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The Goblin #1
Dance of the Goblins
At the centre of goblin society is The Dance, the spiritual exaltation of life itself which is central to the goblins' existence. In the human world above, life is austere and goblins only a myth. When Count Anton is drawn into the rhythm of The Dance, a clash between two worlds is about to begin...
Haghuf, respected elder among the unseen goblins, has only scorn for humans. Yet he is drawn into friendship with a human aristocrat by the Dance, the celebration of life that holds the goblin society together.
Count Anton — human, magician, shapeshifter — rules the human world above.
When an unwitting human wanders accidentally into the caverns, a series of events is set into motion that will lead him to betray his loyalty to his own people to avoid a war that the humans cannot possibly win.
Hunted by humans who feel he has betrayed them by his friendship with the goblins, and unwelcome in the goblin world where all humans are considered the enemy, he will be thrown into a deeper world, where even the goblins have reason to be afraid.
Haghuf, respected elder among the unseen goblins, has only scorn for humans. Yet he is drawn into friendship with a human aristocrat by the Dance, the celebration of life that holds the goblin society together.
Count Anton — human, magician, shapeshifter — rules the human world above.
When an unwitting human wanders accidentally into the caverns, a series of events is set into motion that will lead him to betray his loyalty to his own people to avoid a war that the humans cannot possibly win.
Hunted by humans who feel he has betrayed them by his friendship with the goblins, and unwelcome in the goblin world where all humans are considered the enemy, he will be thrown into a deeper world, where even the goblins have reason to be afraid.
285 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Jaq D. Hawkins
39 books69 followersJaq D Hawkins is a British author in the genres of Steampunk, Fantasy and the occult. Her first published book, Understanding Chaos Magic (Capall Bann, 1996), was the first book on chaos magic to bring a general understanding of the subject to a wide audience, and earned her a place among the best known writers on chaos magic.
Her Spirits of the Elements series spread her reputation across a wider spectrum of the magical community and led to speaking engagements in far flung corners of the earth, including the US and Japan as well as the UK. She retired from public speaking in 2006, but started making exceptions on occasion in 2008. She is no longer able to travel to the US however, as they do not accept her British passport due to complications over her actual place of birth.
Of her subsequent books, the most popular is Chaos Monkey, which takes a unique perspective on the subject of magic and how it affects the lives of those who choose to follow a magical path. It personifies magic as The Monkey, a Trickster archetype that sometimes teaches powerful lessons through uncomfortable methods. Those who learn to laugh with The Monkey become stronger as a result.
In 2005 her first Fantasy novel, Dance of the Goblins, was published followed by Demoniac Dance and soon to be joined in 2012 by Power of the Dance.
In Steampunk, Jaq has released The Wake of the Dragon: A Steampunk Adventure and has two more Steampunk titles in progress.
She currently lives in Norwich, UK.
Her Spirits of the Elements series spread her reputation across a wider spectrum of the magical community and led to speaking engagements in far flung corners of the earth, including the US and Japan as well as the UK. She retired from public speaking in 2006, but started making exceptions on occasion in 2008. She is no longer able to travel to the US however, as they do not accept her British passport due to complications over her actual place of birth.
Of her subsequent books, the most popular is Chaos Monkey, which takes a unique perspective on the subject of magic and how it affects the lives of those who choose to follow a magical path. It personifies magic as The Monkey, a Trickster archetype that sometimes teaches powerful lessons through uncomfortable methods. Those who learn to laugh with The Monkey become stronger as a result.
In 2005 her first Fantasy novel, Dance of the Goblins, was published followed by Demoniac Dance and soon to be joined in 2012 by Power of the Dance.
In Steampunk, Jaq has released The Wake of the Dragon: A Steampunk Adventure and has two more Steampunk titles in progress.
She currently lives in Norwich, UK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 16, 2009
I'm still reading, so this is more of a review-in-process than an actual review, but... Dance of the Goblins is a poor read so far. It's written in a dry, wordy style with nil description, and is "told" rather than "shown" so aggressively that by the time an event takes place on the page, it's already been so hashed out, dissected, and predicted that it's stale. Characterization is one-dimensional, although it's clear from the author's commentary that there was a great deal more characterization in her head than made it onto the page. The same is true of the worldbuilding: practically nonexistent, colorless when it does appear, but the author had greater things in mind.
The plot itself has potential. It's hard to see that potential because it's a character-driven plot with flat characters, but with rewriting it could be a good book.
As a first novel, it's not bad. Not good, but not bad. Instead of pouring her efforts into promoting this book as she's currently doing, I suggest that the author write a few more novels and develop her storytelling skills, then return to Dance of the Goblins with a new eye.
The plot itself has potential. It's hard to see that potential because it's a character-driven plot with flat characters, but with rewriting it could be a good book.
As a first novel, it's not bad. Not good, but not bad. Instead of pouring her efforts into promoting this book as she's currently doing, I suggest that the author write a few more novels and develop her storytelling skills, then return to Dance of the Goblins with a new eye.
May 12, 2012
This book is a fantasy unlike anything I have read. The story is drawn out with skill and and told in the manner of a master storyteller. The characters, environment and storyline drew me into the story and I could see it all in my mind's eye. This is an "edge of your seat" fantasy and kept the pages turning all the way to the end. I am looking forward to the next book! I love to read and it's a treat to find new books that are put together so well.
November 12, 2012
An excellent read with a deceptively gentle narrative tone, Dance of the Goblins has running through it's core (at least for me) an attractive Pagan/spiritual ethos. The message here seems to be Ezra Pound's 'learn of the green world what can be thy place', steer away from the folly of vanity and possessive attitudes, and work with nature - making sure you have plenty of fun in the process. Fun, and pleasure, in the goblins' world is had by play and attuning oneself to the rhythms of the planet, and dancing with others of a similar mindset. It is perhaps an idealized lifestyle, but one that can nevertheless provide much inspiration. I love the characters, too, and the world they live in - all of which seems wholly original and highly imaginative. I had never read a book from this genre before, but now I feel more open to reading more of the same kind, especially if it's by Jaq D. Hawkins. Wonderful stuff.
May 23, 2012
An intriguing story that pulls you into its world from the beginning and keeps you somewhat bemused while reading. From the start, it's clear that the author's sympathies are with the goblins, and, as we soon find out, for good reason. Set in what is apparently some sort of post-modern world, human society has regressed into something resembling the middle ages, with the majority of humans having become ignorant and superstitious, falling back onto extreme religious beliefs and bigoted and sexist practices that most of modern society has left behind, with only small groups of humans having retained more egalitarian and intellectual views. Throughout her tale, Ms. Hawkins shines a harsh light on the mindless superstitions and fanatical behavior that the commoners are prone to, and demonstrates how they can create and perpetrate greater evils than the things which they would name evil and seek to destroy.
The various characters in the story are introduced and portrayed in a very natural sort of way that makes you feel as though you know them, while in reality you are told very little about each of them at first. Gradually, as the tale unfolds, you discover additional facts about them, most of which are presented in a very casual or even offhand manner such that at times it takes a moment or two to realize that you've just learned something important about that person. There are no infodumps here, simply gradual and sparing character and world development that makes it seem as though you truly are learning about who these people are and what their worlds are like simply by observing them and making note of little details that you pick up on from time to time. I for one found it to be quite a fascinating approach, and it kept me curious to see what would be revealed next.
Those looking for action might be somewhat disappointed with this book, for the pace is mostly fairly slow and unhurried. There are times when the characters are called upon to take swift and decisive action, and there are scenes of high drama within the story, but mostly it's a slow journey rather than a race to the finish. Such is both one of the story's strengths, and one of its weaknesses I think, for while the laidback pace is one thing that makes this book rather fascinating, there are times when things seem to plod along just a bit too much and I found myself wishing they would get on with it, or get to the point, or whatever already instead of just sitting and pondering or debating what should be done, or getting lost in explanation or backstories that didn't necessarily need to be told then.
