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Trivial Trials
Goblins Know Best
When goblin Bogrot Blistertooth meets orc Gorag Bather their lives become entwined and satirical chaos ensues. From the tented city of Kentai the unlikely pair set off along a bizarre path of adventures, meeting some strange and unscrupulous characters along the way and never quite knowing what’s waiting around the corner.
Whether it’s returning a stolen dragon, battling a boat full of dwarf pirates or hunting for a dryad’s foil, goblin intellect complements orc brawn in a series of tales that will have you laughing aloud and wondering what farcical madness will happen next.
Whether it’s returning a stolen dragon, battling a boat full of dwarf pirates or hunting for a dryad’s foil, goblin intellect complements orc brawn in a series of tales that will have you laughing aloud and wondering what farcical madness will happen next.
- GenresFantasy
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2013
44 people are currently reading
533 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Beazley
10 books22 followersDaniel Beazley was born and raised in the South West of England. Growing up he became captivated and drawn into the World of fantasy courtesy of the writings of Tolkien, Feist, Gemmell, Lewis, Livingstone and Dever. These together with films like Conan, Red Sonja, The Dark Crystal, Willow and Krull, truly inspired him to want to join the creative journey that is fantasy.
He began writing in 1996 whilst spending some time in the sunny climes of Sicily. This continued periodically whilst working in the Army and then the Police; living in various parts of the country as well as overseas.
In 2012, after winning a short story competition for the Fantasy Faction Anthology about an orc and goblin he decided that there were more adventures that needed to be told. Six months later the first book of the Trivial Trials series, ‘Goblins Know Best’, was complete and ready for publishing.
Daniel now lives with his family in the rural countryside of Devon.
He began writing in 1996 whilst spending some time in the sunny climes of Sicily. This continued periodically whilst working in the Army and then the Police; living in various parts of the country as well as overseas.
In 2012, after winning a short story competition for the Fantasy Faction Anthology about an orc and goblin he decided that there were more adventures that needed to be told. Six months later the first book of the Trivial Trials series, ‘Goblins Know Best’, was complete and ready for publishing.
Daniel now lives with his family in the rural countryside of Devon.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 20, 2017
Goblins Know Best: The Trivial Trials of Bogrot and Gorag (Trivial Trials) by Daniel Beazley is a collection of short stories of an Orc and a Goblin. Some of the stories are cute, some boring, and some are unique. I found it all balanced out to an okay read.
September 24, 2013
Goblins Know Best is Daniel Beazley’s first novel after he won an award with his short story for the Fantasy Faction anthology in 2012. It tells the adventures of Bogrot the goblin and his unlikely friend Gorag the orc. The storyline is set up as a series of short stories full of hilarious and chaotic events as Bogrot and Gorag set out on a series of adventures that will lead them in some very funny situations. Along the road they will meet the whole array of mythical creatures, like minotaurs, harpies, gnolls, gnomes, trolls, dragons, and so on. Needless to say that these encounters almost always result in a satirical chaos.
Before I begin to give my thoughts on Goblins Know Best, let me first say this: this book is self-published, but I had so much fun reading this book that I have no doubt that Daniel Beazley will be picked up by a big publishing house if he can keep up this level of writing. That said, let’s begin with my thoughts on this novel.
Like I said was it a lot of fun to read the adventures of Bogrot and Gorag, and more than a few times I had to stop reading because I couldn’t suppress a laugh. Beazley has a definite flair for putting his protagonists in situations where a normal sane person wouldn’t last for a minute. But luckily for us are normal and sane definitely no words to use when regarding Bogrot and Gorag and that takes us into some very hilarious scenes.
The world of Goblins Know Best isn’t the most original world; it actually has a lot of resemblance with the Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms world. But that isn’t a problem, since that D&D world is one the most beloved for fantasy loving readers (and gamers) like me. Don’t get me wrong, Beazley doesn’t let his adventures take place in a shameless rip-off of D&D; I just want to make a comparison so you have an idea in what kind of world Goblins Know Best takes place. The world of Hiraxier is completely of Beazley’s own making. And I can say that I loved reading about Hiraxier. It’s a vivid, living setting with much to see and read about. Goblins Know Best is only the beginning of many tales to follow in this world, I’m sure; Hiraxier shows a lot of potential to become a great and wonderful fantasy world.
Daniel Beazley’s writing style is a real pleasure to read, always with an underlying satirical tone. His characterization of both Bogrot and Gorag is very well developed and the conversations they’re having with eachother or other inhabitants of Hiraxier are also very enjoyable to read.
The pace of the stories is high, but with enough resting points to deliver a pleasantly flowing reading experience. Not all of the stories are of the same level. The first one was the least interesting, but that changed quickly when I started reading the second story, and the level only increased when reading more stories.
My favourite story was Dragon Games, about Bogrot and Gorag who are returning a young dragon to his mother and have an encounter with a knight from Quiddrup. That encounter, and the following scenes are some of the most hilarious pages I’ve ever read in my fantasy reading life. An example: knights from Quiddrup are made half deaf so they won’t be as much distracted, compared by normal people, by sounds when in combat. When Bogrot asks how they know when they are half deaf and not more than half, the knight, Francis De Wally, answers that the trickle of blood from his ears is only half the size as when they’re going completely deaf. This just to give you an idea of the humour in Goblins Know Best.
And now my conclusion. Goblins Know Best is a highly entertaining and very intriguing self-published debut by an author who knows how to tell a story. I’ve had quite a few laughs when reading this book and I hope that Daniel Beazley is already writing on book. I know I’ll look forward to when it comes in stores.
So if you love classical high fantasy themes turned upside down in a satirical way, you’ll definitely going to love Goblins Know Best.
FOr more reviews and interviews, check out my blog www.fantasticalimaginations.wordpress...
Before I begin to give my thoughts on Goblins Know Best, let me first say this: this book is self-published, but I had so much fun reading this book that I have no doubt that Daniel Beazley will be picked up by a big publishing house if he can keep up this level of writing. That said, let’s begin with my thoughts on this novel.
Like I said was it a lot of fun to read the adventures of Bogrot and Gorag, and more than a few times I had to stop reading because I couldn’t suppress a laugh. Beazley has a definite flair for putting his protagonists in situations where a normal sane person wouldn’t last for a minute. But luckily for us are normal and sane definitely no words to use when regarding Bogrot and Gorag and that takes us into some very hilarious scenes.
The world of Goblins Know Best isn’t the most original world; it actually has a lot of resemblance with the Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms world. But that isn’t a problem, since that D&D world is one the most beloved for fantasy loving readers (and gamers) like me. Don’t get me wrong, Beazley doesn’t let his adventures take place in a shameless rip-off of D&D; I just want to make a comparison so you have an idea in what kind of world Goblins Know Best takes place. The world of Hiraxier is completely of Beazley’s own making. And I can say that I loved reading about Hiraxier. It’s a vivid, living setting with much to see and read about. Goblins Know Best is only the beginning of many tales to follow in this world, I’m sure; Hiraxier shows a lot of potential to become a great and wonderful fantasy world.
Daniel Beazley’s writing style is a real pleasure to read, always with an underlying satirical tone. His characterization of both Bogrot and Gorag is very well developed and the conversations they’re having with eachother or other inhabitants of Hiraxier are also very enjoyable to read.
The pace of the stories is high, but with enough resting points to deliver a pleasantly flowing reading experience. Not all of the stories are of the same level. The first one was the least interesting, but that changed quickly when I started reading the second story, and the level only increased when reading more stories.
My favourite story was Dragon Games, about Bogrot and Gorag who are returning a young dragon to his mother and have an encounter with a knight from Quiddrup. That encounter, and the following scenes are some of the most hilarious pages I’ve ever read in my fantasy reading life. An example: knights from Quiddrup are made half deaf so they won’t be as much distracted, compared by normal people, by sounds when in combat. When Bogrot asks how they know when they are half deaf and not more than half, the knight, Francis De Wally, answers that the trickle of blood from his ears is only half the size as when they’re going completely deaf. This just to give you an idea of the humour in Goblins Know Best.
And now my conclusion. Goblins Know Best is a highly entertaining and very intriguing self-published debut by an author who knows how to tell a story. I’ve had quite a few laughs when reading this book and I hope that Daniel Beazley is already writing on book. I know I’ll look forward to when it comes in stores.
So if you love classical high fantasy themes turned upside down in a satirical way, you’ll definitely going to love Goblins Know Best.
FOr more reviews and interviews, check out my blog www.fantasticalimaginations.wordpress...
June 5, 2013
I liked this collection of tales about Bogrot Blistertooth and his mate, Gorag, very much. The main strength, for me, was the narrative voice (first person, from Bogrot's perspective). Bogrot is a cunning goblin with magnificent culinary skills. It's his easy tone, the way he casually addresses the reader that really makes the book. Bogrot is in many ways the Blackadder of fantasy. He's sharp, witty, and extremely sardonic. That said, not all of his punchlines work well, but that's a minor point. The humour is very much in getting to know the character and predicting his response to all manner of situations. It strikes me as a peculiarly British comedy, in that the laughs are more knowing nods than thigh-slapping hilarity.
Of course, Blackadder needs his Baldric, although in this case, Gorag is more of a Thrud the Barbarian from the early days of White Dwarf magazine (and there's a dash of Goobledigook in Bogrot, too). They're a kind of likeable (!!!) Little and Large (apologies to US readers who probably have no idea what I'm talking about).
There are a whole host of nicely sketched supporting characters, chief of whom is Bogrot's human stepmother, Gert.
Each story pits Boggy and Gorag against an interesting foe, such as Bogrot's nemesis, the mad gnome, Barlek Chancer, or presents a tricky challenge (which naturally has to be solved by Bogrot as Gorag's more interested in his grumbling stomach).
Beazley has a nice fluid prose style, which is easy to be swept along by.
Of course, Blackadder needs his Baldric, although in this case, Gorag is more of a Thrud the Barbarian from the early days of White Dwarf magazine (and there's a dash of Goobledigook in Bogrot, too). They're a kind of likeable (!!!) Little and Large (apologies to US readers who probably have no idea what I'm talking about).
There are a whole host of nicely sketched supporting characters, chief of whom is Bogrot's human stepmother, Gert.
Each story pits Boggy and Gorag against an interesting foe, such as Bogrot's nemesis, the mad gnome, Barlek Chancer, or presents a tricky challenge (which naturally has to be solved by Bogrot as Gorag's more interested in his grumbling stomach).
Beazley has a nice fluid prose style, which is easy to be swept along by.
April 8, 2013
A slightly unusual book for me as I normally read epic fantasy.
However, once i got into the story and got to know the characters a bit I found this story (or stories) to be fun and entertaining.
I'd describe the book as a collection of adventures in kind of a diary style wich ties them together in a good way.
The book is humorous and an easy read, to me it brings me back to evening spent with good friends over character sheets and dice.
However, once i got into the story and got to know the characters a bit I found this story (or stories) to be fun and entertaining.
I'd describe the book as a collection of adventures in kind of a diary style wich ties them together in a good way.
The book is humorous and an easy read, to me it brings me back to evening spent with good friends over character sheets and dice.
October 26, 2016
This book was entered and was a Red Ribbon Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Goblins Know Best
Author: Daniel Beazley
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 21
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Style: 7/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 21 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
10 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 thought the comic element of the book was the best.
5 thought the plot was the best part.
10 felt the writing style was excellent: easy to follow and, often, very funny.
Readers’ Comments
‘I very much enjoyed this book. It is full of humour and interesting, slightly odd, characters. The comic writing style perfectly fits the story and there is plenty of pace. The two central characters kept me amused for a few hours.’ Female reader, aged 44
‘Gorag is bloody hilarious.’ Male reader, aged 42
‘I’m not a big anthology fan but this was alright. Every adventure they have is sort of crazy, and there are plenty of laughs to be had. A few fall a bit flat though. The cover looks good although it misrepresents the plot making it look like a goblin war type read, which it’s not.’ Male reader, aged 55
‘Liked it. Lots of Terry Pratchett-style humour. Secondary characters were just as interesting as the goblin and orc. Comedy was a bit forced in parts and I do prefer a novel as opposed to lots of independent little sagas. But I read it to the end and thought it was good.’ Male reader, aged 30
‘Not for me but I bet Tolkien lovers would, well – love it.’ Female reader, aged 60
‘Hilariously funny and packed full of twists and turns. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Goblins Know Best
Author: Daniel Beazley
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 21
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Style: 7/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 7/10
Of the 21 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
10 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 thought the comic element of the book was the best.
5 thought the plot was the best part.
10 felt the writing style was excellent: easy to follow and, often, very funny.
Readers’ Comments
‘I very much enjoyed this book. It is full of humour and interesting, slightly odd, characters. The comic writing style perfectly fits the story and there is plenty of pace. The two central characters kept me amused for a few hours.’ Female reader, aged 44
‘Gorag is bloody hilarious.’ Male reader, aged 42
‘I’m not a big anthology fan but this was alright. Every adventure they have is sort of crazy, and there are plenty of laughs to be had. A few fall a bit flat though. The cover looks good although it misrepresents the plot making it look like a goblin war type read, which it’s not.’ Male reader, aged 55
‘Liked it. Lots of Terry Pratchett-style humour. Secondary characters were just as interesting as the goblin and orc. Comedy was a bit forced in parts and I do prefer a novel as opposed to lots of independent little sagas. But I read it to the end and thought it was good.’ Male reader, aged 30
‘Not for me but I bet Tolkien lovers would, well – love it.’ Female reader, aged 60
‘Hilariously funny and packed full of twists and turns. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
June 9, 2019
Brilliantly written, funny and witty. Couldn't put it down. The adventures of Bogrot and his companions is a fabulous book. A collection of the misadventures of a greenskin that will have you laughing out loud.
September 7, 2018
Not terrible, but not good either.
Collection of short tales followed by one medium tale. Not bad but not good either. 2.5/5 work feels amateur'ish but shows potential.
Collection of short tales followed by one medium tale. Not bad but not good either. 2.5/5 work feels amateur'ish but shows potential.
April 2, 2016
A review of Goblins Know Best, by Daniel Beazley
Every so often a book comes along so in-tune with itself that it helps define the very genre that would try to label it. Goblins Know Best is just such a book.
Goblins Know Best: the Trivial Trials of Bogrot and Gorag by Daniel Beazley is a Fantasy novel told from the perspective of a Goblin chef named Bogrot Blistertooth. Raised in Gert’s Kitchen of the city of Kentai (A city so prone to earthquakes that it holds no permanent structures) Bogrot is a budding chef in his own right, driven to become one of the finest cooks in the land. Often drawn away from his kitchen for errands, adventures, and other misfortunes, he travels in the company of his best friends: a ravenous and rambunctious Orc named Gorag and a talking pony with a victim complex, Mona, acquired after he cooked and ate her brother.
The novel is laid out as an anthology. Rather than chapters each section of varying length is a self-contained story set in chronological order that might contain anything from Bogrot sneaking into an orc gathering to cut a double-crossed Gorag loose from his backstabbing brother, to traveling deep into the swamp for rare slugs that have become the mainstay ingredient in a popular curry. Along the way the pair meet and explore the wildly varied and interesting population and landscapes and play host to a collection of bizarre and genuinely endearing and funny encounters. Following the adventures carves out a world that while still having all the trappings of traditional fantasy tropes manages to feel like an incredibly unique experience that not only subverts the Fantasy genre, but is possibly the best example to date of emphatically non-epic fantasy by way of its focus on the humble goals of its protagonists and the intimate natures of the conflicts. Even minor characters are believable, with their own hopes, goals, ambitions, and shortcomings. They’re not allies or enemies of Bogrot, but they share his world and understand his challenges. Goblins Know Best is an excellent example of character study due to being so far removed from the epic struggles that dominate the genre that it allows you to see these characters in their natural state with their usual struggles. The subtitle ‘Trivial Trials’ perfectly encapsulates not only Bogrot and Gorag, but also our look at each individual character in their world just trying their best to get by.
I make no secret of enjoying works with the classic Tolkien races that so many modern authors try to avoid, or even for having a preference for Orcs and Goblins in general (probably thanks to Warcraft). But with that said I feel comfortable with the claim that Goblins Know Best is by far my clear favorite out of all the books I’ve read this last year, and the entirety of my read-through was an absolute joy.
You should read this book if you enjoy: Collections of shorter works, greenskins, copious tongue-in-cheek humor, self-aware writing, genre subversion, and first person perspective.
You should avoid this book if you dislike: Pun names, phonetic spelling of accents, traditional fantasy races (elves, orcs, goblins, trolls, gnomes, centaurs and others all make appearances).
Every so often a book comes along so in-tune with itself that it helps define the very genre that would try to label it. Goblins Know Best is just such a book.
Goblins Know Best: the Trivial Trials of Bogrot and Gorag by Daniel Beazley is a Fantasy novel told from the perspective of a Goblin chef named Bogrot Blistertooth. Raised in Gert’s Kitchen of the city of Kentai (A city so prone to earthquakes that it holds no permanent structures) Bogrot is a budding chef in his own right, driven to become one of the finest cooks in the land. Often drawn away from his kitchen for errands, adventures, and other misfortunes, he travels in the company of his best friends: a ravenous and rambunctious Orc named Gorag and a talking pony with a victim complex, Mona, acquired after he cooked and ate her brother.
The novel is laid out as an anthology. Rather than chapters each section of varying length is a self-contained story set in chronological order that might contain anything from Bogrot sneaking into an orc gathering to cut a double-crossed Gorag loose from his backstabbing brother, to traveling deep into the swamp for rare slugs that have become the mainstay ingredient in a popular curry. Along the way the pair meet and explore the wildly varied and interesting population and landscapes and play host to a collection of bizarre and genuinely endearing and funny encounters. Following the adventures carves out a world that while still having all the trappings of traditional fantasy tropes manages to feel like an incredibly unique experience that not only subverts the Fantasy genre, but is possibly the best example to date of emphatically non-epic fantasy by way of its focus on the humble goals of its protagonists and the intimate natures of the conflicts. Even minor characters are believable, with their own hopes, goals, ambitions, and shortcomings. They’re not allies or enemies of Bogrot, but they share his world and understand his challenges. Goblins Know Best is an excellent example of character study due to being so far removed from the epic struggles that dominate the genre that it allows you to see these characters in their natural state with their usual struggles. The subtitle ‘Trivial Trials’ perfectly encapsulates not only Bogrot and Gorag, but also our look at each individual character in their world just trying their best to get by.
I make no secret of enjoying works with the classic Tolkien races that so many modern authors try to avoid, or even for having a preference for Orcs and Goblins in general (probably thanks to Warcraft). But with that said I feel comfortable with the claim that Goblins Know Best is by far my clear favorite out of all the books I’ve read this last year, and the entirety of my read-through was an absolute joy.
You should read this book if you enjoy: Collections of shorter works, greenskins, copious tongue-in-cheek humor, self-aware writing, genre subversion, and first person perspective.
You should avoid this book if you dislike: Pun names, phonetic spelling of accents, traditional fantasy races (elves, orcs, goblins, trolls, gnomes, centaurs and others all make appearances).
June 14, 2013
This book turns many of the preconceived notions about the Fantasy genre on their heads. For starters the main characters are a Goblin - Bogrot and his pal, an Orc, named Gorag. They live in a realm peopled by all manner of creatures from Minotaurs and Trolls to Humans and Elves. And while there is clear animosity among the "races" they all get along more or less on some level.
Bogrot is the brains and Gorag the brawn in this duo that reminds one a bit of George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men. The two have a series of misadventures that reads more like a series of loosely related short stories than a typical novel. One almost could believe that this was a serialized account from some long lost periodical.
The way most concepts of the "good" and "evil" characters is turned around in this novel combined with the short-story concept make for a fresh new read in the realm of fantasy. While the story rarely left me totally engrossed in the outcome it was an enjoyable read.
Fair Warning - I was one of the lucky winners of this book in a Good Reads giveaway, and I'm surely glad I was a winner. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It is a great summer read when you may be able to read only a chapter or two before you have to give the book a few days break.
Bogrot is the brains and Gorag the brawn in this duo that reminds one a bit of George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men. The two have a series of misadventures that reads more like a series of loosely related short stories than a typical novel. One almost could believe that this was a serialized account from some long lost periodical.
The way most concepts of the "good" and "evil" characters is turned around in this novel combined with the short-story concept make for a fresh new read in the realm of fantasy. While the story rarely left me totally engrossed in the outcome it was an enjoyable read.
Fair Warning - I was one of the lucky winners of this book in a Good Reads giveaway, and I'm surely glad I was a winner. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It is a great summer read when you may be able to read only a chapter or two before you have to give the book a few days break.
July 14, 2013
Initially this was an enjoyable set of short stories featuring the Goblin Bogrot Blistertooth and his Orc companion Gorag Bather. Beazley tells tales of the pairs misadventures and for the most part achieves a funny romp through his world by the two. His use of names (Mona Lott his pony, or Aniwon Sene-Mahammer for an engineer) was creative and his various antagonists were engaging.
Unfortunately, the entire book was completely ruined by the blatant rip off of The Princess Bride scene where Vizzini challenges Westley to a battle of wits. Beazley merely changed the names of the characters and the poison involved. He even went into the Vizzini diatribe "I clearly could not choose the cup in front of you...." His ending for that particular story was unique however, as neither of them died because BOTH of them had built up an immunity to Iocane powd...oh wait, he called it Black Creeping Briar. Thank goodness I got the book for free on Amazon.
Unfortunately, the entire book was completely ruined by the blatant rip off of The Princess Bride scene where Vizzini challenges Westley to a battle of wits. Beazley merely changed the names of the characters and the poison involved. He even went into the Vizzini diatribe "I clearly could not choose the cup in front of you...." His ending for that particular story was unique however, as neither of them died because BOTH of them had built up an immunity to Iocane powd...oh wait, he called it Black Creeping Briar. Thank goodness I got the book for free on Amazon.
June 4, 2015
I loved this novel, period.
See, I see the author, Daniel, as a candidate comedy-fantasy writer to keep an eye on. His humour was excellent in this book, which is basically a collection of stories of Bogrot and Gorags misadventures.
I would highly recommend getting a hold of this book but hey if you want to know more about it, I've done a full review over on my website:
http://geekoutsw.com/2015/05/29/revie...
See, I see the author, Daniel, as a candidate comedy-fantasy writer to keep an eye on. His humour was excellent in this book, which is basically a collection of stories of Bogrot and Gorags misadventures.
I would highly recommend getting a hold of this book but hey if you want to know more about it, I've done a full review over on my website:
http://geekoutsw.com/2015/05/29/revie...
May 6, 2014
Chuckles. Enjoyed this tale of Bogrot's adventures with his friends. A clever world that could be expounded upon.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews