The Ballad of Sprikit the Bard (and Company) is a fun and adventurous fantasy novel written by Seán O'Boyle. In the Free Lands, Sprikit, a small Bard, is trying to keep a promise, a journey carrying a lute that an elite force wants to recover it from him, but surviving to the task will be proven to be trickier than expected; but if wild travels have a thing is the ability to create strange groups.

Comparing your book to Discworld is accepting that you are trying to fill really big shoes, but honestly, in the case of O'Boyle, has passed the test with an excellent mark; while you can see there are crazy things in the Free Lands, those are part of what makes them unique, and they are accepted by all the characters, which are another of the strengths of this author.

Not only Sprikit is a danger for everybody (but most of the time for himself), but the group that ends accompanying him is also a delicious chaos, as they slowly grow into the reader, being both amazing: the Brute who levels up wisdom, and Tallew, who might like too much fighting; my only gripe in this aspect might be on the main villain, as it lands on the cartoonish side, in contrast with the rest of the cast.

As previously mentioned, the Free Lands are a quite quirky and interesting setting, partly inspired by classic fantasy elements and D&D, but with its own lore and history, which is smoothly introduced, avoiding info-dumpings, making it a natural part of the storytelling (and there is not better storyteller for this that our own Bard).
The pacing is really adequate for this kind of story, structuring the whole book in some sort of smaller encounters/situations that tied together creates the metaphorical campaign we are reading.

If you are looking for a book that will make you feel like reading a new Discworld, definitely give a try to The Ballad of Sprikit the Bard (And Company); O'Boyle has nailed his debut, and I can't wait to see him writing more books like this one in the future!