Finnian’s Fiddle by Chandler Groover [SPFBO]

Dragons can often be obstinate, and when one dragon arrives at a rural seaport demanding to hear a child prodigy perform the violin, the townspeople must strategize. They send a boy named Finnian to the city to learn how to play.

Unfortunately for Finnian, the task isn’t so simple. Everyone from bandits to scheming aristocrats seem to stand in his way, and before his quest has ended, he will have to contend with a devious plot whose machinations stretch into the fairy realm itself.

Y’all. This was such a blast. This was the first SPFBO book I read for my batch this year. It has the potential to be a semifinalist.

setting

The novel is set in an alternate past of our own, possibly pre-Galileo and Copernicus in a vaguely European-esque place. We start off in a small village where a dragon has just come to demand someone play the fiddle for him. And not just any someone. He wants a specific person to play a specific song he heard hundreds of years ago. And thus Finnian becomes the chosen one. (Stop! I know what you’re thinking!) Throughout the book, we journey into a bustling metropolis, woods, a forest, and even the land of fairy itself. Plus some other locations, too.

If I’m being completely honest, the settings themselves out of context are a little generic. A lot, actually. But what makes them work is how they’re handled and interacted with. A small example would be when Finnian discovers that the path through the woods isn’t the straightforward jolly jaunt he thought it would be. He risks a shortcut and gets lost. It’s these little details that make the story come to life.

and it’s not what you’re thinking!

“Oh no! Chosen ones! Stop!” I hear you saying. Some of you. At least one of you. And yes, technically Finnian is a chosen one. But what I personally thought was great is that the book (and Finnian) 100% acknowledge that fact. He is literally giddy with excitement at the prospect of being like the heroes in his books. And I mean naively giddy and a bit endearing. The book plays with different tropes and twists them here and there. For example in the city, Finnian becomes an apprentice under an eccentric man with a sack of marbles and a monkey and cat for pets. But this man is actually a very serious scientist who doesn’t believe in astrology or alchemy. The actual alchemist dresses more subdued. It’s not an enormous subversion to expectations, but it’s just something small.

prose

This is where I think the book would be make or break for some. If I were to describe the prose, I’d say it’s like a storyteller or entertainer speaking to a group of all ages. It uses a lot repetition, metaphors, and similes. It’s not always like that, though. It can start to feel like a bit much when it gets very lyrical, though. It went from whimsical to “okay, we get it” a few times for me. But my favorite part of the writing was how it handled the humor.

There are many (in my opinion) humorous scenes in the book. And my favorite ones were the situational ones. For example, there’s a scene in the beginning where one of the adults gears up to play for the dragon. Everyone hushes in anticipation. And then the dragon eats him. I realize that might not sound very funny, but the way it’s written I was smiling.

basically

If I had to compare this to something, I’d say Over the Garden Wall. Not in plot or characters but in atmosphere. There are a lot of silly moments, but it gets kind of dark towards the climax of the book. Highlight in between the square brackets for a minor spoiler if you want to know:

The book isn’t perfect, but I had lots of fun with it. As far as I know it’s a standalone, which is also really nice. Each scene provides well-written characters, lots of adventure, and just a good time. I’m glad to have started out my SPFBO batch with this one.