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The Orc Ranger #1
The Orc Ranger
An ancient darkness lurks in Gayne County, and it will not be taken lightly.
Thurk Gutarg lives a hard life. Being both an orc and one of the famed Albara Rangers, his entire life has been spent under the judgemental eyes of other people. When reports come in from isolated Gayne County of people going missing on the plains, Thurk can not be sure of the cause. He strikes out anyway, firm in his duty as a Ranger.
Finding unlikely allies in the form of an old dwarf named Galmar and a native boy called A'Tiami, Thurk sets out to find the dark evil plaguing this small western town.
Can this unlikely trio discover Gayne County's dark secret in time to save the town and themselves?
A rich fantasy world combines with a vibrant western story in a world full of lost magic and fearsome beasts in this debut novella to the Orc Ranger series.
Lovers of the Weird West Fantasy Genre (The Dark Tower, Wolf in Shadow), as well as fans of traditional fantasy and contemporary fantasy, will thoroughly enjoy this tale. Read The Orc Ranger today to accompany Thurk and his companions on an unforgettable journey through the West.
64 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2019
229 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 22, 2020
Good fantasy/monster story!
The Orc Ranger by Jacob McElligott is a novella that has great characters and is a good intro to the series. It has an Orc that is a Ranger that is on a mission to check out trouble and on the way picks up a axe wielding dwarf, and a half elf. The characters are likeable by have issues that make them even more likeable! Enjoyed this short book!
The Orc Ranger by Jacob McElligott is a novella that has great characters and is a good intro to the series. It has an Orc that is a Ranger that is on a mission to check out trouble and on the way picks up a axe wielding dwarf, and a half elf. The characters are likeable by have issues that make them even more likeable! Enjoyed this short book!
March 27, 2020
Downloaded this as a freebie. I was intrigued with the premise of a dwarf, orc and a human/elf set in a western to hunt down a demon terrorising a small town!
I have read a few westerns and I like them, so to add these beings from science fiction settings into this western genre piqued my interest. What a hook!
This really does work well and the author has set the stage for further development of the back history of how the orcs, dwarves and human/elves species ended up on this planet, (not sure if it is planet Earth or not!).
I would have liked more of the origin on the beast that terrorises the town but this is a novella and therefore this is one of the restraints that authors have when they decide to write this type of story.
I am taken with Galmar, the old dwarf and the native boy, A'Tiami, and of course Thurk the orc.
They establish themselves as a compatible team, who work well with their skills and expertise.
Entertaining and absorbing.
I have read a few westerns and I like them, so to add these beings from science fiction settings into this western genre piqued my interest. What a hook!
This really does work well and the author has set the stage for further development of the back history of how the orcs, dwarves and human/elves species ended up on this planet, (not sure if it is planet Earth or not!).
I would have liked more of the origin on the beast that terrorises the town but this is a novella and therefore this is one of the restraints that authors have when they decide to write this type of story.
I am taken with Galmar, the old dwarf and the native boy, A'Tiami, and of course Thurk the orc.
They establish themselves as a compatible team, who work well with their skills and expertise.
Entertaining and absorbing.
February 16, 2020
When this popped up on r/FreeEBOOKS, the cover and premise intrigued me enough to give The Orc Ranger a shot (pun intended). Thurk Gutarg defies tradition and expectation as an orc that counts himself as one of the famed Albara Rangers, a band of territorial law enforcement that covers a land rife with magical species and fantastical beasts not too unlike the American Wild West of yore. He rides for Gayne County at the behest of the town sheriff and makes friends of a dwarf named Galmar, who was able to put aside his prejudice to work with Thurk, and a native of the plains he sojourns across named A'Tiami, a boy who is more than he seems and holds secrets that mean the difference between life and death and saving the townsfolk from an evil that lurks right under their noses. This was a delightfully quick read and McElligott did a wonderful job balancing building the characters and building prose that helped you experience the world through Thurk's eyes. I can't wait to see where he takes Thurk next.
March 3, 2020
Orcs, Dwarves, and Elves in a Western? Yes please!
I wasn’t sure about this one, but I picked it up on a free deal and figured it was worth a shot for free. I was pleasantly surprised.
The characters are really likeable, and there is really good character development and world building considering the short length. Honestly that would be my only recommendation for this one would be to make it longer, as there are some references to wars and battles that really make no sense because that part wasn’t explained, but it doesn’t detract from the story if you just keep moving on past those parts.
Definitely worth a quick read, it’s a fun story!
I wasn’t sure about this one, but I picked it up on a free deal and figured it was worth a shot for free. I was pleasantly surprised.
The characters are really likeable, and there is really good character development and world building considering the short length. Honestly that would be my only recommendation for this one would be to make it longer, as there are some references to wars and battles that really make no sense because that part wasn’t explained, but it doesn’t detract from the story if you just keep moving on past those parts.
Definitely worth a quick read, it’s a fun story!
November 21, 2020
An interesting combination of two of my favorite genres (fantasy and westerns). Most fantasy novels and stories have a vague Medieval feel to them, but this story took place in a Wild West setting, which I found clever and fresh. I look forward to reading the other stories in the series.
June 3, 2020
This is a curious admixture of Western Mystery/adventure and fantasy that, despite a number of issues, is a quick, fun listen.
Jack De Golia does an excellent job with the audio. His narration tone and pace is excellent for the subject matter and his character voices are well crafted, consistent, and distinct. His vocal inflections are near-perfect, and his shifts in tempo throughout the story are subtle but effective.
The first thing that becomes apparent right away is the author's word choices are absolutely spot on to fit the Old West world the story takes place in.
The second is that this is a fantastic premise!
As a general rule I'm not fond of guns in fantasy, but this isn't a fantasy world so much as an Old West world with fantasy flavor, and that aspect of it is executed brilliantly.
Now, for many I'm sure this won't be an issue, but I wasn't fond of the omniscient perspective. I much prefer stories that are grounded in one (or more) character's point of view.
Especially since for most of the story it actually comes off as more objective than omniscient as there is very little insight into internal motivations, and almost all of what there is was given in the form of either dialogue or expository back story.
I would have liked seeing a lot more internal motivation, thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
While I understand the reason an author might omit contractions for this kind of book, the unfortunate reality is that all it does is make it sound stilted. The idea that using contractions is a modern creation is not only historically inaccurate, it also makes dialogue sound silly.
There are a few scenes that are a little on the nose, with things being spelled out unnecessarily. We don't need a verbalized agreement/explanation when a simple nod or grimace would have done the job.
To address the ending.
Again, some parts were a little on the nose and over explained, but once we get into it things quickly start to bubble over and the action gets very exciting.
There's a nice call back to an earlier event in the ending that does tie things together quite nicely.
It's fairly common in novellas, but I did find the very end quite abrupt with no real wrap up.
Despite its relatively minor issues, this was a fun story to listen to and I hope the author starts writing some longer, more complex stories in this world.
Jack De Golia does an excellent job with the audio. His narration tone and pace is excellent for the subject matter and his character voices are well crafted, consistent, and distinct. His vocal inflections are near-perfect, and his shifts in tempo throughout the story are subtle but effective.
The first thing that becomes apparent right away is the author's word choices are absolutely spot on to fit the Old West world the story takes place in.
The second is that this is a fantastic premise!
As a general rule I'm not fond of guns in fantasy, but this isn't a fantasy world so much as an Old West world with fantasy flavor, and that aspect of it is executed brilliantly.
Now, for many I'm sure this won't be an issue, but I wasn't fond of the omniscient perspective. I much prefer stories that are grounded in one (or more) character's point of view.
Especially since for most of the story it actually comes off as more objective than omniscient as there is very little insight into internal motivations, and almost all of what there is was given in the form of either dialogue or expository back story.
I would have liked seeing a lot more internal motivation, thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
While I understand the reason an author might omit contractions for this kind of book, the unfortunate reality is that all it does is make it sound stilted. The idea that using contractions is a modern creation is not only historically inaccurate, it also makes dialogue sound silly.
There are a few scenes that are a little on the nose, with things being spelled out unnecessarily. We don't need a verbalized agreement/explanation when a simple nod or grimace would have done the job.
To address the ending.
Again, some parts were a little on the nose and over explained, but once we get into it things quickly start to bubble over and the action gets very exciting.
There's a nice call back to an earlier event in the ending that does tie things together quite nicely.
It's fairly common in novellas, but I did find the very end quite abrupt with no real wrap up.
Despite its relatively minor issues, this was a fun story to listen to and I hope the author starts writing some longer, more complex stories in this world.
June 21, 2020
Wow just wow!
I can honestly say this little novella was excellent. The story was smooth, created a background fir the characters that didnt plod on & on, yeah, & the read was easy and fascinating. I am on to part 2. Thanks Jacob Mcelligott, great writing.
I can honestly say this little novella was excellent. The story was smooth, created a background fir the characters that didnt plod on & on, yeah, & the read was easy and fascinating. I am on to part 2. Thanks Jacob Mcelligott, great writing.
April 3, 2020
Good Story
I liked this book. It had a good story. If you like fantasy, or westerns, it is an enjoyable story.
I liked this book. It had a good story. If you like fantasy, or westerns, it is an enjoyable story.
June 18, 2020
A very satisfying fantasy western.
September 5, 2020
Impresive
I enjoyed reading the story and look forward to reading more. This was much better than I expected and I thought it would be good.
I enjoyed reading the story and look forward to reading more. This was much better than I expected and I thought it would be good.
June 9, 2020
A wonderful mix of western and fantasy, good vs. evil. A great beginning to what I hope will be an engaging and fun series.
March 29, 2020
Great fun. I envision the Shiprock area of New Mexico both because of the cover art and because of the area descriptions. And I like the multi species nature of his crew.
June 19, 2020
The Old West meets Fantasy!
It was fun following Thurk, an orc ranger with his new friends the dwarf Galmar and A'Tiami the native boy on a quest to find out why people have been disappearing from a small western town out in the middle of nowhere. It appears there may be evil doings going on and possibly bad magic. I found this story very entertaining and quite different from anything I've read before.
It was fun following Thurk, an orc ranger with his new friends the dwarf Galmar and A'Tiami the native boy on a quest to find out why people have been disappearing from a small western town out in the middle of nowhere. It appears there may be evil doings going on and possibly bad magic. I found this story very entertaining and quite different from anything I've read before.
September 15, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, I look forward to reading the remaining books in this series.
April 12, 2020
Orcs in the wild west? Why not? They shouldn't be limited to medieval Europe, after all. Once I got past that mental hiccup, I enjoyed this weird western story. The social challenges that Thurk faces sounds a lot like those Drizzt has to deal with. Perhaps this orc should have a chat with that Drow - after they declare a truce, of course.
May 29, 2020
Surprised on how good it was.
April 2, 2021
I was nicely surprised by this one. A "western" in the sense that there's a Ranger lawman investigating some mysterious goings-on. This particular Ranger though, is... different. There's some familiar tropes here, but it works just fine.
A nice little teaser into a larger story. One that I'm looking forward to exploring.
A nice little teaser into a larger story. One that I'm looking forward to exploring.
May 21, 2020
Fantasy meets the old west. This was a unique story with interesting and engaging characters.
May 24, 2020
Interesting concept
Old west, dwarves, elves, indians, humans, ancient evil, and of course the hero is an orc, late 19th century.weapons. Good story, interesting if not an especially long or drawn out story.
All in all, a nice little story about good vs evil, with one you expect to be evil actually fighting the prejudice of others, and his own species history.
Old west, dwarves, elves, indians, humans, ancient evil, and of course the hero is an orc, late 19th century.weapons. Good story, interesting if not an especially long or drawn out story.
All in all, a nice little story about good vs evil, with one you expect to be evil actually fighting the prejudice of others, and his own species history.
August 1, 2020
It's different
July 7, 2020
I saw this book on a BookFunnel promotion a few weeks ago and picked it up, thinking it looked interesting. It is the first book in The Orc Ranger series. It is a little short story, but it seems to have a unique approach to a western – or for that matter, to a fantasy.
The atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Gunslinger from The Dark Tower series. The characters remind you a bit of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli in The Two Towers, being a ranger, a dwarf, and a half-elf. Although in this case, the ranger is an orc instead of a human. The location is a place called Albara – but it looks about like the southwest United States. If it were made into a television episode, it could easily be done with the set of any old TV western.
Like nearly all orcs in nearly all fantasy worlds, Thurk Gutarg, the Albara ranger, suffers from the generally negative perception of his kind. But he seems to be a pretty good guy, as witnessed by the fact that he has become an Albara ranger. He has come to this part of the country at the request of the sheriff of the neighboring county. Using a bit of trickery, he persuades a dwarf, Galmar, to come with him. About halfway to their destination, they are joined by A’tiami, one of the Na’anti, who are sort of the natives of Albara. A’tiami is also a half-elf, very rare as all the elves have died off years before.
Together they proceed to the town of Gaynesville, where something mysterious and very scary lives.
The atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Gunslinger from The Dark Tower series. The characters remind you a bit of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli in The Two Towers, being a ranger, a dwarf, and a half-elf. Although in this case, the ranger is an orc instead of a human. The location is a place called Albara – but it looks about like the southwest United States. If it were made into a television episode, it could easily be done with the set of any old TV western.
Like nearly all orcs in nearly all fantasy worlds, Thurk Gutarg, the Albara ranger, suffers from the generally negative perception of his kind. But he seems to be a pretty good guy, as witnessed by the fact that he has become an Albara ranger. He has come to this part of the country at the request of the sheriff of the neighboring county. Using a bit of trickery, he persuades a dwarf, Galmar, to come with him. About halfway to their destination, they are joined by A’tiami, one of the Na’anti, who are sort of the natives of Albara. A’tiami is also a half-elf, very rare as all the elves have died off years before.
Together they proceed to the town of Gaynesville, where something mysterious and very scary lives.
May 25, 2020
Excellent short story. I will definitely be checking out this author's other books. In only 50 pages you get a decent grasp of the essentials of the world, the main and supporting characters and a bit of the history. I would have liked a bit more detail, a bit more world building and information about the characters, but I believe there are more books in the series and I'd be willing to bet I'll find those things there.
Absolutely worth the read if you like fantasy or westerns. Lovely little horror on the prairie.
Absolutely worth the read if you like fantasy or westerns. Lovely little horror on the prairie.
July 20, 2020
A very interesting read! I think it'd be worth a look at the series.
March 31, 2020
The Orc Ranger is a straight forward story about, you guessed it, an orc ranger. Fantasy races meet Western genre. This is a linear story line of novella length (hero goes to solve the problem, builds a small team, investigates the mystery, solves the problem). I liked it well enough, but the dwarf humor was a bit crass and I could have done without it. Anyway, adding the Fantasy races into a Western worked pretty well. I didn't find it to be spectacular, but I liked it well enough.
March 28, 2020
Original setting, and a good telling of a standard story. The writing is a little clunky, and could do with a little more "show me" and a little less "tell me". The dialogue in particular could use some polishing.
Overall it's an enjoyable, light entertainment read.
Overall it's an enjoyable, light entertainment read.
April 26, 2020
The Orc Ranger Review
Very good mix, old time western and sci-fi. Good people forming bonds. Nice pace, kept me going right to the end.
Very good mix, old time western and sci-fi. Good people forming bonds. Nice pace, kept me going right to the end.
September 14, 2020
Fun
SyFyish. No foul language. Story flowed nicely. Ending was creepy. Liked that there weren't too many characters to track. Those presented were well-developed.
SyFyish. No foul language. Story flowed nicely. Ending was creepy. Liked that there weren't too many characters to track. Those presented were well-developed.
December 16, 2020
Something different
Not my usual fare but glad I took a chance . Well written and entertaining, this story keeps you turning pages.
Not my usual fare but glad I took a chance . Well written and entertaining, this story keeps you turning pages.
January 24, 2021
The Orc Ranger
This is a pretty good story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I would have like to read move about after the battle. Maybe in the next book. Very entertaining!
This is a pretty good story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I would have like to read move about after the battle. Maybe in the next book. Very entertaining!
October 27, 2021
There has been some work done to keep the medieval fantasy genre fresh and new and the answer here is to transport it wholesale to the wild west. From what I can gather the standard fantasy races have existed out east in stuffy old kingdoms full of stuffy old castles before relocating to the untamed new world. I say what I can gather as this book is really light on the world building and it doesn’t always feel like that’s to save page space due to the short nature of the book but more because said world building isn’t there. Just give your titular orc a six shooter and stop asking questions.
