Never Trust a Dead Man, by Vivian Vande Velde
Apropos of a conversation about vampires turning into a large number of bats, 
sholio recommended this book, in which a hapless young man falsely accused of a murder has to clear his name with the help of the murder victim's spirit in the body of a bat; this is even more complicated than it would normally be as they are from the same small medievaloid village and can't stand each other.
This book is absolutely hilarious. It also best read as unspoiled as possible, as a lot of the comedy has to do with the way the hapless hero's predicament keeps accruing more and more absurd and unexpected complications. Early on he returns to his village disguised as a pilgrim with the bat hanging from the rim of his hat; several plot twists later, the bat remarks, "Aren't you worried about people in the village recognizing me as the pilgrim's French killer bat?"
The point where I more-or-less fell down on the floor and rolled around was when the bat, now disguised as a pet goldfinch raised by nuns, provokes worried commentary from a villager due to its habit of hanging upside-down from its perch.
A short, fast, highly enjoyable read. Get it on Amazon, complete with the amazing cover pictured below, for only $4.99.
Crossposted to https://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/2182652.html. Comment here or there.
sholio recommended this book, in which a hapless young man falsely accused of a murder has to clear his name with the help of the murder victim's spirit in the body of a bat; this is even more complicated than it would normally be as they are from the same small medievaloid village and can't stand each other.
This book is absolutely hilarious. It also best read as unspoiled as possible, as a lot of the comedy has to do with the way the hapless hero's predicament keeps accruing more and more absurd and unexpected complications. Early on he returns to his village disguised as a pilgrim with the bat hanging from the rim of his hat; several plot twists later, the bat remarks, "Aren't you worried about people in the village recognizing me as the pilgrim's French killer bat?"
The point where I more-or-less fell down on the floor and rolled around was when the bat, now disguised as a pet goldfinch raised by nuns, provokes worried commentary from a villager due to its habit of hanging upside-down from its perch.
A short, fast, highly enjoyable read. Get it on Amazon, complete with the amazing cover pictured below, for only $4.99.
Crossposted to https://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/2182652.html. Comment here or there.