Orcs: Forged for War

Predictable, Not a New Concept

Despite all the critical praise that's adorned the cover (inside and out) of the book, this concept of portraying orcs in a more understandable and amenable light is nothing new if you're an avid reader of fantasy novels, such as Grunts by Mary Gentle (albeit a humorous and anachronistic take). The language is quite basic and unsophisticated, and the plot is predictable and cliched. There's nothing wrong with being able to see how the plot will turn miles off, after all what fantasy story can truly claim its entirely original. The greatest failing of this book, however, has to do with the very element its using to claim to fame, in other words the portrayal of the Orcs. In an attempt to make the Orcs more understandable, and trying to connect to the readers, the author ended up portraying them as basically humans with the weird names and 'ugly' faces. In fact if the word orc was replaced with man, the reader would be none the wiser as to whether the book is talking about a group of brutal orcs or a band of human soldiers. I understand that the author was trying to paint them in a bit more sympathetic light than the usual oft maligned battle fodder in fantasy settings, but in the attempt, there's almost no characteristic left to distinguish these orc characters to be orcs. I hardly think portraying orcs as just brutish looking humans do them justice, nor are any of the critical praises this book received deserved.

4 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

50-Page Review*: Orcs

*50 pages is usually as long as it takes me to determine if I've made a mistake or not.

I saw the title on the bookshelf and was immediately enthralled. I was drawn to the notion of a story from the viewpoint of a traditional and notorious antagonist; like the fantasy version of "Interview with a Vampire". I envisioned a story of a lone orc separated from his warband after the destruction of Mordor, or maybe a coming-of-age drama about a young orc that is raised by humans (ala "A Light in the Forest").

What is apparent in the first 50 pages is that I was sorely mistaken. Stan Nicholl's orcs are not the slavering simple-minded grunts of Tolkien or the mercurial, functionally crude, and vaguely Scottish Warhammer green-skins. These orcs are organized, motivated, articulate, and literate. They are "orcs" in name only, and that is something of a cheat. They are indentured warrior serfs that existentially contemplate their oppression between trite clashes with other fantasy races.

Nicholls' prose are simple and formulaic with frequent single-sentence impact paragraphs. You know the kind I mean. The ones with an incredibly morbid metaphor interjected every few pages to let you know just how dark and macabre the story is.

Speaking of metaphors, the author often compares things to fictional things. Telling me that someone grinned with the warmth of a tralfamadorian spider has no impact if I don't know what a tralfamadorian spider is. Since the creatures are never discussed in the book outside of this metaphor the comparison has no point of reference. For all I know tralfamadorian spiders are quite congenial. Hence the reader is left alienated and somewhat confused.

Aside from the disappointment of the story's protagonist and juvenile writing style, the antagonist is even worse. A two-dimensional amalgamation of every evil witch you've ever heard of, her entire time in the book is either spent A) killing/torturing someone or B) casting Harry Potter-ish magical spells. Often dispatching her victims during the course of a sex/rape act, Nicholl's reveals his own fear of carnality (sex equals death). Seriously, this guy was obviously rejected by a cheerleader at some point and now I have to read his cathartic fantasy epic where he vents his sexual frustrations. Google his image some time. I'm probably not wrong.

Tad Williams is wrong. Pass on this book now or beg for a refund later.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Unconventional Tale of Orcs....

The marketing of this book is amazing, the first pages are filled with kudos from various authors. I immediatly wanted to read this book after picking it up off the shelf at B&N. The bad news is that this story is fairly predictable, chapter after chapter. This book is a compilation of 3 books, with the first book really grabbing your attention. The 2 subsequent books become more difficult to get through and tend to drag on. The good news about this book is the unconventional persona of the orc. The author really went to great lengths to create a completly different view of what us "Sci-Fi/Fantasy" guru's think of an Orc. To that the author gets an A+.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Orcs

I bought this book because I thought the storyline was a great idea and something new. I expected a certain amount of violence and bloodshed considering the nature of the beast. However, I admit I was not prepared for how gruesome, bloody and gory this book is. The characters were very real and interesting and I was really into the story and plot...but...I just could not get past the gore and gruesomeness...it was truly icky. I may try to go back to this book in the future and see if I can finish reading it by skipping over the awful parts...or not. Very disappointing.

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Careful with the ebook; seems to be incomplete

I am currently reading the print version and enjoying it very much. Since I am traveling soon and need to optimize space, I bought the ebook in addition. When trying to continue where I left off, I realized that the text I had just been reading in the paper version (last paragraph of "Legion of Thunder") was missing. It might not be obvious when you only read the ebook, but imho, this omission totally changes the relationship between Stryke and Serapheim. What else is left out? Was the omission accidental or by design? Either way, stay away from the electronic version and stick to paper for this one.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pretty Bad

Marginally good writing but really quite indicative of the problem with the whole genre right now. Derivative (by design, I suppose), predicatable, etc. Some good points: use of mind altering recreational drugs by the good guys, fast paced, some good character development. Worth a read if you are an uber-LOTR geek.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Better than tolkien

Not being a huge fan of fantasy i tendbto stay clear of it. The only authors in this genrre i had any interest in were those who were a little darker such as tolkien and terry brooks. But i stumbled upon the omnibus volume of the first three orcs books one day and i decided to give it a chance. And im glad i did. And now that nicholls has continued the saga of stryfe and his band of orcs i will continue to read them. Entertaining and exciting this is not something you should miss out on.

Anoymous November 15, 2011

Really awsome book. Lots of adventure ,yes alot of profanity, but still every bit as interesting.

Tolkien eat your heart out

This book is a different kind of fantasy. No prissy unicorns no cowardly midgets. No wussy elves. No whiny pathetic half human creatures. Orcs is a funny exciting read from start to finish.

Say hello to Thundercats meet's 300. Orcs: Forged for War is an action packed thrill-ride that fantasy fans will love!

Say hello to Thundercats meet's 300. Orcs: Forged for War is an action packed thrill-ride that fantasy fans will love!


Full Review can be found at: MotherGamerWriter(dot)com




Favorite Quote: "So we got to babysit a bunch of f***ing goblins in charge of a f***ing weapon we don't know about, under orders that ain't f***ing clear."





Magnificent! That pretty much sums up how I feel about this graphic novel. Its action packed, filled with tidbits of comic relief, and the characters resemble some of my favorites from television and other novels. It's a refreshing journey through the day in the life of an Orc, a misunderstood member of the Elder Races that are a lot smarter than other creatures give them credit for. Once I started reading their story, I could not stop, consuming all 208 pages of death, blood, betrayal, and redemption. It was magical, fun, and just what I needed as a break from all my usual vampire/werewolf romance novels.

If you enjoy fantasy elements with a bit comedy thrown in, then this is the graphic novel for you. But I must warn you, please do not read the comic if you do NOT like harsh language, slight nudity, blood, and strong violent content. I would say that the Goodreads description is very accurate as the suggestive content is on par with the movie 300 and its graphic novel counterparts. So if you hated that then you will not like this. Get it, try it, and love it because in the end, not all Orcs are created equal.

Very good!

I thought this book would be something of a copy to The Lord of the Rings. And... well, I wasn't completely wrong. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it's not a copy as much as it is an influence, per say. The orcs are the heroes, oddly enough,though this book didn't change my perspective on orcs like I thought it would. Maybe it's because Maras Dantia and Middle Earth are two different worlds. The concept isn't new, but in this book's defense, it is pretty hard to find original ideas after tons of things have already been thought of. After reading some of the other reviews on here, I am a bit disheartened that so many people didn't like it. But I tend to see the positive side of things, not the negatives like so many others.

Don't judge a book by its cover

I initially picked this up because the cover was intriguing and I was really excited to read about Orc culture. I had to stop reading this book because I didn't want to read anymore of Jennesta's sadistic scenes. This entire book could have been avoided if the Orcs didn't get high after accomplishing their task. I wash my hands of this book.

OK, not great

I may have had too high of expectations from this book. If was good to fill the need for a fantasy book but really not all that memorable. Definitely different from the norm if that is what you are looking for.

Recommended

Orcs: Bad Blood (The sequel to Orcs), is definately a must read. Especially if you just got done reading Orcs. The story still follows the Wolverines, but this time they aren't working alone. They meet up with an orc resistance group, and they work together to overthrow the human scum thats holding them down. It's kind of a nice chance to have them working with other orcs, instead of by themselves all the time. I liked Orcs a little more than Orcs: Bad Blood, to tell the truth. But Orcs: Bad Blood is still a great book and a must read if your into the Orcs series. Buy now, or beg for mercy later.

Highly Recommended

Orcs is one of the best books that I have ever read. I just started getting into readind these past few months, and I started with the book Orcs. I went to Barnes and Noble and found this book, and was instantly interested. Mostly because of my love for Orcs. I decided to buy this book, and within the first night I read over 300 pages. Which really surprised me, because I've never really been into the whole reading thing. This book is absolutely amazing. I couldn't help but to finish the whole thing within the next few days after I bought it. I highly recommend everyone to give this book a chance. The way Stan Nicholls describes the characters is just amazing. I quickly found myself bonding with almost every character in the book. I couldn't believe how pissed I was at Jannesta (Evil which chick). I couldn't wait to read the whole book to see what happened to her. This book will pull you in, and won't let you escape until you finished the whole thing. Orcs is a must read

orcs bad blood

stan gets you into the world of the orcs with his first book then throws them into all new perils with his next. i have thuroughly enjoyed his books

Nice :D Awesome book.

I loved this book. Sadly, I wish the entire series was all done so I could keep going from this to the next book and laugh at the danger and funny things that happen in it to all the people. Hopefully nothing to bad happens to the Wolverines next. :P

I believe it was worth the money and time.

Just reading the back of the book made me interested and kept me entertained. Going from page to page every night not wanting to stop reading until I see what the time is and didn't know how long went by when I read it. Understanding all the problems and issues in it made me wanting to see the ending to this awesome book and continue right to the next book without stopping. Woo, it was sweet. =]

Action and Adventure Galore!

A hack and slash tale from beginning to end. The story has a good cast of characters that are unique in their own manorisms and personalities. While the author might not be the most well crafted wordsmith I found the story both intriguing and exciting. A good read overall and I can't wait for the next trilogy in the series.

For the fantasy fan: the villains, reversed.

In a deceptively simplistic writing style, Stan Nicholls brings us a viewpoint from what we'd expect to be the villain.

Don't let the way I worded his writing style fool you. The way he presents the story, plot and characters? Is a perfect fit. Blunt, harsh and unforgiving can be just a few words that describe the world Stan has placed his Orcs in. And yet there is a magnificent wealth of humor, wisdom, honor and cunning not often seen with the typical "baddie" race in usual fantasy.

I started the book a touch doubtful--but the longer I read the better it became. I definitely recommend this book!