A humorous fantasy epic follows a pivotal time in the lives of the Orcs, a brawny race whose ruthless fighting abilities and lower intellectual capacities invariably place them on the front lines of battle.
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In the tower of the nameless necromancer it is always cold. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
In the tower of the nameless necromancer it is always cold. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
And believe me, in the context of this book, the review title is pretty literal.
Imagine a group of generic fantasy orcs who recover a magnificent treasure amongst a Dragon's hoard...I trove of modern firearms and military equipment. Armed with this gear, the Orcish grunts begin to fall under it's spell, gaining the trappings of our modern military, specifically Marines.
This book is a very darkly humourous tale, certainly not for the squeamish or for children. It is, however, for those who have grown tired of weak-kneed Tolkienesque fantasy. And it's not just fantasy it takes on, Science fiction and war-stories in general get a pounding, with some wonderful Aliens-esque sequences later in the book.
The book achieves some marvellous effects though, amongst the villainous (For no matter what happens, they always keep their streak of brutal aggresion) Orcs, there quickly come a number of characters who you come to like, whilst amongst the armies of light there are those who somehow seem just as brutal and misguided as the orcs.
The writing is deft and always humorous and the book never stoops to heavy moralising, it doesn't need to, you always know what's right and wrong. It's just that Gentle's writing makes it seem so.....funny.
So, particularly if you're beginning to find over-exposure to Lord of the Rings too much at the moment, pick this up. It's the perfect antidote.
Now if only we could get a sequel.....
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Parkway
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If you like your humour brutal, rude and dark, and you know the 'standard' fantasy conventions, then there's a good chance you'll like this book.
If you know how things usually work in fantasy (Noble & Pure Heros of light, last desperate battle against overwhelming forces of darkness, etc) then you might enjoy seeing things from the bad guys point of view - The forces of darkness are nasty, but the forces of light aren't very nice either.
It gets graphic and messy, and only really works if you recognise the stereotypes its making fun of, so it won't be to everyones taste.
Don't buy it expecting a childrens book
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent take on the standard swords and sourcery genre.
It takes the happy fantasy characters and looks at them in a more "real" situation. Orcs who commit war crimes, S&M hobbits, Heros of the light who aren't as nice as they seem and bad guy's who you like even though they are brutal, nasty creatures.
Do not buy this book for the easily offended or the youner reader. It's a nasty war book wearing fantasy clothes.
Quote of the book
"Pass me another elf, this one has split"
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Grunts is a great fantasy 'what if' tale.
What if some of the servants of Darkness decide they don't want to be slaughtered at the Last Battle?
Add in some decidedly none magically Weapons, Aliens, Quests, Halflings, a War Crime trial and an Election and a great time is had by all (unless you are an elf). Probably not for younger readers due to some of the nastier aspects of orc life but for anyone who gets fed up of the 'good' heroes overcoming impossible odds would be advised to read this.
This is my favourite Mary Gentle tale (and nothing like any of the others I read) and well worth picking up second hand.
As General Ashnak says - "Pass me another elf, sergeant. This one's split"
What if some of the servants of Darkness decide they don't want to be slaughtered at the Last Battle?
Add in some decidedly none magically Weapons, Aliens, Quests, Halflings, a War Crime trial and an Election and a great time is had by all (unless you are an elf). Probably not for younger readers due to some of the nastier aspects of orc life but for anyone who gets fed up of the 'good' heroes overcoming impossible odds would be advised to read this.
This is my favourite Mary Gentle tale (and nothing like any of the others I read) and well worth picking up second hand.
As General Ashnak says - "Pass me another elf, sergeant. This one's split"
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The premesis of Grunts, is a fantasy story with the tables turned. You got alle the clichéd fantasy stuff like the light and the evil, elves, orcs, halflings, paladins, etc. Only this time things are turned around. We follow Ashnak of the fighting Agaku, an orc in the Horde of darkness. When he and his men comes over the treasure of the dragon Dagurashibanipal, things starts to get weird. We follow Ashnak and his orcs through this weird tale in three parts; pre-, the aftermath and post- the great battle between the light and dark.
Mary Gentle is a very good writer, with a colourfull language which sets the mood nicely. She mangages to make us root for the orcs in this dark fantasy book, with a humour that is somewhat reminicant to the Discworld books. Note that this book is not for the younger audience, as the language and descrptions are quite graphic.
In my opionon, this book is quite good. When reading the first two parts, it was very hard to put it down sometimes, and I think I must have gotten some weird stares on the subway (or at least my girlfriend) when bursting out in laughter. Unfortunatly, the book peaks somewhere in the second part, and don't quite reach the same hights. I think this have much to do that the formula that made the first parts exciting and fun, is somewhat changed in the third part.
While Agaku and his orcs are interesting enough, some are in my opion not as interesting. Most of the time when non-orcs take the stage, I felt I wanted to return to see what the orcs were up to. They, after all, are the story.... Read more ›
Mary Gentle is a very good writer, with a colourfull language which sets the mood nicely. She mangages to make us root for the orcs in this dark fantasy book, with a humour that is somewhat reminicant to the Discworld books. Note that this book is not for the younger audience, as the language and descrptions are quite graphic.
In my opionon, this book is quite good. When reading the first two parts, it was very hard to put it down sometimes, and I think I must have gotten some weird stares on the subway (or at least my girlfriend) when bursting out in laughter. Unfortunatly, the book peaks somewhere in the second part, and don't quite reach the same hights. I think this have much to do that the formula that made the first parts exciting and fun, is somewhat changed in the third part.
While Agaku and his orcs are interesting enough, some are in my opion not as interesting. Most of the time when non-orcs take the stage, I felt I wanted to return to see what the orcs were up to. They, after all, are the story.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Kiwi Cadre
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Mary Gentle has produced a very funny (in an at times horrifying way) poke at the rose spectacled view of classic Tolkein style fantasy. The characterisation of the elves had me laughing out lide, and the reference to newt from Aliens made me laugh and shudder at the same time.
I am a fan of fantasy, as I suspect Mary Gentle is, so I get many of the in-jokes embedded in the story. But even if you are not this book is fun to read.
I am a fan of fantasy, as I suspect Mary Gentle is, so I get many of the in-jokes embedded in the story. But even if you are not this book is fun to read.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleased
This item was dispatched promptly and arrived in good time, exactly as it was described in the listing. Overall, I was very pleased.
Published 1 month ago by Mark Burrows
5.0 out of 5 stars
grunts
excellent and witty tale of the battle between good and evil. theorcs are evil and they know that however well they do in the early stages they will lose in the end.
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Michael Dowse
2.0 out of 5 stars
An antidote to sub-Tolkien sword n sorcery clones? No
Sword n' Sorcery fantasy is a bit tedious. It's pretty much all derived directly from Tolkien with little originality, and you always know that the good guys are going to win. Read more
Published 22 months ago by D. R. Cantrell
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nearly Good
This was my first Mary Gentle book &, I'm guessing, probably not typical of her output. It is an attempt to write a rollicking Rabelaisian tale & I'm not entirely convinced by it. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2007 by Roger Cawkwell
4.0 out of 5 stars
very funny and unpredictable
i felt that one of the best things about this book was that i had absolutely no clue what was going to happen next. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2005 by "daniel_gaudry"
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grunts- an attitude
If you like traditional fantasy literature....Grunts may shock and offend you, it's a book about orcs and about what is important to orcs, and a few other incidental things, it is... Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
FANTASTIC ALLKY FUNNY FANTASY..!!!!!!
What a laugh from start to finish!!!!!. The story of a platoon of marauding "Orcs" and their commanding officer. Very VERY funny, with a fantadtic ending... Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2003 by xeroburn
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love this little gem.
I didnt know anything about this book when I casually picked it up in my local library, and how pleased I was when I found what a gem I had! Read more
Published on 6 July 2003 by raymond hilder
5.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshing read
Excellent book. A very good mixture of Fantasy and Miltary.
Well written, very funny.
Well written, very funny.
Published on 2 May 2003
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