Goblin Quest
(The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer, Book 1)
Jim C. Hines
DAW
Fiction, Fantasy
****+
DESCRIPTION: Scrawny, selfish, craven, and primitive, tunnel-dwelling goblins are such an insignificant race that not even one of the myriad gods of the
realm bothers watching over them. They are picked on and preyed upon by their nastier hobgoblin cousins and by countless parties of treasure-seeking adventurers from
the surface world. Any goblin who lives long enough to take a few humans down with them is considered a hero, but of course all heroes get killed just as dead as their
less-brave kin, so what good is heroism in the end?
Nearsighted Jig is clever for a goblin, but even among his own people he's considered a cowardly runt. His only friend is his pet fire-spider, Smudge, who ignites
when panicked. When he gets bullied into guard duty, it's just his bad luck that he gets captured by a team of adventurers. The arrogant human prince Barius, his
wizard brother Ryslind, their dwarf companion Darnak, and the young elfin thief Riana seek the Rod of Creation. A legendary artifact of unimaginable power, a great
wizard created it long ago and hid it in the deepest and most dangerous of tunnels... beyond the lake of poisonous lizard-fish, just past the requisite
Necromancer, and in the talons of a foul-tempered dragon, naturally. They force Jig to act as their guide, though he has even less of an idea of where to find the
Rod than any of the bickering questors - not that they bother listening to him, of course, as it would be beneath them to listen to a lowly goblin. It isn't long
before Jig's bad luck lands them all in trouble... though the biggest threat of all may turn out to be within their own party. Jig may never have wanted to be
a brave adventurer, but it looks like he has no choice - at least, not if he wants to survive long enough to go back to his old life as a cowardly runt.
REVIEW: Humorous fantasy books walk an even finer line than straight-up fantasies, for much the same reason that humorous movies walk a finer line than serious ones: you can't laugh at an unfunny joke. A bad serious story, you can roll your eyes at and mock, but a bad funny one deprives you of even that luxury - it just lies there, dead, on the screen or on the page. Thus, it was with some hesitation that I picked up Goblin Quest... but I thought I could use a change of pace, and it was on sale. (And a relative bought it, which always helps.) I was very pleasantly surprised. Goblins, often little more than a mild annoyance to adventurers or an easy level-up opportunity to gamers, get their due with Jig, the unlikely hero who nevertheless decides that traditional heroism is highly overrated, not to mention more than a little suicidal and occasionally outright stupid. He grows during his adventure in interesting ways, learning to see the weaknesses of goblinkind but never wholeheartedly embracing the supposed superiority of other races. The questors turn out to be more than cardboard cutout RPG-class characters, each in their own way at least as selfish as goblins in their willingness to sacrifice everything for their own personal gain. The humor isn't heavy-handed slapstick or low-brow body part jokes, playing off the cliches of the genre while still presenting a nice, unpredictable adventure. The ending wraps things up in a way I didn't expect, yet which felt eminently satisfying. I enjoyed reading this one much more than I'd expected; hopefully, I can track down the next book.
You might also enjoy:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent adventures of Arthur Dent, who survives Earth's destruction by hitching a ride with an alien friend)
Galaxy Quest (Terry Bisson, Fiction - The washed-up cast of an old sci-fi series meets aliens who believe it was all real)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - An assassin/detective works with his somewhat sarcastic dragonlike familiar)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A boy genius and criminal mastermind pits his wits against the entire Faerie nation)
The Darkslayer (Craig Halloran and Ernie Chang, Fiction - On the chaotic world of Bish, the barbarian hero Venir fights evil underlings)
Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A magical world is forced to entertain offworld tourists with reconstructed fantasy epic adventures)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A tourist's guide to epic fantasy)
My Sparkling Misfortune (Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva, YA Fiction - Seeking vengeance against a prince, a villainous lord finds himself stuck with a do-gooder spirit helper)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
Heroics for Beginners (John Moore, Fiction - Armed with a handbook of practical heroics, a prince sets out to foil an evil warlord)
The Unhandsome Prince (John Moore, Fiction - A determined girl frees a homely prince from a frog spell, but demands a better-looking husband out of the deal)
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch, YA Fiction - A princess sets out to rescue her boyfriend, abducted by a dragon)
The Bartimaeus trilogy (Jonathan Stroud, YA Fiction - A humiliated apprentice summons a djinni for vengeance, but learns he's in for more than he bargained for)
Heroes of the Valley (Jonathan Stroud, YA Fiction - Raised on tales of his heroic ancestor, a boy attempts to avenge his uncle with disastrous results)
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Patricia Wrede, YA Fiction - Sick of being the proper princess, a headstrong girl runs away to live with dragons)
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Goblin Hero
(The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer, Book 2)
Jim C. Hines
DAW
Fiction, Fantasy
****+
DESCRIPTION: Goblin. Hero. The two words are almost never found in the same sentence (unless the sentence is "Look how easily the hero killed that goblin!"),
let alone in the description of one person. Jig Dragonslayer, however, is no ordinary goblin. Abducted by a band of adventurers on a quest to the very heart of the
mountain and the deepest of tunnels, he alone returned to tell the tale. He even picked up a new friend along the way, the forgotten god Tymalous Shadowstar. But
while heroism may be a virtue in many races, among goblins it's a virtual death sentence. They won't hesitate to stab their best friend in the back if they think
they can get away with it. Never mind that Jig insists he's not really the brave hero everyone thinks he is; the more popular a goblin is, the more potential assassins
there are, and there isn't a goblin, hobgoblin, or ogre in the tunnels who hasn't heard the name of Jig Dragonslayer.
One day, an ogre comes to the goblin lair - not to wreak havoc and snack on goblin-kebabs, but to seek the hero of the mountain to help him and his people. Since the
death of the Necromancer and the mighty dragon Straum, something sinister has been afoot in the tunnels, something that has even the massive ogres running in fear for
their lives. The current chief Kralk sets the resident reluctant hero up for almost-certain death by insisting he accept the challenge. To further seal his fate, Kralk
sends along two less-than-useless companions: Grell, the bent old nursery hag who would do anything to never have to clean a diaper again, and Braf, a musclebound brute
who once managed to lodge his own fang in his nostril. As if that weren't bad enough, Jig is followed into the depths by Veka, the only goblin who actually envies Jig
his heroic adventures. She once found a wizard's spellbook and a book, The Path of the Hero, and after obsessively reading both is convinced that she is destined
for Greatness herself. After all, if someone as useless as Jig can become a hero, anyone can.
REVIEW: Another fun outing starring the cowardly hero Jig, I enjoyed it nearly as much as I enjoyed the first book. The goblins come across as both pathetic in their self-defeating, short-sighted habits and oddly admirable in their tenacity and the lengths to which they'll go to get what they want - even if what they want is merely to survive for a few more minutes. Jig continues to grow, and while he never embraces the role destiny (and his sometimes-tricky god, who may well have been forgotten for a good reason by the rest of the world's races) has set for him, he nonetheless figures out that hiding away from problems in time-honored goblin fashion may well doom his people and the other races of the tunnels to extinction. I found Veka annoying for much of the story, though she, too, finds that she has much more to learn about true heroism than her little book can possibly tell her. Once again, Hines pulls off a satisfying ending with a somewhat unexpected conclusion. As implied by the final pages here, there is a third book out; I expect I'll read it as soon as time and budget allow.
You might also enjoy:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent adventures of Arthur Dent, who survives Earth's destruction by hitching a ride with an alien friend)
Galaxy Quest (Terry Bisson, Fiction - The washed-up cast of an old sci-fi series meets aliens who believe it was all real)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - An assassin/detective works with his somewhat sarcastic dragonlike familiar)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A boy genius and criminal mastermind pits his wits against the entire Faerie nation)
The Darkslayer (Craig Halloran and Ernie Chang, Fiction - On the chaotic world of Bish, the barbarian hero Venir fights evil underlings)
Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A magical world is forced to entertain offworld tourists with reconstructed fantasy epic adventures)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A tourist's guide to epic fantasy)
My Sparkling Misfortune (Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva, YA Fiction - Seeking vengeance against a prince, a villainous lord finds himself stuck with a do-gooder spirit helper)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
Heroics for Beginners (John Moore, Fiction - Armed with a handbook of practical heroics, a prince sets out to foil an evil warlord)
The Unhandsome Prince (John Moore, Fiction - A determined girl frees a homely prince from a frog spell, but demands a better-looking husband out of the deal)
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch, YA Fiction - A princess sets out to rescue her boyfriend, abducted by a dragon)
The Bartimaeus trilogy (Jonathan Stroud, YA Fiction - A humiliated apprentice summons a djinni for vengeance, but learns he's in for more than he bargained for)
Heroes of the Valley (Jonathan Stroud, YA Fiction - Raised on tales of his heroic ancestor, a boy attempts to avenge his uncle with disastrous results)
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Patricia Wrede, YA Fiction - Sick of being the proper princess, a headstrong girl runs away to live with dragons)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
Goblin War
(The Tales of Jig Dragonslayer, Book 3)
Jim C. Hines
DAW
Fiction, Fantasy
****
DESCRIPTION: Necromancer, dragon, pixie invasion, and a brief stint as the chief of the goblin lair... the cowardly, nearsighted goblin Jig has been through
a rough few years. Somehow, he's managed to survive, and even earn some respect from his fellow goblins - who still, naturally, would stab him in the back to swipe his
boots, though at least they haven't tried killing him for a while. He's starting to think he just might live to a relatively old age, despite the burden of being a
hero.
When humans raid the goblin lair in search of the powerful Rod of Creation, Jig's future suddenly looks a little less certain. Taken as a captive by the princess
Genevieve, he and several of his fellow goblins find themselves far, far away from their mountain tunnels and deep into human lands. Not only do the humans tend to want
to murder his species on sight, but word has spread of an army of monsters on the march, making for the very city where Jig has been taken. He wants nothing to do with
armies or wars or anything but escaping, but his god, the forgotten Tymalous Shadowstar, insists that Jig stay in the center of action. For the coming battle may be
about more than a clash of mortal forces. It may mean the difference between survival and extermination - for goblins, humans, monsters, and even the gods themselves.
REVIEW: I actually came close to shaving a half-star off the rating. While Jig's adventures continue to be fun and unpredictable, his chief sidekicks - the warrior Trok and the blindly devotional Relka - feel like lightly redressed versions of his co-stars from the previous book. Unlike Veka, her Book 2 counterpart, however, Relka never does clue in, grow up, and bring more to the story than being an annoying, sometimes interfering follower. Most everyone else shows the extra dimensions I've come to expect from Hines. I especially enjoyed how Tymalous Shadowstar came to the forefront as more than a voice in Jig's head; in some ways, this book is more about him than about Jig. Overall, the story reads like a finale, though a few loose threads from this book and previous ones could form the core of future stories. A good, fast-moving yarn, despite a few bumps and blemishes, that makes for a satisfying conclusion to Jig's harrowing, heroic adventures.
You might also enjoy:
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (Douglas Adams, Fiction - The irreverent adventures of Arthur Dent, who survives Earth's destruction by hitching a ride with an alien friend)
Galaxy Quest (Terry Bisson, Fiction - The washed-up cast of an old sci-fi series meets aliens who believe it was all real)
The Vlad Taltos series (Stephen Brust, Fiction - An assassin/detective works with his somewhat sarcastic dragonlike familiar)
The Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer, YA Fiction - A boy genius and criminal mastermind pits his wits against the entire Faerie nation)
The Darkslayer (Craig Halloran and Ernie Chang, Fiction - On the chaotic world of Bish, the barbarian hero Venir fights evil underlings)
Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A magical world is forced to entertain offworld tourists with reconstructed fantasy epic adventures)
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland (Diana Wynne Jones, Fiction - A tourist's guide to epic fantasy)
My Sparkling Misfortune (Laura Lond and Alla Alekseyeva, YA Fiction - Seeking vengeance against a prince, a villainous lord finds himself stuck with a do-gooder spirit helper)
The Accidental Sorcerer (K. E. Mills, Fiction - A lowly third-level mage, disgraced in his homeland, discovers untapped powers in the service of an ambitious king)
Heroics for Beginners (John Moore, Fiction - Armed with a handbook of practical heroics, a prince sets out to foil an evil warlord)
The Unhandsome Prince (John Moore, Fiction - A determined girl frees a homely prince from a frog spell, but demands a better-looking husband out of the deal)
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch, YA Fiction - A princess sets out to rescue her boyfriend, abducted by a dragon)
The Bartimaeus trilogy (Jonathan Stroud, YA Fiction - A humiliated apprentice summons a djinni for vengeance, but learns he's in for more than he bargained for)
Heroes of the Valley (Jonathan Stroud, YA Fiction - Raised on tales of his heroic ancestor, a boy attempts to avenge his uncle with disastrous results)
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Patricia Wrede, YA Fiction - Sick of being the proper princess, a headstrong girl runs away to live with dragons)
Return to Top of Page - Return to Book Review List
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