The main weakness I found with this book was the ending. After the main climactic event of the storyline, things seemed to drag on a bit too long in my opinion. True, there were several things that needed to be resolved, or at least explained a bit more, after that event, but some of them could have been summed up faster I think. And the ending, when it did come was a bit abrupt seeming, for there wasn't any real sense of the narrative winding down to a stopping point. I gather that there is or will be a sequel to this book, and that explains the rather open-endedness of it, but a little more sense of wind-down and of coming-to-a-stop-for-now would have been good I think.
My disappointment with the ending aside, however, I really liked this book, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes traditional type fantasy, as there are creatures and magic enough to please. There are even a few light threads of romance woven into the story, one of which is fairly relevant to the main story even if it is mostly a sidenote to it. An overall enjoyable read so long as you're willing to sit back and let it tell its story in its own time.
The various characters in the story are introduced and portrayed in a very natural sort of way that makes you feel as though you know them, while in reality you are told very little about each of them at first. Gradually, as the tale unfolds, you discover additional facts about them, most of which are presented in a very casual or even offhand manner such that at times it takes a moment or two to realize that you've just learned something important about that person. There are no infodumps here, simply gradual and sparing character and world development that makes it seem as though you truly are learning about who these people are and what their worlds are like simply by observing them and making note of little details that you pick up on from time to time. I for one found it to be quite a fascinating approach, and it kept me curious to see what would be revealed next.
Those looking for action might be somewhat disappointed with this book, for the pace is mostly fairly slow and unhurried. There are times when the characters are called upon to take swift and decisive action, and there are scenes of high drama within the story, but mostly it's a slow journey rather than a race to the finish. Such is both one of the story's strengths, and one of its weaknesses I think, for while the laidback pace is one thing that makes this book rather fascinating, there are times when things seem to plod along just a bit too much and I found myself wishing they would get on with it, or get to the point, or whatever already instead of just sitting and pondering or debating what should be done, or getting lost in explanation or backstories that didn't necessarily need to be told then.
The main weakness I found with this book was the ending. After the main climactic event of the storyline, things seemed to drag on a bit too long in my opinion. True, there were several things that needed to be resolved, or at least explained a bit more, after that event, but some of them could have been summed up faster I think. And the ending, when it did come was a bit abrupt seeming, for there wasn't any real sense of the narrative winding down to a stopping point. I gather that there is or will be a sequel to this book, and that explains the rather open-endedness of it, but a little more sense of wind-down and of coming-to-a-stop-for-now would have been good I think.
My disappointment with the ending aside, however, I really liked this book, and would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes traditional type fantasy, as there are creatures and magic enough to please. There are even a few light threads of romance woven into the story, one of which is fairly relevant to the main story even if it is mostly a sidenote to it. An overall enjoyable read so long as you're willing to sit back and let it tell its story in its own time.
July 18, 2012
What a delightful, refreshing change from the usual fantasies about vampires, werewolves and fairies! Ms. Hawkins has written a very enjoyable story about goblins and the humans who are left to cope with life after the cataclysmic Turning. The descriptions of the Dance itself were very vivid and compelling.
Count Anton, one of the humans, and Haghuf, one of the goblins, were well-developed and likeable characters, who overcame their differences and historical prejudices to become trusted, loyal friends. The fact that Count Anton was also a shapeshifter who could assume the persona of a black wolf endeared him to me even further. :)
If I had one criticism, however, it would be the long episodes of storytelling and exposition that made up much of the book. It was interesting to learn about the history of the goblins and the society that had developed after the Turning, but these prolonged tales had a tendency to slow the pace quite a bit. I prefer a lot of action and magic in my fantasies.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to others who are fans of this genre.
Count Anton, one of the humans, and Haghuf, one of the goblins, were well-developed and likeable characters, who overcame their differences and historical prejudices to become trusted, loyal friends. The fact that Count Anton was also a shapeshifter who could assume the persona of a black wolf endeared him to me even further. :)
If I had one criticism, however, it would be the long episodes of storytelling and exposition that made up much of the book. It was interesting to learn about the history of the goblins and the society that had developed after the Turning, but these prolonged tales had a tendency to slow the pace quite a bit. I prefer a lot of action and magic in my fantasies.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to others who are fans of this genre.
October 23, 2012
Dance of the Goblins is a delightful, charming story set in a world which is simultaneously familiar and alien. It is an exploration of the society of the goblins, who live beneath the surface of the world in harmony, while humans live above. The core of the story is about Anton, a human; Haghuf, a goblin elder; and Talla, a young goblin woman who ends up trapped in the world above when the humans unwittingly discover an entrance to the goblins’ realm.
This story is not adventure fantasy. It reads more like a fairy tale, a light-hearted and optimistic fantasy tale showing us what life would be like if we lived alongside a race of creatures like the goblins. The world-building is wonderful, the prose fulfills its purpose with style and grace, and though the actual plot is a little slower than I usually like, the fairy-tale feeling makes that seem unimportant.
Overall, it was a very pleasant and satisfying read, with a few genuine surprises of world-building and character. Definitely recommended if you love fairy-tale fantasy.
This story is not adventure fantasy. It reads more like a fairy tale, a light-hearted and optimistic fantasy tale showing us what life would be like if we lived alongside a race of creatures like the goblins. The world-building is wonderful, the prose fulfills its purpose with style and grace, and though the actual plot is a little slower than I usually like, the fairy-tale feeling makes that seem unimportant.
Overall, it was a very pleasant and satisfying read, with a few genuine surprises of world-building and character. Definitely recommended if you love fairy-tale fantasy.
May 2, 2013
Goblins don't trust man because of the way humans treat the planet.
For ages goblins and men have co-existed without interfering with the other.
The only human who knows of Krapreeg and has been within it's caves is Count Anton, who is a magician. That is because of the friendship between Anton and the goblin Haghuf.
One night a man finds his way in the Krapreeg caves. Unfortunately one of the goblins is seen by a group of humans looking for the man who inadvertently entered the caves.
Haghuf turns to Anton for help.
Things are about to change between goblin and human. And things will never be the same again.
Jaq has written a book which you can lose yourself in.
As the tale of goblin and human unfolds I found myself engrossed with all the characters who are skilfully crafted.
The writing is so descriptive I could see everything in my mind's eye as I was reading.
I must admit I was sorry to reach the end of the book as I was so wrapped up in it. To be honest I was left wanting more.
Whether you are a regular reader of fantasy books or not I would suggest this book to anyone.
Absorbing and recommended.
For ages goblins and men have co-existed without interfering with the other.
The only human who knows of Krapreeg and has been within it's caves is Count Anton, who is a magician. That is because of the friendship between Anton and the goblin Haghuf.
One night a man finds his way in the Krapreeg caves. Unfortunately one of the goblins is seen by a group of humans looking for the man who inadvertently entered the caves.
Haghuf turns to Anton for help.
Things are about to change between goblin and human. And things will never be the same again.
Jaq has written a book which you can lose yourself in.
As the tale of goblin and human unfolds I found myself engrossed with all the characters who are skilfully crafted.
The writing is so descriptive I could see everything in my mind's eye as I was reading.
I must admit I was sorry to reach the end of the book as I was so wrapped up in it. To be honest I was left wanting more.
Whether you are a regular reader of fantasy books or not I would suggest this book to anyone.
Absorbing and recommended.
February 17, 2012
Sometimes you'll find a book that expresses a concept. Sometimes a history, a mythology or the spirit of an age. Sometimes, like with Dance of the Goblins, you'll find a book that expresses the Dance itself.
Jaq D. Hawkins has woven a rich tapestry pulling deep from the ancestry of her homeland. Mythology, legend and philosophy pool together, coalesce, with her artful wit to create a story that not only transports the reader to a different frame of time (the future? the past? your guess is as good as mine..), but to a different state of mind altogether. One in which the petty differences that exist between all living things fade and the face of bias is shown simultaneously with the Dance of harmony itself, a harmony of chaos.
Dance of the Goblins is a book that could appeal to anyone; child or adult, teen or elder. It tickles the mind, tantalizes the senses - who could Not be tempted to step into the Dance after reading this? - it invigorates the spirit to move in concordance with the natural flow of things. Oh, did I mention its also a great story?
Though fiction, the concepts Jaq addresses are very real, very present in our time, our past and in our future. Though she addresses 'Goblins' - the small people, wee folk - she has encapsulated the superstitious beliefs which has plagued mankind for centuries in such a way where I, as a human, felt chided more than once by the wized Haghuf & who could not, through the eyes of the beautiful Tala, find as much fascination in this human species as she has?
To say that this book is a fiction would be to undervalue it. Far more than fiction, but not quite fact, this is book that lives somewhere Inbetween the realms of logic and imagination and I would suggest anyone who chose to Not at least give it a try, to be possessed by a very foolish streak indeed.
March 16, 2012
When I started this book I thought it was another quest fantasy with elves, goblins, wizards, and fair damsels. Wrong assumption. This complex sci-fi/fantasy follows the survivors on Earth after a cataclysmic event called the "Turning," which cleanses the world. According to Goblin lore turnings happened many times during the history of the planet.
The "Turning" is a real event documented by geologists. Last year I saw a series called "How the Earth Was Made" and one episode investigated signs that the earth "flips" its magnetic poles every 40,000 to 60,000 years. They don't know why it happens, but the event wreaks havoc on continents, oceans, and ice caps. Only the luckiest creatures survive and evolution takes its course afterwards.
A good book takes a premise (like the Earth shifting on its polar axis) and builds a story from that point. How did humans survive? In this book people who lived underground developed into Goblins, and people who lived above ground were the typical humans (except some were magicians and shape shifters). Goblins are many different varieties of "people," deep dwellers, defenders, water goblins, and betweeners, but goblins are all connected with the rhythm of the earth and "dance" to its beat. A wise goblin and a human magician became friends after they "dance" together in a meadow. Their friendship becomes important to the survival of both races when an accident throws the two races into conflict. War could destroy everyone.
As a reader I cared about the main characters, rooted for the Goblins and the Magicians, and hoped they could prevent superstitious humans from destroying both races. This book is surprising and enjoyable, not an ordinary quest fantasy! When you read the book your foot might start tapping as you feel the dance. Get up from your chair and enjoy yourself with the goblins!
The "Turning" is a real event documented by geologists. Last year I saw a series called "How the Earth Was Made" and one episode investigated signs that the earth "flips" its magnetic poles every 40,000 to 60,000 years. They don't know why it happens, but the event wreaks havoc on continents, oceans, and ice caps. Only the luckiest creatures survive and evolution takes its course afterwards.
A good book takes a premise (like the Earth shifting on its polar axis) and builds a story from that point. How did humans survive? In this book people who lived underground developed into Goblins, and people who lived above ground were the typical humans (except some were magicians and shape shifters). Goblins are many different varieties of "people," deep dwellers, defenders, water goblins, and betweeners, but goblins are all connected with the rhythm of the earth and "dance" to its beat. A wise goblin and a human magician became friends after they "dance" together in a meadow. Their friendship becomes important to the survival of both races when an accident throws the two races into conflict. War could destroy everyone.
As a reader I cared about the main characters, rooted for the Goblins and the Magicians, and hoped they could prevent superstitious humans from destroying both races. This book is surprising and enjoyable, not an ordinary quest fantasy! When you read the book your foot might start tapping as you feel the dance. Get up from your chair and enjoy yourself with the goblins!
April 8, 2012
May I have the pleasure of this goblin dance with you?
A chance encounter between humans searching for a missing man, and the goblins who dwell in the abandoned tunnels near the surface, stir long-seated distrust between the two races and threatens war. During the fracas, the humans unwittingly capture Talla, a glamour-ridden female goblin, mistaking her for a human damsel in distress. It is also the story of the long-time friendship between the elder goblin Haghuf and the human Count Anton, who cemented their long-time friendship with The Dance, which is the deep earth-magic binding these races.
This story examines the consequences of the human tendency to pollute their world, and the Earth’s periodic cleansing that drives humans into the deepest caves to escape the cataclysmic changes at the surface. The cave-dweller humans have become goblins, and the few surviving humans at the surface recover and repopulate. The story also has much to say of the consequences caused by closed-minded fanaticism. But most importantly, I could not put the story down until I learned if the succubus Talla wooed and won the charming werewolf Anton.
Dance of the Goblins embodied all the delightful elements I adore in stories written by indie authors. It had a fresh magical world, it scolds us about the negative aspects of the human condition but doesn’t preach, and the characters pique my curiosity. The clever story entwines goblin mythology with the events befalling Haghuf, Anton, and Talla. As I read it, my feet tapped to the unheard, but still felt, heartbeat of The Dance.
A chance encounter between humans searching for a missing man, and the goblins who dwell in the abandoned tunnels near the surface, stir long-seated distrust between the two races and threatens war. During the fracas, the humans unwittingly capture Talla, a glamour-ridden female goblin, mistaking her for a human damsel in distress. It is also the story of the long-time friendship between the elder goblin Haghuf and the human Count Anton, who cemented their long-time friendship with The Dance, which is the deep earth-magic binding these races.
This story examines the consequences of the human tendency to pollute their world, and the Earth’s periodic cleansing that drives humans into the deepest caves to escape the cataclysmic changes at the surface. The cave-dweller humans have become goblins, and the few surviving humans at the surface recover and repopulate. The story also has much to say of the consequences caused by closed-minded fanaticism. But most importantly, I could not put the story down until I learned if the succubus Talla wooed and won the charming werewolf Anton.
Dance of the Goblins embodied all the delightful elements I adore in stories written by indie authors. It had a fresh magical world, it scolds us about the negative aspects of the human condition but doesn’t preach, and the characters pique my curiosity. The clever story entwines goblin mythology with the events befalling Haghuf, Anton, and Talla. As I read it, my feet tapped to the unheard, but still felt, heartbeat of The Dance.
March 3, 2012
The title of this book intrigued me into to reading it and I wasnt dissapointed, it is a wonderful story which immerses you into a world of magic, nature and wonderful characters especially Haguf the goblin, being a work of its own it also conjurs up vibes of tales that evoke beautiful nature like a midsummer nights dresm or the stolen child, and lord of the rings, also giving a detailede intersting but fun picture on those naughty magicl beings Goblins, this book is sure to delight adults and children alike.
August 15, 2015
Every 200,000 years the earth shifts on its axis destroying most life on the planet, but there are always survivors and those survivors go on to start a new society with new religions and some life forms evolve into something else. In the caverns away from the unpredictable and dangerous humans are the goblins who live a simple spiritual life keeping in harmony with the earth.
We also have small communities of humans who have started a different way of life. One group lives life following a strict religion while another group isn’t as strict but still holds on to some superstitious beliefs. One thing they both have in common is a fear of what they don’t understand and when a human wanders into one of the caverns where the goblins dwell, a series of events begins that could lead to war between goblins and humans.
Dance Of The Goblins by Jaq D Hawkins is a fascinating novel which builds a fantasy world where a lot of the beliefs mirror our own. What I like most about this book was how even after society collapses new societies will begin with the same prejudice and fear of what they don’t understand as we have. Three different societies are presented in this book, and they all look at the other groups as being beneath them. The interesting part is hearing what each group thinks of the other and then seeing how that group really is. Even the goblins who are presented as being in tune with the earth have prejudices against the humans that are incorrect and we see in the book how each society has their flaws. Dance Of The Goblins is like a sociology text-book disguised as a fantasy novel.
My favorite character in this book was a female goblin named Talla. Talla uses magic to disguise herself as a beautiful human woman in distress to distract some humans who are getting to close to the goblin’s layer. Thinking she is in danger the humans take Talla to their community and we hear Talla’s thoughts on human society as well as what the humans think of her. In one moment that I found hilarious, one of the humans takes Talla into a bedroom wanting to force himself on her. At this point Talla is curious what sex with a human would be like and is unafraid. Her reaction scares the human who runs out of the room thinking she is a succubus. I loved how when the human doesn’t get the fearful reaction that he wants from the woman, he labels her as evil rather than seeing the act that he was about to perform as evil.
My only problem with Dance Of The Goblins was that it spent so much time describing the world in which the story takes place that the story itself seems unimportant. I found myself being bored with the story but I loved how the goblin and human societies were described. This book may be light on action but it makes up for it in its attention to detail on how each society works. Jaq D. Hawkins has created a realistic fantasy world and an excellent dark fantasy novel. This is the first book in a trilogy and it will be interesting to see how the goblin’s world changes in future installments.
