LuvemBooks
LuvemBooks

Honest Book Reviews & Recommendations

​
Three Sticks: A Coming-of-Age Fantasy Series by David R Anderson cover

Three Sticks: A Coming-of-Age Fantasy Series

by David R Anderson

Buy on AmazonRead our full review

At a glance

SettingSecondary-world village and the Wild
AudienceYA (12-18)

About the Author

David R Anderson

1 book reviewed

Three Sticks

A Coming-of-Age Fantasy Series

by David R Anderson

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers who grew up on classic D&D-lineage heroic fantasy — elves, quests, creature rosters, and campfire camaraderie — and who want a warmly traditional coming-of-age adventure with genuine emotional interiority at its centre.

Worth it if

You enjoy character-driven quest fantasy in the classic mould and are happy to follow a trilogy as it unfolds, since Book 2 is already available and Book 3 is reported to be in progress.

Skip if

You prefer grimdark, politically complex, or formally experimental fantasy, or you like to wait until a complete series is in hand before beginning Book 1.

4.8from 81 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

Ask LuvemBooks

Was this helpful?

Three Sticks is a warmly traditional coming-of-age fantasy following Sten, a self-conscious seventeen-year-old half-elf whose journey from village life into the Wild carries both external adventure and genuine emotional interiority. Readers rooted in classic D&D-lineage heroic fantasy — elves, quests, creature-filled wilds, and campfire camaraderie — will find it an entertaining and heartfelt debut. The key caveat: those seeking genre-subverting or formally experimental fantasy will find its pleasures firmly traditional, and the trilogy remains incomplete while Book 3, Three Bones, is still in development.
Is it worth reading?
For readers with an appetite for classic, secondary-world heroic fantasy in the D&D tradition, Three Sticks offers genuine entertainment: Amazon reviewers consistently praise its cast, pacing, and tonal balance of world-building, magic, action, and humor, with at least one describing a dread of the final pages because the reading experience was so engaging. Sten's emotional arc — rooted in a childhood injury and a convincing self-consciousness around connection — gives the story more interiority than a purely action-driven adventure. As a self-published debut, it arrives without the editorial infrastructure of a major imprint, a factor some readers weigh; and because the trilogy is still in progress, readers who prefer complete story arcs may want to wait for Three Bones. Those happy to follow a series as it unfolds will find two books already available and a third underway.
Similar books
Readers drawn to Three Sticks will find natural company in the classics of secondary-world heroic fantasy and accessible coming-of-age adventure. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring shares the D&D-lineage sensibility — elves, quests, creature-filled wilds, and a band of companions — that Anderson explicitly draws on. Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind offers another coming-of-age fantasy following a young protagonist's growth in a richly built secondary world, with a similar balance of adventure and interiority. For readers who appreciate Anderson's integration of humor and heart alongside the heroics, Terry Pratchett's Mort provides a lighter, wit-driven take on classic fantasy tropes. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone round out the curated selection for those interested in younger-protagonist fantasy with strong emotional arcs.
Who should read this?
Three Sticks is written for readers who grew up on classic D&D-lineage heroic fantasy — elves, quests, creature rosters, and campfire camaraderie — and for those looking for an accessible entry point into that tradition. Its coming-of-age framing, with Sten's arc around self-worth and connection, gives it additional resonance for teen and adult readers interested in emotional depth alongside adventure. It is also a strong fit for anyone who appreciates a balance of world-building, magic, sword-and-staff action, humor, and a touch of romance within a single volume. Readers seeking grimdark, politically complex epic fantasy, or formally experimental storytelling will likely find its pleasures too traditionally rooted.
What age is it for?
Best for ages 13 and up. Three Sticks features a seventeen-year-old half-elf protagonist navigating themes of romance, heartbreak, friendship, and self-worth alongside heroic adventure — territory that maps naturally onto confident teen readers and adult genre fans alike. The tone is warmly adventurous with humor and heart rather than dark or graphic, and the content framing is broadly in line with classic heroic fantasy of the D&D tradition.
Where should I start with this series?
Three Sticks (Book 1) is the correct starting point — it introduces Sten, his brother, the world's creature roster, and the emotional arc that drives the series. Book 2 is already available for readers ready to continue immediately after finishing the first volume. Three Bones (Book 3) was reported to be in development as of Anderson's most recent public update, so the trilogy is not yet complete.
How does D&D influence this book?
The D&D connection is foundational rather than cosmetic. Anderson has described the Three Sticks series as emerging directly from the Dungeons & Dragons sessions played in the Anderson family basement during his teenage years in small-town Minnesota — memories he says 'linger and demand a voice from five decades past.' That biographical grounding shapes the book's creature roster (elves, pixies, Hurks), its adventure-forward structure, and the warmth of its ensemble dynamic. Classic fantasy readers will recognise the lineage immediately, and the book is likely to feel like a love letter to the tradition for those who share it.
Summarize this book

Summarize this book

Three Sticks is the first volume of a planned three-book series by debut author David R Anderson, illustrated by Tim Cleary and edited by Steve Anderson. It follows Sten, a seventeen-year-old half-elf carrying a childhood scar and a deep self-consciousness about it, as he and his brother venture from village life into the Wild — a realm of elves, pixies, Hurks, and fantastic creatures. The book blends heroic adventure with coming-of-age themes of courage, romance, friendship, and self-worth, and draws its sensibility directly from Anderson's decades of Dungeons & Dragons memories. A standalone ghost story embedded near the midpoint adds a shift in register that reviewers on Amazon have singled out as a particular highlight.

Follow up

What is 'the Wild'?
How many books are in the series?
Tell me more about the ghost story

Synthesized from verified book data & published reviews · How we review

​

Press Enter to ask. Answers come from our editorial Q&A — start typing to see related questions.

Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 12–18

Reading level

Young adult

Browse all 12–18 books

Best for: Ages 13+ — coming-of-age themes including romance, heartbreak, and self-worth alongside heroic adventure suit confident teen readers and adults; the D&D-lineage adventure register is accessible rather than dark or graphic.

Skip if you're seeking grimdark, politically complex epic fantasy, or formally experimental storytelling.

Editorial Review

Three Sticks is a self-published coming-of-age fantasy novel — the first in a planned three-book series — written by David R Anderson, illustrated by Tim Cleary, and edited by Steve Anderson. Told through the eyes of Sten, a self-conscious seventeen-year-old half-elf navigating a childhood injury, village life, and an unexpected journey into the Wild, the book draws on Anderson's decades of love for the genre, rooted in his Dungeons & Dragons-playing teenage years in small-town Minnesota.…

Read the Full Review

Books like Three Sticks

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed Three Sticks, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked Three Sticks

In our catalogue

The Fellowship of the Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien

Both follow a young protagonist leaving a sheltered home for a vast, dangerous world — Tolkien's foundational coming-of-age quest mirrors Sten's journey into the Wild.

If you loved watching Sten grow from a self-conscious half-elf in village life into someone tested by the Wild, The Fellowship of the Ring offers the definitive version of that same arc. Frodo's departure from the Shire into a world of ancient dangers, strange companions, and personal reckoning maps almost perfectly onto the emotional shape of Three Sticks. Both books root their fantasy in a strong sense of place — the familiar home that must be left behind — and both take coming-of-age seriously rather than using it as mere backdrop. Tolkien's world-building also shares Anderson's D&D-era DNA; in fact, many readers who search for books like Three Sticks by David R Anderson cite Tolkien as the clearest ancestor. Essential reading for any fan of character-driven, quest-based fantasy.

In our catalogue

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe's first-person account of growing up gifted but disadvantaged in a fantasy world echoes Sten's self-conscious journey — both books are propulsive character studies wrapped in rich world-building.

Readers searching for what to read after Three Sticks by David R Anderson will find a natural home in The Name of the Wind. Like Sten, Kvothe is a teenager navigating a world that doesn't quite fit him — defined by a past injury to his identity as much as his body, driven by curiosity, and thrust into situations far larger than his village upbringing prepared him for. Rothfuss writes with the same sense of momentum that Amazon reviewers praised in Three Sticks, rewarding readers who want well-paced plotting alongside genuine emotional depth. The Kingkiller Chronicle also began as a passion project steeped in the author's lifelong love of the genre, giving it a warmth and sincerity that fans of Anderson's debut will immediately recognize. A must-read for anyone who connected with Sten's voice.

Not your thing?

In our catalogue

Mort

Terry Pratchett

If Three Sticks felt too earnest or slow in its early village scenes, Mort offers the same young-apprentice-out-of-his-depth premise at warp speed — with Pratchett's wit sharpening every page.

Some readers come to Three Sticks expecting the gently comic, irreverent side of coming-of-age fantasy and find themselves wanting more propulsive humor alongside the hero's journey. If that's you, Mort is the remedy. Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel follows a gangly, awkward teenager who becomes Death's apprentice — a premise as unlikely as Sten's, but delivered with relentless wit and a pace that never lets you catch your breath. Mort is short, brilliantly structured, and laugh-out-loud funny while still landing genuine emotional punches about identity, responsibility, and what it means to grow up. It scratches every itch that Three Sticks raises — outsider protagonist, a world much stranger and bigger than home, an ensemble of memorable characters — but if you bounced off Anderson's more sincere register, Pratchett's comic genius makes this the perfect course correction.