The great big baddie has failed to alter history, thanks to a band of precocious heroes (and heroine). He may have lost the battle, but he refuses to lose the war. When all else fails, form the Goblins Corps - a team of the best goblinoid minions his realm has to offer. But will it be enough?

Book Title: The Goblin Corps
Book Author: Ari Marmell
Book Publisher: Pyr
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Retail Price: $16.00
Buy it at: Various Outlets

I always find stories in the villain's PoV to be entertaining. Mainly because they're usually done so well. Craeosh, Jhurpess, Katim (It's easier than writing the full name of "T’chakatimlamitilnog"), and the other members of the Goblin Corps are all unique characters who've been stuck to each other by order of the Charnel King, the most evil creature there is on this planet. Too bad that each member of the team is xenophobic, short tempered, devious, murderous, and back-stabbing. But that's probably why they were hand-picked in the first place.

This is definitely a book worth reading if you like your fantasy to be a bit different. It has a lot of the parts a hero's journey should have, just in the hands of a group of orcs, goblins, shapeshifters, and undying ultimate evil. What could go wrong?

I loved the interplay between the various characters. It's not every story where you get to see the intricacies or goblinoid cultures. Especially as each race generally keeps to itself. It doesn't really surprise me how the rivalry between Craeosh and Katim is resolved. (The result had to happen eventually, it was just a matter of time.)

I did enjoy the final few chapters where all the hard work starts paying off, and several more playing pieces are taken off of the playing field. How the Goblin Corps managed to survive invading the very heart of enemy territory and attacking the very same heroes that defeated their master is best left for you to read rather than for me to spoil. But I will never look the same way at a robe again.

And the final chapter manages to wrap up several loose ends while being unnecessarily creepy. It certainly surprised me how things ended up.

Ari manages to slip in some surprises throughout the story, even though the whole hero's journey style plot is, by design, formulaic. Some deaths here and there I really didn't expect, which was both good in that I enjoy being surprised and bad in that I happened to like the characters that met untimely deaths.

If you're a fan of the whole underdog ragtag team of people who don't get along who spend the whole story leveling up and learning teamwork so they can accomplish some penultimate goal...this story is for you up until the last few chapters. The last few chapters have a nice twist to the formula; a twist that surprised the heck out of me but was a nice touch to a great story. Definitely worth a read.