Orcs

Orcs is a serious disappointment. Weighing in at over 700 pages I was extremely glad to have finished it and that is never a good sign. The long story details a series of skirmishes by a band of Orcs called The Wolverines under the leadership of their Captain Stryke. The skirmishes travel across a fantasy land populated mainly by Humans but also containing a range of fantasy standards including Centaurs, Gnomes, and Dwarfs.

The best elements of the story come within the skirmishes. The battle descriptions are well done and while excessively bloody for the non-Orcs are well captured for the most part. I really did enjoy the smaller skirmishes that were well written and engaging. The skirmishes were often piled on top of one another as the show more Wolverines repeatedly jumped from frying pan to fire without pausing for breath. That piling on was grating at times as was the repeated mention of fortune or luck in describing how the band miraculously escaped without casualty vs overwhelming odds once again. However, the small battles were often won well.

There are many criticisms that can rightly be levelled at this book. The first is one that has appeared in previous reviewers many times and that is the Orcs are entirely indistinguishable from other races. There is nothing that differentiates the Orc lifestyle and they are just another adventurer band. Why this criticism is valid is the false marketing. Essentially the book has been sold cunningly as the story told from the Orcish point of view and frankly this is a lie so those who were tricked into buying it (like me) can rightly be offended.

Still, the main criticsm is that all of the characters are terrible. There is no emotional character development at all and everyone blurs into bland cliche. The single all-powerful villain is the most hideous character construction I have ever come across. That she rapes and tortures innocent young men for fun is an insight into Stan Nicholls psyche that leaves me wondering at his over-inflated sense of self worth. Stupidly indulgant.

The main characters themselves are moronic. The warband leader Stryke turns from being the most effective of all the Orc warriors, leading the best of the best in a daring mission as ordered by his overlord to a self-righteous freedom fighter overnight. The opening encounter is great, really well written but Stryke suddenly decides to give up everything and set off on a quest with no graduation in his character. From black to white in an instant.

The other characters are equally poorly drawn. Coilla is Stryke's main confidente and is never anything more than a plot device. Coilla only serves as a medium to demonstrate Stryke's inner thoughts and her own beliefs and understanding of the world are never questioned or developed. She is probably the weakest main support character I have ever had the misfortune of reading.

Nicholls touches on religion with apparently almost no understanding and his clumsy distinction between fanatical Unis who believe in One True God and fanatical Manis who believe in Many True Gods is an embarrassment.

As Nicholls sets his Orcs in a society where they are ruled over by a cruel dictator, there is no sense of societal construction and no explanation of how the characters involved relate to one another except as a company of fighters. Other societies are touched on but none seem to operate under any form except one dictator being followed unquestioningly.

Worst of all is the writing itself. Nicholls should not be a professional author. As someone who edits and publishes novels, I would reject this script and strike Nicholls off my list. The use of language is banal with modern day cliches continuously breaching the suspended disbelief of the fantasy setting. Orcs trade modernist cliches in their speech despite those cliches deriving from sources that could not possibly have been known to them. A fundamental principle of good writing is that the characters involved are affected by their environment and those around them - these characters speak as if their language included the sum of 20th century English.

I nearly gave this book two stars because the action is well written. By the time I got to the end of the review and reminded myself how horribly constructed this book is, with clearly no plan, no structure for developing character, and consistenly poor choice of language, all I can say is that Stan Nicholls is an author to avoid. show less

Este libro me despertó la curiosidad, pero al final me ha decepcionado. La trama es una de fantasía genérica: un grupo de soldados debe recuperar los "Objetos-del-Destino" (o algo así) y para asegurarse el triunfo deciden reunir todos los tópicos posibles, el El oficial duro pero preocupado por sus hombres, el sargento chusquero, la chica inteligente y sensible, el veterano protector, el extraño que lucha por encajar y quince o veinte guardias de seguridad de Star Trek para que se mueran cuando hagan falta. Al margen de la falta de originalidad el libro tiene batallas apañadas y se deja leer (sin virguerías) pero... ¿que sentido tiene hacer una historia protagonizada por orcos si luego no actúan como tales? al final la idea show more interesante queda en "los orcos somos buenos y honorables, pero el mundo no nos comprende" y para este viaje no hacían falta estas alforjas. show less

Este libro me despertó la curiosidad, pero al final me ha decepcionado. La trama es una de fantasía genérica: un grupo de soldados debe recuperar los "Objetos-del-Destino" (o algo así) y para asegurarse el triunfo deciden reunir todos los tópicos posibles, el El oficial duro pero preocupado por sus hombres, el sargento chusquero, la chica inteligente y sensible, el veterano protector, el extraño que lucha por encajar y quince o veinte guardias de seguridad de Star Trek para que se mueran cuando hagan falta. Al margen de la falta de originalidad el libro tiene batallas apañadas y se deja leer (sin virguerías) pero... ¿que sentido tiene hacer una historia protagonizada por orcos si luego no actúan como tales? al final la idea show more interesante queda en "los orcos somos buenos y honorables, pero el mundo no nos comprende" y para este viaje no hacían falta estas alforjas. show less

This omnibus collects the first three ORCS stories. These are great hack and slash adult fantasy books. I mean adult, because there is graphic sexual scenes and disturbing images, but other than those it's pretty typical. The best part about this whole series is the recreation of the orc race. Nicholls strength lies in his ability to depict what a race dedicated to war would be like, and how their codes of honor (as any race or people) can become very difficult to navigate in a complex and amoral world.

I enjoyed reading these books, but it wasn't for the gore or the carnal scenes at all. I found those to be a bit gross, but it was all in the vein of making a truly evil antagonist. The main character, Stryk, is very fun to follow, and show more his denial of change is laughable at first. As he continues his destiny and his luck seems to run out, we find that his sword arm and those he commands can make their own luck.

I will read more of this series, but just for the fun of seeing orcs in a new light. I have always been a bit fascinated by these lowly brutes. Seeing Nicholls rework them into a people that I can root for against all odds was a real pleasure. I look forward to more of it in the future. show less

Este libro me despertó la curiosidad, pero al final me ha decepcionado. La trama es una de fantasía genérica: un grupo de soldados debe recuperar los "Objetos-del-Destino" (o algo así) y para asegurarse el triunfo deciden reunir todos los tópicos posibles, el El oficial duro pero preocupado por sus hombres, el sargento chusquero, la chica inteligente y sensible, el veterano protector, el extraño que lucha por encajar y quince o veinte guardias de seguridad de Star Trek para que se mueran cuando hagan falta. Al margen de la falta de originalidad el libro tiene batallas apañadas y se deja leer (sin virguerías) pero... ¿que sentido tiene hacer una historia protagonizada por orcos si luego no actúan como tales? al final la idea show more interesante queda en "los orcos somos buenos y honorables, pero el mundo no nos comprende" y para este viaje no hacían falta estas alforjas. show less

Este libro me despertó la curiosidad, pero al final me ha decepcionado. La trama es una de fantasía genérica: un grupo de soldados debe recuperar los "Objetos-del-Destino" (o algo así) y para asegurarse el triunfo deciden reunir todos los tópicos posibles, el El oficial duro pero preocupado por sus hombres, el sargento chusquero, la chica inteligente y sensible, el veterano protector, el extraño que lucha por encajar y quince o veinte guardias de seguridad de Star Trek para que se mueran cuando hagan falta. Al margen de la falta de originalidad el libro tiene batallas apañadas y se deja leer (sin virguerías) pero... ¿que sentido tiene hacer una historia protagonizada por orcos si luego no actúan como tales? al final la idea show more interesante queda en "los orcos somos buenos y honorables, pero el mundo no nos comprende" y para este viaje no hacían falta estas alforjas. show less

Orcs, is an omnibus collection of the Orcs: Frist Blood trilogy. I have to say that the book was a fun fast-paced read with non-stop action, in the style of David Eddings. We have a band of Orcs running around getting into trouble, fights and scraps with lots of killing mostly of the other side. Every now and then the author seemed to think "it's been awhile I should kill off a band member to keep things real". Once or twice the author wrote himself into a corner and then made an easy escape, like a RPG on a DM's railroad track, he needed someone to survive, so they did. It was cool and unusual having the Orcs as protagonists and it looked a bit at prejudice as an ongoing topic.

Overall a fun read and worth some time to enjoy but I would show more not call it a brilliant piece of work, but definitely satisfactory. show less