I got this softcover, subtitled "An Introduction to Interspecies Linguistics", at Barnes and Noble. It's a charming little tale in which novice linguist Hakaha goes into the Netherworld to take up his injured mentor's work in studying the languages of a variety of supernatural beings (most of which would fit neatly into a D&D game's "wandering monsters" list). But there are some nice twists here: not only are the societies of the different creatures more complex than one might think, but the author has made sure that each type has a language based on their own physical abilities and their needs. So the werewolves have a strong clan culture and communicate well, but there are some sounds they can't make - and they rely so heavily on scent for most of their intraspecies communication that when they vocalize with other species there are... gaps.

The lizard-folk have different limitations and expectations, and the slimes (or perhaps it should be "slime", as the creatures merge and separate at will) even more different. And poor Hakaha - who hasn't studied his mentor's notes as completely as he should have - often seems behind the curve when meeting yet another new species. The little werewolf girl (half were, half human - she's his mentor's daughter by one of the werewolves) is a very helpful guide, but there are still some fraught moments here and there. Overall it's more of a gag-strip series, but with some intriguing bits about communication and expectations. (One fun bit: in this world, dragons typically consume the bodies of their dead, so when invited to dinner don't be surprised if the guests comment on how tasty Grandfather is...)

I'm including this in a box of books going to BCer HI77, in a trade. Enjoy!

*** Released for the 2021 Wine+Food challenge, for author name "salt". ***

*** Released for the 2021 Great Backyard Bird Count challenge (see www.birdcount.org to join the count), for the WINGED harpy on the cover. ***

The works is a funny place,

Duck through a few trees
and chat with a vampire or two.