Storytellers On Tour: The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True By Sean Gibson - Encore

This past week we gave the spotlight to The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True, the first book in Sean Gibson’ Comic Fantasy series, Heloise the Bard! Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, interviews and other posts. Now it’s time to bring the show to an end and it’s my pleasure to present you with the encore, including some extra content. Come and learn a bit more about the world of The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True through Sean’s fan cast!

Shall we?

Sean Gibson is not a professional mini biography writer (if he were, this would be much more compelling). Instead, he’s a marketing professional by day, hangs out with his amazing wife, son, and daughter by night, and writes somewhere in between. He holds a BA in English Literature from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, but he really wishes he had been able to matriculate at Hogwarts (he would have been in Hufflepuff for sure). Sean is a fan of sports teams from Detroit, a distressingly large number of bands that rose to prominence in the 1980s, and writing in the third person. He currently resides in Northern Virginia, and, given how much he hates moving, and given that his house has an awesome library, is likely to remain there for some time.

In addition to The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True, Sean is the author of The Chronicle of Heloise & Grimple as well as The Camelot Shadow and its prequel short, “The Strange Task Before Me.” He has written extensively for Kirkus Reviews, and his book reviews have also appeared in Esquire.

Follow him on Twitter @Gibknight, but only if you’re really bored and enjoy tomfoolery.

The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson

Sure, you think you know the story of the fearsome red dragon, Dragonia. How it terrorized the village of Skendrick until a brave band of heroes answered the noble villagers’ call for aid. How nothing could stop those courageous souls from facing down the dragon. How they emerged victorious and laden with treasure.

But, even in a world filled with epic adventures and tales of derring-do, where dragons, goblins, and unlicensed prestidigitators run amok, legendary heroes don’t always know what they’re doing. Sometimes they’re clueless. Sometimes beleaguered townsfolk are more hapless than helpless. And orcs? They’re not always assholes, and sometimes they don’t actually want to eat your children. Heloise the Bard, Erithea’s most renowned storyteller (at least, to hear her tell it), is here to set the record straight. See, it turns out adventuring isn’t easy, and true heroism is as rare as an articulate villager. Having spent decades propagating this particular myth (which, incidentally, she wrote), she’s finally able to tell the real story-for which she just so happened to have a front-row seat. Welcome to Erithea. I hope you brought a change of undergarments-things are going to get messy.

Click on the blog name to read their full review or other content!

“Goofy fun. Sit back and let yourself be entertained, as our little adventuring group bickers their way through some very messy situations in their quest to make a name for themselves.”

@jesslikestoread253 – IG spotlight + review

“This is the type of book that reminds you that there are books out there that are just fun and fanciful and entertaining; that there are authors you may have not read before, but you are so glad you found them.”

JANUARY 23RD

Gnoflet Reads – review

“Overall, I loved this book all the way through. If you enjoy storytelling like Dungeons and Dragons, or just are looking for a different twist on fantasy tropes I would suggest giving The Part About The Dragon Was (Mostly) True a try.”

Westveil Publishing – review

“This is truly a hilarious adventure, and if anyone disagrees, there are rock giants to answer to. And dragons. (Allegedly.) With that said, I must agree with several other reviewers before me (I like to make sure we’ve all read the same book when I’m done reading) that it perhaps hits a little too hard, too soon with the humour.”

JANUARY 24TH

Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub – review

“While the humor felt a little forced from time to time, there were enough laugh-out-loud moments to place this book in the “hilarious” category. The not-so-subtle knocking of common fantasy tropes were a lot of fun to read, and the characters cracked me up. The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True will be perfect for anyone who needs a good laugh, and isn’t that pretty much everyone?”

JANUARY 25TH

Through Novel Time and Distance – review

“From the first moment I feasted my eyes on that awesome cover of that book on Instagram to now, it has become one of my favorite reads this year. If I can tell everyone how funny this book is and make them read it, I will be a happy person. Who doesn’t need a bit of silliness and humor in their life?”

Rusty’s Reads – review

“Overall, I enjoyed this book. It felt like a palate cleanser for the start of this year (after a crazy 2020 that we just ran fleeing away from). It may not be for all, but this is a great book for those who just want a bit of fun and a few chuckles.”

The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson IG wrap up

The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True: The Series

It’s unclear at this point who will be bold enough to adapt Heloise’s adventures for the small screen (looking at you, Netflix and HBO Max, to start the bidding war), but one thing is for sure: it could combine the absurdity of Monty Python, the joke cadence of 30 Rock, and the self-awareness of Rick and Morty to create something, well, ridiculous. But, who best to lead the cast of kooky characters? Glad you asked, dear reader. Allow me to offer some suggestions…

Heloise the Bard

Look, there are a lot of people who could do a good Heloise, but I think Kristen Bell would do the BEST Heloise. No one can pull off sassy, sarcastic, sweet, and sympathetic at the same time like she can. No matter how egregious Heloise’s braggadocio and snark gets, it’s essential that you still like her. And there’s no way to not like Kristen Bell.

Nadi Ghettinwood

The leader of our band of heroes is pretty much the only character in the entire story who has any sense of poise, gravitas, and seriousness. So, let’s bring in the sublimely talented Evan Rachel Wood to ground this group of chuckleheads.

Whiska Tailiesin

We need someone who radiates power and has a wickedly sharp tongue she freely points at her friends, but also gives the sense that she won’t let anything happen to those friends when danger threatens. Sounds like Retta to me.

Borgunder Gunderbor

Let’s reunite Manny Jacinto with his Good Place costar. We know he can kill it playing characters who sound less than intelligent but come up with some profoundly brilliant insight, and he’d nail Borg’s halting cadence and kindness.

Rumscrabble Tooltinker

You know who would bring the perfect mix of charm, relentless cheerfulness, childlike wonder, and dexterously smooth physicality to the role of Rummy? Donald Glover, that’s who.

High Chieftain Gnurk

Clearly, I’m smitten with the Good Place, because William Jackson Harper would be perfect for the wise, fierce, plays-against-type leader of the orcs. Also, we know he has chemistry with Kristen Bell, which would come in handy here…

Alderman Wooddunny

The much put-upon leader of the town (or is that village?) of Skendrick needs to be funny while playing it straight. Patton Oswalt would crush it.

Farmer Benton

Since Jack Starrett isn’t around to play the most unintelligible man in Erithea, let’s go with the inimitable Nick Offerman.

Widow Gershon

…and since we’ve got Offerman playing Farmer Benton, we need to get Megan Mullally on board to play his sharp-tongued enemy/possible love interest.

The Minotaur

A fearsome foe with a flagrant flatulence problem, jacked D&D aficionado Joe Manganiello would relish the chance to flex his muscles and his comedic chops.

The Dragon

We need someone who can do dry, droll, serious, and threatening. Elliot Page could pull it off with aplomb.

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If you are interested in The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True and would like to get in contact with Sean Gibson, you can find him on social media: