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Goblin Reign #2
Goblin Apprentice
Keep the dragon’s secrets or else!Spicy the goblin is the first creature Fath the dragon has trusted in generations.Now the dragon’s apprentice, Spicy has a chance to learn lore hidden away from human and goblin-kind alike. But Spicy has a dilemma. Five children were kidnapped from his village, along with his best friend, Rime.Saving them means bringing the dragon and Hog, the ever-hungry troll, with him on an unplanned detour.His journey will lead them into lands where few of his kind have ever gone. He will have to face humans on their own turf, all while keeping Fath and Hog from killing each other.Standing in Spicy’s way is a group of ruthless mercenaries led by the warrior woman Alma. For these killers, murdering one more goblin will be just another day’s work—especially if that goblin is standing in the way of their biggest payday ever.And dragon secrets are worth a troll’s weight in gold.Goblin Apprentice is the second installment of the Goblin Reign series, a dark fantasy adventure full of action and twists. Get your copy now!
- GenresFantasy
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2019
33 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Gerhard Gehrke
35 books88 followersGerhard Gehrke is the author of several science fiction novels including the best seller Refuge and The Minder’s War series, Nineveh's Child, A Beginner's Guide to Invading Earth, and the Supervillain High series.
He's written and produced for local TV and currently creates story content for a video game company.
You can keep up with him at gerhardgehrke.com.
When not writing, he can be found hiking the hills and trails of Northern California with his wife, looking for snakes, insects, and raptors to annoy, and poking dead things with a stick.
He's written and produced for local TV and currently creates story content for a video game company.
You can keep up with him at gerhardgehrke.com.
When not writing, he can be found hiking the hills and trails of Northern California with his wife, looking for snakes, insects, and raptors to annoy, and poking dead things with a stick.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 1, 2022
In Goblin Apprentice, the second book in the Goblin Reign series, Spicy the goblin is traveling with the dragon Fathafanathath (Fath) and the troll, Hog. Fath wants to find a place called Devil Mountain where he hopes to find his brother. But they need a map because none of them know where it is. Spicy is also trying to find his friend, Rime, and the children the humans stole from his village when they raided it. So, once they have destroyed what was left of the party of humans they head for a town where the humans’ goblin slave thinks the children might have been taken to look for them and a possible map.
They tangle with Alma and Blades, the only two humans remaining from the original party after they have destroyed the others. Blades is mostly a lot of hot air, but Alma is probably the best strategist of the humans they have encountered. The humans capture Spicy repeatedly, and cage Fath at least twice as they all travel to various points along the inland sea.
At one point they go to a town where Spicy encounters a goblin slave who works for a learned man and who isn’t abused – which is not the usual thing for a goblin slave – but he can’t stay with her.
Spicy finds and loses the children several times, and they escape Alma several times too, only to have her capture them again. Alma and Blades are determined to make some money off of the goblins, and especially the dragon.
Finally, they reach a town that is about to come under siege, and we learn something about all the fighting going on between the various groups of humans – fighting that wouldn’t concern the goblins if they weren’t being held captive by some of the humans. The water of the harbor in this town is so badly polluted that it makes Hog sick (and trolls aren’t known for their fastidious hygiene). Even though she has been instrumental in their many escapes and periods of freedom, Spicy sends Hog back to her home before she dies of the humans’ pollution.
Curiously, they do encounter Fath’s brother at the end of their travels, though he is not where Fath expected him to be. And it is Alma and her pirate friends who unwittingly take them there. But the encounter is not the happy reunion Fath was expecting. Fath’s brother does not share Fath’s insistence that the dragon lore should never be shared with humans. The whole encounter ends badly – for everyone except the goblin children.
They tangle with Alma and Blades, the only two humans remaining from the original party after they have destroyed the others. Blades is mostly a lot of hot air, but Alma is probably the best strategist of the humans they have encountered. The humans capture Spicy repeatedly, and cage Fath at least twice as they all travel to various points along the inland sea.
At one point they go to a town where Spicy encounters a goblin slave who works for a learned man and who isn’t abused – which is not the usual thing for a goblin slave – but he can’t stay with her.
Spicy finds and loses the children several times, and they escape Alma several times too, only to have her capture them again. Alma and Blades are determined to make some money off of the goblins, and especially the dragon.
