Orcs: Forged for War is the first graphic novel in Stan Nicholls' beloved Orcs universe. The fantasy landscape in this world is brutal and unforgiving, and populated by a race of unlikely protagonists: the powerful and violent warriors, orcs.
Orcs: Forged for War is an original story—a new entry in this series, not an adaptation of old material. It follows a ruthless and deadly cohort of warrior orcs as they fight their way free of the dominion of an evil human enchantress. Sitting on an exhilarating peak with high fantasy on one side and the thrilling, gruesome battlefields of graphic novel classics like Frank Miller's 300 on the other, Orcs presents the world of its ogre-like protagonists with technicolor violence and moments of unexpected sympathy.
Publishers Weekly
Spawned from author Nicholls's series of novels featuring the titular creatures, this comes as a real surprise. Coupled with Flood's deceptively simple and clear visual storytelling, the story centers on a troop of Orcs bound in service—or, more accurately, slavery—to a vicious, magic-wielding queen and tasked with protecting a secret weapon under the control of a goblin sorcerer and his underlings. The Orc commander, Stryke, must lead his soldiers and maintain order in their occasionally fractious ranks while also putting up with abuse from both the queen and the goblins, whose race has long been bitter enemies with Stryke's people. Not to be confused with the variety made famous by Tolkien, the Orcs of this narrative are noble warriors from whose point of view the reader witnesses events and immediately comes to sympathize with their situation. A cracking good tale from start to finish, this is strongly recommended for those who seek a realistically violent and profane heroic fantasy. (Oct.)
Children's Literature - Maggie Chase
In this, the first graphic novel representation of Nicholl's Orc series, we are visually and quite graphically taken into the combative, blood-thirsty realm of fantasy creatures, all struggling to rule over others at whatever cost. The book begins with an historical overview of Orcs' origins as fantasy creatures and goes on to explain how they have been unfairly maligned. "What if," the author wondered, "they were savage warriors, but not really evil?" The introduction then includes a rundown on who is out to get whom and where tentative alliances lie in the land of Maris-Dantia. Even with the introduction, it's sometimes difficult to determine who is allied with whom, as the double-crossing runs rampant throughout the story and fantasy creatures pop up out of nowhere to do battle with the Orcs. Fantasy world graphic novels for mature readers are generally full of violence, nudity, and four-letter words. This title is no exception, but staunch fans of this format and genre will be drawn in. Especially interesting are the artist's sketches of the twenty-five-member team of Orcs called the Wolverines. Who knew these stony-faced, pointy-eared creatures could have such uniquely distinctive countenances? Reviewer: Maggie Chase
VOYA - Nicola McDonald
In a world where Orcs are the good guys, there is still much bloody action. With humans divided into two teams, the Orcs side with Jennesta, a true evil ruler who never misses a chance to show her vileness. Jennesta treats the Orcs worse than scum, yet they are enslaved by her wrath and dominant powers of witchcraft, and, being outnumbered by the Unis, the Orcs feel they have no choice but to fight at Jennesta's will. Still, when Jennesta teams the Orcs with some Goblins on a mission, it is more than they can take. Besides having to work with filthy Goblins, the Orcs are not too happy about what is expected of them. They will have to make decisions to save their own lives, and Jennesta soon finds out that there are still some people willing to defy her regardless of her evil ways. Keeping to the true nature of Orcs, the book displays bloody action in numerous battles, complemented with a straightforward story line. The illustrations are very graphic, and the language is foul. Each action is displayed with great emotion. Characters show visible differences among each other, which helps with identifying the main characters from the rest. Nicholls and Flood balance each other well in this graphic novel that is recommended for older teens. Reviewer: Nicola McDonald
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