Scatterwind.com

Review: I finished this the very next day after I bought it.

In short - may I have the next one please?

This is an engaging adventure on the dark and gritty side of human warfare and an unconventional look at everyone’s favorite Orcs.

The author’s prose is simplistic and straightforward, clearly conveying the scene and the characters with minimal clutter. Some reviewers found this made the story feel shallow; for me, it told enough that I was able to connect with the character’s feelings and sympathize, but I wasn’t completely dragged down into the muck and misery of the sheer wretchedness they found themselves trapped in. In this way it was a lot like a young adult novel, which I really like when it comes to enjoying a story instead of experiencing it. (And for anyone who wants an adventure in experiencing a story without enjoying it, read “Mirror Dance” by Lois McMaster Bujold. It was fantastic and I loved it, but I can’t say I liked it much.)

The main character Dar is obviously something of a messianic figure. Physically and sexual abused by her father after her mother’s death, she fights him off with her limited abilities and refuses to marry as she gets older, reaching the conclusion that she shouldn’t have to submit to a man to make a life for herself. This determination is put to the test when she is conscripted into the army as a branded slave to be a cook and server for the Orcs and the men. In this crude medieval setting, the only accepted way for army women to survive is to submit to soldiers in exchange for extra food, clothes, and trinkets. They are, of course, then abused upon and mistreated by these very same soldiers. Terrified of men and what they represent, Dar soon finds her fear of the alien Orcs to be the lesser of two evils and puts herself at risk to learn about their language and culture, eventually finding tenuous safety among their ranks.

Dar’s non-traditional view of her culture borders the unbelievable at the begining (where exactly did this downtrodden person find the hope and wisdom to realize her lot in life is wrong?), but it’s clear that her outlook is still very narrowed by her culture. She feels women shouldn’t have to submit to men to survive in much the same way that she feels it’s wrong for a king to loot from and kill his own citizens; but she doesn’t think much about how it should be. Concepts like owning her own land, holding a position of power, earning the same wages as men, being able to choose her own husband — these don’t even occur to her unless they’re introduced by other characters from different cultures. Most of her actions are guided by the fear of abuse, resulting in a fierceness and cleverness created by necessity.

It’s utterly delightful to find a version of Orcs that doesn’t fit into the Tolkien stereotype. All flaws aside. And yes, there are flaws; the Orcs of this series may be stupid savages, but they’re of the obviously Noble Savage variety. There’s a part of me that wanted to see dirty, brutish, uncouth Orcs with a subtle, complex, and fierce culture that Dar had to use all her wit and skills to fit in to — but the rest of me gets that they had to be noticeably less nasty than the men around her to for Dar to pick one over the other and I do love the results. With these Ocrs, we get a spiritual, Matriarchal society that doesn’t understand the concept of lying and views humans as brutal animals that are only worth obeying because their Queen told them too.

It’s an easy, good read with some engating character. Highly recommended for fans of young adult books and high fantasy.