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Threadbare #1
Stuff and Nonsense
Meet Threadbare. He is twelve inches tall, full of fluff, and really, really bad at being a hero. Magically animated and discarded by his maker as a failed experiment, he is saved by a little girl. But she's got problems of her own, and he might not be able to help her. Fortunately for the little golem, he's quick to find allies, learn skills, gain levels, and survive horrible predicaments. Which is good, because his creator has a whole lot of enemies... Contains profanity and violence.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 21, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
May 28, 2018
Man, I have been looking for another really good LitRPG, and I’m so happy to have gotten this as a review request!
Plot:
The book opens with an elderly man making lesser Golems out of toys and stuffed animals, you watch as Threadbare is created and starts to come into consciousness. It’s actually a really neat way to experience a character, at first Threadbare has no real mind, he can’t perceive what he’s looking at or understand what or who he is – but little by little he starts ‘leveling up’ and as he does, the more he begins to understand about the world.
He soon makes enemies with the cat after a serious misunderstanding, and it was a riot to read about.
The first 15% of the book or so is Threadbare exploring his surroundings and getting to know his new ‘master’ – a young 11 year old girl named Celia.
After that, the real plot takes off – someone is after the elderly man and his secrets, they now he’s trying to create a Greater Golem which has the capability of becoming sentient and intelligent. A woman has teamed up with some demons to try gain access to his research to use it for their own devices.
There’s a lot of action going on, Threadbare seems to keep getting himself into trouble, good thing his Adorable Level is off the charts, and his Luck stats aren’t too shabby either 🙂
Final Score: 11/15
Character:
Threadbare is a loveable main character, he’s so innocent and from the start he has benign intentions. Even when his ‘brain’ wasn’t fully formed and his thoughts were mostly instincts, one of the first things he does was try to help out another hurt Golem toy.
He’s made an incredible bond with his master, Celia – who is also adorable and spunky. Celia is the elderly mans daughter, and they live together in a cabin in the woods far away from anyone else. She’s rather sheltered but she’s sweet and smart and determined to show her father she’s capable of taking on big tasks. And she is, really, she’s resourceful and clever.
Pulsivar is the family cat, and omg do I love this character. Typical cat, he’s guilty of nothing, gets into trouble, and is overall a snarky ass even though he doesn’t “talk”. Pulsivar was there when Threadbare came into being, and after the elderly man left, the cat got into mischief and knocked over some shelving which landed on some toy Golems. Threadbare went to go help, and accidentally ripped the toy Golem in half in an effort to try and rescue him. Pulsivars reaction is as follows:
“Pulsivar wasn’t entirely sure of the particulars of this situation or whose fault it was, (definitely not his though,) but he was pretty godsdamned sure of two things; One was that he was stuck in this workshop until his human came back, so he couldn’t escape. Two was that he’d just seen that teddy bear straight up murder a fucker.”
Final Score: 14/15
World Building:
This is a litRPG with moderate ‘stats’ in the main text, it’s not as heavy as some of the LitRPG’s – as Threadbare explores his world, he will gain INT when he figures something out, or STR when he lifts something heavy. It goes along with the text and doesn’t bring me out of the moment all that much. Some people really hate stats in LitRPG’s, in this book they are moderately heavy for the first 15% of the book, light for the next 15%, and then scattered a little bit throughout the rest of the book. For me, it wasn’t bad at all.
In this world, people level up like they do in video games, but life wasn’t always like that – it happened about 40 years ago and no one really knows why.
You can only choose a set number of life skills, so choosing your profession in life is a big deal. Celia’s father is very hesitant to teach her new things like Cooking, because she could click “Accept new Profession” and be stuck with that choice for the rest of her life – and she’s only 11.
There are other races in this world, Dwarves are mentioned, and you get to meet a family of Orcs/half Orcs. Celia’s mentor in learning how to be a Scout has married an Orc woman and has a few sons.
Dungeons randomly spawn as well, and if a dungeon gets too dangerous people are sent to shut it down and destroy it. The dungeons can spawn very powerful monsters and they can wreak havoc on the small towns in the surrounding area.
Normal animals have also mutated, there are giant birds that can snatch small kids, there are giant and territorial Raccants which are mutated racoons.
You level up your skills faster if you’re presented with real danger, rather than just practicing, and almost everything has levels. At first, when this new system came into the world people thought it was a blessing… but as time went on they realized that they eventually maxed out on their leveling abilities… but the monsters kept going. It presented a real problem for a long time until people learned that by combining certain “professions” they could “unlock” new things and continue to level up.
Final Score: 13/15
Pacing:
This book started out really interesting, I love non human POV’s and this POV is by far one of the most unique I’ve read. I loved getting to see how he developed from a non-thinking being into a sentient creature. There’s tons of action through the entire book so I just kept turning pages to see what happened next. Solid pacing from start to finish.
Final Score: 15/15
Writing:
Holy shit this was a funny book, it hit all the right things for me, especially with the cat. It also managed to be warm and sweet as well, I adored Celia and her antics. There were a few grammar errors, but fewer than a handful and nothing all that glaring. This was a very fast paced straightforward way to write, which is typical for a LitRPG.
Final Score: 12.5/15
Originality:
I’ve read a fair amount of LitRPG, and most of them have to do with online gaming, many many books actually have the title include “Online”. I love it when it’s taken in a different direction and a world is built out of it rather than a video game you get sucked into. The main character was totally unique, and the way it was written was also very original. I really liked this one.
