by Ari Marmell
PYR, $16.00, 554 pages
Sometimes you just want to cheer for the bad guys. The Goblin Corps: The Few, The Proud, The Obscene looks at the other side. A Demon Squad, a group of goblinoids that are the crème de la crème of their various species, as determined by that species. They are sent out on a survival mission, and then bound to the queen’s quest for power. They finally succeed in their mission, which ends up having a nicely satisfying twist.
The various races are excellently portrayed, ranging from a troll with cunning to a kobold with a trick or two up his sleeve. The individuals are shown to have their own motives for joining and why they hate humans. Unlike the shallow goblins in so much fantasy that seem trapped by their own stupidity and are mere fodder for the heroes to wade through, these goblins are nicely constructed and even sympathetic, and there is even some rooting as their various individual interests are followed up on. This is a great book for those who end up cheering for the other side, and just want to see some of the traditional bad guys kick some good guy tail for once.
Jamais Jochim