Stan Nicholls
British Pbk Original - Gollancz Millenium (2001) |
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Warriors of the Tempest
‘Now comes the blooding.
Maras-Dantia is aflame. The elder races and you, the incomers, are at war. Death marches across the land, and it is left to us, the ores, to decide the future for all.
Let Jennesta do her worst. Let every enemy turn their hands against us. I, Stryke, am finished with running. The five stars are the answer and I will find my dreams. A time of revelations is nigh, a time to rip aside the veils of mystery. We must prevail, finish this. Or die trying. I have seen our destiny. Let none stand in our way.’
Warriors of the Tempest follows on from Bodyguard of Lightning and Legion of Thunder, the first and second books of Orcs: First Blood, set in a world where ores are the heroes.
`A wonderful piece of storytelling; fast-paced with plenty of hairpin twists, crammed with loads of juicy battles and racing towards a carefully set-up conclusion that is both exciting and genuinely moving’ Tom Holt, SFX
‘Nicholls’s talent has imbued traditionally brutal characters with a gruff nobility and the end of this novel is a fittingly bitter and convincing coda to this highly original saga’ Barry Forshaw, Lineone
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First British Edition Gollancz Millenium (1999) |
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| Paperback - Gollancz Millenium (2000) |
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Legion of Thunder
'My name is Stryke.
Orc. Renegade. Monster. Murderer. I have led my warband through blood and fire. I have fought for Jennesta in the wars that have torn our world, Maras-Dantia, apart. And yes, I have killed your kind. More than I can remember.
But hear me. There is another way. There is a place for ore, dwarf, elf, even human. I have seen our destiny. And I will grasp it. Though you hunt me down, though Jennesta turn my own kind against me. Though my warriors fall in droves. I will prevail. I must. There is no choice, for a war is coming that will take us all.
In the reckoning to come, either you are for me or against me. And if you are against me, beware.'
Legion of Thunder follows on from the acclaimed Bodyguard of Lightning; the first of Stan Nicholls' epic fantasy series, taking you to a world full of wonder, magic and encroaching dark. You will never look at an ore the same way.
'Fast moving and freaky ... Weirdly charming, fast moving and freaky… the most fun you're ever likely to have with a warband of orcs… Buy now or beg for mercy later' Tad Williams
'Wall to wall action, undercurrents of dark humour ... gritty, fast paced' David Gemmell
'Excellent fantasy with a twist. Fast and violent… an all action adventure' SFX
'Demonstrates a truly coruscating imagination in its outrageous narrative' Publishing News, Books of the Year
'Stan Nicholls has managed to continue the momentum in his Orcs: First Blood saga without making a false step. This is high fantasy for readers who like their hoes ugly and their wizards weird.' Jon Courtenay Grimwood, SFX
'... the second book bids fair to achieve the same kind of success. Again, Nicholls brilliantly re-invents the Orcs, underdogs of fantasy fiction, and creates a dazzling panoply of wit, invention and violence. The humour is perfectly judged, and it's refreshing to encounter a fantasy writer clearly in possession of a fierce intelligence' Barry Forshaw, LineOne SF site
Nicholls tells his tale briskly and entertainingly, and doesn't pull any punches when it comes to showing the hard and unglamorous life of military men (and women). It's refreshing to see things from the Orcs' point of view for once, and Nicholls has a different (often amusing) take on each of the elder races'. Starburst
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First British Edition Gollancz Millenium (1999) |
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Bodyguard of Lightning
'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 like a beast in the fields.
It is time to pay heed to the beast. And see the beast in yourself. I have your fear. But I have earned your respect.
Maras-Dantia was our home, and home to the dwarves, elves and all the other old races long before your kind spilled into our lives. Long before you ate our magic and raped the soul of our world.
Hear my story. Feel the flow of my blood and be thankful. Thankful that it was me, not you, who bore the sword. Thankful to the ores; born to fight, destined to win peace for all.'
Stan Nicholls has created a new fantasy world full of wonders and on the brink of disaster. Bodyguard of Lightning is only the beginning of an epic quest that will change the way you look at ores for ever.
Reviews for Orcs: First Blood
‘Wall to wall action ... gritty, fast paced’ David Gemmell
‘Weirdly charming, fast moving and freaky’ Tad Williams
‘Excellent fantasy with a twist’ SFX
‘A breathless flight of adventure and with the fresh viewpoint it is an exceptional treat’ British Fantasy Society
‘The most impressive new fantasy sequence in many a moon’ Barry Forshaw’s Genre Hotline
Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.
Warriors of the Tempest
(Gollancz Millenium Pbk,
2001)
Pbk Sep 01
Legion of Thunder
(Gollancz Millenium,
1999)
Gollancz Millenium Pbk Sep 00
Bodyguard of Lightning
(Gollancz Millenium,
1999)
Gollancz Millenium Pbk Oct 99
Warriors of the Tempest
