geekyDAW, paperback
352 pages, goblin ho-down fantasy
Currently in print
Goblin War, also by Jim Hines
DAW, paperback
352 pages, seriously deranged fantasy
Currently in print
***
I was very fortunate in that I discovered the work of Jim Hines after all three books in his Jig the Goblin series had been published, thus enabling me to chew through it all inside of a week, no waiting required. That's good. It also means that I can now endorse him wholeheartedly as an author, because he did something that I always worry about:
He stuck the landing. So before we get down to the individual reviews, I just want to note that this is a man who can actually conclude a trilogy without annoying me to the point of wanting to wing the last volume across the room. He gets twenty points and a gold star for that. And now, we move on.
At the end of Goblin Quest, our hero was returned to the slimy comforts of the goblin caverns to enjoy all his new discoveries. After all, he'd discovered religion (becoming the first cleric in centuries to serve one of the Forgotten Gods -- and a god has to be pretty damn forgotten before a goblin priest looks appealing)...and shoes. Honestly, I think Jig's joy over the discovery of shoes provides a necessary universal counter-balance to my hatred of the things. Plus, adorable.
Sadly, being a hero doesn't exactly endear Jig to other members of the goblin community -- members that are larger, meaner, and sometimes more politically well-placed than he is. While active attempts to kill him aren't a daily occurrence, per se, one more performance of 'The Song of Jig' might be enough to change that. Also, imagine being the only person who can heal wounds while living in an entire cavern full of goblins.
If the other goblins don't kill him, exhaustion just might. And that's before the ogre shows up looking for Jig the Dragonslayer to come and figure out why everyone in the lower caverns seems to keep dying all the time...
Uh-oh.
Goblin Hero really considers the downsides of becoming a hero and surviving to tell about it, and then it throws those downsides at Jig as often and as viciously as it possibly can, because to do anything else would, well, not be nearly as funny. Saddled with 'helpers' who look just as useless as he once did to an group of adventurers (and who may or may not have been ordered to kill him), it's down into the depths to try to save the day once again. And, y'know, not die.
This is a slightly more serious book than Goblin Quest. Jig has already started down the path to getting his ass kicked by the universe, and now it's time to really bring on the pain. That said, it doesn't lose its comic edge. Jig's approach to heroism is a lot like a frat boy approach to high cuisine, and while many authors might have given in to the urge to 'pretty up' the goblin culture, Hines is more than happy to let goblins be goblins. Even if that includes cheerfully devouring every corpse of every kind that they can get their happy little hands on.
The existence of Goblin War pretty much guarantees that Jig survives the experiences of Goblin Hero, but it doesn't tell you how, any more than Goblin Hero prepares you for Jig versus two entire armies, the outside world, and the horror that is...the pickle. This is the most serious of the three, and yet never loses its sense of humor, nor forgets that it's the capper to what has been essentially a comedy trilogy; it balances the two sides of its personality with style.
Honestly, if I have any complaints about Goblin War, it's that so many of the characters from the first two books appear that I wound up really missing the ones who didn't. When that's the only nasty thing a girl can say about a book, you know it's pretty awesome.
These books are fun, funny, well-written, and entertaining. They're the story of a goblin who -- like most goblins -- just wants to be left the hell alone; a god that everyone forgot; and a fire-spider named Smudge who's very likely to set the entire cast on fire if poked. I highly recommend them for all these reasons.
Also, they're good.
So there.
