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A Few Good Elves
Toy A derogatory slang term for an elven marine.
Battles great and terrible, small and bitter, raged across Known Space as the wars of Elves and Orcs played out their legacy of hatred across the stars themselves. Epics would be written, songs would be sung; but wars are fought by real people with loves and families and homes.
All Shaundar Sunfall ever wanted to be was a Star-Pilot. Raised on his father's ship, he has found an affinity for the stars -- although as a mixed-race elf and a bit of troublemaker, he often runs afoul of his commanding officers.
Now the orcs have returned to once again wage war on their ancient enemies. The fate of his people is at stake. Although he is too young, Shaundar lies about his age to join up. But he is about to learn that no matter what the sagas say, war is no great adventure.
A bit like what would happen if Horatio Hornblower met the Honorverse, met Lord of the Rings, met Game of Thrones, A Few Good Elves is part naval adventure, part high fantasy, part space opera, and part war novel.
graphic violence, sexual violence, torture, war, genocide
Battles great and terrible, small and bitter, raged across Known Space as the wars of Elves and Orcs played out their legacy of hatred across the stars themselves. Epics would be written, songs would be sung; but wars are fought by real people with loves and families and homes.
All Shaundar Sunfall ever wanted to be was a Star-Pilot. Raised on his father's ship, he has found an affinity for the stars -- although as a mixed-race elf and a bit of troublemaker, he often runs afoul of his commanding officers.
Now the orcs have returned to once again wage war on their ancient enemies. The fate of his people is at stake. Although he is too young, Shaundar lies about his age to join up. But he is about to learn that no matter what the sagas say, war is no great adventure.
A bit like what would happen if Horatio Hornblower met the Honorverse, met Lord of the Rings, met Game of Thrones, A Few Good Elves is part naval adventure, part high fantasy, part space opera, and part war novel.
graphic violence, sexual violence, torture, war, genocide
586 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 7, 2021
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 18, 2023
A FEW GOOD ELVES by Diane Morrison
Set in a world of combined fantasy and science fiction, A Few Good Elves has something for everyone.
Starting out with a bit of a coming-of-age story, touching on some romance, and toss in a whole lot of action and adventure, I found myself not wanting to put the book down.
Picture yourself in a sci-fi classic, but instead of strange and unfamiliar alien species, you find that the stars are populated by our old friends from fantasy tales. The story is centered around some Elves, who are at odds, and eventually war, with the Orcs. Goblins, dwarfs, humans and others take part as well.
I thought the author’s “style” of science fiction was pretty interesting. Instead of high-tech machines, laser beams and computer based technology, the inhabitants of these stars use a force that flows around the universe like air, and a little bit of magic, to pilot space craft that more resemble the sailing ships of old rather than the spacecraft that we’ve come to know.
From school shenanigans to the loss of friends in battle, the story follows two Elven friends, Shaundar and Yathar, from youth into early adult hood. But don’t worry, this is NOT a “young adult” book.
My only constructive criticism would be that at a certain point, later in the book, the author tried to add a darker edge to the story. The edginess did fit the story, but there were a couple instances, whether it was a violent act, or a sexual one, that just didn’t seem like the tone, or delivery of the event, fit with the feel of the rest of the book.
Bottom line - don’t let my minor criticisms stop you from reading this fantastic book. Great plot lines, really good writing and fantastic story telling make this a book that I didn’t want to put down when I was reading it, and when I wasn’t reading, I was wondering what was happening in the story.
At the end of the book, Diane Morrison states, “The story continues in Book 2, To Know Your Enemy. I can’t wait to read it.
Set in a world of combined fantasy and science fiction, A Few Good Elves has something for everyone.
Starting out with a bit of a coming-of-age story, touching on some romance, and toss in a whole lot of action and adventure, I found myself not wanting to put the book down.
Picture yourself in a sci-fi classic, but instead of strange and unfamiliar alien species, you find that the stars are populated by our old friends from fantasy tales. The story is centered around some Elves, who are at odds, and eventually war, with the Orcs. Goblins, dwarfs, humans and others take part as well.
I thought the author’s “style” of science fiction was pretty interesting. Instead of high-tech machines, laser beams and computer based technology, the inhabitants of these stars use a force that flows around the universe like air, and a little bit of magic, to pilot space craft that more resemble the sailing ships of old rather than the spacecraft that we’ve come to know.
From school shenanigans to the loss of friends in battle, the story follows two Elven friends, Shaundar and Yathar, from youth into early adult hood. But don’t worry, this is NOT a “young adult” book.
My only constructive criticism would be that at a certain point, later in the book, the author tried to add a darker edge to the story. The edginess did fit the story, but there were a couple instances, whether it was a violent act, or a sexual one, that just didn’t seem like the tone, or delivery of the event, fit with the feel of the rest of the book.
Bottom line - don’t let my minor criticisms stop you from reading this fantastic book. Great plot lines, really good writing and fantastic story telling make this a book that I didn’t want to put down when I was reading it, and when I wasn’t reading, I was wondering what was happening in the story.
At the end of the book, Diane Morrison states, “The story continues in Book 2, To Know Your Enemy. I can’t wait to read it.
September 15, 2021
Elves & orcs in space, so cool!
I really enjoyed this. It’s a completely different space faring experience. Very beautiful descriptions. Real characters with lots of depth. Great job! I can’t wait for the next one.
I really enjoyed this. It’s a completely different space faring experience. Very beautiful descriptions. Real characters with lots of depth. Great job! I can’t wait for the next one.
January 12, 2022
I am the author of this book, so it's hardly fair for me to give it a 5-star rating. But I've been working on this story for many years, and am very excited to finally be bringing it out into the world. It's a hard story, but I think a moving one. Don't let the elf on the cover fool you; this is a war story, and one that is definitely not for kids. Picture an epic space opera universe, but the starships are operated with magically-driven Age of Sail technology, something like Treasure Planet. I think it straddles the place between hard-hitting military space opera and epic fantasy. Give it a try if you're a fan of David Weber's Honorverse, Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, Glen Cook's Black Company, C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, or George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (a.k.a. Game of Thrones).
("Read Date" here represents the time between starting the draft of the novel, and the final edit's completion.)
("Read Date" here represents the time between starting the draft of the novel, and the final edit's completion.)
June 27, 2024
A Few Good Elves tells a gritty, lovingly-written coming-of-age tale in a magical spacefaring age of sail. I adore Morrison's unique worldbuilding, exploring an intersection of space travel, magic, military traditions, and sail-based ships traveling interstellar currents called Airts.
Her characters are equally enthralling. I was hooked as I followed Shaundar and his friends through the struggles of youth, the blindness of patriotism, and finally the horrors of war. This is a story that will stick with me for years to come. I am eagerly awaiting book two.
Her characters are equally enthralling. I was hooked as I followed Shaundar and his friends through the struggles of youth, the blindness of patriotism, and finally the horrors of war. This is a story that will stick with me for years to come. I am eagerly awaiting book two.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews