ISBN:
978-1-78618-528-0
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4 stars (3 reviews)

Ogres are bigger than you. Ogres are stronger than you. Ogres rule the world.

It’s always idyllic in the village until the landlord comes to call.

Because the landlord is an Ogre. And Ogres rule the world, with their size and strength and appetites. It’s always been that way. It’s the natural order of the world. And they only eat people sometimes.

But when the headman’s son, Torquell, dares lift his hand against the landlord’s son, he sets himself on a path to learn the terrible truth about the Ogres, and about the dark sciences that ensured their rule.

1 edition

Ogres

3 stars

This book follows delinquent Torquell in what feels like a rural fantasy pastiche of the peasantry against large ogre landowners. These ogres are at the top of the power chain, tithe the villagers, demand respect, and are the only ones who eat meat (and only sometimes people). Torquell kills the Landlord's son in anger, and while on the run he (and the reader) learn a lot more about how the world works. You can take a look at the cover to get a sense that all is not as it seems here.

This book is also written in the second person, which can put some people off. However, I feel like the reason for this choice, and the gut punch first person reveal is a good payoff. It reminded me quite a bit of how satisfying it was to learn why the Broken Earth series made the same choice.

This …

Nice twist

5 stars

Adrian's short stories seem to all have the SF twist ending but this has a couple of neat ideas in it that I don't want to mention. Some were more obvious than others to me but no less welcome.

Narration is in the second person and not my favourite, but didn't spoil my enjoyment. Short and sweet, a new favourite of his for me I think.