Final Score: 13.5/15
Personal Enjoyment:
You can probably tell from my review this one struck a chord with me. This book set out to be a funny and heartwarming book and nailed it. This is a “popcorn” book, but it’s the best kind of fancy popcorn.
Final Score: 10/10
Audience:
Do you want a funny as shit LitRPG with a non-human POV? Do you want a fast-paced book with a lot of action and fight scenes? How about demons and villains trying to steal a recipe for a Greater Golem so they can build an army? Yes? Read this book.
Final Overall Score: 89/100
Plot:
The book opens with an elderly man making lesser Golems out of toys and stuffed animals, you watch as Threadbare is created and starts to come into consciousness. It’s actually a really neat way to experience a character, at first Threadbare has no real mind, he can’t perceive what he’s looking at or understand what or who he is – but little by little he starts ‘leveling up’ and as he does, the more he begins to understand about the world.
He soon makes enemies with the cat after a serious misunderstanding, and it was a riot to read about.
The first 15% of the book or so is Threadbare exploring his surroundings and getting to know his new ‘master’ – a young 11 year old girl named Celia.
After that, the real plot takes off – someone is after the elderly man and his secrets, they now he’s trying to create a Greater Golem which has the capability of becoming sentient and intelligent. A woman has teamed up with some demons to try gain access to his research to use it for their own devices.
There’s a lot of action going on, Threadbare seems to keep getting himself into trouble, good thing his Adorable Level is off the charts, and his Luck stats aren’t too shabby either 🙂
Final Score: 11/15
Character:
Threadbare is a loveable main character, he’s so innocent and from the start he has benign intentions. Even when his ‘brain’ wasn’t fully formed and his thoughts were mostly instincts, one of the first things he does was try to help out another hurt Golem toy.
He’s made an incredible bond with his master, Celia – who is also adorable and spunky. Celia is the elderly mans daughter, and they live together in a cabin in the woods far away from anyone else. She’s rather sheltered but she’s sweet and smart and determined to show her father she’s capable of taking on big tasks. And she is, really, she’s resourceful and clever.
Pulsivar is the family cat, and omg do I love this character. Typical cat, he’s guilty of nothing, gets into trouble, and is overall a snarky ass even though he doesn’t “talk”. Pulsivar was there when Threadbare came into being, and after the elderly man left, the cat got into mischief and knocked over some shelving which landed on some toy Golems. Threadbare went to go help, and accidentally ripped the toy Golem in half in an effort to try and rescue him. Pulsivars reaction is as follows:
“Pulsivar wasn’t entirely sure of the particulars of this situation or whose fault it was, (definitely not his though,) but he was pretty godsdamned sure of two things; One was that he was stuck in this workshop until his human came back, so he couldn’t escape. Two was that he’d just seen that teddy bear straight up murder a fucker.”
Final Score: 14/15
World Building:
This is a litRPG with moderate ‘stats’ in the main text, it’s not as heavy as some of the LitRPG’s – as Threadbare explores his world, he will gain INT when he figures something out, or STR when he lifts something heavy. It goes along with the text and doesn’t bring me out of the moment all that much. Some people really hate stats in LitRPG’s, in this book they are moderately heavy for the first 15% of the book, light for the next 15%, and then scattered a little bit throughout the rest of the book. For me, it wasn’t bad at all.
In this world, people level up like they do in video games, but life wasn’t always like that – it happened about 40 years ago and no one really knows why.
You can only choose a set number of life skills, so choosing your profession in life is a big deal. Celia’s father is very hesitant to teach her new things like Cooking, because she could click “Accept new Profession” and be stuck with that choice for the rest of her life – and she’s only 11.
There are other races in this world, Dwarves are mentioned, and you get to meet a family of Orcs/half Orcs. Celia’s mentor in learning how to be a Scout has married an Orc woman and has a few sons.
Dungeons randomly spawn as well, and if a dungeon gets too dangerous people are sent to shut it down and destroy it. The dungeons can spawn very powerful monsters and they can wreak havoc on the small towns in the surrounding area.
Normal animals have also mutated, there are giant birds that can snatch small kids, there are giant and territorial Raccants which are mutated racoons.
You level up your skills faster if you’re presented with real danger, rather than just practicing, and almost everything has levels. At first, when this new system came into the world people thought it was a blessing… but as time went on they realized that they eventually maxed out on their leveling abilities… but the monsters kept going. It presented a real problem for a long time until people learned that by combining certain “professions” they could “unlock” new things and continue to level up.
Final Score: 13/15
Pacing:
This book started out really interesting, I love non human POV’s and this POV is by far one of the most unique I’ve read. I loved getting to see how he developed from a non-thinking being into a sentient creature. There’s tons of action through the entire book so I just kept turning pages to see what happened next. Solid pacing from start to finish.
Final Score: 15/15
Writing:
Holy shit this was a funny book, it hit all the right things for me, especially with the cat. It also managed to be warm and sweet as well, I adored Celia and her antics. There were a few grammar errors, but fewer than a handful and nothing all that glaring. This was a very fast paced straightforward way to write, which is typical for a LitRPG.
Final Score: 12.5/15
Originality:
I’ve read a fair amount of LitRPG, and most of them have to do with online gaming, many many books actually have the title include “Online”. I love it when it’s taken in a different direction and a world is built out of it rather than a video game you get sucked into. The main character was totally unique, and the way it was written was also very original. I really liked this one.
Final Score: 13.5/15
Personal Enjoyment:
You can probably tell from my review this one struck a chord with me. This book set out to be a funny and heartwarming book and nailed it. This is a “popcorn” book, but it’s the best kind of fancy popcorn.
Final Score: 10/10
Audience:
Do you want a funny as shit LitRPG with a non-human POV? Do you want a fast-paced book with a lot of action and fight scenes? How about demons and villains trying to steal a recipe for a Greater Golem so they can build an army? Yes? Read this book.
Final Overall Score: 89/100
April 22, 2024
You'd be cuter if you were a cat, But i suppose nobody's perfect, Except Cats.
A story of an okay novel went sour, I started this when i was struggling with He who fights with monsters 3, At that time i was reading Threadbare very slowly as well, but it was more enjoyable than He who fights with monsters, Till the shift happened, the last 10%? maybe 5%? of He who fights with monsters were breakneck speed, exhilarating to read, and everything else just paled in comparison.
So i left this novel, I got back to it recently, and finished the last 50%
This is a novel about a teddy bear, that becomes a toy golem, and gains levels, and sentience, and skills and so on.
That was were the story was fun for me, Then the kids got into the story, and i started not giving a fuck about it, but at that point i was thinking damn man, imagine if the novel had no profanity, then it would be great MG LITRPG novel, Then we got to the overly dramatic ending sequence, I am your father, Die old man, Daughter killing her mom as well, Just too much drama to a light read, And did it all amount to anything? at least for me? did it make me want to read the next part?
No to all questions.
So yeah as of right now, i don't think i am willing to waste my time reading the second part of this, issue is with team based litrpg novels, is most of the time, you don't really care much about the rest of the characters, Fuck Them Kids.
And Celia what's happening with Celia anyway? Her grandfather was grooming her to marry her off to the son of the leader of the resistance? Her father isn't much better?!
You can't stand with either man, and she is too young too weak to make for a good fmc
then you got the teddy bear who is too weak to make a good mc, to save her, i bet he will, but after what?
8 adventuring jobs, The Teddy Bear and mostly everyone in the novel, can have up to 8 adventuring jobs...
Too much, i think it's too much, and i think it makes for a very poor progression and very easy OP MC in the making, getting level ups and stats from 8 jobs at the same time.
Being Golemist, Enchanter, Ruler, Scout, Toy Golem, Bear, Model, Necromancer and whatever other jobs he had, too much, you can make OP MC with a necromancer or a golemist, Scout and enchanter also possible to make OP MC with, either of those 4 are very easy to make a 10 novels series of 5000+ pages, and never feel in danger.
The only reason the Bear is weak is because he is behind by years and years of progress than most other people in that world.
Screw it, i can rant more but enough honestly, my message is conveyed by this review of why this turned sour for me.
August 29, 2018
Stuff And Nonsense by Andrew Seiple is quite a delightful fantasy! In this land, about forty years ago numbers started popping up and letting the citizens know about their strengths and what makes them level up. Now it is normal for them to see numbers and achieve wisdom of strength quick and easy by doing a task.
In this land there is a man that is trying to make an army of golems but starting out practicing with toys, this is how we get our star of the book, Threadbear! Threadbare gets into a lot of trouble as he is learning, leveling up, and caring for his little girl. The book is filled with good and the bad. Someone is after the old man's magic and the little girl.
Nothing is as it seems. Other than a scattering of a few curse words, it would definitely would be kid friendly. I got it for my grand daughters that are 12 and 13. I am sure they hear worse at school.
Threadbare definitely is high in charisma in my eyes! I give him high marks for cuteness!
The narration was outstanding! Brilliant performance!
In this land there is a man that is trying to make an army of golems but starting out practicing with toys, this is how we get our star of the book, Threadbear! Threadbare gets into a lot of trouble as he is learning, leveling up, and caring for his little girl. The book is filled with good and the bad. Someone is after the old man's magic and the little girl.
Nothing is as it seems. Other than a scattering of a few curse words, it would definitely would be kid friendly. I got it for my grand daughters that are 12 and 13. I am sure they hear worse at school.
Threadbare definitely is high in charisma in my eyes! I give him high marks for cuteness!
The narration was outstanding! Brilliant performance!
June 18, 2021
Mix of Audio & eBook ~ LitRPG
Mini-Review:
5 Stars for Narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds
5 Stars for Threadbare
4.5 Stars for Plot
4 Stars for Other Characters
I actually put this book on my audio TBR a while back but never got around to it because I thought it would be too much of a child's tale. Then recently, I listened to a few children's stories that were great fun! I've been diving into a lot of LitRPG stories and this seemed like a nice change of pace. It was grand! The story snags you from the very start. I'm not sure if I would have ever said that it would be fun to read a story about a bear that is magicked into life. This one? Total worth reading!
A nice balance of establishing setting, explaining game mechanics, exploring the lore, introducing characters and mix of interactions and battles to keep the pace lively. This story makes me want to grab up one of my stuff bears and drag it around with me. =D
I like how the author managed to make a compelling main character that isn't human or able to talk. I loved how Threadbare evolved from being a simple creature into a daring little hero.
Gotta find out what happens next! Threadbare to the rescue! Adorable +1!
