Bloody Rose

"The idea of mapping the roles of a Dungeons & Dragons-style adventuring party onto the roles in a rock band is so intensely perfect, it’s a marvel that no one came up with it before Nicholas Eames. (It’s less perfect for the bards, though, who keep meeting Spinal Tap drummer-esque fates.) Bloody Rose follows bored barkeep Tam Hashford as she chucks her job and takes off for a life of monster-slaying glory. It’s the second volume in a series, but I have no compunctions about telling you to go read the first book, Kings of the Wyld, too – Eames blends both a love of music and fantasy adventure with surprisingly deep, serious storytelling for a thoroughly satisfying read. And, of course, catching all the music in-jokes is just gravy."