The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

Somehow historically accurate and wildly fantastical™

Disclaimer: Spoilers

Brandon Sanderson’s Secret Project #2, one of four books he wrote during the pandemic and announced via record-breaking Kickstarter campaign last spring, is The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England. Notable for being the only non-Cosmere novel of the bunch, it also leans more science fiction than it does fantasy. (If the title reminds you of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” you’re not alone.) Another aspect of the story identified by the title is its setting, which is indeed medieval England. But Brandon creates a curious mix of historical accuracies and deviations as to always remind you that you are in an alternate dimension.

I think the sci-fi and history elements of The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook make this novel much more suited to Erik’s tastes than mine, and he really enjoyed it. I, too, was engaged in the story and always wanted to find out what happens next, but at the end, I found the plot and characters to just be fine. Interspersed between the chapters, however, are excerpts from the in-world book of the same title written by fake author Cecil G. Bagsworth III. These excerpts, frequently asked questions, and footnotes are clever and entertaining ways of explaining the worldbuilding. A couple examples of FAQs are “Can I Have a Dimension Full of Talking Bananas?” and “Wait. Did I Just Do a Colonialism?”

Brandon’s books increasingly leverage artwork to add even more depth and layers to the reading experience. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook features the art of Steve Argyle, another friend of the author. Particularly of note are the cute doodles in the margins, which tell a completely independent story about a little wizard named Mervin. These marginalia make this book one I’d strongly recommend reading instead of listening to.