Orcs

By: Stan Nicholls

Narrated by: John Lee

"LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT THE ORC."

"There is fear and hatred in your eyes. To you I am a monster, a skulker in the shadows, a fiend to scare your children with. A creature to be hunted down and slaughtered llike a beast in the fields.

"It is time you pay heed to the beast. And see the beast in yourself. I have your fear. But I have earned your respect.

"Hear my story. Feel the flow of blood and be thankful. Thankful that it was me, not you, who bore the sword. Thankful to the Orcs: born to fight, destined to win peace for all."

Combining the international best-selling trilogy Bodyguard of Lightning, Legion of Thunder, and Warriors of the Tempest - plus a new short story previously available only in a small-press anthology - Orcs presents the entire story of Stryke and his band of Orcs. A fast-moving, action-packed, tongue-in-cheek saga of Orc valor and human treachery.

©2008 Stan Nicholls (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Nicholls captures adventure fantasy at its very best.... This edition...will be a cult classic with quest fantasy fans on both sides of the Pond." ( Publishers Weekly)

Good Listen

I read the book when it came out and was excited to listen again. good book with a good perspective on the orcs as good guys.

Waits too late..

Interesting read following small group of elite orcs who are part of a war band. Good development of an interesting villain. But, there is world building that is saved to the very end which was probably meant to act as a huge twist, but makes the reader feel it’s a bit of a cop out / deus ex machina.
I can’t help feeling that if the reveal had come earlier, it would have made for a more compelling world and given the reader a sense of urgency behind the action that feels lacking in certain parts.
The protagonist does make a good anti-hero.

Overall, It was a solid effort to turn traditional high fantasy on its ear by storytelling from the traditional ‘boss encounter’ point of view.

A new perspective on an easy target Bravo

The Orc is an easy target for writer. They can make them "built like brick $h!1 houses with tusks and make them inherently evil. Mr Nicholls did something not that easy. He made me cheer for the Orcs, he made me love the Orcs! I recommend this for anyone who isn't interested in reading the same old narratives.

bodacious story

excellent story. good characters. bodacious listen. must read for any lovers of fantasy. buy this!

A wonderful portrayal of often reviled beings

This story introduced to me, the humanity of a previously savage and brutal race. I was drawn into the bands characters and toils. Now, I can only come to the conclusion that this particular band excelled greatly at its profession from the overwhelming odds they overcame along their journey. The conclusion leaves me wanting more of the story. I can't wait to see what comes next.

headline 'optional', submit: 'Headline Required'

Felt rushed near the end. The writer has a habit of 'telling' instead of showing and it took me out of the story a lot.Overall it was a good story, I love the narrator.

should'I think thw narrater should've been orcyer

the story painted a wonderful picture of the "noble orc" but the voicing of the orcs I believe should've sounded more gutteral and less proper

Great story, really enjoyed some of the characters

Really great story, really likes trying to figure out the powers of the stars before they were revealed. take the time to listen to this one. or ever read it

I will listen to John Lee read anything

A decent story with less humor than I was expecting, but I would listen to John Lee read a TOS agreement.

Great story but not very Orcish

I loved the story in general. However, its clear to me the author is not familiar with Orcs. Leave no Orc behind, Caring for their own wounded, group comradiary, noble and honorable quest. Large worded vocabulary, military ranks and structures, organized addressing superiors as aa Sir! "Reporting as instructed Sir! Philosophical debates about existence... These are NOT ORC TRAITS!! They have all the behaviors of a proud, well honed, British naval troop!!!

If you take this into account.. forget it's supposed to be an Orc story... its a good listen though, GREAT performance, just not an Orc story by any stretch of the imagination.