun of Boner's name. In fact the authors seem to have made a point of using words with potential sexual connotations any time they can, a gimmick that adds a layer of humor to the story.
I enjoyed the impressive vocabulary this novel employs as well- lots of 'big words' used correctly- casting a more refined tinge on what might otherwise be just a basic fantasy adventure with big, well-muscled men wielding swords. Readers of this book might actually learn quite a few new words as they journey alongside Brahmin and Boner on their quest, making this story a bit different from the standard pulp adventure novel. There is also, of course, plenty of killing and violence in this story, but portrayed no more graphically than in any typical Conan story. If you enjoy the humor of Monty Python films and Tom Robbins' books, the adventure of Conan stories and Andre Norton novels, you might really enjoy this book too.
I most definitely recommend this book, but not for everyone. My mother, and any readers like her, would be disgusted with the few sexual scenes in this book, but such readers would also not enjoy most other books in the hero fantasy spectrum. And, for readers who are drawn in by the title and are hoping for lots of raunchy sex, this book may be equally disappointing. Almost any romance novel will offer more, and more explicit sexual scenes. But, for the right reader, this should be a fun read. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I will be watching for the second book in this series.
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Three Cheers for Boner
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