I picked this book up mainly because of the fact that I have a cat named Goblin. Plus, I'm a fan of dragons, and with a dragon featured on the cover, that was another draw.

Now, some qualifications. I fondly remember playing Dungeons and Dragons back in middle school. I like fantasy and fantasy-related things, from renaissance festivals to books, to castles and knights, etc. However, I have not really gotten into the Dungeons and Dragons novels, or the Forgotten Realms, or that sort of book. Therefore, it's often hard for me to find a book that I would like on this subject.

This book does start off sort of hard to get into, but it quickly picks up pace and becomes a fun novel. It sort of reads like an adventure of Dungeons and Dragons, with all of the classic and stereotypical going ons of an adventure, and you can easily see this story unfolding around a table in middle schools and high schools around the country.

What makes this story more unique is the fact that it's told from the point of view of a goblin, one of the low-level creatures that adventurers usually kill without much thought. And of course, it's because of him that the characters actually survive (or not, as the case may be) throughout the adventure. The adventurers are an odd group--the goblin, a young elf who is there not by her own free will, a dwarf, the warrior, and a magician, as they make their way deeper and deeper into the mountain's cavern on their quest to find a magical item and battle the same sort of creatures as you'd find on a Dungeons and Dragons adventure quest.

The book claims to be humorous, though I didn't find it that humorous, though there are some very funny moments in the book, and most books like this tend to take themselves way too seriously, and that's not the case with this book at all. Because of this, I will definitely be reading the next two books in this series. ( )

I was delighted by Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines. I couldn't imagine liking a goblin, but Jig is a very likable character, without giving up all of his goblin-ness. The story kept my attention the whole way through. Despite interruptions, I could always start where I left off without having to go back a few pages to get back into it.

Though the quest plot is pretty straight forward, Hines gave Jig and company enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. I was never able to predict what was coming next. Despite the twists and turns nothing seemed contrived. At about page 275 I was certain I knew where to find the rod of creation. I was wrong, but where it actually was, was much more satisfying.

The only negative thing I can think of in this book is that the human characters are one sided. There was a bit of background about them that explained them a little, but we never saw any depth. Darnak, the dwarf, was given much depth. The elfin girl fit in between Darnak and the humans.

This all works OK though, because this is Jig's story, not a human one. While it would have been nice to have more character depth for all the characters, what is there reflects Jig's interaction with those characters and he tried to have as little interaction with the humans as possible. He had the most interaction with Darnak. Riana, the elfin girl, was usually very guarded with him

To my surprise, I also found that this story had me thinking about the nature of God and man's (and goblin's and others') relation to and faith in God and God's relationship with all of his creatures. This was totally unexpected. This is not a pretentious story. The "magic," from a god and otherwise, is an integral part of the story and doesn't insist on the reader thinking beyond the story. But it's there if you want to think about it.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants a light and fun story to read. It was particularly relaxing to me after reading several "literary" novels in a row. ( )

http://tpi-reads.blogspot.com/2009/02... ( )

For me, Jim C. Hines is, more or less, a local author. He frequently participates in the Kerrytown BookFest's SF panel, which is were I first learned about him and his books. (Hines is a really great guy, by the way.) While I started following his blog, I never quite got around to reading any of his books--I just wasn't that interested in goblins, and so they never managed to make it to the top of my reading pile. At least until Hines was in the area again for an author signing, celebrating the release of The Stepsister Scheme (the fist book in his "princess" series). I figured if I was going to show up, I should have at least read something, so I grabbed Goblin Quest for the bus ride over to the bookstore. It's really a pity that I hadn't picked it up sooner; the book was tremendous fun and I loved it.

Even for a goblin, Jig is rather weak and puny--not to mention that he's also nearsighted and his pet fire-spider, Smudge, has a tendency to set him aflame. So, it's a little surprising when instead of killing him outright, a band of adventurers (complete with fighter, wizard, cleric, and thief) instead take him hostage and demand he guide them on their quest to find the Rod of Creation--after which they'll kill him. Figuring its better to die later rather than sooner, Jig reluctantly assists the group. He just hopes that they don't realize he has no idea what he's doing. Not that he has any hopes of surviving the dangers they will encounter on the quest--he's only a goblin, after all.

The story itself is a fairly typical dungeon crawl. The humor is rather subtle and its appreciation mostly depends on the reader's familiarity with standard fantasy fare (bonus points given to those with knowledge and/or experience with dungeon-delving roleplaying games). Hines takes and uses the stereotypes in all seriousness and in the process shows how absolutely ridiculous they can be. The book is really quite funny. (A side note: snorting on a bus will earn looks from fellow passengers.) Jig is a fantastic character; telling the story from his perspective is brilliant and is what makes the whole thing work as well as it does. I'm not sure I entirely buy some of the ultimate fates of the other characters, but the ending as a whole is good and ties everything up nicely. I'm interested to see where Hines goes from here since I imagine the conceit would be difficult to maintain without resorting to a fair amount of repetition. But, I heartily look forward to the rest of the Goblin books.

Having previously read the first chapter through Hines' website, I enjoyed Goblin Quest much more than I had expected. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into, but then I was hooked. In fact, a book hasn't made me so incredibly happy to read in quite some time. I found it to be vaguely reminiscent of Terry Prachett's Discworld books (granted, it has been a while since I've read any), especially in terms of the authors' use of established fantasy tropes with fun twists and senses of humor. I will definitely be adding the next two books, Goblin Hero and Goblin War, to my collection. In the meantime, I suppose The Stepsister Scheme will have to tide me over.

Experiments in Reading ( )

#15 Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines.

I picked this one up because it promised "one of the funniest dungeon-delving epics ever." Sigh.

Why do I ever put any credence in book blurbs?

Okay, the premise is this. Take your usual quest gang. Hero, wizard, dwarf, elf. And add a goblin, a short-sighted, weak little goblin, who starts to question why goblins are always just sword-fodder. Who is impressed into the gang willy-nilly, and who begins to develop an independent outlook, some initiative, and even some goals. He even picks up a god along the way--a little god, mind you, but when has there ever been a god for goblins, huh?

The writing is nothing special in itself. Pretty pedestrian. The plot is a typical quest plot by design, but from the viewpoint of the goblin instead of other members of the group. It's not really that funny most of the time, unless you are really into goblin angst, which can get a little irritating in large doses. But the denouement, the climax, actually showed originality and made me laugh.

So, if you are willing to read 336 pages in order to really appreciate the last 10, be my guest. Don't say I haven't warned you.

This is the first in a trilogy, but the story arc of this book ends here and you can easily tiptoe away into the night with no loose ends. ( )