Mini-Review:
5 Stars for Narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds
5 Stars for Threadbare
4.5 Stars for Plot
4 Stars for Other Characters
I actually put this book on my audio TBR a while back but never got around to it because I thought it would be too much of a child's tale. Then recently, I listened to a few children's stories that were great fun! I've been diving into a lot of LitRPG stories and this seemed like a nice change of pace. It was grand! The story snags you from the very start. I'm not sure if I would have ever said that it would be fun to read a story about a bear that is magicked into life. This one? Total worth reading!
A nice balance of establishing setting, explaining game mechanics, exploring the lore, introducing characters and mix of interactions and battles to keep the pace lively. This story makes me want to grab up one of my stuff bears and drag it around with me. =D
I like how the author managed to make a compelling main character that isn't human or able to talk. I loved how Threadbare evolved from being a simple creature into a daring little hero.
Gotta find out what happens next! Threadbare to the rescue! Adorable +1!
March 5, 2022
Funny and adorable litrpg book.
I started reading the ebook, but after a couple of chapters I switched to the audiobook and that made a big difference in my enjoyment. Reading the constant mention of stats was somewhat distracting to me, but Tim Gerard Reynolds' narration of the audiobook made the experience interesting. By the end of the book I was entranced by Threadbare's cuteness.
I started reading the ebook, but after a couple of chapters I switched to the audiobook and that made a big difference in my enjoyment. Reading the constant mention of stats was somewhat distracting to me, but Tim Gerard Reynolds' narration of the audiobook made the experience interesting. By the end of the book I was entranced by Threadbare's cuteness.
July 12, 2021
Rating: 4.5 stars
Adorable +1
Stuff and Nonsense, the first book in Andrew Sieple's Threadbare series, is the most unique and adorable LitRPG I've read. That's right, adorable. As a bonus it also has a healthy dose of humor. The story follows Theadbare, a toy teddy bear golem, and his little girl, Celia. The book begins as Threadbare has just gained sentience and is starting to learn about the world around him.
Threadbare gets into a lot of innocent trouble while initially leveling, though he doesn't know that's what he's doing at first. Celia helps him out significantly as does Pulsavar the family cat. The story doesn't stay completely innocent though part of me wishes it had. I could easily have enjoyed a slice of life story with Threadbare, Celia and Pulsavar. There ends up being a lot more going on than it initially appears and is revealed as the story progresses. The pacing is spot on throughout.
Unlike other LitRPG's I've read this one is not a human player logging into a virtual world to play a game. Instead the characters live in a world that has stats, levels and classes along with some rules that govern how they work. It's a refreshing take on the genre. Telling the story mostly from a teddy bear's point of view adds on to the uniqueness. Even though Threadbare technically doesn't have a mouth to speak with, that's the type of stuffed toy bear he was created from, he has his own "voice" and we get his point of view through his thoughts. It was great learning about how the world works right along with him. This little teddy bear has a lot of depth to him.
I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds tells the tale masterfully, giving it a story book feel that matched the writing wonderfully, even during the action scenes. When I reread that last sentence doesn't seem like should work but it does.
Thanks to my friends at the Vagabond Treehouse for the recommendation. Work it! I'm looking forward to continuing Threadbare's story soon.
Adorable +1
Stuff and Nonsense, the first book in Andrew Sieple's Threadbare series, is the most unique and adorable LitRPG I've read. That's right, adorable. As a bonus it also has a healthy dose of humor. The story follows Theadbare, a toy teddy bear golem, and his little girl, Celia. The book begins as Threadbare has just gained sentience and is starting to learn about the world around him.
Threadbare gets into a lot of innocent trouble while initially leveling, though he doesn't know that's what he's doing at first. Celia helps him out significantly as does Pulsavar the family cat. The story doesn't stay completely innocent though part of me wishes it had. I could easily have enjoyed a slice of life story with Threadbare, Celia and Pulsavar. There ends up being a lot more going on than it initially appears and is revealed as the story progresses. The pacing is spot on throughout.
Unlike other LitRPG's I've read this one is not a human player logging into a virtual world to play a game. Instead the characters live in a world that has stats, levels and classes along with some rules that govern how they work. It's a refreshing take on the genre. Telling the story mostly from a teddy bear's point of view adds on to the uniqueness. Even though Threadbare technically doesn't have a mouth to speak with, that's the type of stuffed toy bear he was created from, he has his own "voice" and we get his point of view through his thoughts. It was great learning about how the world works right along with him. This little teddy bear has a lot of depth to him.
I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds tells the tale masterfully, giving it a story book feel that matched the writing wonderfully, even during the action scenes. When I reread that last sentence doesn't seem like should work but it does.
Thanks to my friends at the Vagabond Treehouse for the recommendation. Work it! I'm looking forward to continuing Threadbare's story soon.
February 7, 2023
This book was filled with fun stuff and nonsense. Going into it I was somewhat biased. I mean, really, it is a fantasy story about a teddy bear. Totally my thing! I'm always afraid that I might get too worked up about a book and it will end up disappointing but this one held out and now I can't wait to get my hands on book 2.
It is about a teddy bear who gets turned into a toy golem by a wizard. The wizard thinks his experiment has failed and before he can do anything about it, his daughter takes the bear for her own, giving him the name of Threadbare. From there, the bear's whole mission is to protect this girl. As he learns life and all that it encompasses, he gains levels and experience points. This hits the heart for any gamer or D&D fan out there. He is constantly advancing as he learns but those around him do as well. There is also issue of hit points being taken away, quests to endure, and healing to master. The adventure starts off gentle enough. I was thinking it could've easily been a young adult book but then it gets kind of darker and the quests more sinister. So it definitely is an adult adventure just with an adorable teddy bear.
It is about a teddy bear who gets turned into a toy golem by a wizard. The wizard thinks his experiment has failed and before he can do anything about it, his daughter takes the bear for her own, giving him the name of Threadbare. From there, the bear's whole mission is to protect this girl. As he learns life and all that it encompasses, he gains levels and experience points. This hits the heart for any gamer or D&D fan out there. He is constantly advancing as he learns but those around him do as well. There is also issue of hit points being taken away, quests to endure, and healing to master. The adventure starts off gentle enough. I was thinking it could've easily been a young adult book but then it gets kind of darker and the quests more sinister. So it definitely is an adult adventure just with an adorable teddy bear.
April 27, 2018
Threadbare was a fantastic little book. It’s a LitRPG with some serious gaming mechanics crossed over with comedic fantasy, and I really enjoyed reading it. The main character, Threadbare, is a teddy bear turned golem. He starts off at level 1 with incredibly low intelligence, unable to read or understand human speech. As he experiences more things his stats increase and he begins to comprehend more.
I found this method of character development to be quite intriguing and unique. I’ve not read many LitRPGs and definitely none with this level of RPG components in it. Threadbare develops skills and classes the same way you would in a video game; for example, early on while his intelligence is low and he’s only been alive for a couple of hours:
It is a fairly unique way of developing characters and I really enjoyed the obvious points of growth.
Threadbare as a whole is also quite comedic. As you can probably imagine, quite a lot of trouble ensues when you have a small animated teddy bear with no intelligence running amok. The story starts off with him fighting the cat, Pulsivar. I never expected to find a teddy bear and a cat fighting each other so engrossing. I really shouldn’t have been surprised that I found it humorous, though.
A lot of the early sections of the book are based on Threadbare learning about his environment and how a multitude of misunderstandings makes him enemies with the cat and makes him the loyal follower of his creator’s little girl, Celia. Their relationship is really awesome, and it’s amazing to see little Theadbare, the 12 inch tall teddy bear, standing up to defend her.
Pulisvar also makes frequent appearances. He has a stereotypically cat-like attitude. He is “twenty-five pounds of the gods’ perfect killing machine” and nothing bad that happens is ever his fault. Nope, he was definitely not involved.
There is a plot to the book too. It takes a little while for it to start, and wasn’t really what held my attention throughout the story. The real strong points are the humour and characters throughout the book.
Cuteness and humour abound, and it’s a fantastic quick read. I devoured it in two sittings and probably would’ve done it in one if I didn’t have to sleep before work the next day.
Audience
This book is probably best for people who like:
- Comedic Fantasy
- LitRPG
- Non-human characters
- Fast-paced
For more reviews, check out my blog: https://thefantasyinn.wordpress.com/
I found this method of character development to be quite intriguing and unique. I’ve not read many LitRPGs and definitely none with this level of RPG components in it. Threadbare develops skills and classes the same way you would in a video game; for example, early on while his intelligence is low and he’s only been alive for a couple of hours:
He was amazed to find out that hey, you could bend your legs when you walked! That was a pretty novel idea!
INT +1
It is a fairly unique way of developing characters and I really enjoyed the obvious points of growth.
Threadbare as a whole is also quite comedic. As you can probably imagine, quite a lot of trouble ensues when you have a small animated teddy bear with no intelligence running amok. The story starts off with him fighting the cat, Pulsivar. I never expected to find a teddy bear and a cat fighting each other so engrossing. I really shouldn’t have been surprised that I found it humorous, though.
A lot of the early sections of the book are based on Threadbare learning about his environment and how a multitude of misunderstandings makes him enemies with the cat and makes him the loyal follower of his creator’s little girl, Celia. Their relationship is really awesome, and it’s amazing to see little Theadbare, the 12 inch tall teddy bear, standing up to defend her.
Pulisvar also makes frequent appearances. He has a stereotypically cat-like attitude. He is “twenty-five pounds of the gods’ perfect killing machine” and nothing bad that happens is ever his fault. Nope, he was definitely not involved.
There is a plot to the book too. It takes a little while for it to start, and wasn’t really what held my attention throughout the story. The real strong points are the humour and characters throughout the book.
Cuteness and humour abound, and it’s a fantastic quick read. I devoured it in two sittings and probably would’ve done it in one if I didn’t have to sleep before work the next day.
Audience
This book is probably best for people who like:
- Comedic Fantasy
- LitRPG
- Non-human characters
- Fast-paced
For more reviews, check out my blog: https://thefantasyinn.wordpress.com/
June 18, 2018
Much like Morningwood: Everybody Loves Large Chests, I picked this up based on the name and premise, and I'm glad I did. This book is not only great on a mechanics level, similar to Dungeon Born, but is also exceptionally charming. It's a little like playing Final Fantasy, but your main character is Winny the Poo. This one is going on my favorites list, I can't wait for the next one.
January 13, 2018
Outstanding: Fresh, Fun, and Professionally Done
This book is so good that it will spawn a new sub-genre of LitRPG: “LitGolem”, “Teddy Lit”, or some such. Just watch.
Firstly, the light and masterful touch on the story tone, character attitudes, and dialogue is excellent. It reads much like a Pratchett book would. Simply put, it’s just plain fun to read.
Secondly, the action, dialogue, characters, plot, and world are all fresh and new. All of it. Even when you think you might have a handle on what will happen based on your past reading experience, you will likely be incorrect. How’s that for a page-turner?
