Orcs: Bodyguard of Lightening, Legion of Thunder, Warriors of the Tempest: "Bodyguard of Lightning", " Legion of Thunder", " Warriors of the Tempest" Gollancz S.F.: Amazon.co.uk: Stan Nicholls: Books

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Product Description

Product Description
Combining the acclaimed trilogy of books, BODYGUARD OF LIGHTNING, LEGION OF THUNDER and WARRIORS OF THE TEMPEST, plus a new short story previously only available in a small press anthology, this is the entire story of Stryke and his band of Orcs. Fantasy's bad guys finally get their own say in this fast moving, action packed, tongue in cheek tale or Orc valour and human treachery.

About the Author
Stan Nicholls has been a reviewer and interviewer in the UK for more than 20 years and is a key figure on the genre scene. He writes a regular column for TIME OUT and contributes to both INTERZONE and STARBURST. He is also the author of several children's fantasies.

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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

Average Customer Review

3.2 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and fun, 20 Feb 2006

By	Tom West (Whitby) - See all my reviews

This book puts the whole fantasy world into a spin and places orcs - the deadly foe as the good guys.

A story that twists and turns and provides an enjoyable read with lots of deatailed battles and in my opinion some really good character development.

to sum it up in a sentence, - Orcs is a fast paced thrilling ride with blood and gore and twists and turns, very enjoyable read.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Massively Disappointing, 18 Feb 2009

By	MLA (UK) - See all my reviews

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. That skirmishes were often piled on top of one another as the 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.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not too bad, 18 April 2007

By	Paul Rigby "Skirmator" (Lancashire, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book starts good, Orcs fighting in a human settlement, but it soon drags. The first problem is the battle sequences which are pretty much all the same, and each ends agonisingly with "casualties?" Jup: "Only minor injuries, we were lucky". It occurs so much that you will get vexed at the end of each battle scene praying, hoping, there will be a realistic casualty list after they have been outnumbered 5 to 1 against elite corps of the armies of men. In fact halfway through the book, you get pretty cheery when 200 or so orcs latch on to the band, just so the author can finally kill some of the good guys off without it being a main character. This shouldn't be needed though as the band has a good 20 "Grunts" (a word which appears about 4-5 times a page)which have no character whatsoever, no lines personality or actions other than follow the lead orc "Stryke". In fact he only seems to refer to them by name when in a list(in battle tactics, proclamations etc), just so you don't get too close if(heaven forbid)one of them dies.

Another problem about the book is the story...I know this seems quite a big point, but it still struggles on without a good one. The problem with the story is that its like playing an early final fantasy game. Going to each location one by one collecting crystals, not only that but the worlds so small, you could cross the map in 3 days, which makes it difficult to picture how many of the characters in the book seem mystified by many of the locations presented(I mean if you could explore the whole world in a month, you would do it right? You wouldn't stay under a rock, like some of the "explorers" and "veterans" must have done and been lying through their teeth), and also how some battles contain 20,000 plus troops, which takes the edge off realism. These faults shows the authors ability to keep you reading despite the fact you know you shouldn't. The main reason for this is their great portrayal of the evil characters which make the book worthwhile. The portrayal of the 5 main orcs also gives the book a sense of meaning, as you want them to complete their quest.(though id prefer them to be a lot less human, and a lot more orc-like and vulnerable).
All in all a good read, drags in some places and makes you want to see orc blood, but it should keep your attention to the end.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Are these really Orcs?
Very disappointing. While seemingly very original and interesting, the novelty quickly fades. There is nothing particularly Orcish about these. Read more

Published 6 days ago by G. Sylph

5.0 out of 5 stars Orcs - Brilliant!
Visceral, violent, funny, very well written, this is the book to take on holiday with you whilst the wife sunbathes. Check it out, you will not regret it!

Published 24 days ago by Jonny R

4.0 out of 5 stars A Cracking Fantasy Read
This is a really enjoyable read. It is original in its telling from the view point of Orcs; the reader will often find themselves empathising with the Orcs and hating the humans... Read more

Published 25 days ago by S. Clarke

4.0 out of 5 stars Unpretentious not the usual type of fantasy
I was a bit surprised to see the book-series of Nicholls so heavily criticized. My opinion of this book in a nutshell: I found it a highly appealing book and a great read. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Jon

3.0 out of 5 stars Rushed
The three books in the collection really are a single seamless story, each subsequent book carrying on directly from the last. Read more

Published 2 months ago by W. Nelson

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story - unusual point of view
I came across this book by accident - looking for something in the fantasy section of an airport bookshop. Read more

Published 7 months ago by B. MURPHY-RYAN

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual. All kinds of awesome.
The book does seem to follow a formulaic pattern, with the characters repeatedly having to sneak into enemy territory AGAIN... that theme repeats itself a little two often. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Crazy Foo

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of the Story - Not my Opinion on Orcs
I really enjoyed reading this, it's fast paced and great fun to read

I can't help but notice that the majority of the bad reviews on this book are because Stan... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Happy Matt

4.0 out of 5 stars good fun
this isn't a masterpiece, but it good fun and flows well. It is about 700 pages long and I have just read it in a week - so that tells you something. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Mr. J. P. Godfrey

5.0 out of 5 stars orcs
orcs was my first taste of fantasy and could not put it down,absolutely brilliant looking forward to ocrs bad blood. Read more

Published 16 months ago by G. M. carman

› See all 42 customer reviews...

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Warriors of the Tempest

War is drowning Maras Dantia. Stryke and his warband have recovered... Read more

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	79% buy the item featured on this page: Orcs: Bodyguard of Lightening, Legion of Thunder, Warriors of the Tempest: "Bodyguard of Lightning", " Legion of Thunder", " Warriors of the Tempest" (Gollancz S.F.) 3.2 out of 5 stars (42) �5.71
	8% buy Orcs Bad Blood 1: Weapons of Magical Destruction (Gollancz S.F.) 3.0 out of 5 stars (1) �4.99
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	4% buy Quicksilver Twilight (Quicksilver Trilogy) 3.5 out of 5 stars (2) �4.99


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Orcs: Bodyguard of Lightening, Legion of Thunder, Warriors of the Tempest: "Bodyguard of Lightning", " Legion of Thunder", " Warriors of the Tempest" (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

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