Goblin Hero by Jim C Hines

After the death of Straum, the dragon, Jig the goblin thought his adventuring days were at an end. He was, of course, very wrong. An unknown threat is attacking the ogres who live in Straum's cave, and Jig Dragonslayer, as he is now known, is sent to investigate. He is aided this time by several other goblins; Braff, the particularly stupid warrior, Grell, the elderly nanny and Veka, who desperately wants to be the first goblin wizard. Together with Slash, a hobgoblin trap expert who is scared of blood, and Jig's faithful fire spider, Smudge, Jig reluctantly goes on yet another quest, this time to try and protect his people.

Like the first book in the series, Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero is a lot of fun. It's still got plenty of in jokes for D&D players but this time the story is more to do with balancing trying to do the right thing with wanting to stay alive. Jig is slowly teaching the other goblins to be less cowardly and more like heroes, and at times it's a pretty thankless task.

The characters are likeable, the plot is engaging and there's plenty of action, including even more evil pixies.

Goblin Hero is a fun, quick read, recommended for fans of comic fantasy and underdog heroes. I'll definitely pick up book three: Goblin War.

Rating: 4/5
Published: May 2007

#Fantasy
#Fiction
#Humour






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