We also have small communities of humans who have started a different way of life. One group lives life following a strict religion while another group isn’t as strict but still holds on to some superstitious beliefs. One thing they both have in common is a fear of what they don’t understand and when a human wanders into one of the caverns where the goblins dwell, a series of events begins that could lead to war between goblins and humans.
Dance Of The Goblins by Jaq D Hawkins is a fascinating novel which builds a fantasy world where a lot of the beliefs mirror our own. What I like most about this book was how even after society collapses new societies will begin with the same prejudice and fear of what they don’t understand as we have. Three different societies are presented in this book, and they all look at the other groups as being beneath them. The interesting part is hearing what each group thinks of the other and then seeing how that group really is. Even the goblins who are presented as being in tune with the earth have prejudices against the humans that are incorrect and we see in the book how each society has their flaws. Dance Of The Goblins is like a sociology text-book disguised as a fantasy novel.
My favorite character in this book was a female goblin named Talla. Talla uses magic to disguise herself as a beautiful human woman in distress to distract some humans who are getting to close to the goblin’s layer. Thinking she is in danger the humans take Talla to their community and we hear Talla’s thoughts on human society as well as what the humans think of her. In one moment that I found hilarious, one of the humans takes Talla into a bedroom wanting to force himself on her. At this point Talla is curious what sex with a human would be like and is unafraid. Her reaction scares the human who runs out of the room thinking she is a succubus. I loved how when the human doesn’t get the fearful reaction that he wants from the woman, he labels her as evil rather than seeing the act that he was about to perform as evil.
My only problem with Dance Of The Goblins was that it spent so much time describing the world in which the story takes place that the story itself seems unimportant. I found myself being bored with the story but I loved how the goblin and human societies were described. This book may be light on action but it makes up for it in its attention to detail on how each society works. Jaq D. Hawkins has created a realistic fantasy world and an excellent dark fantasy novel. This is the first book in a trilogy and it will be interesting to see how the goblin’s world changes in future installments.
March 10, 2014
A different take on the usual fantasy perspective of goblins being the bad guys.
I wanted to give this 3.5 stars, but I rounded it up to four, as there was a lot to like but it wasn't quite 'there' for me.
The start was a little slow and confusing, but I persevered and I soon became caught up in the story of a shape shifting magician (Count Anton)trying to keep the peace between his own kind (humans) and a race he both admires and is fascinated by, goblins in all their myriad forms.
The goblins seen to be rather two dimensional at first, but that’s because they don’t have the usual array of emotions, they don’t hate, or experience jealousy or even particularly strong attachments either for lovers or friendship, as they accept that everybody should do as they please, a definite live and let live philosophy, unlike the humans who want to control each other, and it's this that produces the necessary conflict between the two groups. I would have liked a little more insight into the emotions of the characters, both human and goblin, and perhaps have the characters not so firmly in the good/intelligent camp (mostly goblins) or the evil/stupid camp (humans).
Overall a decent fantasy read, a happy way spend couple of evenings once I got into it.
I wanted to give this 3.5 stars, but I rounded it up to four, as there was a lot to like but it wasn't quite 'there' for me.
The start was a little slow and confusing, but I persevered and I soon became caught up in the story of a shape shifting magician (Count Anton)trying to keep the peace between his own kind (humans) and a race he both admires and is fascinated by, goblins in all their myriad forms.
The goblins seen to be rather two dimensional at first, but that’s because they don’t have the usual array of emotions, they don’t hate, or experience jealousy or even particularly strong attachments either for lovers or friendship, as they accept that everybody should do as they please, a definite live and let live philosophy, unlike the humans who want to control each other, and it's this that produces the necessary conflict between the two groups. I would have liked a little more insight into the emotions of the characters, both human and goblin, and perhaps have the characters not so firmly in the good/intelligent camp (mostly goblins) or the evil/stupid camp (humans).
Overall a decent fantasy read, a happy way spend couple of evenings once I got into it.
December 30, 2014
'Dance of The Goblins' gives us a fascinating new world. I haven't read a book with Goblins as main characters before, so I was even more excited about reading it. The mythology created by the author is breathtaking and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
June 20, 2013
‘Dance of the Goblins’ takes place in a world very similar to a dystopian future earth, transformed by ‘Turnings’ which kick things back to a more primitive state from time to time. This unique idea allows the world to be developed as though along an alternative time-line. The story is told from a unique vantage-point, well-imagined and described, with no typos to jerk you out of your immersion (although there was one time when the word “Crikey!” was used that I felt a bit jolted; it seemed incongruous).
This is a first book in a series, and as such a lot of backstory is required. And there’s a LOT of backstory! Often what we are told doesn’t seem to be seen through anyone’s eyes at all; it’s just narrative, disconnected from the story or laid on top of it. Sometimes there’s a suggestion about whose eyes we’re supposed to be seeing these chunks through, but they go on so long it’s easy to forget. We often seem to be sucked up into the clouds to observe the action from above and lose the characters. Anton’s story at the Storytelling, for example, is lengthy, a rehashing of human history. Although it’s told in his voice, once again it’s strict narrative, from outside the view of the characters. Storytelling, reading from books - all more narrative.
There’s not a whole lot of dialogue; the story is mostly carried along by these descriptions, like a history. The good thing is that you get a very thorough idea of what the world is like and the locations within it. But there is almost too much detail; we often hear the character’s every thought, even in an emergency, causing the action to lag. Some of the action seems stagnant. In the middle of a battle: “There was carnage everywhere. Weapons of all sorts dripped with blood. The goblins observed the newcomers with curiosity as they were apparently unarmed, yet they took a stance of authority as they gathered on an incline above the scene of the battle.”
Passages such as these lack urgency. In the middle of a pitched battle, the goblins took the time to observe with curiosity? Who gathered on the incline? The goblins or the newcomers?
One thing that bothered me a little was the use of real location names written backwards. It’s kind of silly, and since I’m one of those people who read words as a collection of letters, rather than front-to-back, I couldn’t help but read them the ‘correct’ way. In a world this richly imagined, it seemed to me new names could have been created, although I’m sure it was supposed to be a comment on the topsy-turviness caused by the Turnings.
There is a lot of allegory in this book, and a lot of it applies to current human conditions. I liked the unique points of view, the allegory, and the creative use of fantasy elements quite a lot, and it’s enough to keep me further interested in the world. I hope the sequels are able to get on with the action a little more quickly without quite as much narrative.
This is a first book in a series, and as such a lot of backstory is required. And there’s a LOT of backstory! Often what we are told doesn’t seem to be seen through anyone’s eyes at all; it’s just narrative, disconnected from the story or laid on top of it. Sometimes there’s a suggestion about whose eyes we’re supposed to be seeing these chunks through, but they go on so long it’s easy to forget. We often seem to be sucked up into the clouds to observe the action from above and lose the characters. Anton’s story at the Storytelling, for example, is lengthy, a rehashing of human history. Although it’s told in his voice, once again it’s strict narrative, from outside the view of the characters. Storytelling, reading from books - all more narrative.
There’s not a whole lot of dialogue; the story is mostly carried along by these descriptions, like a history. The good thing is that you get a very thorough idea of what the world is like and the locations within it. But there is almost too much detail; we often hear the character’s every thought, even in an emergency, causing the action to lag. Some of the action seems stagnant. In the middle of a battle: “There was carnage everywhere. Weapons of all sorts dripped with blood. The goblins observed the newcomers with curiosity as they were apparently unarmed, yet they took a stance of authority as they gathered on an incline above the scene of the battle.”
Passages such as these lack urgency. In the middle of a pitched battle, the goblins took the time to observe with curiosity? Who gathered on the incline? The goblins or the newcomers?
One thing that bothered me a little was the use of real location names written backwards. It’s kind of silly, and since I’m one of those people who read words as a collection of letters, rather than front-to-back, I couldn’t help but read them the ‘correct’ way. In a world this richly imagined, it seemed to me new names could have been created, although I’m sure it was supposed to be a comment on the topsy-turviness caused by the Turnings.
