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Jig the Goblin #1
Le Graal du gobelin: Jig le gobelin, T1
« C’est quoi ton problème, Gobelin ? fit le nécromant, impérieux.
– Jig ! Pourquoi on m’appelle toujours “le gobelin” ? Je suis Jig. » Il se tourna d’un bond vers le nécromant et dégaina son épée. « Jig ! Jig ! Jig ! »
Embringué de force dans une quête désopilante, notre « héros malgré lui » myope et gringalet de surcroît, n'a qu'une idée en tête : rentrer entier à la tanière, son araignée-flamme comprise. Sauf qu'avec « ceux d'en haut » rien n'est simple ; passe encore les nains ou les elfes, mais les humains...
Entre rire et émotion, nous assistons à la prise de conscience d’un « petit » qu’il est l’égal des autres et que sa meilleure chance d’avenir tient à ses neurones et à une paire de lunettes.
Un livre de Jim C. Hines qui a déjà conquis jeunes et grands de l'autre côté de l'Atlantique.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2004
100 people are currently reading
3747 people want to read
About the author
Jim C. Hines
95 books2,393 followersJim C. Hines began his writing career with a trilogy about the irrepressible Jig the goblin, which actor and author Wil Wheaton described as "too f***ing cool for words." He went on to deconstruct fairy tales in his four-book Princess series, made all the world's literature a grimoire in the Magic ex Libris series, and explored the heroic side of spacecraft sanitation in his Janitors of the Post Apocalypse trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in more than fifty magazines and anthologies. Jim has been outspoken about topics like sexism and harassment, and was the editor of the Invisible series—three collections of personal essays about representation in sf/f. He received the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2012. Jim currently lives in mid-Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 453 reviews
April 7, 2025
A wonderfully entertaining comedic fantasy romp!
In Hines' typical fantasy world populated with elves and dwarves, princes and wizards, goblins are definitely at the bottom of the fantasy food chain. But in this apparently quite typical fantasy world, Jig is not your typical fantasy hero. In fact, Jig is an introverted runty little near-sighted goblin with self esteem issues and, as Rodney Dangerfield would quip, he definitely gets no respect.
When a routine Goblin patrol is attacked, Jig and his perpetually nervous pet fire spider Smudge are astonished to find themselves hijacked and pressed into guide duty by a group of adventurers. A human prince dealing with his own set of esteem issues and who feels he has something to prove, his older brother (a wizard still learning his craft), a dwarf warrior and an elven thief who doesn't seem particularly skilled in the fine art of thievery, need his guidance through the dark maze of goblin tunnels to make their way past The Necromancer and to obtain The Rod of Creation, thought to be carefully guarded by the dragon Straum.
Thus is the scene set for readers, young and old alike, to enjoy a light, easy-reading entertaining comedic adventure romp, the plights and perils of a ragtag little group as they stumble their way from one sticky wicket into another! Jig's witty dialogue and Hines' clever jokes and puns, which pile on top of one another with almost dizzying frequency, will elicit reader reaction ranging from wry grins to out loud belly laughs.
But Jig's philosophizing and deeply probing self-examination also show that Hines' possesses deeper ability as a writer, to use the device of comedy as a means to probe more serious, more difficult issues - the nature of religious faith, the worship of gods and the form of prayer; loyalty to one's comrades in arms; the juxtaposition of fear and courage in the heat of a battle; the overwhelming love that one can feel for a pet, even one as off-the-wall weird as a fire spider; and the destructive results of unseemly pride and overwhelming greed; to name only a few. That is not to suggest that GOBLIN QUEST is a moralizing epistle in any fashion. Far from it, indeed! This is only to suggest that Hines' book goes significantly further than a mere collection of goblin runt jokes!
Well done, Jim. I've now got my eyes peeled and my breath bated anticipating the arrival of the sequel GOBLIN HERO.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
In Hines' typical fantasy world populated with elves and dwarves, princes and wizards, goblins are definitely at the bottom of the fantasy food chain. But in this apparently quite typical fantasy world, Jig is not your typical fantasy hero. In fact, Jig is an introverted runty little near-sighted goblin with self esteem issues and, as Rodney Dangerfield would quip, he definitely gets no respect.
When a routine Goblin patrol is attacked, Jig and his perpetually nervous pet fire spider Smudge are astonished to find themselves hijacked and pressed into guide duty by a group of adventurers. A human prince dealing with his own set of esteem issues and who feels he has something to prove, his older brother (a wizard still learning his craft), a dwarf warrior and an elven thief who doesn't seem particularly skilled in the fine art of thievery, need his guidance through the dark maze of goblin tunnels to make their way past The Necromancer and to obtain The Rod of Creation, thought to be carefully guarded by the dragon Straum.
Thus is the scene set for readers, young and old alike, to enjoy a light, easy-reading entertaining comedic adventure romp, the plights and perils of a ragtag little group as they stumble their way from one sticky wicket into another! Jig's witty dialogue and Hines' clever jokes and puns, which pile on top of one another with almost dizzying frequency, will elicit reader reaction ranging from wry grins to out loud belly laughs.
But Jig's philosophizing and deeply probing self-examination also show that Hines' possesses deeper ability as a writer, to use the device of comedy as a means to probe more serious, more difficult issues - the nature of religious faith, the worship of gods and the form of prayer; loyalty to one's comrades in arms; the juxtaposition of fear and courage in the heat of a battle; the overwhelming love that one can feel for a pet, even one as off-the-wall weird as a fire spider; and the destructive results of unseemly pride and overwhelming greed; to name only a few. That is not to suggest that GOBLIN QUEST is a moralizing epistle in any fashion. Far from it, indeed! This is only to suggest that Hines' book goes significantly further than a mere collection of goblin runt jokes!
Well done, Jim. I've now got my eyes peeled and my breath bated anticipating the arrival of the sequel GOBLIN HERO.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
December 6, 2010
This book will lose most, if not all, of its humor if you haven't played D&D. In fact, it basically reads like a novel version of a D&D game, written from the point of view of an NPC (Non Player Character.) This NPC is Jig, a goblin who falls in with a group of adventurers who are bent on exploring a dungeon, slaying a dragon, and retrieving a wand of enormous power.
For such a by-the-books old school role-playing type adventure, there's a surprising amount of subtlety. One of the most enlightening aspects was the way it portrays the inherent racism of old-school adventuring. The adventurers see themselves as killing monsters to win treasure, but as Jig points out, they are basically killing people and taking their stuff. The adventurers, while noble in their own way, treat poorly those they see as inequals--and that includes almost everyone, including Jig. If I had read this back when I was into role playing games (tabletop, guys, this was back before the internet), it would have been a lot more hilarious, and it would have heavily influenced my gaming style. Still a fun read.
For such a by-the-books old school role-playing type adventure, there's a surprising amount of subtlety. One of the most enlightening aspects was the way it portrays the inherent racism of old-school adventuring. The adventurers see themselves as killing monsters to win treasure, but as Jig points out, they are basically killing people and taking their stuff. The adventurers, while noble in their own way, treat poorly those they see as inequals--and that includes almost everyone, including Jig. If I had read this back when I was into role playing games (tabletop, guys, this was back before the internet), it would have been a lot more hilarious, and it would have heavily influenced my gaming style. Still a fun read.
April 5, 2012
I love this book so much.
I read it last year, but now I finally treated myself to the two sequels, I decided to read it again. It definitely held up to re-reading.
I don't know how Goblin Quest would seem to people who aren't familiar with fantasy RPGs or post-Tolkien fantasy adventure novels. I enjoy both, on sufferance. Goblin Quest reads to me as though Jim C. Hines interviewed me about EVERYTHING that annoys me about D&D and then set out to write a book to make me feel better.
The protagonist falls in with a group that includes a human warrior, a dwarf warrior who can heal by calling on his deity, a human wizard, and an elven thief. Everyone in the book calls this group and others like it a "party of adventurers," totally without irony.
One of the group members is obsessed with mapping the tunnels they are traveling. "Twenty-five paces exactly."
The elven thief is expected to pick locks and check for traps. She explains to the protagonist that she doesn't really know how to do the latter. She's a first-level rogue, you guys! Don't make her try that stuff just yet!
If you don't see why this would please me, more examples won't help. If you do, then I'll leave the rest for you to enjoy first-hand. You can nearly hear the dice hit the table.
This is not a novel sincerely inspired by somebody's actual RPG campaign, either, because none of the "adventurers" is actually the hero. They're pretty much the villains, although it's hard to say for sure because there are a lot of bad guys in this story.
What makes me really love this book is everything to do with the fact that the protagonist is a goblin -- somebody who in a regular D&D or fantasy adventure novel would be a faceless part of a horde of possibly rather trivial bad guys. That's what bothers me most about those games and stories. It's so convenient to designate entire species as enemies! When you just want to have your characters get in a fight and win without having to think about ethics or politics or even say "Oh hello, we're just passing through, do you mind our sharing this forest clearing with you for a bit?" it's very nice to have a group of visually recognizable beings who can be attacked immediately.
Thinking about that too hard makes me want to throw things.
Hines managed to make me care about Jig the goblin and to see everything from his perspective, without giving goblins any traits that are more sympathetic than normally appear in the fantasy genre. Not only is that really satisfying to my frustrations, it makes the story richer. Since Jig is definitely not an "adventurer," he has extremely interesting insights about the rest of the party. And because the tunnels the party is exploring are Jig's home, he thinks about their quest in a very different way.
I can't wait to read the rest of the novels. And I think I'm going to paint all my Games Workshop goblins bright blue like Jig. <3
I read it last year, but now I finally treated myself to the two sequels, I decided to read it again. It definitely held up to re-reading.
I don't know how Goblin Quest would seem to people who aren't familiar with fantasy RPGs or post-Tolkien fantasy adventure novels. I enjoy both, on sufferance. Goblin Quest reads to me as though Jim C. Hines interviewed me about EVERYTHING that annoys me about D&D and then set out to write a book to make me feel better.
The protagonist falls in with a group that includes a human warrior, a dwarf warrior who can heal by calling on his deity, a human wizard, and an elven thief. Everyone in the book calls this group and others like it a "party of adventurers," totally without irony.
One of the group members is obsessed with mapping the tunnels they are traveling. "Twenty-five paces exactly."
The elven thief is expected to pick locks and check for traps. She explains to the protagonist that she doesn't really know how to do the latter. She's a first-level rogue, you guys! Don't make her try that stuff just yet!
If you don't see why this would please me, more examples won't help. If you do, then I'll leave the rest for you to enjoy first-hand. You can nearly hear the dice hit the table.
This is not a novel sincerely inspired by somebody's actual RPG campaign, either, because none of the "adventurers" is actually the hero. They're pretty much the villains, although it's hard to say for sure because there are a lot of bad guys in this story.
What makes me really love this book is everything to do with the fact that the protagonist is a goblin -- somebody who in a regular D&D or fantasy adventure novel would be a faceless part of a horde of possibly rather trivial bad guys. That's what bothers me most about those games and stories. It's so convenient to designate entire species as enemies! When you just want to have your characters get in a fight and win without having to think about ethics or politics or even say "Oh hello, we're just passing through, do you mind our sharing this forest clearing with you for a bit?" it's very nice to have a group of visually recognizable beings who can be attacked immediately.
Thinking about that too hard makes me want to throw things.
Hines managed to make me care about Jig the goblin and to see everything from his perspective, without giving goblins any traits that are more sympathetic than normally appear in the fantasy genre. Not only is that really satisfying to my frustrations, it makes the story richer. Since Jig is definitely not an "adventurer," he has extremely interesting insights about the rest of the party. And because the tunnels the party is exploring are Jig's home, he thinks about their quest in a very different way.
I can't wait to read the rest of the novels. And I think I'm going to paint all my Games Workshop goblins bright blue like Jig. <3
July 11, 2022
CRUZADA GOBLIN. 4,5 estrellas en realidad.
Una verdadera lástima que esta novela no cuente con su traducción al español porque es magnífica.
La trama se centra en Jig, un goblin de lo más bajo, que junto a su mascota, una araña capaz de provocar fuego, se topan por coincidencia con el típico grupo de aventureros de cualquier novela de fantasía, los cuales están en búsqueda de la legendaria "vara de la creación". Es aquí donde estos "héroes", en vez de matar a Jig, deciden mantenerlo prisionero con la idea de que les sirva de guía en el complejo red de túneles que han sido el hogar del goblin desde siempre, llevándolo a vivir una gran aventura que nos desvelarán una serie de secretos y revelaciones.
Para iniciar destacó el gran toque de humor con el que está narrada la novela que logró sacarme mas de una sonrisa con todas las ocurrencias de Jig, como también con su atípica relación con el Dios olvidado "Shadowstar" que a mitad de camino decide adorar por clara conveniencia. No obstante, lo que más me ha gustado de esta novela es que precisamente su protagonista sea un goblin y no el típico y portentoso héroe que todo lo puede. Acá el autor nos hace adentrarnos en la peculiar moralidad y visión de mundo de un goblin de manera muy acertada, logrando que empaticemos con él en vez que con los supuestos "nobles y heroicos" personajes que componen el resto de aventureros. Cómo para entenderlo, es como si en un videojuego se contara la historia de uno de los personaje no jugables en vez de la de los acostumbrados protagonistas. -en este caso un enano, una elfa, un príncipe y un mago- Por lo que esta vuelta de tuerca en la historia se hace muy interesante.
Sin duda Goblin Quest es una novela muy recomendable qué nos cuenta una historia de fatasía tipica, pero desde una perspectiva distinta. En este caso la de un más que adorable Goblin qué nos muestra lo duro que es la vida para alguien que dentro de los mundos fantásticos es considerado de lo más bajo.
Sí eres amante de la fantasía esta novela es casi obligada.
Una verdadera lástima que esta novela no cuente con su traducción al español porque es magnífica.
La trama se centra en Jig, un goblin de lo más bajo, que junto a su mascota, una araña capaz de provocar fuego, se topan por coincidencia con el típico grupo de aventureros de cualquier novela de fantasía, los cuales están en búsqueda de la legendaria "vara de la creación". Es aquí donde estos "héroes", en vez de matar a Jig, deciden mantenerlo prisionero con la idea de que les sirva de guía en el complejo red de túneles que han sido el hogar del goblin desde siempre, llevándolo a vivir una gran aventura que nos desvelarán una serie de secretos y revelaciones.
Para iniciar destacó el gran toque de humor con el que está narrada la novela que logró sacarme mas de una sonrisa con todas las ocurrencias de Jig, como también con su atípica relación con el Dios olvidado "Shadowstar" que a mitad de camino decide adorar por clara conveniencia. No obstante, lo que más me ha gustado de esta novela es que precisamente su protagonista sea un goblin y no el típico y portentoso héroe que todo lo puede. Acá el autor nos hace adentrarnos en la peculiar moralidad y visión de mundo de un goblin de manera muy acertada, logrando que empaticemos con él en vez que con los supuestos "nobles y heroicos" personajes que componen el resto de aventureros. Cómo para entenderlo, es como si en un videojuego se contara la historia de uno de los personaje no jugables en vez de la de los acostumbrados protagonistas. -en este caso un enano, una elfa, un príncipe y un mago- Por lo que esta vuelta de tuerca en la historia se hace muy interesante.
Sin duda Goblin Quest es una novela muy recomendable qué nos cuenta una historia de fatasía tipica, pero desde una perspectiva distinta. En este caso la de un más que adorable Goblin qué nos muestra lo duro que es la vida para alguien que dentro de los mundos fantásticos es considerado de lo más bajo.
Sí eres amante de la fantasía esta novela es casi obligada.
July 23, 2016
I was unsure about this one to be honest, it was the story of a scrawny goblin after all. But I should not have feared, it was a Hines book after all.
This one was amusing, oh those silly humans ;) See Jig lives with the rest of the goblins where goblins live. And sometimes pesky humans aka adventures come into those caves looking for stuff, killing goblins and just being so darn annoying.
And that is what happens. A dwarf, a wizard, a prince and a thief comes looking for something and Jig have to help them. There is danger, adventure, treasure and one scared, yet brave goblin.
I need to read more Jig books. I can't wait to see what he does next.
This one was amusing, oh those silly humans ;) See Jig lives with the rest of the goblins where goblins live. And sometimes pesky humans aka adventures come into those caves looking for stuff, killing goblins and just being so darn annoying.
And that is what happens. A dwarf, a wizard, a prince and a thief comes looking for something and Jig have to help them. There is danger, adventure, treasure and one scared, yet brave goblin.
I need to read more Jig books. I can't wait to see what he does next.
May 20, 2010
Here's the thing. On any other day I would have given this little ditty 3 out of 5. Today, I'm not feeling that hypocritical. See, I really enjoyed reading this. It is not a literary masterpiece, but it sure is fun. And sometimes, just sometimes, that counts for a lot. Jig the Goblin is a delightful counterpoint to the more commonplace fantasy hero-type. If you enjoy adventure fiction a la Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance you'll certainly recognise most of the conventions here. This is a parody, so take it with a pinch of salt. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the series. Fun. Nuff said.
October 9, 2021
Listened this as a graphic audiobook and while O enjoyed it for the most part, the sound effect and so on. I had quite a difficult time getting into it Everytime I've stopped listening to it for some time. The voices fit very well for the characters,but can't say they were very relaxing to listen to. But as I got used to it each time I could barely stop listening to it and I really started to lime the little goblin. He just grew on me and at the end of it, I didn't want it to end.
January 25, 2012
Jim Hines is a really nice guy. He's a regular attendee at our local SF cons, and I've attended several panels where he's talked about life as a fledgling author. I've also had the chance to chat with him a few times, and, like I said, he's a really good guy.
This year, he was the Toastmaster for ConFusion, the con we have every January. Because of that, and because he's such a nice man, I decided that, well, I should probably read one of his books. Sorry about that, Jim.
I really wish I hadn't waited so long. If you have ever played D&D, you'll really enjoy this. He takes a stereotypical adventuring party and mixes in a goblin. As always, the goblin is nothing more than cannon fodder for the powerful fighter, wizard, cleric and thief ... except Jig, for the goblin is named Jig, doesn't get killed right away. He actually spends the rest of the book not being entirely killed a single time, and pulls off some heroic stuff in the process. Granted, a lot of it is accidental, but he still does it.
In the end, of course, the lowly goblin turns out to be the best person of everyone. And he has more books of adventures that I am going to read in a much more prompt manner.
(NOTE: As I was writing this, I went to Jim's Goodreads page. His most recent blog post is about his adventures as the ConFusion toastmaster. The picture on that blog post, where he is wearing a truly epic hat? I took that picture. As I think I've mentioned, a very nice man. Good writer, too.)
This year, he was the Toastmaster for ConFusion, the con we have every January. Because of that, and because he's such a nice man, I decided that, well, I should probably read one of his books. Sorry about that, Jim.
I really wish I hadn't waited so long. If you have ever played D&D, you'll really enjoy this. He takes a stereotypical adventuring party and mixes in a goblin. As always, the goblin is nothing more than cannon fodder for the powerful fighter, wizard, cleric and thief ... except Jig, for the goblin is named Jig, doesn't get killed right away. He actually spends the rest of the book not being entirely killed a single time, and pulls off some heroic stuff in the process. Granted, a lot of it is accidental, but he still does it.
In the end, of course, the lowly goblin turns out to be the best person of everyone. And he has more books of adventures that I am going to read in a much more prompt manner.
(NOTE: As I was writing this, I went to Jim's Goodreads page. His most recent blog post is about his adventures as the ConFusion toastmaster. The picture on that blog post, where he is wearing a truly epic hat? I took that picture. As I think I've mentioned, a very nice man. Good writer, too.)
Want to read
December 5, 2008Jig the goblin in very low on the pecking order in the goblin tunnels.
But one day Jig runs afoul of a group of adventurers. The group is led by a prince with too many older brothers. He wants to prove himself. So with his wizard brother, a dwarf protector, and a young elf thief, they have come to the tunnels to search for the legendary Rod of Creation.
It is said to be deep in the mountain, beyond the terrible Necromancer, and guarded by an ancient dragon. Jig is impressed into service as a guide. Jig knows little of the tunnels outside the goblin territory but leads them anyway.
Along the way Jig begins to question goblin ways. He sees how the adventurers work together in crisis although they fight most of the rest of the time. He sees the value of good equipment and proper training. All a far cry from the goblin standard of rushing headlong into battle and almost certain death. Jig also learns about religion.
But mostly he just tries to survive the various rants and furies from the adventurers. But Jig has untapped depths that help the party advance when hope seems lost.
Dragons, necromancers, and endless treachery must be overcome if Jig can get out of this alive.
But one day Jig runs afoul of a group of adventurers. The group is led by a prince with too many older brothers. He wants to prove himself. So with his wizard brother, a dwarf protector, and a young elf thief, they have come to the tunnels to search for the legendary Rod of Creation.
It is said to be deep in the mountain, beyond the terrible Necromancer, and guarded by an ancient dragon. Jig is impressed into service as a guide. Jig knows little of the tunnels outside the goblin territory but leads them anyway.
Along the way Jig begins to question goblin ways. He sees how the adventurers work together in crisis although they fight most of the rest of the time. He sees the value of good equipment and proper training. All a far cry from the goblin standard of rushing headlong into battle and almost certain death. Jig also learns about religion.
But mostly he just tries to survive the various rants and furies from the adventurers. But Jig has untapped depths that help the party advance when hope seems lost.
Dragons, necromancers, and endless treachery must be overcome if Jig can get out of this alive.
December 6, 2017
This is a simple, enjoyable read that makes a goblin the hero for a change. Poor Jig is the runt of the goblin world and somehow ends up on a quest for the rod of creation. Along the way he meets a great many monsters, a necromancer and a dragon.
I can't say that this would ever win any literary awards but it is a fun, not to serious book with a great main character that made me laugh. Think of a smaller, uglier and more cowardly Dresden. I'll grab the rest of the series at some point.
If you need a break from some serious fantasy. This was a great inbetweener for me.
I can't say that this would ever win any literary awards but it is a fun, not to serious book with a great main character that made me laugh. Think of a smaller, uglier and more cowardly Dresden. I'll grab the rest of the series at some point.
If you need a break from some serious fantasy. This was a great inbetweener for me.
January 21, 2014
Many people whose opinions I respect recommended this quite highly, so perhaps my expectations were unrealistic. I thought it was fine, it was funny, it was cute... but not more than that. It's a humorous look at a D&D (or similar RPG) from the viewpoint of a NPC, and anyone who doesn't know what all of those letters stand for probably wouldn't like the book at all. I thought it was okay, but didn't see what all of the fuss was about.
February 8, 2018
He was, without a doubt, one dead goblin.
Jig, a tiny, scrawny-even-for-a-goblin, nearsighted little dude who's so small and weak that he still receives the chores of a child, was just trying to get through patrol duty in the underground caverns where he and the entirety of goblin and hobgoblinkind reside.
But the world above, full of adventurers and questers and all that noise, had other plans.
Every adventurer wanted treasure. They seemed to want it more than food or water or air to breathe.
AFellowship group of adventurers has ventured down into the world of the goblins, where a deadly force is said to guard the magic-est McGuffin of them all- the Rod of Creation.
The adventures; greedy princeBoromir Barius, his wizard brother Faramir Ryslind, their dwarf teacher and bodyguard, you see where I'm going with this Darnak, and an elven girl they caught stealing from them and took prisoner, Riana, have journeyed far to claim what is 'rightfully' theirs.
The Rod, created by an ancient mystic warrior and hidden in the land of the idiot goblins to keep it safe, which holds more magic than every wizard in the lands combined, is guarded by none other than Straum, a dragon trapped inside the cavernous world by the mystic warrior to ensure the lands' safety from him and it.
And what better way to find a magic artifact in the goblins' lair, than to take a goblin hostage?
A real hero would muster up something clever on which to spend his last breath. He would face death like a man, with courage. He certainly would not kick the young prince square in the vitals.
Jig was no hero.
Nobody in this mismatched, grim party knows the dangers of what they're about to go up against.
Except maybe for Jig, who sees danger (no matter how fuzzy it may be) in pretty much everything.
But for their actions, they'll face horrifying straits at the hands of the hobgoblins, lizard-fish, the Necromancer and other heinous beasts before they ever slay the fabled dragon.
And our hero-
And that would be the end of Jig. Unless he was lucky to make it into a song.
-is only the first layer in a story full of insanity and and brainless fun that somehow manages to weave a truly pleasing tale of adventure, faith, and facing the unknown.
That was his job. He was a monster, and they were adventurers.
I said i'd read the first Jim C. Hines book on my TBR before continuing with the Magic Ex Libris series, which I started last year with Libriomancer
... Well, if we're being honest, no matter how much frakking fun I had reading Libriomancer, which was a a lot, I am a little more excited to go on another adventure in the Goblin Quest world.
Goblin Quest is The Princess Bride for Tolkienists.
Don't believe me?
"Many an adventurer has lost a finger, or worse, and still gone on to accomplish great things. Have you heard the song of... I forget his name. The little guy with nine fingers, from the middle continent. The one involved with that ring business a while back."
So, yeah. Basically, Goblin Quest is a wonderfully slapsticky and inane cross of a very loving LOTR parody and a Dungeon Master pumped full of Mountain Dew gone completely off his rocker.
Jim C. Hines meshes a serious tone with humor very well. In Libriomancer, Isaac Vainio is a depressed, hopeless character who snarks much less than most urban fantasy heroes.
In this book, Jig the goblin is a meek, disabled (for a goblin) hero with very little to feel good about, and his few moments of happiness are very short-lived.
That doesn't mean the story isn't funny, though.
This adventure had given him nightmares enough already without the extra fuel of an aroused dragon.
It's mostly situational and physical, though. Less in dialogue.
I enjoyed Goblin Quest HUGELY, and it's a fun little must-read for fantasy fans.
Blind panic might not work all the time, but at least it saved you the stress of planning.
Jig, a tiny, scrawny-even-for-a-goblin, nearsighted little dude who's so small and weak that he still receives the chores of a child, was just trying to get through patrol duty in the underground caverns where he and the entirety of goblin and hobgoblinkind reside.
But the world above, full of adventurers and questers and all that noise, had other plans.
Every adventurer wanted treasure. They seemed to want it more than food or water or air to breathe.
A
The adventures; greedy prince
The Rod, created by an ancient mystic warrior and hidden in the land of the idiot goblins to keep it safe, which holds more magic than every wizard in the lands combined, is guarded by none other than Straum, a dragon trapped inside the cavernous world by the mystic warrior to ensure the lands' safety from him and it.
And what better way to find a magic artifact in the goblins' lair, than to take a goblin hostage?
A real hero would muster up something clever on which to spend his last breath. He would face death like a man, with courage. He certainly would not kick the young prince square in the vitals.
Jig was no hero.
Nobody in this mismatched, grim party knows the dangers of what they're about to go up against.
Except maybe for Jig, who sees danger (no matter how fuzzy it may be) in pretty much everything.
But for their actions, they'll face horrifying straits at the hands of the hobgoblins, lizard-fish, the Necromancer and other heinous beasts before they ever slay the fabled dragon.
And our hero-
And that would be the end of Jig. Unless he was lucky to make it into a song.
-is only the first layer in a story full of insanity and and brainless fun that somehow manages to weave a truly pleasing tale of adventure, faith, and facing the unknown.
That was his job. He was a monster, and they were adventurers.
I said i'd read the first Jim C. Hines book on my TBR before continuing with the Magic Ex Libris series, which I started last year with Libriomancer
... Well, if we're being honest, no matter how much frakking fun I had reading Libriomancer, which was a a lot, I am a little more excited to go on another adventure in the Goblin Quest world.
Goblin Quest is The Princess Bride for Tolkienists.
Don't believe me?
"Many an adventurer has lost a finger, or worse, and still gone on to accomplish great things. Have you heard the song of... I forget his name. The little guy with nine fingers, from the middle continent. The one involved with that ring business a while back."
So, yeah. Basically, Goblin Quest is a wonderfully slapsticky and inane cross of a very loving LOTR parody and a Dungeon Master pumped full of Mountain Dew gone completely off his rocker.
Jim C. Hines meshes a serious tone with humor very well. In Libriomancer, Isaac Vainio is a depressed, hopeless character who snarks much less than most urban fantasy heroes.
In this book, Jig the goblin is a meek, disabled (for a goblin) hero with very little to feel good about, and his few moments of happiness are very short-lived.
That doesn't mean the story isn't funny, though.
This adventure had given him nightmares enough already without the extra fuel of an aroused dragon.
It's mostly situational and physical, though. Less in dialogue.
I enjoyed Goblin Quest HUGELY, and it's a fun little must-read for fantasy fans.
Blind panic might not work all the time, but at least it saved you the stress of planning.
September 21, 2016
EDITED this review space to remove a deleted review from me somehow still displaying.
My ratings should be the only review of books from me showing on goodreads. They are my unincentivized, unconnected consumer product opinions.
The star rating reflects solely my subjective reading experience and resulting opinion of the book according to the rating scale used by goodreads. It's not intended to destroy anyone's livelihood nor to churn out book promotions for them — just my opinion/reaction shared with other readers and a means to track my reading, provide book comparison data and aid in book recommendations feature.
I rate here according to goodreads scale meaning that because goodreads determined most readers choose books they think they will enjoy, the goodreads average/okay rating on a 5-unit scale (2½) is rounded down to 2 stars where other sites like retailer Amazon round up to make 3 stars the average/okay read.
[A briefer way to put that is that yes I rate books one star lower on goodreads than on Amazon without in any way considering that to be bullying anyone or restriction of trade—I just do look to see if a site's scale runs 1-5 or 5-1 then what each unit means in that site because that's how I was taught to use scales.
I'm too durn old to be convinced otherwise, too durn ornery to believe that the only correct way to do anything is how it's done on Amazon.com site, and firmly remain convinced only people—not inanimate things like commercial products aka books—can suffer the psychological trauma of being bullied.]
My ratings should be the only review of books from me showing on goodreads. They are my unincentivized, unconnected consumer product opinions.
The star rating reflects solely my subjective reading experience and resulting opinion of the book according to the rating scale used by goodreads. It's not intended to destroy anyone's livelihood nor to churn out book promotions for them — just my opinion/reaction shared with other readers and a means to track my reading, provide book comparison data and aid in book recommendations feature.
I rate here according to goodreads scale meaning that because goodreads determined most readers choose books they think they will enjoy, the goodreads average/okay rating on a 5-unit scale (2½) is rounded down to 2 stars where other sites like retailer Amazon round up to make 3 stars the average/okay read.
[A briefer way to put that is that yes I rate books one star lower on goodreads than on Amazon without in any way considering that to be bullying anyone or restriction of trade—I just do look to see if a site's scale runs 1-5 or 5-1 then what each unit means in that site because that's how I was taught to use scales.
I'm too durn old to be convinced otherwise, too durn ornery to believe that the only correct way to do anything is how it's done on Amazon.com site, and firmly remain convinced only people—not inanimate things like commercial products aka books—can suffer the psychological trauma of being bullied.]
January 22, 2009
This book is fabulous! Once I started, I couldn't easily put it down. This book is for everyone who's been in a D&D dungeon crawl, for everyone who cheers for the underdog, and for everyone who wants a good laugh.
Jig is a goblin. He's small, runty, and weak, even for his species. He's very near-sighted and has the unfortunate habit of thinking. He gets shanghaied by a group of adventurers hunting the Rod of Creation. Hilarity ensues.
Luckily for my sanity, this is the first book in a trilogy that is completed. Unluckily for my pocketbook, I have to go buy the next two ASAP. Totally charming, available in paperback, and a wonderful good time. I love this one!
Jig is a goblin. He's small, runty, and weak, even for his species. He's very near-sighted and has the unfortunate habit of thinking. He gets shanghaied by a group of adventurers hunting the Rod of Creation. Hilarity ensues.
Luckily for my sanity, this is the first book in a trilogy that is completed. Unluckily for my pocketbook, I have to go buy the next two ASAP. Totally charming, available in paperback, and a wonderful good time. I love this one!
July 23, 2019
Somehow I've ended up reading all of Jim C. Hines's series in reverse publication order. Jig the Goblin is the last series of his I have to read, and the first published. It's definitely not as polished or witty as I found his later books, and perhaps I'm missing something because I don't play Dungeons & Dragons, but it was a fun time anyway. Having read a shit ton of fantasy in my day, I felt I could still appreciate it.
Plus, I get to see the origins of Smudge the fire spider! (He is also a character in the Libriomancer books, because the main character of that series has the power to reach into books and pull things and beings out, and he reaches into this series and pulls out Smudge. Meta!)
So the premise here is that our main character is the ultimate underdog. Goblins in games and fantasy stories are always showing up to get slaughtered by the heroes, and that's pretty much their only function. Here, the goblin is the point. Jig is not even a very good goblin. He's near-sighted, he's a pretty nice guy (he doesn't go for the fighting and the mean pranks like some of his brethren do), and he's a self-admitted coward, his first move being always to either surrender or run away. He gets pulled into a quest when an adventuring party in search of the Rod of Creation (heh) enters the goblin tunnels, and when he is the only one of his patrol to survive the encounter with them (because he threw down his weapon and surrendered, obvs), he is forced to guide them into the bowels of the earth.
Of course, the whole premise is an excuse to poke fun at traditional fantasy tropes and plot devices, but Hines also does a great job giving Jig an actual arc that you can take seriously. Everyone in the party (and everyone back at home) is constantly underestimating him, which leaves him a lot of room to actually make things happen, and think his way out of the problems the party blunders into. He finds by the end that he's worth more than he's been taught his whole life, and that in fact, he's smart and brave when he has to be.
Not sure when I'll get to the other two books in this series, though I already own them. My TBR for the rest of the year is pretty full, and this wasn't really compelling enough for me to want to jump right in.
[3.5 stars]
Plus, I get to see the origins of Smudge the fire spider! (He is also a character in the Libriomancer books, because the main character of that series has the power to reach into books and pull things and beings out, and he reaches into this series and pulls out Smudge. Meta!)
So the premise here is that our main character is the ultimate underdog. Goblins in games and fantasy stories are always showing up to get slaughtered by the heroes, and that's pretty much their only function. Here, the goblin is the point. Jig is not even a very good goblin. He's near-sighted, he's a pretty nice guy (he doesn't go for the fighting and the mean pranks like some of his brethren do), and he's a self-admitted coward, his first move being always to either surrender or run away. He gets pulled into a quest when an adventuring party in search of the Rod of Creation (heh) enters the goblin tunnels, and when he is the only one of his patrol to survive the encounter with them (because he threw down his weapon and surrendered, obvs), he is forced to guide them into the bowels of the earth.
Of course, the whole premise is an excuse to poke fun at traditional fantasy tropes and plot devices, but Hines also does a great job giving Jig an actual arc that you can take seriously. Everyone in the party (and everyone back at home) is constantly underestimating him, which leaves him a lot of room to actually make things happen, and think his way out of the problems the party blunders into. He finds by the end that he's worth more than he's been taught his whole life, and that in fact, he's smart and brave when he has to be.
Not sure when I'll get to the other two books in this series, though I already own them. My TBR for the rest of the year is pretty full, and this wasn't really compelling enough for me to want to jump right in.
[3.5 stars]
April 26, 2024
Uwielbiam ten klimat jak z sesji RPG. Fajno.
July 10, 2010
It's Jig, not goblin.
Actually, it's Jig the goblin in the role of fairy tale Simpleton.
I've broken with D&D tradition and rounded up, in case anyone is keeping track, after all one review rounded down.
Goblin Quest isn't as polished as Hines' The Stepsister Scheme and it seems that Hines hadn't fully developed his style as of yet. In truth, some areas could use a tighter editor.
There, that's the bad stuff out of the way.
Hines is brillant. He's wonderful. He's cool. He's a D&D geek. The amount of in jokes that reference D&D as well as the various tie in novels such as Dragons of Autumn Twilight and the other Dragonlance novels totally rocked!
I mean, c'mon, I can't be the only person who figured out who Ryslind was really suppose to be.
Like in his later work, Hines makes wonderful use of cliche conventions (in this case, D&D gaming ones). You have the thief, the wizard, the brawn, the dwarf, the elf, and the dragon. Hines, however, subverts these. For instance, when the elf reveals her true age, Jig is shocked. Her comeback is awesome (I'm not going to spoil it for you). It also is no surprise that those characters who would be second tier in a gaming novel are the most pracitical and able ones here.
There are also a couple references to LOTR.
But the best has to be the Necromancer.
Actually, it's Jig the goblin in the role of fairy tale Simpleton.
I've broken with D&D tradition and rounded up, in case anyone is keeping track, after all one review rounded down.
Goblin Quest isn't as polished as Hines' The Stepsister Scheme and it seems that Hines hadn't fully developed his style as of yet. In truth, some areas could use a tighter editor.
There, that's the bad stuff out of the way.
Hines is brillant. He's wonderful. He's cool. He's a D&D geek. The amount of in jokes that reference D&D as well as the various tie in novels such as Dragons of Autumn Twilight and the other Dragonlance novels totally rocked!
I mean, c'mon, I can't be the only person who figured out who Ryslind was really suppose to be.
Like in his later work, Hines makes wonderful use of cliche conventions (in this case, D&D gaming ones). You have the thief, the wizard, the brawn, the dwarf, the elf, and the dragon. Hines, however, subverts these. For instance, when the elf reveals her true age, Jig is shocked. Her comeback is awesome (I'm not going to spoil it for you). It also is no surprise that those characters who would be second tier in a gaming novel are the most pracitical and able ones here.
There are also a couple references to LOTR.
But the best has to be the Necromancer.
October 23, 2009
As a D&D geek, I was vastly entertained by this lower deck version of a typical adventure. In addition to the insights into the mechanics of a chaotic evil race, you're also treated to a seat in the front row of party politics.
For those who aren't fellow geeks, there's still a fun story to be had as poor Jig is swept up as a captive by a band of bickering adventurers and gradually develops into a...less pathetic goblin.
Light, fun, and with a few good thinking points, I nearly rated this a four, but, as you always do in D&D, I rounded down.
For those who aren't fellow geeks, there's still a fun story to be had as poor Jig is swept up as a captive by a band of bickering adventurers and gradually develops into a...less pathetic goblin.
Light, fun, and with a few good thinking points, I nearly rated this a four, but, as you always do in D&D, I rounded down.
October 9, 2017
Hines does for goblins what Tolkien did for halflings.
September 30, 2019
It's weird to start this with 'I ran a book club solely based around goblins in literature' but, I Ran A Book Club Based Around Goblins in Literature. I feel I should preface the review with this small nugget as I am a huge, somewhat biased fan when it comes to goblins. A goblin connoisseur, if you will.
You don't need to be a hardcore DnD player to understand the more parody aspects of this book, because the themes Pines lends from are really general to fantasy fiction in general: teams of brave adventurers going into the dark depths of dungeons, a dragon atop it's hoard of gold, deadly traps and magical spells, ugly snarling goblins, hobgoblins and other nasty creatures that stand between these virtuous heoes and their prize-
Except not *quite*. This book really stands out for me in particular, because it was written at a time when goblins - the exact opposite of brave human knights and beautiful elves, and the extremely small and uncool version of orcs - weren't given a whole lot of thought in fiction, they were basically cannon fodder (if we're talking warcraft 1-3 or warhammer) a very easy, weak enemy for someone to slay (dungeons and dragons, LoTR and countless others) or the butt of every joke (world of warcraft).
It's only in the last four or so years we've really seen more goblins characters take on the lead roles in fantasy fiction; Nott from Critical Role and Styx from his respective games (master of shadows, shards of darkness) are both great examples of this, and it's much easier to find media with these little underdogs now than it ever has been.
Anyway you guys were here for a review, not me rambling about goblins. Moving on.
Jig is very much a book for children, but I still found it an enjoyable read as an adult. I wouldn't necessarily reccomend it to friends unless they also liked goblins or were looking for something that was a light fun romp into the fantasy genre, but doesn't fall into the same cliches.
Others here have said that the book is a straight parody of DnD, but I don't think it really falls into that category (Yahtzee Croshaw's Mogworld is very much a parody of World of Warcraft, for example). It's not quite like a Pratchett, but Jig the Dragonslayer certainly examines what makes someone good or evil, and asks why Jig, a goblin, deserves to be treated terribly or be killed, soley by virture of *being* a goblin.
It's not Deep, but as a children's book, I applaud anything that examines very outdated themes in fantasy (such as any non-human fantasy races being called monsters or barbaric. Or, if you're blizzard entertainment, basing them off real-world PoC cultures and then calling them savage) by setting it from another point of view.
Jig isn't the bravest or the strongest, but he makes up for it by being much cannier than his other goblin brethren, knowing when he's way over his head (most of the time) and having a keen awareness of how others perceive him. He's also kind. Showing early on to tend for his pet spider and then later, helping those who have been hurt just as much as he has. I mention this too, as empathy isn't a well known quality in male characters, and it's nice to see it here.
The first book stands by itself very well, I'd recommend getting the big fat one that has all three books in one volume and the ending of the third made me cry really hard in public. 👍
You don't need to be a hardcore DnD player to understand the more parody aspects of this book, because the themes Pines lends from are really general to fantasy fiction in general: teams of brave adventurers going into the dark depths of dungeons, a dragon atop it's hoard of gold, deadly traps and magical spells, ugly snarling goblins, hobgoblins and other nasty creatures that stand between these virtuous heoes and their prize-
Except not *quite*. This book really stands out for me in particular, because it was written at a time when goblins - the exact opposite of brave human knights and beautiful elves, and the extremely small and uncool version of orcs - weren't given a whole lot of thought in fiction, they were basically cannon fodder (if we're talking warcraft 1-3 or warhammer) a very easy, weak enemy for someone to slay (dungeons and dragons, LoTR and countless others) or the butt of every joke (world of warcraft).
It's only in the last four or so years we've really seen more goblins characters take on the lead roles in fantasy fiction; Nott from Critical Role and Styx from his respective games (master of shadows, shards of darkness) are both great examples of this, and it's much easier to find media with these little underdogs now than it ever has been.
Anyway you guys were here for a review, not me rambling about goblins. Moving on.
Jig is very much a book for children, but I still found it an enjoyable read as an adult. I wouldn't necessarily reccomend it to friends unless they also liked goblins or were looking for something that was a light fun romp into the fantasy genre, but doesn't fall into the same cliches.
Others here have said that the book is a straight parody of DnD, but I don't think it really falls into that category (Yahtzee Croshaw's Mogworld is very much a parody of World of Warcraft, for example). It's not quite like a Pratchett, but Jig the Dragonslayer certainly examines what makes someone good or evil, and asks why Jig, a goblin, deserves to be treated terribly or be killed, soley by virture of *being* a goblin.
It's not Deep, but as a children's book, I applaud anything that examines very outdated themes in fantasy (such as any non-human fantasy races being called monsters or barbaric. Or, if you're blizzard entertainment, basing them off real-world PoC cultures and then calling them savage) by setting it from another point of view.
Jig isn't the bravest or the strongest, but he makes up for it by being much cannier than his other goblin brethren, knowing when he's way over his head (most of the time) and having a keen awareness of how others perceive him. He's also kind. Showing early on to tend for his pet spider and then later, helping those who have been hurt just as much as he has. I mention this too, as empathy isn't a well known quality in male characters, and it's nice to see it here.
The first book stands by itself very well, I'd recommend getting the big fat one that has all three books in one volume and the ending of the third made me cry really hard in public. 👍
February 7, 2019
After reading the first of the 'Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse' books I went back to this early effort by Jim Hines, which I've been vaguely meaning to read for some time.
I have to say that Hines has a nice touch and a good line in defying convention, turning cliche on it's head, etc. Here the eponymous Jig is a runty Goblin sharing all the characteristics of this cannon fodder breed that we've learned from epic fantasy. They're cowards, not very bright, bullies and generally smell bad. Their main purpose is to provide experience points for adventurers in a gaming environment, or to kill a bit of time whilst you're waiting for the big bad in the movies.
This plays with all those tropes and produces a surprisingly satisfying, comedic but warm hearted tale.
I enjoyed it immensley (and no, I don't think you need to play Dungeons and Dragons to get it).
I have to say that Hines has a nice touch and a good line in defying convention, turning cliche on it's head, etc. Here the eponymous Jig is a runty Goblin sharing all the characteristics of this cannon fodder breed that we've learned from epic fantasy. They're cowards, not very bright, bullies and generally smell bad. Their main purpose is to provide experience points for adventurers in a gaming environment, or to kill a bit of time whilst you're waiting for the big bad in the movies.
This plays with all those tropes and produces a surprisingly satisfying, comedic but warm hearted tale.
I enjoyed it immensley (and no, I don't think you need to play Dungeons and Dragons to get it).
May 3, 2019
Hines, Jim C. Goblin Quest. Jig the Goblin No. 1. Daw, 2006.
Goblins are a rowdy, self-interested crew who act tough with each other but are afraid to venture out of their native cave in fear of running into “adventurers” out to kill goblins. Jig is the runt of the litter on permanent “muck” duty. He is weak and near-sighted, but he does have a working brain—an organ of not much use to most goblins. When he is taken on patrol for the first time, he is sent out to scout, so he will get killed first. But it turns out that his brain is more useful than his buddies think. Fun, comic fantasy. I look forward to reading the sequels.
Goblins are a rowdy, self-interested crew who act tough with each other but are afraid to venture out of their native cave in fear of running into “adventurers” out to kill goblins. Jig is the runt of the litter on permanent “muck” duty. He is weak and near-sighted, but he does have a working brain—an organ of not much use to most goblins. When he is taken on patrol for the first time, he is sent out to scout, so he will get killed first. But it turns out that his brain is more useful than his buddies think. Fun, comic fantasy. I look forward to reading the sequels.
April 19, 2021
2 1/2 stars. Told from the pov of one of the usually bad races in dungeon quest type stories, Jig is at times a pathetic creature and others smart, a coward and brave (rarely). The "heroes" are definitely not shining lights. This tale is fun, at times funny, but also uneven is some way I can quite put into words.
March 3, 2019
Really good book and very funny. I really like all the characters and the pacing is really good. I look forward to the next book in the series. Would recommend to people who want a silly dungeon crawl book with an unlikely goblin hero.
July 10, 2018
Dějiny píší vítězové, ale zamysleli jste se někdy nad tím, jak to vlastně vnímají nestvůry? Jim Hines se zřejmě zamyslel a vznikl nevšední román o zcela neobyčejném goblinovi, který konečně do výprav za dobrodružstvím vnáší trochu realističtějšího světla.
Protože ne všichni hrdinové jsou skutečně hrdinové. A ne všechna monstra jsou skutečně monstra. A taky někdy hon za pokladem je něco jiného než se zdá.
Z příběhové a nápadové stránky vynikající kniha. Pouze v některých částech autorova vypravěčská schopnost poněkud pokulhávala a bylo těžké udržet napětí nebo zvědavost. A také byla těžká představa jedné hory ve které chodili několik dní a nedorazili k cíli. Ale i přes to vřele doporučuji.
Protože ne všichni hrdinové jsou skutečně hrdinové. A ne všechna monstra jsou skutečně monstra. A taky někdy hon za pokladem je něco jiného než se zdá.
Z příběhové a nápadové stránky vynikající kniha. Pouze v některých částech autorova vypravěčská schopnost poněkud pokulhávala a bylo těžké udržet napětí nebo zvědavost. A také byla těžká představa jedné hory ve které chodili několik dní a nedorazili k cíli. Ale i přes to vřele doporučuji.
December 11, 2024
A hilarious fantasy satire that also stands on its own as a fun adventure.
January 28, 2018
Review originally posted at RabidReads.ca.
I saw a review for Goblin War on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and thought the story sounded so cute, so I decided to start with the first book in the series. I’m really glad that I did. I love Jig. He is a great character.
So, Jig is a goblin. He isn’t a particularly good goblin. He is nearsighted, which makes him clumsy. He starts off the story doing the job that the children do. He isn’t trusted to do the job of adults. That is until a bully comes along and forces Jig to go on patrol with his group. He sends Jig out ahead as the rest get drunk.
Jig runs into a group of “Adventurers”. There’s a human prince, a human wizard (the brother of the prince), a dwarf and a elf that is a thief (I feel like I should add walk into a bar, to make this into a joke). Darnak, the dwarf convinces the prince that the goblin could be of some use. Barius, the prince is on a quest. He wants to prove himself. As the seventh son, he was never going to be king. His younger brother, Ryslind, the wizard, was at least a powerful wizard.
So Jig goes on this quest to help Barius. Jig proves himself pretty useful, as does the elf, Riana. Of course the wizard was very helpful with his magic. The dwarf, was also extremely helpful, as dwarves are very strong. This was supposed to be Barius’s quest, but yet it seems that all the others in the party are the useful ones. He was just along to take credit. Can you tell that I was not a fan?
As I said, I loved Jig. He is not a likely hero, but yet he is one. Even though Jig is nearsighted, he is very observant (I think it comes from avoiding bullies his whole life). He notices things that many others don’t.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jig’s pet fire spider, Smudge. I really liked Smudge too. He is not a normal pet, but I thought him adorable. I’m not sure if I would feel the same about it if I came across him in real life, but in the story, he is cute.
This was a really fun start to a series. I’m excited to see what else will be in store for Jig.
I saw a review for Goblin War on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and thought the story sounded so cute, so I decided to start with the first book in the series. I’m really glad that I did. I love Jig. He is a great character.
So, Jig is a goblin. He isn’t a particularly good goblin. He is nearsighted, which makes him clumsy. He starts off the story doing the job that the children do. He isn’t trusted to do the job of adults. That is until a bully comes along and forces Jig to go on patrol with his group. He sends Jig out ahead as the rest get drunk.
Jig runs into a group of “Adventurers”. There’s a human prince, a human wizard (the brother of the prince), a dwarf and a elf that is a thief (I feel like I should add walk into a bar, to make this into a joke). Darnak, the dwarf convinces the prince that the goblin could be of some use. Barius, the prince is on a quest. He wants to prove himself. As the seventh son, he was never going to be king. His younger brother, Ryslind, the wizard, was at least a powerful wizard.
So Jig goes on this quest to help Barius. Jig proves himself pretty useful, as does the elf, Riana. Of course the wizard was very helpful with his magic. The dwarf, was also extremely helpful, as dwarves are very strong. This was supposed to be Barius’s quest, but yet it seems that all the others in the party are the useful ones. He was just along to take credit. Can you tell that I was not a fan?
He found it peculiar the way these adventurers thought anything they found was “rightfully” theirs. Why couldn’t they come out and admit they were stealing from the monsters? Nothing wrong with that. Goblins and hobgoblins did it all the time. True, it was mostly hobgoblins stealing from the goblins, but that was part of life. Why this nonsense about the rod really belonging to Barius? Did he think Straum should rush out and present the rod to him? Should the goblins have given over their meager treasure because it “rightfully” belonged to Barius?
No wonder the prince was so bitter and angry. All that treasure was rightfully his, and none of the current owners were considerate enough to realize it.
As I said, I loved Jig. He is not a likely hero, but yet he is one. Even though Jig is nearsighted, he is very observant (I think it comes from avoiding bullies his whole life). He notices things that many others don’t.
Wait a minute. Jig gave himself a mental shake. The one thing adventurers and goblins share is their ability to get into deeper trouble. Forget about what goblins would do. Forget about what an adventurer would do. I need to figure out what Jig should do.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Jig’s pet fire spider, Smudge. I really liked Smudge too. He is not a normal pet, but I thought him adorable. I’m not sure if I would feel the same about it if I came across him in real life, but in the story, he is cute.
This was a really fun start to a series. I’m excited to see what else will be in store for Jig.
August 2, 2020
A fun, short dungeon crawl with surprisingly deep and interesting characters. Absolutely a fun read!
December 30, 2010
This is the first book in the Jig the Goblin trilogy by Jim C. Hines. This was a humorous and entertaining classic dungeon crawl adventure.
Jig the goblin is the runt of the goblin community. When he accidentally gets tangled up on a quest with two humans, a dwarve, and an elf he finds himself having to be more courageous than ever...which is something a goblin never is. Jig will face off against a necromancer and a dragon and become the worshiper of a forgotten god, and all he wanted to do was get off of muck duty for a day...
This was a very amusing and humorous book. This book is very much a classic dungeon crawling adventure; with a lot of irony and dark humor thrown in. You got all your stereotypical characters: an elven thief, a human mage, and dwarven warrior. You got all your stereotypical villans: an evil dragon and an evil necromancer. But, all the characters and situations have some rather comical twists thrown into them. So, even though they are stereotypical (which is part of their charm) they are also rather quirky.
This was a great classic adventure novel; you don't see too many of those around these days. There weren't any huge surprises but this was an easy and amusing read. If you are into adventure quests with some satire you would like this...think Piers Anthony, Terry Prattchet, stuff like that.
There were a couple things that could have been better in this book. The book takes a bit to get going. The characters were amusing but I was never really drawn into actually caring about them. The plot was also somewhat engaging, but never really had me on the edge of my seat and never really grabbed me and made the book hard to put down. The writing style is very straight-forward and easy to read, but nothing phenomenal.
This book was very complete. The main points of the adventure were solved and the book was well wrapped up.
Overall this was a fun and amusing read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series "Goblin Hero". Hines is definitely an author to keep an eye on; especially if you enjoy humor in you classic fantasy.
Jig the goblin is the runt of the goblin community. When he accidentally gets tangled up on a quest with two humans, a dwarve, and an elf he finds himself having to be more courageous than ever...which is something a goblin never is. Jig will face off against a necromancer and a dragon and become the worshiper of a forgotten god, and all he wanted to do was get off of muck duty for a day...
This was a very amusing and humorous book. This book is very much a classic dungeon crawling adventure; with a lot of irony and dark humor thrown in. You got all your stereotypical characters: an elven thief, a human mage, and dwarven warrior. You got all your stereotypical villans: an evil dragon and an evil necromancer. But, all the characters and situations have some rather comical twists thrown into them. So, even though they are stereotypical (which is part of their charm) they are also rather quirky.
This was a great classic adventure novel; you don't see too many of those around these days. There weren't any huge surprises but this was an easy and amusing read. If you are into adventure quests with some satire you would like this...think Piers Anthony, Terry Prattchet, stuff like that.
There were a couple things that could have been better in this book. The book takes a bit to get going. The characters were amusing but I was never really drawn into actually caring about them. The plot was also somewhat engaging, but never really had me on the edge of my seat and never really grabbed me and made the book hard to put down. The writing style is very straight-forward and easy to read, but nothing phenomenal.
This book was very complete. The main points of the adventure were solved and the book was well wrapped up.
Overall this was a fun and amusing read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series "Goblin Hero". Hines is definitely an author to keep an eye on; especially if you enjoy humor in you classic fantasy.
May 10, 2009
IN BRIEF:
Children young enough to swallow this text should not be exposed to the crass tidbits scattered here and there within it.
THE GOOD:
The author's effective portrayal of what is admirable about the race of Men inspires faith in humankind and in oneself. The storyline turns out to be beyond the mundane and hackneyed. There are many problems for the characters to solve, and several of their solutions are downright foxy.
THE BAD:
The voice of the text is exorbitantly juvenile and, of a consequence, off-putting. The dialogue attempts and utterly fails to evoke the sense of the heroic days of yore, with its ill-managed rhetoric and syntax (witness the dwarf's future-present progressive in nearly every utterance). The characters reach beyond average in that they are more cliche than is typically acceptable in print publications. The text contains a number of grammatical errors which indicate either the writer's (and editor's) poor concept of English or merely their inattention to detail.*
The author promulgates several spurious explanations of things in the actual world.** The demonstration of his ignorance is forgivable, to be certain, but that he disseminates his erroneous understanding is worthy of reproach.
* Not kidding here, there's even a 'lay/lie' abuse.
** Freshest in my mind (as they occur in the latter part of the book) are the matters of lock-picking and tracking: Mr. Hines appears ignorant of the anachronistic character of his pin tumbler locks, furthermore, that most do/did not have only a single tumbler or even two or that all tumblers need not be manipulated at the same time in order to spring the lock. He also appears ignorant of the fact that cats do not leave claw marks in their foot prints (having retractable claws). These are merely examples and not a comprehensive catalogue.
Children young enough to swallow this text should not be exposed to the crass tidbits scattered here and there within it.
THE GOOD:
The author's effective portrayal of what is admirable about the race of Men inspires faith in humankind and in oneself. The storyline turns out to be beyond the mundane and hackneyed. There are many problems for the characters to solve, and several of their solutions are downright foxy.
THE BAD:
The voice of the text is exorbitantly juvenile and, of a consequence, off-putting. The dialogue attempts and utterly fails to evoke the sense of the heroic days of yore, with its ill-managed rhetoric and syntax (witness the dwarf's future-present progressive in nearly every utterance). The characters reach beyond average in that they are more cliche than is typically acceptable in print publications. The text contains a number of grammatical errors which indicate either the writer's (and editor's) poor concept of English or merely their inattention to detail.*
The author promulgates several spurious explanations of things in the actual world.** The demonstration of his ignorance is forgivable, to be certain, but that he disseminates his erroneous understanding is worthy of reproach.
* Not kidding here, there's even a 'lay/lie' abuse.
** Freshest in my mind (as they occur in the latter part of the book) are the matters of lock-picking and tracking: Mr. Hines appears ignorant of the anachronistic character of his pin tumbler locks, furthermore, that most do/did not have only a single tumbler or even two or that all tumblers need not be manipulated at the same time in order to spring the lock. He also appears ignorant of the fact that cats do not leave claw marks in their foot prints (having retractable claws). These are merely examples and not a comprehensive catalogue.
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