Finally, the editing is superb. Somehow, through heavily-accented dialogue, status messages, wildly-varied character names, and simply massive amounts of text, practically no editing issues were seen. I don’t recall hitting any. (And that is the point.)
If you like (really) good stories, fantasy worlds, humorous and even ironic situations, and/or LitRPG stories, are then do yourself a favor and read this.
Highly recommended.
This book is so good that it will spawn a new sub-genre of LitRPG: “LitGolem”, “Teddy Lit”, or some such. Just watch.
Firstly, the light and masterful touch on the story tone, character attitudes, and dialogue is excellent. It reads much like a Pratchett book would. Simply put, it’s just plain fun to read.
Secondly, the action, dialogue, characters, plot, and world are all fresh and new. All of it. Even when you think you might have a handle on what will happen based on your past reading experience, you will likely be incorrect. How’s that for a page-turner?
Finally, the editing is superb. Somehow, through heavily-accented dialogue, status messages, wildly-varied character names, and simply massive amounts of text, practically no editing issues were seen. I don’t recall hitting any. (And that is the point.)
If you like (really) good stories, fantasy worlds, humorous and even ironic situations, and/or LitRPG stories, are then do yourself a favor and read this.
Highly recommended.
June 5, 2021
This was such a wonderful read 5/5. I first found this on royalroad but never really fully read it. I decided to take the plunge and I am definitely glad that I did. The story was very entertaining and unlike most it wasn’t overburdened by the LitRPG elements. It wasn’t anything too flashy and it started out slow, but the author does a wonderful job of keeping you enthralled with the story. I am rushing this review so I could start the second book already!
November 29, 2021
The conceit is cute but the plot is half-baked and dull, the cast is bland and boring, and the worldbuilding is lazy. The orcs dropped in for no apparent reason except to be a literal barbarian slave class was a "nice" touch. Say you're terrified of Black people without saying you're terrified of Black people.
February 27, 2023
Such a fun fantasy tale with some great world building! All manner of magical creatures both "adorable" and deadly. It's non stop action in a world where experiences let you "level up" if you're not killed. This is fun but brutal and definitely has adult situations so not for kids. It does leave us hanging at the end and in need of reading book 2.
November 6, 2018
Slow start, but gripping middle and end. Excellent novel by litrpg standards. Looking forward to the sequel.
May 13, 2022
Better than your average LitRPG
It has a lot of markings of amateur fiction, and could benefit from a stricter editor. There are still a few grammatical errors in the book and a typo in the appendix. The story usually follows Threadbare's point of view, but will switch to 3rd person omniscient to share other character's viewpoints on something, or even the narrative voice's opinion on something - I found that to be jarring most times it happened.
Other LitRPG books mostly share 3 flaws:
-Constantly updating the reader on stats
-focusing too much on watching the character grow in power, at expense of plot
-too much power fantasy, too little conflict and plot.
This story holds the first problem, but it dodges the others. To the book's credit, Threadbare does not "powergame", but rather makes endearingly non-optimal decisions. The plot is good and engaging, though the conflict focuses around mortal peril, and lacks the emotional or ethical struggles that are always necessary for a book to be truly great.
With that said, after I read enough to get attached, I found Threadbare to be an enjoyable read. The bear himself has his moments and I failed to resist his "Adorable" skill on many occasions. If you want a story about a toy and it's child, I would look instead at traditional literature, like The Miraculous Adventure of Edward Tulane. If you want a LitRPG, aren't bothered by constant updates on a character's stats, but want a likeable protagonist that isn't acting selfishly or power gaming for the whole book, then I highly recommend this book.
(Later update: my favorite thing about this particular LitRPG story was the lack of powergaming, but sadly that element is discarded right off the bat in book 2, which opens up with an entire chapter of Threadbare optimizing his build. Alas.)
It has a lot of markings of amateur fiction, and could benefit from a stricter editor. There are still a few grammatical errors in the book and a typo in the appendix. The story usually follows Threadbare's point of view, but will switch to 3rd person omniscient to share other character's viewpoints on something, or even the narrative voice's opinion on something - I found that to be jarring most times it happened.
Other LitRPG books mostly share 3 flaws:
-Constantly updating the reader on stats
-focusing too much on watching the character grow in power, at expense of plot
-too much power fantasy, too little conflict and plot.
This story holds the first problem, but it dodges the others. To the book's credit, Threadbare does not "powergame", but rather makes endearingly non-optimal decisions. The plot is good and engaging, though the conflict focuses around mortal peril, and lacks the emotional or ethical struggles that are always necessary for a book to be truly great.
With that said, after I read enough to get attached, I found Threadbare to be an enjoyable read. The bear himself has his moments and I failed to resist his "Adorable" skill on many occasions. If you want a story about a toy and it's child, I would look instead at traditional literature, like The Miraculous Adventure of Edward Tulane. If you want a LitRPG, aren't bothered by constant updates on a character's stats, but want a likeable protagonist that isn't acting selfishly or power gaming for the whole book, then I highly recommend this book.
(Later update: my favorite thing about this particular LitRPG story was the lack of powergaming, but sadly that element is discarded right off the bat in book 2, which opens up with an entire chapter of Threadbare optimizing his build. Alas.)
January 31, 2025
I really wanted to like this, and there were times (mostly in the middle) where I did.
The beginning had this cutesy, childish tone that didn't appeal to me. The end went all Game of Thrones, and that was soooo not what I signed up for when reading a story about a teddy bear.
For a little while in the middle, a girl and her teddy bear had some adventures and the story hit the sweet spot for me.
The end ripped out all the fun stuffing and left behind a pile of WTF in a bloody heap on the floor.
The beginning had this cutesy, childish tone that didn't appeal to me. The end went all Game of Thrones, and that was soooo not what I signed up for when reading a story about a teddy bear.
For a little while in the middle, a girl and her teddy bear had some adventures and the story hit the sweet spot for me.
The end ripped out all the fun stuffing and left behind a pile of WTF in a bloody heap on the floor.
June 25, 2019
I loved this book so much! It was cute and adorable and funny and heartbreaking and...just...amazing!
I highly recommend this to anyone, do not be deterred by the fantasy or litrpg elements.
I highly recommend this to anyone, do not be deterred by the fantasy or litrpg elements.
June 10, 2019
DNF Bored me far too much to care or finish listening, and I am not interested in children books.
Should be titled "Hundred Acre Woods Online" (Winnie the poo meets Pinocchio).
Should be titled "Hundred Acre Woods Online" (Winnie the poo meets Pinocchio).
May 16, 2021
_Stuff and Nonsense_ by Andrew Seiple receives three stars from me. I found the work initially enjoyable, but by the end tedious.
Since this was an audiobook first the reader. Tim Gerard Reynolds read this version. His reading is excellent. His voices are distinguished and believable. His reading is what kept me going with this book because honestly, the story didn't engage me as much as I thought it would. I would not hesitate to buy a book narrated by Reynolds. He's fantastic.
Now on to the novel. This is an RPG novel and the second of this new to me genre. I think this genre is not for me. But, you have to try new things and experiment. My first RPG was returned before I finished the first couple of chapters. After reading some of the comments about this book, I decided to give it a try. Look, I think in the genre it might be a fine work, but it, for me, is failing in that the story relies to heavily on the convention of the game which gets tedious as the novel progressive. Criticism skill level 1. You are now a critic. What else fails for me is the like of a clear direction of the novel. The novel seems to wander around with this silent but not really investigate "thing" that is going to happen but when? So, one could say that this was indicated. However, Celia's role is not explained, and why she's important either.
I love themes, and this one might have some, but here's the problem for me--they are not fully developed or fully indicated. The importance of learning could be one; the importance of knowing your role in society might be another. But these are not really developed. One theme that I realized could be interesting is the importance of honesty. Always be honest, tell people the real situation, and deal with that. Again, this isn't explored.
This is a kind of speculative fiction--the author asks what would it be like if the game were real? I think that's great.
Recommended: Since it is clear that this genre is not for me, I do not feel I can recommend it or not. However, if you are interested in RPG novels but haven't tried them. This could be a good place to start.
Since this was an audiobook first the reader. Tim Gerard Reynolds read this version. His reading is excellent. His voices are distinguished and believable. His reading is what kept me going with this book because honestly, the story didn't engage me as much as I thought it would. I would not hesitate to buy a book narrated by Reynolds. He's fantastic.
Now on to the novel. This is an RPG novel and the second of this new to me genre. I think this genre is not for me. But, you have to try new things and experiment. My first RPG was returned before I finished the first couple of chapters. After reading some of the comments about this book, I decided to give it a try. Look, I think in the genre it might be a fine work, but it, for me, is failing in that the story relies to heavily on the convention of the game which gets tedious as the novel progressive. Criticism skill level 1. You are now a critic. What else fails for me is the like of a clear direction of the novel. The novel seems to wander around with this silent but not really investigate "thing" that is going to happen but when? So, one could say that this was indicated. However, Celia's role is not explained, and why she's important either.
I love themes, and this one might have some, but here's the problem for me--they are not fully developed or fully indicated. The importance of learning could be one; the importance of knowing your role in society might be another. But these are not really developed. One theme that I realized could be interesting is the importance of honesty. Always be honest, tell people the real situation, and deal with that. Again, this isn't explored.
This is a kind of speculative fiction--the author asks what would it be like if the game were real? I think that's great.
Recommended: Since it is clear that this genre is not for me, I do not feel I can recommend it or not. However, if you are interested in RPG novels but haven't tried them. This could be a good place to start.
December 15, 2020
Good character interactions and plot development at times, but before this, I had no idea what a LitRPG novel was. I wish I still didn't. It gets really distracting when I'm immersed in the story, the antagonists, the threat of the moment or the obstacle in our characters' path, and I see an entire page of this:
STR +1 Your Claw Swipes skill is now level 6!
Your Forage skill is now level 2!
Your Forage skill is now level 3!
Critical Hit!
LUCK +1
Your Forage skill is now level 4!
You have unlocked the Grizzly job!
Level up to meet rank requirements!
You are now a level 3 Bear!
CON +3
STR +3
WIS +3
Armor +3
Endurance +3
Mental Fortitude +3
You're reading the review of someone who still hails Final Fantasy 6 for the SNES (III to American audiences of the time) as the greatest video game storyline of all time. I know my RPG's. From Dragon Warrior, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger all the way up to Persona, Suikoden, Xenogears and Wild Arms. Despite all this, I do not like to read player stats when I'm immersed in the world of a novel. It just. Doesn't. Fit!!!
Seiple, Andrew. Threadbare Volume 1: Stuff and Nonsense (pp. 83-84). Kindle Edition.
STR +1 Your Claw Swipes skill is now level 6!
Your Forage skill is now level 2!
Your Forage skill is now level 3!
Critical Hit!
LUCK +1
Your Forage skill is now level 4!
You have unlocked the Grizzly job!
Level up to meet rank requirements!
You are now a level 3 Bear!
CON +3
STR +3
WIS +3
Armor +3
Endurance +3
Mental Fortitude +3
You're reading the review of someone who still hails Final Fantasy 6 for the SNES (III to American audiences of the time) as the greatest video game storyline of all time. I know my RPG's. From Dragon Warrior, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger all the way up to Persona, Suikoden, Xenogears and Wild Arms. Despite all this, I do not like to read player stats when I'm immersed in the world of a novel. It just. Doesn't. Fit!!!
Seiple, Andrew. Threadbare Volume 1: Stuff and Nonsense (pp. 83-84). Kindle Edition.
August 12, 2018
This was a pleasant surprise. I went in expecting very little but was sold when I discovered Tim Gerard Reynolds was narrating. The pacing was spot on and the concept and characters were so funny and original I was chuckling at the edge my seat for poor little Threadbare the heroic animated toy teddy bear. I really appreciated that the stat dumps weren't obnoxious, a non issue for a paperback copy but when you're listening a 10 minute dialog of stats it can become frustrating quick.
The target audience for this series is not children and does contain some profanity and very mild sexual content. But don't expect the likes of Ted. It's not crude at all. It can easily be enjoyed by any age I feel, unless you absolutely fear your child reading a few swear words or a, couple sentences about someones breasts, or implied sex.
The second book is out already so I will jump right in and will do the same for the final book when it becomes available on Audible. Even if you are not sold on the concept of LitRPG if you enjoy whimsical fantasy you can't go wrong.
The target audience for this series is not children and does contain some profanity and very mild sexual content. But don't expect the likes of Ted. It's not crude at all. It can easily be enjoyed by any age I feel, unless you absolutely fear your child reading a few swear words or a, couple sentences about someones breasts, or implied sex.
The second book is out already so I will jump right in and will do the same for the final book when it becomes available on Audible. Even if you are not sold on the concept of LitRPG if you enjoy whimsical fantasy you can't go wrong.
August 19, 2025
Stuff and Nonsense starts with an interesting premise: a LitRPG told through the perspective of a newly sentient teddy bear. I was instantly amused by the concept and curious how such a story could even work—and at first, it really does. The opening half is whimsical and charming, following Threadbare as he learns to bend his knees, befriend a cat, and adore his young owner. Seeing the world through his naive, limited perspective was both entertaining and surprisingly heartwarming.
Unfortunately, about halfway through, the book loses sight of what made it special. The focus shifts away from Threadbare and into generic LitRPG worldbuilding and setup for future books. Threadbare himself becomes more of an accessory than the heart of the story. On top of that, the book seems torn between audiences—on one hand, it could’ve been a wonderful, kid-friendly entry into the genre, but Seiple undercuts that with profanity and sexual references that feel jarringly out of place in a teddy bear’s tale.
In the end, it just doesn’t know what it wants to be—and because of that, it lost me. Wouldn’t recommend.
Unfortunately, about halfway through, the book loses sight of what made it special. The focus shifts away from Threadbare and into generic LitRPG worldbuilding and setup for future books. Threadbare himself becomes more of an accessory than the heart of the story. On top of that, the book seems torn between audiences—on one hand, it could’ve been a wonderful, kid-friendly entry into the genre, but Seiple undercuts that with profanity and sexual references that feel jarringly out of place in a teddy bear’s tale.
In the end, it just doesn’t know what it wants to be—and because of that, it lost me. Wouldn’t recommend.
February 15, 2020
Super cute and unique concept.
A LitRPG from the perspective of a teddy bear.
It has made me unexpectedly laugh out loud several times just from the randomness and adorableness of the bear
It's an incredibly fun book that is hilarious, charming, and definitely worth reading.
For a LitRPG it's pretty heavy of character stats, which I quite enjoy but may not be for everyone!
I’m currently reading the sequel and loving just as much.
RECOMMEND!
A LitRPG from the perspective of a teddy bear.
It has made me unexpectedly laugh out loud several times just from the randomness and adorableness of the bear
It's an incredibly fun book that is hilarious, charming, and definitely worth reading.
For a LitRPG it's pretty heavy of character stats, which I quite enjoy but may not be for everyone!
I’m currently reading the sequel and loving just as much.
RECOMMEND!
January 27, 2018
4.5 stars. Highly recommended for fans of the litrpg genre, especially those who want an interesting concept; in this case the main character is a golem that gains sentience. Will definitely pick up the next in the series.
May 9, 2020
A great story about a very determined Teddy Bear doing a lot of impressive things, like talking, cleaning, and killing demons.
November 9, 2020
Cute. Funny. Would be good for kids if it didn't have cursing and a murder scene.
June 7, 2019
Awesome series and very enjoyable to read.
September 8, 2018
I kind of struggled with this to begin with, but couldn’t put it down by the end. Can’t wait to read volume 2!
November 10, 2022
This was a fun litRPG story where the main character is a sentient teddy bear - brought to sentience as a golem. Threadbare finds himself in all sorts of trouble and saved from the ultimate fate by a variety of friends. All through the book he gets stronger and stronger - learning all sorts of odd skills, like tailor and scout and modeling.
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