Finally, they reach a town that is about to come under siege, and we learn something about all the fighting going on between the various groups of humans – fighting that wouldn’t concern the goblins if they weren’t being held captive by some of the humans. The water of the harbor in this town is so badly polluted that it makes Hog sick (and trolls aren’t known for their fastidious hygiene). Even though she has been instrumental in their many escapes and periods of freedom, Spicy sends Hog back to her home before she dies of the humans’ pollution.
Curiously, they do encounter Fath’s brother at the end of their travels, though he is not where Fath expected him to be. And it is Alma and her pirate friends who unwittingly take them there. But the encounter is not the happy reunion Fath was expecting. Fath’s brother does not share Fath’s insistence that the dragon lore should never be shared with humans. The whole encounter ends badly – for everyone except the goblin children.
July 8, 2019
Having survived an attack by humans and kidnapping, Spicy is now on the road with Fath, the dragon, and Hog, a female Troll. The dragon has agreed to take him on as an apprentice to learn their secret language, but Spicy insists that Fath help him rescue a Goblin friend and five Goblin children from slavery in the human towns. Meanwhile, the mercenaries, Alma and Blades, managed to survive the battle with the dragon and are now looking for a new source of income. Imagine their surprise when they discover Spicy is traveling with a troll and a dragon.
This second book in the series is an absolute delight to read. Lots of action and I love how Spicy's character has evolved. There is time spent on Alma's back story which is interesting and there is no lack of action or conflict. The world itself is a dystopian fantasy which turns the whole idea of how goblins, dragons, and trolls fit into the human universe and/or vice versa.
I highly recommend both books one and two, but strongly suggest you read the first book in the series before this one.
This second book in the series is an absolute delight to read. Lots of action and I love how Spicy's character has evolved. There is time spent on Alma's back story which is interesting and there is no lack of action or conflict. The world itself is a dystopian fantasy which turns the whole idea of how goblins, dragons, and trolls fit into the human universe and/or vice versa.
I highly recommend both books one and two, but strongly suggest you read the first book in the series before this one.
June 13, 2019
This second book in the Goblin Reign series really requires reading the first book for maximum enjoyment as Spicy and 'friends' are back and the story picks up very close to the end of book one.
Author Gehrke does a fine job showcasing the struggles Spicy goes through and also showing events from the view of a human who's trying to puzzle out just what is going on. A goblin, a troll, and a dragon together? It just doesn't seem right! I have to say, I didn't find most of the humans at all likable. Maybe that's what I get for reading a book with a goblin hero!
I found this a fast, fun read and definitely want to return to Spicy's world and see what new twists happen. The story's pacing was smooth, and the descriptions apt.
This book ends in a way that isn't a cliffhanger, but enough is left open to have me looking forward to the next book.
I was given a copy of this book and have chosen to review it.
Author Gehrke does a fine job showcasing the struggles Spicy goes through and also showing events from the view of a human who's trying to puzzle out just what is going on. A goblin, a troll, and a dragon together? It just doesn't seem right! I have to say, I didn't find most of the humans at all likable. Maybe that's what I get for reading a book with a goblin hero!
I found this a fast, fun read and definitely want to return to Spicy's world and see what new twists happen. The story's pacing was smooth, and the descriptions apt.
This book ends in a way that isn't a cliffhanger, but enough is left open to have me looking forward to the next book.
I was given a copy of this book and have chosen to review it.
June 16, 2019
What a fabulous follow on to the Goblin series....def gonna recommend this series to my friends. Beautiful clean writing, very clear. Gerhard this is wonderful, thnx for gifting them to me....can't wait for book 3, well done
August 23, 2019
Fantasy
An interesting fantasy continues in the second book. The twists in the story kept me entertained. I wondered why spicy didn't rescue his goblin girlfriend though since rescuing seems his forte
An interesting fantasy continues in the second book. The twists in the story kept me entertained. I wondered why spicy didn't rescue his goblin girlfriend though since rescuing seems his forte
September 12, 2020
A fun new adventure with Spicy and now we have a dragon and troll along too. This series is geared more toward the middle grade to high school boy but any fantasy lover looking for something out of the normal read will thoroughly enjoy this one.
Parents- PG13 - These books are have quite a bit of violence with some mild gore (could bother the squeamish), some mild language and no sexual content in this book (bk 1 goes into mating habits of trolls but not graphically and has more gore then the other books).
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Parents- PG13 - These books are have quite a bit of violence with some mild gore (could bother the squeamish), some mild language and no sexual content in this book (bk 1 goes into mating habits of trolls but not graphically and has more gore then the other books).
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews