# Stuff and Nonsense

By Andrew Seiple · Threadbare, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/stuff-and-nonsense-c29b9f9d/

A discarded teddy-bear golem is rescued by a little girl and begins learning how to survive. Threadbare is only a foot tall and understands almost nothing, but each new skill makes him more capable of helping her in a dangerous world.

## What makes it funny?

His first intelligence upgrade leaves him staring at a system prompt he cannot read. The floating message is simply in the way. Game mechanics give this toy the machinery of a fantasy hero, complete with an Adorable skill, while he is still working out what ordinary objects mean.

### The comedy at work

The scale mismatch makes a housecat a serious early threat. Threadbare's limited understanding gives familiar game conventions a fresh source of misunderstanding, and readers in the supplied book-group discussions particularly recommend the series for its puns.

### Try this if…

For LitRPG readers who enjoy watching a nonhuman character discover the world a little at a time. Chamomile's review praises the bear's charm and persistence, while finding that the middle loses momentum when attention shifts away from him.

### Good to know

Profanity, violence and darker turns accompany the teddy-bear premise. Readers caution that the series becomes increasingly adult. Chamomile also criticizes what it sees as racial stereotypes in the portrayal of orcs. This is Threadbare book one.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · LitRPG
- On the shelf: Progression fantasy
- Kind of humor: Situational comedy · Wordplay
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2017

## Questions readers ask

### Is the Threadbare series kid friendly?

Readers warn against choosing it for children solely because its hero is a teddy bear. They describe later volumes as increasingly adult, and the author flags profanity.

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Podium publisher](https://podiumentertainment.com/titles/1805/stuff-and-nonsense)
- Book information: [Open Library paperback record](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL31901029M/Threadbare)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books/permalink/6155341311155820)
- Reading sample: [Author-posted opening chapter](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/15130/threadbare/chapter/175199/awakening-1)
- Review: [Chamomile review](https://chamomilehasa.blog/2018/06/14/threadbare-is-horrible-except-when-its-great)
- Author commentary: [Author on Royal Road](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/15130/threadbare)