There is a lot of allegory in this book, and a lot of it applies to current human conditions. I liked the unique points of view, the allegory, and the creative use of fantasy elements quite a lot, and it’s enough to keep me further interested in the world. I hope the sequels are able to get on with the action a little more quickly without quite as much narrative.
August 16, 2015
A Lesson For Future Generations!
Over the centuries many humans, possibly out of fear, have ridiculed, shunned or even sadly destroyed anyone who deviated from the norm.
Ms. Hawkins has cleverly interwoven the prejudices of mankind into a thought-provoking fantasy story.
Hopefully, this story will resonate with many readers and have a far-reaching effect.
Over the centuries many humans, possibly out of fear, have ridiculed, shunned or even sadly destroyed anyone who deviated from the norm.
Ms. Hawkins has cleverly interwoven the prejudices of mankind into a thought-provoking fantasy story.
Hopefully, this story will resonate with many readers and have a far-reaching effect.
Want to read
June 9, 2013I would like to thank the author, Ms. Hawkins, for allowing me to have a copy to read and review :)
July 22, 2016
goblins is mistyc, is story de horror i loved it
December 16, 2014
Dance of the Goblins is a very compelling tale that can in one way be read as a critisism of humanity, it certainly raises various points and questions on the matter. It is the kind of book that makes you think even after you have finished it and put it away on a shelf to gather dust.
Then you might ask: Why then did you only give three stars? To that I have to say that my opinions about this book are very divided.
I don't know if I would call this novel High Fantasy. It seems mostly to be building upon the world that we know, although no name is given. There aren't many details about the world at all. In the beginning it can be a bit hard to understand what is where and why as you only get information in small portions along the way. It was really only around the last part of the book that I began to understand how everything was connected.
In one way this bothers me as one of my favourite things in high fantasy is the worldbuilding, but then in another way this was probably the thing that caused me to curiously keep turning the pages. If every information had been given to me from the beginning I think the rest of the book would have been quite boring. The structure of the book relies a lot upon revealing things slowly.
The characters are a bit too one dimensional for my taste. There are some very interesting figures in the book, but I don't really feel like they are living up to their full potential. The descriptions are either pretty flat or almost non-existant. The whole story is one big conflict between two worlds; there are a lot of differences of perspective among the characters - but I feel that those could have been explored a lot more.
I think it is safe to say that this is a very plot driven story.
The plot is the strong factor in this book.
A short resume stolen from the book's Goodreads page:
"At the centre of goblin society is The Dance, the spiritual exaltation of life itself which is central to the goblins' existence. In the human world above, life is austere and goblins only a myth. When Count Anton is drawn into the rhythm of The Dance, a clash between two worlds is about to begin...
Haghuf, respected elder among the unseen goblins, has only scorn for humans. Yet he is drawn into friendship with a human aristocrat by the Dance, the celebration of life that holds the goblin society together."
Of course something goes wrong and the two worlds clash. It is then up to the two friends to try and avoid the catastrophe that a war between the two species would cause. It is fairly clear all throughout the book that all sympathy is on the goblins' side; they are peaceful creatures who live in harmony with nature while the humans are rather seen as defilers of nature. I quite like this aspect. I gives the story a certain uniqueness.
The story takes quite a heavyly scientific view on the world and nature. The goblins seem to comprehend these things very well, the humans, however, are portrayed as partly blind and disillusioned in that regard, prone to superstition. I absolutely adore Jaq D. Hawkins for this.
I love the idea, I love the story - I am just really sad that there aren't more details, a little more colour. It is as if it is only brushing the surface of the issue. It is only 285 pages long, it would not have been a problem to expand a little more upon the depth of the story. Of course I do keep in mind that it is only the first book in the series, the next books will hopefully be going into more detail about everything.
Furthermore, I found that there were some slight inconsistencies within the book. It is nothing major (nothing so big I can actually remember it to offer an example), but again a little more attention to the details could have made this book just that notch better.
I have to be honest here, I have not become a particularly big fan of Jaq D. Hawkin's writing style after having read this book. To be fair, she started out by telling me that this was a first edition and that later editions have been improved upon. I do not know if it is only the typos that has been fixed or whether any more extensive improvement have been done, but I strongly suspect the first to be true.
There are a lot of typos in this edition, but to own the truth they were not what bothered me most; the whole language seems to be lacking flow somehow. Now, it is of course a possibility that it is just me that is being picky here (I do tend to be overly attentive to the language and grammar of the books I read). It did seem to get better towards the end and I am now finding myself unsure of whether it really did get better or whether I just began to get used to the unfamiliar writing style.
If anyone decides to pick up this book, though, I would definitely recommend getting hold of a more recent edition.
In the end I would rather apply the term 'interesting' than the word 'good' to this book. I was actually on the verge of giving this book only two stars, but that would not have been fair. I ended up asking myself wether I would read the next book in the series; to that my answer is definitely yes.
My curiosity has been awoken. This is a very original piece of work as far as I am concerned. If for nothing else, read it for its originality. Three stars is not a bad rating.
More reviews from Hypervorean on my High Fantasy blog: http://hypervorean.blogspot.com
Then you might ask: Why then did you only give three stars? To that I have to say that my opinions about this book are very divided.
I don't know if I would call this novel High Fantasy. It seems mostly to be building upon the world that we know, although no name is given. There aren't many details about the world at all. In the beginning it can be a bit hard to understand what is where and why as you only get information in small portions along the way. It was really only around the last part of the book that I began to understand how everything was connected.
In one way this bothers me as one of my favourite things in high fantasy is the worldbuilding, but then in another way this was probably the thing that caused me to curiously keep turning the pages. If every information had been given to me from the beginning I think the rest of the book would have been quite boring. The structure of the book relies a lot upon revealing things slowly.
The characters are a bit too one dimensional for my taste. There are some very interesting figures in the book, but I don't really feel like they are living up to their full potential. The descriptions are either pretty flat or almost non-existant. The whole story is one big conflict between two worlds; there are a lot of differences of perspective among the characters - but I feel that those could have been explored a lot more.
I think it is safe to say that this is a very plot driven story.
The plot is the strong factor in this book.
A short resume stolen from the book's Goodreads page:
"At the centre of goblin society is The Dance, the spiritual exaltation of life itself which is central to the goblins' existence. In the human world above, life is austere and goblins only a myth. When Count Anton is drawn into the rhythm of The Dance, a clash between two worlds is about to begin...
Haghuf, respected elder among the unseen goblins, has only scorn for humans. Yet he is drawn into friendship with a human aristocrat by the Dance, the celebration of life that holds the goblin society together."
Of course something goes wrong and the two worlds clash. It is then up to the two friends to try and avoid the catastrophe that a war between the two species would cause. It is fairly clear all throughout the book that all sympathy is on the goblins' side; they are peaceful creatures who live in harmony with nature while the humans are rather seen as defilers of nature. I quite like this aspect. I gives the story a certain uniqueness.
The story takes quite a heavyly scientific view on the world and nature. The goblins seem to comprehend these things very well, the humans, however, are portrayed as partly blind and disillusioned in that regard, prone to superstition. I absolutely adore Jaq D. Hawkins for this.
I love the idea, I love the story - I am just really sad that there aren't more details, a little more colour. It is as if it is only brushing the surface of the issue. It is only 285 pages long, it would not have been a problem to expand a little more upon the depth of the story. Of course I do keep in mind that it is only the first book in the series, the next books will hopefully be going into more detail about everything.
Furthermore, I found that there were some slight inconsistencies within the book. It is nothing major (nothing so big I can actually remember it to offer an example), but again a little more attention to the details could have made this book just that notch better.
I have to be honest here, I have not become a particularly big fan of Jaq D. Hawkin's writing style after having read this book. To be fair, she started out by telling me that this was a first edition and that later editions have been improved upon. I do not know if it is only the typos that has been fixed or whether any more extensive improvement have been done, but I strongly suspect the first to be true.
There are a lot of typos in this edition, but to own the truth they were not what bothered me most; the whole language seems to be lacking flow somehow. Now, it is of course a possibility that it is just me that is being picky here (I do tend to be overly attentive to the language and grammar of the books I read). It did seem to get better towards the end and I am now finding myself unsure of whether it really did get better or whether I just began to get used to the unfamiliar writing style.
