Amazon.co.uk Review
The constant recycling which is an inevitable part of genre in general, and fantasy in particular, means that, if things are to be made new, standard assumptions have perpetually to be up for grabs. For years now, we have had sensitive anguished vampires and dragons so cultured that it is a privilege to be eaten by them; and in recent years, it has been the turn of orcs, those villainous spear carriers who have gibbered and strutted through every fantasy epic since Tolkien. Nicholls' orcs, warband leader Stryke, his corporal Coilla and the rest, are misunderstood infantry, whose ruthlessness and bad domestic habits have been overstated by racist humans; at their worst, they are only obeying orders. The plot of this first volume of a lengthy series is a standard gathering of plot tokens; once Stryke and the others have offended their owner, the enchantress Jenesta, they have no alternative but to collect a series of magic objects in the hope that they will know what to do when they have a full set. Nicholls' tongue is intermittently in his cheek, but his action sequences are seriously exciting and Stryke's drug dreams of a better Orcdom are touching. --
Roz Kaveney
Product Description
An epic and bloody fantasy told from the perspective of fantasy's traditional enemy. The 1st in a sweeping new fantasy epic that tells the story of fantasy's traditional enemy for the 1st time. For Stryke and his fellow orcs the arrival of man has seen the end of their world. But now it is time for Stryke and his fellow orcs the arrival of man has seen the end of their world. But now it is time for Stryke and his fellow Orcs the arrival of man has seen the end of their world. But now it is time for Stryke and his warband to take control of their destiny and fight for a future for them and all Orcs. Stryke, his 2 sargeants, the dwarf Jup and the rest of his warband embark on a quest for the 5 pieces of an artefact that will overturn the world, and open a gate to new worlds. Fighting for a master they do not trust, hated by all, the Orcs must rely on all their bravery and natural toughness.