Orcs (3-in-1)
Bodyguard of Lightning/ Legion of Thunder/ Warriors of the Tempest
by Stan Nicholls
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Orcs (3-in-1)
Peace seldom reigned unopposed among the many races of Maras-Dantia. But there had always been a measure of tolerance, until a new race spilled into the land, shattering the balance. They are called humans. And with their contempt for the cultures of dwarf and elf, goblin and dragon, and all the others, they brought destruction, raping the land of its resources, bleeding it of its magic. Soon war erupted, and now we orcs are never far from the action. And though we don’t have magic, we possess a ferocious lust for warfare. Humans call us monsters and slay us like beasts, but we are the creatures destined to win peace for all.
My name is Stryke. I have led my warband through fire and blood, in wars that tore our land apart. Under threat of a slow and painful death, I have sought the five magical artifacts of power my queen Jennesta craved, and killed more humans than I can remember. Yet there is another way; I have seen the future in my dreams. The five stars are the answer, and though humans hunt us down and Jennesta turns my own kind against me, I will find them. I must, for a war is coming that will take us all….
Includes Bodyguard of Lightning, Legion of Thunder and Warriors of the Tempest.
A LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR
Dear SFBC Member,
Sometimes I envy aspiring writers. Not for the hurdles they have to jump, or the inevitable rejections littering their path, but for the joys awaiting them. I mean the exhilaration when everything comes together and the writing flows sweetly. And one of the major pleasures of authorship is the creation of characters. That’s given me a lot of satisfaction, and no more so than when I first assembled my cast for Orcs.
I don’t know where characters come from. Fragments of real people get incorporated, and aspects of the author’s own personality. But there’s an element you could think of as magical. Because there is a kind of magic in writing. Part of it, if you’re lucky, is seeing your characters imbued with a spark whose origin is a mystery. I’m reminded of this at the moment, writing the sequel to Orcs. Those characters are back in my head, telling me what they want—another cliché, though I prefer to think it’s a truism. But I’m content for the magic to remain a mystery, and to feel jealous of the delight new writers have in store.
—Stan Nicholls
Hardcover: 784 pages
Publisher: Orbit/Little Brown Book Group ( September 01, 2008 )
Item #: 86-5594
ISBN: 9781607511656
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.0 inches
Product Weight: 27.0 ounces
Great book with awesome characters!
September 22, 2009
I enjoyed this book immensely. The story was amazingly fluid and all of the characters were very well realized. I think one of the best things about Orcs is how well each of the main characters' personalities are flushed out and truly unique. Plenty of adventures and lots of action made this book hard to put down! Just don't make the mistake of picking up this book with your mind already made up about what orcs should be and what they should do, as some of the other reviewers seem to have done. I think the author did an amazing job of showing us his vision of orcs while leaving our imaginations plenty of breathing room. Five stars for a truly enjoyable read, and looking forward to reading the sequel!
Reviewer: M.
Great idea, terrible prose, he exclaimed!
August 25, 2009
Arbitrarily, any published author is a good author. The idea of writing a tale from the Orcs perspective is an intriguing one, even if I found it hard to overcome my traditional thoughts on these creatures. The main characters are very likable and well thought out, BUT the bad guys are stereotypical and one dimensional. The plot is a standard fantasy affair (that's not a bad thing because I never confuse plot with story). All-in-all a good read, a great story but I am struggling through it. The premise is solid but I can't help but feel like I am reading a teenager's first novel half the time. "Too much telling," he scowled. "Not enough showing," he said shaking his head slightly. It's as though the author believes me too stupid to recognize when a character is angry, sad, and frightened from his/her dialogue alone. For the most part the authors dialogue is strong and does not need all the modifiers he adds. You can probably pin this shortcoming on the editor as well. Nicholls is a good author but I just can't seem to dance with his prose.
Reviewer: Catherine
Does not deliver on the promise of the premise
July 30, 2009
There was such promise with the premise of this story. Orcs appear throughout the landscape of fantasy, but typically in evil masses that exist to provide fodder for the sword and arrows of the good guys. In many books orcs are like the bad guys in a video game. They are the 1000 angry zombies or demons and you have to kill to advance to the next level. Tackling a story looking at the world through the eyes of the orcs is a facinating idea.
Sadly, the story gives me no insight into orcs. These chacters could have been humans, they could have been orcs, they could have been badgers who talk. The band of orcs is essentially a watered word version of Glenn Cooks Black Company. I agree with the thought that Mr Nichols anthropomorphises orcs. You could take any fantasy novel of the past 50 years and change the race of the main characters to orcs and you would delve as deeply into the world of orcs as this book does.
My other complaint is the use of a magical item, or items in this case, that has to be found to save the world, or at least the protagonists. Ever since Frodo left his front door on a quest to destroy the one ring, writers have felt the need to follow suit. In this case its a series of magical items which all fit together and must be found. Each item is harder to find than the last. But despite the fact that these items have been essentially unknown and lost for centuries, the orcs bumble their way from one to the next in a matter of days or weeks. It takes great mental effort for me to suspend my belief in plot lines like this.
What Mr Nichols does well is write military prose. He is an excellent writer of fights and battles, an area many writers stumble in. The action is fast paced and the novel an easy read.
If you substite the word orcs for humans, this is maybe a 3 star novel. For failing to live up to the promise of the premise, its a solid 2 stars for me.
Reviewer: Micah H
Gimme some culture... been there, done that
April 27, 2009
This novel (or trilogy, I guess) was something of a disappointment for. The writing was fluid and helped keep the pages turning, but it was very formulaic.
Swap the word 'orcs' for 'men' in almost any mediocre fantasy tale and you'll have this book. The story line was all too familiar, the plot twists expected and obvious. Jennesta reminds me a lot of the Frank L Baum's wicked witch.... nothing original in this book... which really was a shame, I had high hopes for this novel. I was looking for something that took itself a bit more seriously, with solid and believeable depictions of 'life as an orc' as opposed to this anthropomorphic tale...
well written, but nothing spectacular... just another, middle-of-the-road 'middle-earth'-like creation.
Reviewer: Salt w
A book the nature of the Human Race.
April 13, 2009
I agree with Jeremy, this book is a comment on human nature. It really hits home, as to just the true enemy is. I.E. humanity is it's own worst enemy. This book actually made me root for the Orcs to triumph over the Humans, lol.
Reviewer: Brian B
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