If anyone decides to pick up this book, though, I would definitely recommend getting hold of a more recent edition.
In the end I would rather apply the term 'interesting' than the word 'good' to this book. I was actually on the verge of giving this book only two stars, but that would not have been fair. I ended up asking myself wether I would read the next book in the series; to that my answer is definitely yes.
My curiosity has been awoken. This is a very original piece of work as far as I am concerned. If for nothing else, read it for its originality. Three stars is not a bad rating.
More reviews from Hypervorean on my High Fantasy blog: http://hypervorean.blogspot.com
May 16, 2012
The goblin race has been known to only a few and survived in secrecy. An accident of timing soon changes the world forever, brining the goblins and the humans on the brink of war. Of course that doesn't change the fact that Haghuf and Talla will try at everything to save their race's identity. With the help of their fellow human magician, Count Anton, they are brought to the surface of the Earth and are thrown into numerous conflicts they cannot keep at bay!
Oh this wonderful fantasy novel, I do have many mixed opinions and feelings towards it. Of course I have to hand it to the author. The world that she has created was breathtaking. It was clearly thought of for a long time and the history behind it was splendid. It's really nice to get a novel, especially a fantasy novel, which will tell you it's race's history throughout your reading. The goblins themselves were very amusing and I'm really sad we didn't see much of them. By that I mean different goblin characters. I did enjoy their abilities that help them survive, or however you want to explain it.
Mrs. Hawkins did a wonderful job with her characters. Well let's put Tala to the side for now, Haghuf and Anton's relationship was very relatable. They made me think of best friends actually. Both of them knew each other quite well and they always seem to have a hint of inside jokes or some kind of teasing at their disposal. Talla for some reason didn't stand out too me as much as the other 2 characters. For one, she made me think of a helpless princess most of the time, and she didn't possess the wisdom or knowledge that Haghuf and Anton had. The fantasy magic wasn't too much explained and it wasn't fairy-tale like, also the loose ends urged me on to read the next book. My biggest pride in this novel is how they related the "human world" so well. They described the humans as ignorant creatures who seek comfort in materialism because they have forgotten they were creatures of magic. I'll post the full quote at the end of the review but I found it quite exact to a degree.
As for my disappointments, this novel seemed like a big documentary. Yes I did enjoy the history of the goblins, but it just became overly complicated for myself. The action was never present in my mind. The first few hundred pages lacked the engaging paragraphs that a good fantasy novel needs. I had a hard time passing that great brick wall of boredom and of course once the so called "action" arrived, I just couldn't feel it. (I'll be very contradictory in this review, so I apolagize for that.) As far as the romance goes, I thought that the author tried to put it in there but might have failed miserably. The goblins society has a mindset of surviving, and as for "couples" it's mostly only business!
My favorite quote: ‘Because I never want to forget that I am alive,’ answered Haghuf. ‘That is what makes us different from them. They sink into the decline of routine for the sake of a safe and comfortable life, yet it is one without adventure, without that spark which makes us what we are. They seek comfort in materialism because they have forgotten what they were meant to be, creatures of magic, who perpetuate the chaos as we do. Now they are nothing. Parasites! They destroy all on the earth without thought for any species but their own because they have sunk into the depression that should have led to their extinction centuries ago, and they refuse to die because they have too much intelligence to allow it to happen. They invent ways of continuance, and entertainments to give it some meaning, yet waste their potential in everlasting toil and the pursuit of an illusory dream of leisure which they deny themselves for the very sake of working towards its possibility. They haven’t worked it out yet, but they
Available on Amazon
Author's site: jaqdhawkins.co uk
Author's Blog: http://indiewritenet.com/jaqdhawkins/
Oh this wonderful fantasy novel, I do have many mixed opinions and feelings towards it. Of course I have to hand it to the author. The world that she has created was breathtaking. It was clearly thought of for a long time and the history behind it was splendid. It's really nice to get a novel, especially a fantasy novel, which will tell you it's race's history throughout your reading. The goblins themselves were very amusing and I'm really sad we didn't see much of them. By that I mean different goblin characters. I did enjoy their abilities that help them survive, or however you want to explain it.
Mrs. Hawkins did a wonderful job with her characters. Well let's put Tala to the side for now, Haghuf and Anton's relationship was very relatable. They made me think of best friends actually. Both of them knew each other quite well and they always seem to have a hint of inside jokes or some kind of teasing at their disposal. Talla for some reason didn't stand out too me as much as the other 2 characters. For one, she made me think of a helpless princess most of the time, and she didn't possess the wisdom or knowledge that Haghuf and Anton had. The fantasy magic wasn't too much explained and it wasn't fairy-tale like, also the loose ends urged me on to read the next book. My biggest pride in this novel is how they related the "human world" so well. They described the humans as ignorant creatures who seek comfort in materialism because they have forgotten they were creatures of magic. I'll post the full quote at the end of the review but I found it quite exact to a degree.
As for my disappointments, this novel seemed like a big documentary. Yes I did enjoy the history of the goblins, but it just became overly complicated for myself. The action was never present in my mind. The first few hundred pages lacked the engaging paragraphs that a good fantasy novel needs. I had a hard time passing that great brick wall of boredom and of course once the so called "action" arrived, I just couldn't feel it. (I'll be very contradictory in this review, so I apolagize for that.) As far as the romance goes, I thought that the author tried to put it in there but might have failed miserably. The goblins society has a mindset of surviving, and as for "couples" it's mostly only business!
My favorite quote: ‘Because I never want to forget that I am alive,’ answered Haghuf. ‘That is what makes us different from them. They sink into the decline of routine for the sake of a safe and comfortable life, yet it is one without adventure, without that spark which makes us what we are. They seek comfort in materialism because they have forgotten what they were meant to be, creatures of magic, who perpetuate the chaos as we do. Now they are nothing. Parasites! They destroy all on the earth without thought for any species but their own because they have sunk into the depression that should have led to their extinction centuries ago, and they refuse to die because they have too much intelligence to allow it to happen. They invent ways of continuance, and entertainments to give it some meaning, yet waste their potential in everlasting toil and the pursuit of an illusory dream of leisure which they deny themselves for the very sake of working towards its possibility. They haven’t worked it out yet, but they
Available on Amazon
Author's site: jaqdhawkins.co uk
Author's Blog: http://indiewritenet.com/jaqdhawkins/
July 5, 2013
Dance of the Goblins is the first in a series of books by Hawkins that follow a storyline predominantly told from the point of view of humanoid creatures self-identifying as goblins. There are some interesting concepts in this book, most of which I feel should have been better executed.
I enjoy reading books or passages written from the point of view of a beastie with fangs, but that wasn't enough to salvage this novel. It failed, at least for me, because of the fundamentals. The frequent pov shifts, grammar issues, and repetitive, unnatural exposition really prevented me from forming a strong bond with any one character or the story in general.
The style of the narrative also frequently knitted my eyebrows together; there is a tendency to exaggerate, either through the careless choice of overpowered nouns and verbs unwarranted by the actions they are describing or a general tendency of the omniscient narrator to pontificate. As a case in point, the events within are described as world changing and presented as an escalation towards war between man and goblin. In truth, we are observing a local scuffle centered around a seemingly isolated human settlement. I'm not suggesting I wanted to read something epic. What I wanted was to see the author trust in the power of character revealed through action. Trust yourself and trust your reader.
It took me longer to understand why I did not connect with the characters. Anton is likeable enough, Talla's a free-spirit, and Haghuf deserves my admiration. Here's what I came up with: the characters do not progress. There's no observable arc. By the end of the book they remain as cast when we were first introduced to them. I suspect the issue might be mitigated by abandoning all the unnatural exposition. Let the characters reveal themselves to us naturally. Allow the reader to be surprised. Once again, trust the reader.
The real shame of all this is that so much of this can be fixed. It really can be fixed. I've seen far less well-written pieces shine after careful editing and revision. The grammar is unacceptable. There is no real rhyme or reason behind the author's use of the comma -- it is used more as a caesura than anything else. The author could also go through the text and switch the narrative to limited 3rd person, which would probably clean up most of the show vs. tell issues.
Note that I really feel this deserves a 2.5 on the Goodreads scale, but I am rounding up in hopes that the author will revisit the text or pass it along to a good editor.
I enjoy reading books or passages written from the point of view of a beastie with fangs, but that wasn't enough to salvage this novel. It failed, at least for me, because of the fundamentals. The frequent pov shifts, grammar issues, and repetitive, unnatural exposition really prevented me from forming a strong bond with any one character or the story in general.
The style of the narrative also frequently knitted my eyebrows together; there is a tendency to exaggerate, either through the careless choice of overpowered nouns and verbs unwarranted by the actions they are describing or a general tendency of the omniscient narrator to pontificate. As a case in point, the events within are described as world changing and presented as an escalation towards war between man and goblin. In truth, we are observing a local scuffle centered around a seemingly isolated human settlement. I'm not suggesting I wanted to read something epic. What I wanted was to see the author trust in the power of character revealed through action. Trust yourself and trust your reader.
It took me longer to understand why I did not connect with the characters. Anton is likeable enough, Talla's a free-spirit, and Haghuf deserves my admiration. Here's what I came up with: the characters do not progress. There's no observable arc. By the end of the book they remain as cast when we were first introduced to them. I suspect the issue might be mitigated by abandoning all the unnatural exposition. Let the characters reveal themselves to us naturally. Allow the reader to be surprised. Once again, trust the reader.
The real shame of all this is that so much of this can be fixed. It really can be fixed. I've seen far less well-written pieces shine after careful editing and revision. The grammar is unacceptable. There is no real rhyme or reason behind the author's use of the comma -- it is used more as a caesura than anything else. The author could also go through the text and switch the narrative to limited 3rd person, which would probably clean up most of the show vs. tell issues.
Note that I really feel this deserves a 2.5 on the Goodreads scale, but I am rounding up in hopes that the author will revisit the text or pass it along to a good editor.
February 27, 2012
Goblins, magicians and shapeshifters. Inter-species love affairs and prophecies. Misunderstandings, bigotry, war, and the threat of extinction. Sounds like like the perfect fantasy novel! However, in this story, the goblins are the good guys, trying to simultaneously avert war with – while still protect their homes from – the bloodthirsty humans. In this, Haghuff, a wise-goblin and pseudo-leader within the leaderless goblin society, must rely on his longtime human friend, Count Anton. But will the Count be able to sway his people from their folly? Or will the folly lead to the destruction of human and goblin alike?
Well, to find the answer to that you’ll have to read the book.
Dance of the Goblins by Jaq D. Hawkins is a fun way to spend the weekend. Though the beginning is a bit slow – as is often the case with in the fantasy genre, particularly if the story is the first in a series – it quickly falls into a good rhythm. The world-building is accomplished mostly through exposition, and characters are compelling. In particular, the story of the Talla, a curious female goblin, is quite intriguing. I hope this character in particular is developed further in future stories. The action sequences are also well done and drive the story’s mid-section quite effectively. As for The Dance itself, it feels authentic, almost becoming a character in its own right.
As for the book's shortcomings, the story does drag in places, particularly in the exposition sections. Ms. Hawkins often chooses to ‘tell’ rather than ‘show,’ and the pace suffers for it. But the most jarring weakness was not one of execution, but of story. The tale of how Count Anton and his like came to wield the power and status they posses simply did not ring true to me, so much so that it snapped the suspension of disbelief necessary to drive a fantasy story. Though this particular section was not instrumental to the main story line, it was very much tied into the world building, and is the main reason my review is three stars instead of four.
Still, it was an enjoyable read. I am hopeful that the future installments will build on the successes of Dance of the Goblins, while minimizing its flaws.
Well, to find the answer to that you’ll have to read the book.
Dance of the Goblins by Jaq D. Hawkins is a fun way to spend the weekend. Though the beginning is a bit slow – as is often the case with in the fantasy genre, particularly if the story is the first in a series – it quickly falls into a good rhythm. The world-building is accomplished mostly through exposition, and characters are compelling. In particular, the story of the Talla, a curious female goblin, is quite intriguing. I hope this character in particular is developed further in future stories. The action sequences are also well done and drive the story’s mid-section quite effectively. As for The Dance itself, it feels authentic, almost becoming a character in its own right.
As for the book's shortcomings, the story does drag in places, particularly in the exposition sections. Ms. Hawkins often chooses to ‘tell’ rather than ‘show,’ and the pace suffers for it. But the most jarring weakness was not one of execution, but of story. The tale of how Count Anton and his like came to wield the power and status they posses simply did not ring true to me, so much so that it snapped the suspension of disbelief necessary to drive a fantasy story. Though this particular section was not instrumental to the main story line, it was very much tied into the world building, and is the main reason my review is three stars instead of four.
Still, it was an enjoyable read. I am hopeful that the future installments will build on the successes of Dance of the Goblins, while minimizing its flaws.
July 18, 2013
I quite enjoyed this story of goblins and humans interacting in a world that seems very familiar, and am sure those who like this genre will find this appealing. It’s well written and detailed, and an interesting first book in the series.
March 14, 2014
Dance of the Goblins.
It took me some time to get into this book, something I would not normally do. If it takes perseverance to get past the first twenty pages, I normally give up! The story is slow to unfold in an unknown world at a confusing time in history. Is it the future or the long distant past? I was never sure. The conflict between the Goblins, the good guys, and the Humans, the bad guys, is told in such a way that it describes a local conflict in a small tract of land somewhere far from anywhere. Later we learn that this is a world conflict on an epic scale but the telling was not epic.
I found the characters flat and had difficulty picturing them in my imagination. There is/are several pov changes in the same chapter, which confused me and some changes in tense, which is very off putting. I am not sure if the parable about the ecological Goblins trying to save the world from the ruinously wasteful and idiotically religious Humans stands up well enough to carry the story. There is a lot of plotting and some extended descriptive passages but I found myself resenting the time taken to wade through them.
The ending left me confused, annoyed and feeling cheated. I know it says Book One on the cover but I want a book to have a beginning, a middle and an end. This book has the first two, but no ending. I regret to say I will not be reading Book Two.
It took me some time to get into this book, something I would not normally do. If it takes perseverance to get past the first twenty pages, I normally give up! The story is slow to unfold in an unknown world at a confusing time in history. Is it the future or the long distant past? I was never sure. The conflict between the Goblins, the good guys, and the Humans, the bad guys, is told in such a way that it describes a local conflict in a small tract of land somewhere far from anywhere. Later we learn that this is a world conflict on an epic scale but the telling was not epic.
I found the characters flat and had difficulty picturing them in my imagination. There is/are several pov changes in the same chapter, which confused me and some changes in tense, which is very off putting. I am not sure if the parable about the ecological Goblins trying to save the world from the ruinously wasteful and idiotically religious Humans stands up well enough to carry the story. There is a lot of plotting and some extended descriptive passages but I found myself resenting the time taken to wade through them.
The ending left me confused, annoyed and feeling cheated. I know it says Book One on the cover but I want a book to have a beginning, a middle and an end. This book has the first two, but no ending. I regret to say I will not be reading Book Two.
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November 2, 2022
[ to review at a later date - perhaps even re-read and review at a later date as well, though not urgent ]
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February 10, 2013to read
June 14, 2019
- Welcome to a world of surprises - Recommended reading -
I’ve read this tale as part of ‘The Goblin Trilogy’, that I purchased.
Forget all you think you know about Faeries, Elves, Trolls, Gnomes, Mermaids and the like.
They are all, in fact - Goblins.
Goblins, like humans, come in all sizes, shapes and colours.
Unlike humans, they also come in different skin textures.
And they live closer to us than we know.
But that’s not the end of the surprises in store for the reader.
See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
I’ve read this tale as part of ‘The Goblin Trilogy’, that I purchased.
Forget all you think you know about Faeries, Elves, Trolls, Gnomes, Mermaids and the like.
They are all, in fact - Goblins.
Goblins, like humans, come in all sizes, shapes and colours.
Unlike humans, they also come in different skin textures.
And they live closer to us than we know.
But that’s not the end of the surprises in store for the reader.
See my review also at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...
August 15, 2024
Dance of the Goblins is quite different from most fantasy books that I have read before. My first thought was that it must be the first book I've read that has a goblin-POV. But I should clarify that 'goblin' here is not the narrow RPG-definition, but the broader one used in mythology. But the narrative is very unique, but difficult for me to explain. To me, reading Dance of the Goblins felt like listening to an audiobook or podcast (both of which I rarely do, but this book seems to be made for an audiobook – and in my head, it's narrated by none other than the Goblin King himself, David Bowie. But I digress.) It's a wonderful and interesting blend of fairytale, mythology, spirituality and a strong sprinkle of philosophy.
Dance of the Goblins is set in a post-modern world in which the majority of human society seems to have regressed into a culture not unlike the middle ages in some parts, including a patriarchal system, a lot of superstitions, a very...strict...religious belief, etc. Just very few humans seem to have kept themselves open-minded or in this context probably Enlightened (yes, with a capital E) and thus appear rather 'modern'. Most of these selected few are magicians. In contrast, the goblins are living in harmony and accordance with nature and are more free-spirited, thus making them appear the more advanced species. The story is basically told from three different points of view, one human – not surprisingly one of the aforementioned mages – and two different goblins. While both species have lived more or less secluded from one another for a long time, at the beginning of the book, the 'common' humans meet a goblin by accident which leads to a lot of tension and an ensuing witch...sorry...goblin hunt.
The pacing of Dance of the Goblins is rather slow. The information about world-building and even the characters themselves is offered very sparingly. If you're used to info-dumps in books, this might throw you off a little, because it takes a lot of time before we learn more about the world and even the characters behind the POVs. Even though this book would work perfectly as a standalone, it's the first in a trilogy.
Dance of the Goblins was a welcome (literal) change of pace for me. While it took me a while to get used to the narrative, I am glad to finally have read this book.
Dance of the Goblins is set in a post-modern world in which the majority of human society seems to have regressed into a culture not unlike the middle ages in some parts, including a patriarchal system, a lot of superstitions, a very...strict...religious belief, etc. Just very few humans seem to have kept themselves open-minded or in this context probably Enlightened (yes, with a capital E) and thus appear rather 'modern'. Most of these selected few are magicians. In contrast, the goblins are living in harmony and accordance with nature and are more free-spirited, thus making them appear the more advanced species. The story is basically told from three different points of view, one human – not surprisingly one of the aforementioned mages – and two different goblins. While both species have lived more or less secluded from one another for a long time, at the beginning of the book, the 'common' humans meet a goblin by accident which leads to a lot of tension and an ensuing witch...sorry...goblin hunt.
The pacing of Dance of the Goblins is rather slow. The information about world-building and even the characters themselves is offered very sparingly. If you're used to info-dumps in books, this might throw you off a little, because it takes a lot of time before we learn more about the world and even the characters behind the POVs. Even though this book would work perfectly as a standalone, it's the first in a trilogy.
Dance of the Goblins was a welcome (literal) change of pace for me. While it took me a while to get used to the narrative, I am glad to finally have read this book.
March 26, 2022
refreshing and original fantasy
I was pleasantly surprised by this first book in a series about the realm of goblins. It has an adult edge to the writing. There is a shallow anti Christian argument weaved into the storyline I found distracting from an otherwise beautiful exploration of the Fae and fantasy worlds
I was pleasantly surprised by this first book in a series about the realm of goblins. It has an adult edge to the writing. There is a shallow anti Christian argument weaved into the storyline I found distracting from an otherwise beautiful exploration of the Fae and fantasy worlds
May 6, 2020
This one is what I call Old School Fantasy, but it's also Dark Fantasy in places. It kept coming to my attention and when a friend who said she didn't like it the first time she red it decided to read it again, that pushed me over the edge to give it a try. I enjoyed it.
The premise is a low tech world where a natural disaster destroyed life as we know it and the survivors developed a form of civilization that resembles the Dark Ages, except that there is the remains of a destroyed city. The people have divided into two groups; one that live a simple life and are ruled by magicians who live in the castle, and another who have very backward ways and grudgingly give some recognition to the ruling class. They have arranged marriages for their daughters when they are barely pubescent, much like Medieval times.
Hiding underground is a race of goblins who are a very earthy people and mainly want to be left alone, but are very capable of defending themselves. This is where the story has some really interesting connections to mythology and legend and ties together a lot of strands of old lore. The goblins practice ecstatic dance and live in very primitive, tribal ways.
I have to mention that in the prologue, there is a very smooth change of POV from a group of men looking for a missing member of their village into the world of the goblins, where the missing man had wandered in and suffered torment and drugging before being expelled, sort of like fairy hill legend. The goblins are seen during this and the group of men try to dig them out. The reader is transported to inside the goblins' caverns and their efforts to keep humans from invading their sanctuary underground.
I found the story a very interesting contrast of cultures and the writing style very easy to read and get caught up in so that it was a fast read. There were characters that I liked and definitely some that I really loved to hate. I also found it well balanced in that not all the narrow mindedness was on one side. There was not so much a good against evil theme as a clash of cultures where some individuals on both sides kept conflict going through prejudices.
The magic is pretty low key and not too hard to believe. The background story of how their society developed made me laugh, but in a good way. I could just see it happening that way. There is some shapeshifting, some psychic ability in certain characters and a very defined difference between humans and goblins. In many ways, goblins are more like animals than humans and their ways of dealing with things like infant mortality and sex might be shocking to humans, but look to nature and the same things happen among animals, sometimes much worse.
Overall I found it imaginative and an enjoyable read, though some of the darker aspects still give me chills when I think about them. It's not as complicated as something like Game of Thrones, but important characters can die and I found myself really choked up over one of them. This probably won't appeal to YA readers. There is a lot of exposition and world building rather than constant fast action, though there is some of that in places too. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy books like Lord of the Rings and especially for those who go on to read The Silmarillion and other more studious books.
The premise is a low tech world where a natural disaster destroyed life as we know it and the survivors developed a form of civilization that resembles the Dark Ages, except that there is the remains of a destroyed city. The people have divided into two groups; one that live a simple life and are ruled by magicians who live in the castle, and another who have very backward ways and grudgingly give some recognition to the ruling class. They have arranged marriages for their daughters when they are barely pubescent, much like Medieval times.
Hiding underground is a race of goblins who are a very earthy people and mainly want to be left alone, but are very capable of defending themselves. This is where the story has some really interesting connections to mythology and legend and ties together a lot of strands of old lore. The goblins practice ecstatic dance and live in very primitive, tribal ways.
I have to mention that in the prologue, there is a very smooth change of POV from a group of men looking for a missing member of their village into the world of the goblins, where the missing man had wandered in and suffered torment and drugging before being expelled, sort of like fairy hill legend. The goblins are seen during this and the group of men try to dig them out. The reader is transported to inside the goblins' caverns and their efforts to keep humans from invading their sanctuary underground.
I found the story a very interesting contrast of cultures and the writing style very easy to read and get caught up in so that it was a fast read. There were characters that I liked and definitely some that I really loved to hate. I also found it well balanced in that not all the narrow mindedness was on one side. There was not so much a good against evil theme as a clash of cultures where some individuals on both sides kept conflict going through prejudices.
The magic is pretty low key and not too hard to believe. The background story of how their society developed made me laugh, but in a good way. I could just see it happening that way. There is some shapeshifting, some psychic ability in certain characters and a very defined difference between humans and goblins. In many ways, goblins are more like animals than humans and their ways of dealing with things like infant mortality and sex might be shocking to humans, but look to nature and the same things happen among animals, sometimes much worse.
Overall I found it imaginative and an enjoyable read, though some of the darker aspects still give me chills when I think about them. It's not as complicated as something like Game of Thrones, but important characters can die and I found myself really choked up over one of them. This probably won't appeal to YA readers. There is a lot of exposition and world building rather than constant fast action, though there is some of that in places too. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy books like Lord of the Rings and especially for those who go on to read The Silmarillion and other more studious books.
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