Book, Book, Who's Got the Book - Part 2

As promised, more book reviews, with the continuation of the Mistborn series, Well of Ascension and Hero of Ages.

More...





Tor Fantasy, 816 pages



Tor Fantasy, 784 pages

Yup, two for one. ;-) Make sure you read Mistborn before starting in on Well and then Hero; it will make a lot more sense that way.

Well continues where Mistborn left off, although it's about a year later.

My Impressions of Both Books

In Well, Elend Venture is in charge of Luthadel, although his father is coming at him, wanting to take Luthadel for himself. That's not the only problem; the ancient evil called The Deepness is rising again, something that the previous occupant of the throne managed to keep at bay. Vin and Elend are that their wit's end trying to figure out how to defeat The Deepness. Then Vin comes upon something that she thinks points to defeating it - but is she right?

Exciting ending to the 2nd book, where it looks like The Deepness is about to end...but then it isn't, in a nice twist ending. **SPOILER ALERT** Elend almost dies, too, and is given some interesting new powers within the room where the Well is located.

Which brings us to Hero.

Elend and Vin are married now, and they must defeat that which Vin unwittingly released at the end of Well, that which is called Ruin. With his new powers, Elend can now do just about everything Vin can do, but is it too little, too late? After all, the Inquisitors are now going about the land, killing people wantonly. Of course, with black ash falling so hard now - snuffing out much of the population - people will either die by suffocation or at the hands of an Inquisitor. Not much of a choice.

Another twist ending to this one, and a bittersweet one. Sazed, the Terrisman (and my fave character), finds out a lot of things at the end of the book; I was so happy for him! There's also an interesting ending to the Kandra (including the one who betrayed Vin); I really got into the whole thing about how they can dissolve themselves then reanimate themselves...you'll have to read it to understand what I'm talking about.

Both are excellent reads, but make sure you read the first book in the Mistborn series before you attempt these two! You won't be sorry.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Book, Book, Who's Got the Book - Part 2

As promised, more book reviews, with the continuation of the Mistborn series, Well of Ascension and Hero of Ages.

More...





Tor Fantasy, 816 pages



Tor Fantasy, 784 pages

Yup, two for one. ;-) Make sure you read Mistborn before starting in on Well and then Hero; it will make a lot more sense that way.

Well continues where Mistborn left off, although it's about a year later.

My Impressions of Both Books

In Well, Elend Venture is in charge of Luthadel, although his father is coming at him, wanting to take Luthadel for himself. That's not the only problem; the ancient evil called The Deepness is rising again, something that the previous occupant of the throne managed to keep at bay. Vin and Elend are that their wit's end trying to figure out how to defeat The Deepness. Then Vin comes upon something that she thinks points to defeating it - but is she right?

Exciting ending to the 2nd book, where it looks like The Deepness is about to end...but then it isn't, in a nice twist ending. **SPOILER ALERT** Elend almost dies, too, and is given some interesting new powers within the room where the Well is located.

Which brings us to Hero.

Elend and Vin are married now, and they must defeat that which Vin unwittingly released at the end of Well, that which is called Ruin. With his new powers, Elend can now do just about everything Vin can do, but is it too little, too late? After all, the Inquisitors are now going about the land, killing people wantonly. Of course, with black ash falling so hard now - snuffing out much of the population - people will either die by suffocation or at the hands of an Inquisitor. Not much of a choice.

Another twist ending to this one, and a bittersweet one. Sazed, the Terrisman (and my fave character), finds out a lot of things at the end of the book; I was so happy for him! There's also an interesting ending to the Kandra (including the one who betrayed Vin); I really got into the whole thing about how they can dissolve themselves then reanimate themselves...you'll have to read it to understand what I'm talking about.

Both are excellent reads, but make sure you read the first book in the Mistborn series before you attempt these two! You won't be sorry.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Book, Book, Who's Got the Book? - Part 1

While I've been a slug sitting at home, I've had a chance to read some good fantasy fiction. Believe it or not, I've read most of these since the end of June since I have too much time on my hands.

The rest of my time...I'm rewriting and rewriting, lol.

Here then are brief reviews of some of the books I've read. To be continued in Part 2 (and there probably will be a Part 3).

More...



Tor Fantasy, 656 pages

Any praise or hype you've heard about this book is legit: I could hardly wait to get through it! It's pretty dark, especially as we come in on the story when the city of Elantris has already withered and died. Prince Raoden of Arelon, a city which sits right next to the decayed Elantris, comes down with a dread disease that has afflicated certain people of Arelon. Although the Prince's father hides the fact by officially pronouncing him dead, he's anything but; instead, he's sent off to Elantris to die along with all the other poor souls who've been likewise afflicted. (Think of zombies, the walking dead, etc., and you'll have an idea of the disease.)

The King hasn't had to deal with the Prince's betrothed, who has decided to come to Arelon anyway, despite not being married to him in body; however, she signed a contract, and she is legally his widow.

So, do the two meet up? Or are we to tune in to see what Sarene, Raoden's widow, can uncover about the King, about Elantris, about certain factions within and without Arelon?

My Take On It

The characters felt real to me. I cared what happened to Raoden and what happened to Sarene. There is a villian to the story, but Mr. Sanderson wrote something within the character that makes him somewhat sympathetic; he's even somewhat heroic near the end of the story. This might be a dark-ish story, but it's also about surviving and trying to do the right thing in the face of darkness and evil.

You won't want to put it down until the very end, and you might actually feel a little sorry, or at least have some pity, for the villain at the end.



DAW Trade, 672 pages

FYI, the version I picked up is different in the number of pages; it's actually a bit longer than the version noted above. No idea why, but thought I'd throw this out there.

I read this before I started Elantris. Although this is what I think most writing teachers would call a frame story (Kvothe, the main character, recounts what has happened to him - and it's quite a lot! - to a scribe in the inn Kvothe is now running).

My Take On It

This starts out slow, but after the first chapter or so, I got into it. Mr. Rothfuss has drawn an interesting character in Kvothe, in that he's worth listening to; he's had quite an eventful life, to this point (including getting involved with strange creatures, having to deal with bullies, and falling in love, although his love interest keeps flitting in and out of his life).

I actually started to cry when Kvothe told of a somewhat old man who helped the street urchins of a particular town; he especially helped those who physically could not do much, and as such, slipped through the cracks and onto the hard streets, left to die, no doubt. I also shed some tears later on, after he'd grown up a bit and went his own way, where he felt very much alone. I can't tell you how often I've felt like that, especially lately, with all the personal stuff bogging me (and my husband) down.

There's some violence in this, but nothing near what's in the latest Tarantino offering, or any Tarantino offering, for that matter. ;-)

I read this before reading Elantris. Definitely worth reading, although, as is typical for fantasy, it's in three installments, so you have to wait until the 2nd one (Day 2) comes out.



Tor Fantasy, 672 pages

I loved Elantris so much, I went out and got this book; I hesitated on buying the 2nd and 3rd books, because I've been burned before.

The characters, which are different from those in Elantris, are what make this book, and the entire series, such a great read. (What else is new, right? :-)) There's a Prologue, and although I know some do not read Prologues, make sure you read this one, as it sets up what happens after. It doesn't seem so at the time you're reading it, but trust me, you'll have "Aha!" moments later on...

This mostly in Vin's POV, a poor teenage girl who makes a living on the streets of the capital, Luthadel. Most of the world is ruled by a tyrant who just seems to kill people at will. There's a method to his horrible madness, which only becomes clear in Book 2.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Vin has some sort of power in which she can soothe people, so even when the head of the particular band of thieves she's fallen in with screws up with those in power, she can soothe away any unpleasantness. Except that she does it inside a building where those inside notice such things. She gets away with it, for the time being, helped out by Kelsier and his group, a group that intends to shake the very foundations of the world by eventually killing the tyrant (the Lord Ruler).

My Take On It

There's magic up the ying-yang in this one, with people swallowing all sorts of stuff that helps them bound around (literally). It gets tedious from time to time in these sections when Vin comes into her own, but I understood it was necessary, else, why bother having it in the story? :-) The character of Vin is intriguing, as are all the characters, major and minor, in this book. What I also liked about Mr. Sanderson's words is how he describes things; he goes into just the right amount of detail before outstaying his welcome (or throwing in every last little twitch or pulls on a braid).

Naturally, I bought both of the next books in the series, confident I wouldn't be bored or pissed off midway through the 2nd one.




Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Book, Book, Who's Got the Book? - Part 1

While I've been a slug sitting at home, I've had a chance to read some good fantasy fiction. Believe it or not, I've read most of these since the end of June since I have too much time on my hands.

The rest of my time...I'm rewriting and rewriting, lol.

Here then are brief reviews of some of the books I've read. To be continued in Part 2 (and there probably will be a Part 3).

More...



Tor Fantasy, 656 pages

Any praise or hype you've heard about this book is legit: I could hardly wait to get through it! It's pretty dark, especially as we come in on the story when the city of Elantris has already withered and died. Prince Raoden of Arelon, a city which sits right next to the decayed Elantris, comes down with a dread disease that has afflicated certain people of Arelon. Although the Prince's father hides the fact by officially pronouncing him dead, he's anything but; instead, he's sent off to Elantris to die along with all the other poor souls who've been likewise afflicted. (Think of zombies, the walking dead, etc., and you'll have an idea of the disease.)

The King hasn't had to deal with the Prince's betrothed, who has decided to come to Arelon anyway, despite not being married to him in body; however, she signed a contract, and she is legally his widow.

So, do the two meet up? Or are we to tune in to see what Sarene, Raoden's widow, can uncover about the King, about Elantris, about certain factions within and without Arelon?

My Take On It

The characters felt real to me. I cared what happened to Raoden and what happened to Sarene. There is a villian to the story, but Mr. Sanderson wrote something within the character that makes him somewhat sympathetic; he's even somewhat heroic near the end of the story. This might be a dark-ish story, but it's also about surviving and trying to do the right thing in the face of darkness and evil.

You won't want to put it down until the very end, and you might actually feel a little sorry, or at least have some pity, for the villain at the end.



DAW Trade, 672 pages

FYI, the version I picked up is different in the number of pages; it's actually a bit longer than the version noted above. No idea why, but thought I'd throw this out there.

I read this before I started Elantris. Although this is what I think most writing teachers would call a frame story (Kvothe, the main character, recounts what has happened to him - and it's quite a lot! - to a scribe in the inn Kvothe is now running).

My Take On It

This starts out slow, but after the first chapter or so, I got into it. Mr. Rothfuss has drawn an interesting character in Kvothe, in that he's worth listening to; he's had quite an eventful life, to this point (including getting involved with strange creatures, having to deal with bullies, and falling in love, although his love interest keeps flitting in and out of his life).

I actually started to cry when Kvothe told of a somewhat old man who helped the street urchins of a particular town; he especially helped those who physically could not do much, and as such, slipped through the cracks and onto the hard streets, left to die, no doubt. I also shed some tears later on, after he'd grown up a bit and went his own way, where he felt very much alone. I can't tell you how often I've felt like that, especially lately, with all the personal stuff bogging me (and my husband) down.

There's some violence in this, but nothing near what's in the latest Tarantino offering, or any Tarantino offering, for that matter. ;-)

I read this before reading Elantris. Definitely worth reading, although, as is typical for fantasy, it's in three installments, so you have to wait until the 2nd one (Day 2) comes out.



Tor Fantasy, 672 pages

I loved Elantris so much, I went out and got this book; I hesitated on buying the 2nd and 3rd books, because I've been burned before.

The characters, which are different from those in Elantris, are what make this book, and the entire series, such a great read. (What else is new, right? :-)) There's a Prologue, and although I know some do not read Prologues, make sure you read this one, as it sets up what happens after. It doesn't seem so at the time you're reading it, but trust me, you'll have "Aha!" moments later on...

This mostly in Vin's POV, a poor teenage girl who makes a living on the streets of the capital, Luthadel. Most of the world is ruled by a tyrant who just seems to kill people at will. There's a method to his horrible madness, which only becomes clear in Book 2.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Vin has some sort of power in which she can soothe people, so even when the head of the particular band of thieves she's fallen in with screws up with those in power, she can soothe away any unpleasantness. Except that she does it inside a building where those inside notice such things. She gets away with it, for the time being, helped out by Kelsier and his group, a group that intends to shake the very foundations of the world by eventually killing the tyrant (the Lord Ruler).

My Take On It

There's magic up the ying-yang in this one, with people swallowing all sorts of stuff that helps them bound around (literally). It gets tedious from time to time in these sections when Vin comes into her own, but I understood it was necessary, else, why bother having it in the story? :-) The character of Vin is intriguing, as are all the characters, major and minor, in this book. What I also liked about Mr. Sanderson's words is how he describes things; he goes into just the right amount of detail before outstaying his welcome (or throwing in every last little twitch or pulls on a braid).

Naturally, I bought both of the next books in the series, confident I wouldn't be bored or pissed off midway through the 2nd one.




Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Devlin's Justice - A Review

Publisher: Spectra
400 pages

The third book in the Sword of Change series.

Synopsis

Devlin manages to overcome the magic spell that has left him weak in both body and mind; he finds that the Sword of Light is indeed in Duncaer, and he finally grips the prize, so called, in his hand. That the sword feels as if it was custom made for him gives him pause - but only for a moment.

Because now he must return to Jorsk, having completed his mission. He and his band - Stephen, the minstral, among others - have been gone longer than any of them anticipated. How has Jorsk fared? Will they be returning to ruins, desolation?

In the meantime, Devlin must get through the lines of Jorsk's enemy. He's convinced the only way is through rebellion, with him at the head. He's shaken and dismayed at this turn of events, but feels it's the only way to get back to Jorsk - which may be overrun, for all he knows.

More...

As they get nearer to Jorsk, it looks as if it's intact; but what of the people? What of the political mechinations that were already in place when Devlin left?

And will Devlin get to see the king, giving the heave-ho to those political mechinations?

So, What's Your Take?

This third book in the series is very brutal; scenes of torture abound (magical and physical). The magical torture affects Devlin's mind, and is even worse than the physical torture (which is bad enough). At one point, he despairs so much, that his anger and hurt overwhelm him so that he can escape; such is the case when his emotions are strong.

A well-done ending to what came before, if maybe a tad overdone on the torture scenes. Again, Devlin comes off not as the avenging hero coming to save the kingdom in a blaze of glory; in fact, he's a bit pissed that he can't rake the coals over the king. Not that he wanted to kill him or anything...

Devlin's humanity still shines through, despite all the tortures and murder attempts hurled his way. Devlin's Justice ends on a bittersweet note, at least to me, which kind of reminds me of the ending of The Lord of the Rings.

No, it's not like LOTR in any way, shape, or form; it's just the way it ended wasn't exactly happy and wasn't exactly sad. But it did feel just right.

Grade A: Worth a read, unless torture scenes turn you off completely (they don't take up the entire book, but they linger in the mind).

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Devlin's Justice - A Review

Publisher: Spectra
400 pages

The third book in the Sword of Change series.

Synopsis

Devlin manages to overcome the magic spell that has left him weak in both body and mind; he finds that the Sword of Light is indeed in Duncaer, and he finally grips the prize, so called, in his hand. That the sword feels as if it was custom made for him gives him pause - but only for a moment.

Because now he must return to Jorsk, having completed his mission. He and his band - Stephen, the minstral, among others - have been gone longer than any of them anticipated. How has Jorsk fared? Will they be returning to ruins, desolation?

In the meantime, Devlin must get through the lines of Jorsk's enemy. He's convinced the only way is through rebellion, with him at the head. He's shaken and dismayed at this turn of events, but feels it's the only way to get back to Jorsk - which may be overrun, for all he knows.

More...

As they get nearer to Jorsk, it looks as if it's intact; but what of the people? What of the political mechinations that were already in place when Devlin left?

And will Devlin get to see the king, giving the heave-ho to those political mechinations?

So, What's Your Take?

This third book in the series is very brutal; scenes of torture abound (magical and physical). The magical torture affects Devlin's mind, and is even worse than the physical torture (which is bad enough). At one point, he despairs so much, that his anger and hurt overwhelm him so that he can escape; such is the case when his emotions are strong.

A well-done ending to what came before, if maybe a tad overdone on the torture scenes. Again, Devlin comes off not as the avenging hero coming to save the kingdom in a blaze of glory; in fact, he's a bit pissed that he can't rake the coals over the king. Not that he wanted to kill him or anything...

Devlin's humanity still shines through, despite all the tortures and murder attempts hurled his way. Devlin's Justice ends on a bittersweet note, at least to me, which kind of reminds me of the ending of The Lord of the Rings.

No, it's not like LOTR in any way, shape, or form; it's just the way it ended wasn't exactly happy and wasn't exactly sad. But it did feel just right.

Grade A: Worth a read, unless torture scenes turn you off completely (they don't take up the entire book, but they linger in the mind).

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Devlin's Honor - A Review

Publisher: Spectra
416 pages

This is the second book in the Sword of Change series. To read my take on the first book, Devlin's Luck, go here.

Synopsis

Devlin is now a very much alive Chosen One, the Kingdom of Jorsk's champion, which means he will defend the city to the death, if necessary.

Many people in Jorsk now believe that if he were truly annointed by the gods, the gods would have given him a sword out of legend: the Sword of Light.

The irony of it all is that now Devlin must go back to Duncaer. Not only is it his home, but it was also conquered by the very people he's now sworn to protect.

Why go back? Because that's where the Sword of Light is - and Devlin knows where in Duncaer it's located.
More...

The sword was found on the battlefield after the Caerfolk's defeat, kept as a souvenir. And because he's been bound, by magic (the Geas) and by the King to retrieve the sword, he has no choice but to return to the people who cast him out.

He has no doubt that he'll face their wrath and indifference - if he gets that far. For Devlin has no doubts that there are people who will try to keep him from getting that sword, for their own nefarious reasons...

So, What Did You Think?

Many times, the middle book of a series can be a bit of a letdown. Not so here. I felt that this was even better than the first book.

We get taken more into Devlin's mind, his feelings, in this book. After all, he's returning home, and he's not going to feel too welcome there. Plus, he comes down with some sort of sickness that zaps not only his physical strength but his mental strength, which was already suspect.

Thus we're drawn into some of his dark dreams...and this was almost too much for me to take. Almost. Because, dear friends, I was reminded of some personal stuff (related to a loved one), and it seemed as if I were reliving a lot of that hell.

Thank goodness it's a book.

**spoiler** He does make it to Duncaer, although there is an attempt on his life. Two swordsmen go after him, but they kill themselves before they can be questioned as to whom they work for, etc.

Now, whom do they work for? Devlin and his little band find out not long after getting to Duncaer.

The ending was pretty good, and leads right into the third book of the series, Devlin's Justice. Yes, loose ends are wrapped up, but the locale has to shift elsewhere...

Mwahaha! (Sorry for the melodrama. ;-))

Grade A - worth reading. The darkness in this book felt just right, if a bit over and beyond what I'm used to (but that's because of my personal stuff, so take that with a grain of salt).

I'll have that review up in a couple of days.



Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Devlin's Honor - A Review

Publisher: Spectra
416 pages

This is the second book in the Sword of Change series. To read my take on the first book, Devlin's Luck, go here.

Synopsis

Devlin is now a very much alive Chosen One, the Kingdom of Jorsk's champion, which means he will defend the city to the death, if necessary.

Many people in Jorsk now believe that if he were truly annointed by the gods, the gods would have given him a sword out of legend: the Sword of Light.

The irony of it all is that now Devlin must go back to Duncaer. Not only is it his home, but it was also conquered by the very people he's now sworn to protect.

Why go back? Because that's where the Sword of Light is - and Devlin knows where in Duncaer it's located.
More...

The sword was found on the battlefield after the Caerfolk's defeat, kept as a souvenir. And because he's been bound, by magic (the Geas) and by the King to retrieve the sword, he has no choice but to return to the people who cast him out.

He has no doubt that he'll face their wrath and indifference - if he gets that far. For Devlin has no doubts that there are people who will try to keep him from getting that sword, for their own nefarious reasons...

So, What Did You Think?

Many times, the middle book of a series can be a bit of a letdown. Not so here. I felt that this was even better than the first book.

We get taken more into Devlin's mind, his feelings, in this book. After all, he's returning home, and he's not going to feel too welcome there. Plus, he comes down with some sort of sickness that zaps not only his physical strength but his mental strength, which was already suspect.

Thus we're drawn into some of his dark dreams...and this was almost too much for me to take. Almost. Because, dear friends, I was reminded of some personal stuff (related to a loved one), and it seemed as if I were reliving a lot of that hell.

Thank goodness it's a book.

**spoiler** He does make it to Duncaer, although there is an attempt on his life. Two swordsmen go after him, but they kill themselves before they can be questioned as to whom they work for, etc.

Now, whom do they work for? Devlin and his little band find out not long after getting to Duncaer.

The ending was pretty good, and leads right into the third book of the series, Devlin's Justice. Yes, loose ends are wrapped up, but the locale has to shift elsewhere...

Mwahaha! (Sorry for the melodrama. ;-))

Grade A - worth reading. The darkness in this book felt just right, if a bit over and beyond what I'm used to (but that's because of my personal stuff, so take that with a grain of salt).

I'll have that review up in a couple of days.



Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Goblin War - A Review

Publisher: DAW
352 pages

This is a long time in coming, but let me tell you, this installment of the Jig series is just as much fun as the other two were.

All is fine for Jig Dragonslayer for a little while, until he and over-the-top follower of Tymolous Shadowstar, Relka, are pressed into service when the humans (yet again) attack the mountain. Seems they want to get the Rod of Creation back, but first Princess Genevieve, sister of the two jerk adventurers from his first adventure, must bring the goblins to a little town away from the mountain, to mount a stand against the evil elves and who-knows-what-else in the area.

A goblin warrior, Trok, and other warriors come along for what they consider a fun time; Jig wants no part of it, but has no choice; Relka willingly comes along, because she believes Shadowstar wants her to do this.
More...
My Impressions

There are a couple of races that should be familiar to Tolkien fans - elves and orcs - but what Mr. Hines does with them will make you snort or giggle (or, if you're of the snooty type, maybe a soft "haw-haw"). The leader of the orcs is Billa the Bloody, and because of Jig's tightness with Shadowstar, he's in on the scoop as to why Billa and her ragtag but fierce bunch of warriors are having it out with the humans...

...and she doesn't care who they kill, to the point where she wants all of her troops killed.

But you'll have to read the story to find out just exactly why.

Nice touches are the reminisces of Shadowstar, from when he was hiding from his son and his wife, and the lengths he went to to keep hidden. Even in these little vignettes, which last no longer than a page or a page and a half, there's plenty of humor, and it nicely fills in some questions I had about Shadowstar, one of the Forgotten Gods.

Darnak the Dwarf reappears here (no longer a bird), and Braf makes a brief appearance, too.

At the End

There's more magic and mayhem and foolishness to be had, and the ending, although a bittersweet one for Shadowstar (just like Return of the King), is just right and makes perfect sense; it wraps up everything before it.

But it's not all sadness at the end: There's a nice little twist of sorts as to how Jig and the humans come to peace. Not one that I saw coming, but goofy just the same (and again, it makes sense, considering the goblins are dealing with humans, for goodness sake!).

Definitely worth reading when you're ready to get away from some of that really dark stuff you've been reading.

But make sure you start with the first two installments before you get to this one, or you'll be wondering what the heck is going on. The review for Goblin Quest is here; the review for Goblin Hero is here.

Enjoy!


Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Goblin War - A Review

Publisher: DAW
352 pages

This is a long time in coming, but let me tell you, this installment of the Jig series is just as much fun as the other two were.

All is fine for Jig Dragonslayer for a little while, until he and over-the-top follower of Tymolous Shadowstar, Relka, are pressed into service when the humans (yet again) attack the mountain. Seems they want to get the Rod of Creation back, but first Princess Genevieve, sister of the two jerk adventurers from his first adventure, must bring the goblins to a little town away from the mountain, to mount a stand against the evil elves and who-knows-what-else in the area.

A goblin warrior, Trok, and other warriors come along for what they consider a fun time; Jig wants no part of it, but has no choice; Relka willingly comes along, because she believes Shadowstar wants her to do this.
More...
My Impressions

There are a couple of races that should be familiar to Tolkien fans - elves and orcs - but what Mr. Hines does with them will make you snort or giggle (or, if you're of the snooty type, maybe a soft "haw-haw"). The leader of the orcs is Billa the Bloody, and because of Jig's tightness with Shadowstar, he's in on the scoop as to why Billa and her ragtag but fierce bunch of warriors are having it out with the humans...

...and she doesn't care who they kill, to the point where she wants all of her troops killed.

But you'll have to read the story to find out just exactly why.

Nice touches are the reminisces of Shadowstar, from when he was hiding from his son and his wife, and the lengths he went to to keep hidden. Even in these little vignettes, which last no longer than a page or a page and a half, there's plenty of humor, and it nicely fills in some questions I had about Shadowstar, one of the Forgotten Gods.

Darnak the Dwarf reappears here (no longer a bird), and Braf makes a brief appearance, too.

At the End

There's more magic and mayhem and foolishness to be had, and the ending, although a bittersweet one for Shadowstar (just like Return of the King), is just right and makes perfect sense; it wraps up everything before it.

But it's not all sadness at the end: There's a nice little twist of sorts as to how Jig and the humans come to peace. Not one that I saw coming, but goofy just the same (and again, it makes sense, considering the goblins are dealing with humans, for goodness sake!).

Definitely worth reading when you're ready to get away from some of that really dark stuff you've been reading.

But make sure you start with the first two installments before you get to this one, or you'll be wondering what the heck is going on. The review for Goblin Quest is here; the review for Goblin Hero is here.

Enjoy!


Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Goblin Hero - A Review

Publisher: DAW
352 pages

If you haven't read Goblin Quest, you really should do so before reading this review.

I'll wait.......good, glad you're back! ;-)
More...

The Story

Goblin Hero starts off about a year after Straum the dragon is killed. Jig is now known as Jig the Dragonslayer - there's even a song of the same name - even though he knows very well that he wasn't the one who killed Straum.

But such is the cost of fame, he figures. Because of his noteriety/heroism, Jig can afford things he couldn't before. I'm not talking Rolls Royces here, but he came up with metal frames for glasses, to combat his poor eyesight. He also heals various goblin wounds - with the help of his god, Tymolous Shadowstar.

In that year, the former chief of the goblins was killed, and another goblin has taken his place. But she feels threatened by Jig Dragonslayer; so she sends him on a journey to help out the ogres, and journey which Jig knows - just knows - is her way of getting rid of her threat (not that she doesn't have to worry about the other goblins sinking a knife into her back).

Jig dare not say no, so he goes off with Walland, an ogre who's asking for help. It seems that a lot of ogres are not only disappearing, a lot of them are ending up dead.

Along with Jig and Walland are Grell, an ancient goblin with two canes that she's not afraid to use; and Braf, a big and beefy goblin who has more brawn than brains (after all, he got one of his fangs stuck up his nose, and Jig unstuck it ::eeuw::).

Unknown to Jig, there's yet another goblin coming along for the ride, Veka. Plump and feeling full of herself, she's determined to become a Hero. Why, she even has a book (penned by someone named Josca) called The Hero's Path, which describes what a Hero should look like, what he or she can do to better attain Hero status, that sort of thing.

Think of it as a how-to book for Heroes. :-)

Veka can do her own little bits of magic; so far she's managed to do a binding spell, but her levitation spell needs work. Using a tiny bit of magic, some goblin trickery, and the blunt end of her staff, she "encourages" a hobgoblin, which she nicknames Slash, to come along with her - as her sidekick (I don't remember what page number that's on in Josca's book).

All head down to Straum's lair, where it's snowing. And pixies have taken over this part of the mountain.

How did the pixies get there? And why are they hanging around?

My Take On It

Yet another fun romp with Jig and friends. Especially fun is Veka and her obsession with becoming a hero (complete with how-to book!). What's interesting in this book is not only how Mr. Hines is upending the entire hero-myth-thing, but he makes the pixies his own, describing them as asty and only concerned for their queen.

And their queen - whoa! I won't say anything more than - she's anything but what you might be expecting.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

Goblin Hero - A Review

Publisher: DAW
352 pages

If you haven't read Goblin Quest, you really should do so before reading this review.

I'll wait.......good, glad you're back! ;-)
More...

The Story

Goblin Hero starts off about a year after Straum the dragon is killed. Jig is now known as Jig the Dragonslayer - there's even a song of the same name - even though he knows very well that he wasn't the one who killed Straum.

But such is the cost of fame, he figures. Because of his noteriety/heroism, Jig can afford things he couldn't before. I'm not talking Rolls Royces here, but he came up with metal frames for glasses, to combat his poor eyesight. He also heals various goblin wounds - with the help of his god, Tymolous Shadowstar.

In that year, the former chief of the goblins was killed, and another goblin has taken his place. But she feels threatened by Jig Dragonslayer; so she sends him on a journey to help out the ogres, and journey which Jig knows - just knows - is her way of getting rid of her threat (not that she doesn't have to worry about the other goblins sinking a knife into her back).

Jig dare not say no, so he goes off with Walland, an ogre who's asking for help. It seems that a lot of ogres are not only disappearing, a lot of them are ending up dead.

Along with Jig and Walland are Grell, an ancient goblin with two canes that she's not afraid to use; and Braf, a big and beefy goblin who has more brawn than brains (after all, he got one of his fangs stuck up his nose, and Jig unstuck it ::eeuw::).

Unknown to Jig, there's yet another goblin coming along for the ride, Veka. Plump and feeling full of herself, she's determined to become a Hero. Why, she even has a book (penned by someone named Josca) called The Hero's Path, which describes what a Hero should look like, what he or she can do to better attain Hero status, that sort of thing.

Think of it as a how-to book for Heroes. :-)

Veka can do her own little bits of magic; so far she's managed to do a binding spell, but her levitation spell needs work. Using a tiny bit of magic, some goblin trickery, and the blunt end of her staff, she "encourages" a hobgoblin, which she nicknames Slash, to come along with her - as her sidekick (I don't remember what page number that's on in Josca's book).

All head down to Straum's lair, where it's snowing. And pixies have taken over this part of the mountain.

How did the pixies get there? And why are they hanging around?

My Take On It

Yet another fun romp with Jig and friends. Especially fun is Veka and her obsession with becoming a hero (complete with how-to book!). What's interesting in this book is not only how Mr. Hines is upending the entire hero-myth-thing, but he makes the pixies his own, describing them as asty and only concerned for their queen.

And their queen - whoa! I won't say anything more than - she's anything but what you might be expecting.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck