Post by JKL on Jun 11, 2007 12:08:05 GMT -5
So, my older brother has been on a bit of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy binge as of late. He somehow heard of a book called Grunts by Mary Gentle. He was kind enough to pick me up a copy.
It starts by placing the reader in the middle of the cliche fantasy plot: two wizards preparing for the final battle between good and evil. However, rather than following the main hero in this battle, we follow the adventures of Ashnak, your basic Orc foot soldier, in service of some dark lord. Okay, so it's yawnsville so far. Things get interesting when Ashnak and several other Orcs stumble onto a treasure hoard of a dead dragon, and are cursed to become what they steal. And what is it they steal? Well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it?
The writing itself is only so-so. Some of the characters are inconsistently portrayed, and I caught a few typos within the pages of the book itself.
Nevertheless, this book is a brilliant parody of various Sci-Fi and Fantasy cliche. I found this book to be hysterically funny. The book was also good at surprising me, with the plot taking some unexpected twists and turns. And if you're into mayhem and violence, this book is definitely for you.
It starts by placing the reader in the middle of the cliche fantasy plot: two wizards preparing for the final battle between good and evil. However, rather than following the main hero in this battle, we follow the adventures of Ashnak, your basic Orc foot soldier, in service of some dark lord. Okay, so it's yawnsville so far. Things get interesting when Ashnak and several other Orcs stumble onto a treasure hoard of a dead dragon, and are cursed to become what they steal. And what is it they steal? Well, that would be telling now, wouldn't it?
The writing itself is only so-so. Some of the characters are inconsistently portrayed, and I caught a few typos within the pages of the book itself.
Nevertheless, this book is a brilliant parody of various Sci-Fi and Fantasy cliche. I found this book to be hysterically funny. The book was also good at surprising me, with the plot taking some unexpected twists and turns. And if you're into mayhem and violence, this book is definitely for you.