As for said Orc he is a ranger which seems to be akin to a sheriff or fed travelling the country on horse back to solve problems that people may be having. It’s a vague set up but it seems to work okay through some lore in the bar as such rangers are known for hiring local bands to help solve bigger issues, His promise of pay or trophies explained things well enough. His issue is that he is an Orc ranger which basically begs me to make a Blazing Saddles reference. Orcs still carry the stigma of fantasy of old with some of it being given as true. His blood rage is a bit of a character point for him and it’s noteworthy as really the only one we get. Even his motivation to be a sheriff is kind of presented as trope and well tread. But then that goes for most of the book. He needs someone to go with him on his latest mission and as an Orc he can’t convince anyone to sign up. Thus he picks on the guy muttering under his breath to a drinking competition. This is as cliché as you might imagine.
Speaking of the guy muttering under his breath that’s our co-star. A gruff and aged Dwarf. He walks around with a great big axe and talks of the old country. He also isn’t going to win any originality awards. Having said that I found him the best of the three. In an age of gunpowder he states that he’d rather stick to his axe and considering the amount of dwarves with black powder in modern media that came close to a genuine character quirk. His banter with our lead falls a little flat and their relationship skips a few steps. As this is setting up a series I’m not even going to let the short page count fly here as Lord Bowler and Brisco worked together a number of time before they came close to being friends. Just because he lost the bet and is coming along out of a sense of duty doesn’t mean he has to warm up to him quite so quickly and it means the story loses some of it’s charm and character.
Rounding out our trio is our token native American and he is easily the weakest of the three. He lacks any real agency compared to the other two; tracking them through open country to see where they are going, getting jumped, and then just spilling the exposition needed. Once done he leads them the rest of the way to the place they were already headed toward. He only agrees to work with them as they are not the dreaded white man which leads me back round to world building as I then question if only the humans came to strip the land from it’s owners and the rest who came with them; the halflings, orcs, and dwarves, are all really blameless here. I think it helped him to feel the most cliché and half backed of the main cast. Like someone said we have to have an ‘Indian’ to go with our cowboy.
The plot itself fairs better than its character. It doesn’t come on too strong and our ranger sheriff isn’t brought here by some apocalyptic threat and new world army but merely the rumours of things going wrong. A few too many people going missing even for a small town all the way out here.
See more reviews at https://kibbinscodex.wordpress.com/
As for said Orc he is a ranger which seems to be akin to a sheriff or fed travelling the country on horse back to solve problems that people may be having. It’s a vague set up but it seems to work okay through some lore in the bar as such rangers are known for hiring local bands to help solve bigger issues, His promise of pay or trophies explained things well enough. His issue is that he is an Orc ranger which basically begs me to make a Blazing Saddles reference. Orcs still carry the stigma of fantasy of old with some of it being given as true. His blood rage is a bit of a character point for him and it’s noteworthy as really the only one we get. Even his motivation to be a sheriff is kind of presented as trope and well tread. But then that goes for most of the book. He needs someone to go with him on his latest mission and as an Orc he can’t convince anyone to sign up. Thus he picks on the guy muttering under his breath to a drinking competition. This is as cliché as you might imagine.
Speaking of the guy muttering under his breath that’s our co-star. A gruff and aged Dwarf. He walks around with a great big axe and talks of the old country. He also isn’t going to win any originality awards. Having said that I found him the best of the three. In an age of gunpowder he states that he’d rather stick to his axe and considering the amount of dwarves with black powder in modern media that came close to a genuine character quirk. His banter with our lead falls a little flat and their relationship skips a few steps. As this is setting up a series I’m not even going to let the short page count fly here as Lord Bowler and Brisco worked together a number of time before they came close to being friends. Just because he lost the bet and is coming along out of a sense of duty doesn’t mean he has to warm up to him quite so quickly and it means the story loses some of it’s charm and character.
Rounding out our trio is our token native American and he is easily the weakest of the three. He lacks any real agency compared to the other two; tracking them through open country to see where they are going, getting jumped, and then just spilling the exposition needed. Once done he leads them the rest of the way to the place they were already headed toward. He only agrees to work with them as they are not the dreaded white man which leads me back round to world building as I then question if only the humans came to strip the land from it’s owners and the rest who came with them; the halflings, orcs, and dwarves, are all really blameless here. I think it helped him to feel the most cliché and half backed of the main cast. Like someone said we have to have an ‘Indian’ to go with our cowboy.
The plot itself fairs better than its character. It doesn’t come on too strong and our ranger sheriff isn’t brought here by some apocalyptic threat and new world army but merely the rumours of things going wrong. A few too many people going missing even for a small town all the way out here.
See more reviews at https://kibbinscodex.wordpress.com/
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