Travis Baldree | |
|---|---|
 Baldree atJapan Expo 2024 | |
| Born | Travis Baldree 1977 (age 48–49) Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupations | Author, audiobook narrator, videogame developer |
| Website | www |
Travis Baldree (born 1977[1]) is an American author,audiobooknarrator, andvideo game designer. He is best known for the video gameTorchlight (2009), for narrating the audiobooks of theCradle series byWill Wight, and for his novelLegends & Lattes (2022), which won theAstounding Award for Best New Writer.
Baldree was born inNacogdoches, Texas in 1977.[2] He lived inEden, Texas, before moving toColfax, Washington.[1][3] Baldree later recalled that he wanted to grow up to be a writer.[3]
Baldree went to college atWashington State University before leaving to work as a software engineer and game developer.[2] Beginning in 1998,[1] Baldree designed and made video games, such asTorchlight,Rebel Galaxy andFate.[4][5]
Baldree co-foundedRunic Games andDouble Damage Games.[2] He later described his work in game development as focusing on engineering and company management, not storytelling.[6]
Baldree later began narrating audiobooks as a hobby.[3] In his 40s he switched into audiobook narration as a full-time career. He said he was frequently cast for fantasy action-adventure novels but enjoyed narrating fantasy romance books on the rare occasions he got them.[2] He narrated all twelve entries of theCradle series byWill Wight, includingThe New York Times audio monthly best sellersBloodline,Reaper,Dreadgod andWaybound.[7] Paul Constant ofThe Seattle Times described him as "an in-demand narrator of audiobooks."[8]
In 2021, Baldree participated inNaNoWriMo with a fellow narrator and writer, Aven Shore-Kind. Baldree recounts that over 26 days, he wrote most of what would become his debut novel. Because it was during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the themes of the book reflected his desire for escapism in media in the vein ofThe Great British Bake Off or the fantasy romances he enjoyed narrating.[2] The book becameLegends & Lattes, which he self-published on Amazon in 2022.[3] It was later published byTor.[9] The book's protagonist, Viv, is an orc swordsman retiring from adventuring in order to open a coffee shop. Romance and business conflicts follow as the shop grows.[9]
Legends & Lattes was a finalist for the 2023Hugo Award for Best Novel and earned Baldree the 2023Astounding Award for Best New Writer.[10] He also narrated its audiobook (for which he was nominated for anAudie Award for Fantasy[11]).Booklist gave the novel a starred review, and reviewer Sarah Rice compared the book's positive messages toDiscworld stories.[12]Publishers Weekly described it as a "charming" and "gentle" tale.[13]
Baldree released a prequel titledBookshops & Bonedust in November 2023. In the book, Viv is healing from battle with a necromancer in the town of Murk when she meets Fern, a cross between a human and a rat whose bookstore is falling into disrepair. As Viv helps Fern fix her shop, their relationship grows, but the necromancer threatens to upset their peace.[14] Adrienne Martini, forLocus, described the book as "the story equivalent of a warm blanket on a bleak day" with "direct and engaging" prose and simple stakes.[15]Bookshops & Bonedust became a finalist for the 2024Washington State Book Awards in Fiction.[3]
Baldree describes his series as "cozy fantasy", which focuses on everyday moments in the style ofspeculative fiction and fantasy. He believes that casting seemingly-mundane problems in the lens of cozy fantasy tales helps to remind readers that these issues do matter and facing them is meaningful.[6]
In 2024, Baldree released a short story, "Goblins & Greatcoats" viaSubterranean Press. In it, a goblin named Zyll shelters at an inn and tries to solve a mystery between the guests. Charles Payseur, reviewing forLocus, praised the story for its pacing, characterization and plot twists.[16]
Baldree is voicing Lindon and Eithan in the upcomingCradle animatic.
| Work | Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legends & Lattes | 2022 | Nebula Award | Best Novel | Nominated | [17] |
| Goodreads Choice Award | Fantasy | [18] | |||
| 2023 | Hugo Award | Best Novel | [19] | ||
| Locus Award | First Novel | [20] | |||
| Audie Award | Fantasy | [21] | |||
| Washington State Book Award | Fiction | [22] | |||
| RUSA CODES Reading List | Fantasy | [23] | |||
| Bookshops & Bonedust | 2023 | Goodreads Choice Award | Fantasy | Nominated | [24] |
| 2024 | Mythopoeic Fantasy Award | Adult Literature | [25] | ||
| Washington State Book Award | Fiction | [26] | |||
| 2025 | Audie Award | Fantasy | Won | [27] | |
| Narration by the Author | Nominated | ||||
| Brigands & Breadknives | 2025 | Goodreads Choice Award | Fantasy | Nominated | [28] |
| 2023 | Astounding Award for Best New Writer | Won | [29] |
Baldree lived inSeattle, Washington while working in game development but later moved toSpokane, Washington.[3]
