A month or two ago,
GOBLIN QUEST is the story of Jig, an unfortunate goblin who–to summarize wildly–ends up on the wrong end of a D&D adventure party.
Only it is much, *much* better than that.
I mean, we’ve all taken a moment to wonder what it must be like to be the poor bastards at the other end of the sword when a party comes storming through the dungeon, but Jim’s actually gone to the trouble to think it out. The result is a wonderful story that’ll make anybody who’s ever gamed laugh out loud, and even if you haven’t, is still so well-drawn and considered that there’s almost no way it can fail to charm. Jig’s scrawny (even for a goblin) but smart (for a goblin), and as he gets himself further and further into heroicstrouble his main priority is just keeping himself alive while coping with the totally alien (and to his gobliny viewpoint, *incredibly stupid* and yet somehow effective) adventuring party. There are two more books, GOBLIN HERO and, in the spring, GOBLIN WAR, and now I can’t wait to read them, because Jig has clearly gotten himself in so far over his head that I assume he’ll end up…
…well. Go read ’em and figure it out for yourselves. :)
This reminds me of a tongue-in-cheek warcry my AD&D group had in college:
“They’re Evil! They kill for survival!”
the corollary of which was:
“But we’re Good! We kill for fun and profit!”
Sounds verrrrry interesting… Thanks for the review! I need new stuff to read. :)
Ok now I want to read it}:P
I enjoyed that one too.
I just finished Goblin Quest and am starting Goblin Hero. I like that the goblins are in fact Not Suitable For Polite Society while still being at least vaguely sympathetic. Kinda.
Damn. Now I’m wondering if that classic game Dungeon Keeper will work under XP. And where it’s gone.
Sounds quite interesting. And my library system even owns a copy!
by the Jane Austen of Bloody Fantasy Mayhem, Mary Gentle who took a swing at this idea a few years back, pitting the Orcs against the Forces of Light. The Orcs massively outnumbered the Good Guys but they had read the script and they knew the white magicians had no mercy in their purer-than-pure souls.
Did I mention it’s a comedy? The hobbit brothel? The elvish BDSM enthusiast? The geas cast on the Orcs to turn them into US Marines? The game of headball? The one-liners — “Pass me another elf, Sergeant. This one’s split.” Recommended.
Have you seen the Goblins web comic? It’s a bit gory, but it covers the same territory. I like it.
http://www.goblinscomic.com/
(Mary Gentle was invited as Octocon GoH one year.)
I got about 40 or 60 pages into it, myself, and couldn’t go any further. Just not my thing at all. Too bad, too, because it did come highly recommended. :)
I adored ‘Grunts’ – but then I was the kind of DM, who, if parties started retracing their steps in a traditional tunnel complex, would have them find groups of goblins rehanging the previously smashed doors, doing some pointing work on chips in the masonry, mopping up blood and bitching about these warriors showing no consideration for the working minion.
So, for your consideration, may I present Thrud the Barbarian!
What a fantastic idea. Mind if I steal that?
Go right ahead, with my hearty approval. And let me know what kind of reaction you get?
JeMcK
I think part of what makes Jig so charming is the way he remains true to his goblin nature, no matter what… :)