What do you think?
Rate this book
Half-Orcs #1
The Weight of Blood
When half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun pledged their lives to the death prophet Velixar, they sought only escape from their squalid beginnings. Instead, they become his greatest disciples, charged with leading his army of undead.While they prepare, Harruq trains with an elf named Aurelia, to whom he owes his life. She is a window into a better world, but as war spreads between the races their friendship takes a dire turn.Velixar orders them to fight alongside the humans, changing Aurelia from friend to foe. To protect her, Harruq must turn against his brother and fight the killing nature of his orcish heritage.THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD by David DalglishTo side with one means to turn on another. No matter Harruq’s decision, someone he loves will die.------About the Dalglish currently lives in rural Missouri with his wife Samantha and daughters Morgan and Katherine. He graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 2006 with a degree in Mathematics and currently spends way too much free time playing the WiiU.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2010
303 people are currently reading
2674 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
August 21, 2015
It was a quiet evening in the restaurant where SFF books go to chill, eat and have a plesant conversation. The Lord of the Rings had a conversation with Conan and Dune about ageing well.
In a little corner A Dance with Dragons and The Wise Man's Fear gloomily stared into each others eyes dreaming of their love child, a 2000 page book where nothing happens.
As the books at the Sanderson table started their usuaul debate of which of his series should get a book next something changed.
All of a sudden an ugly, naked, drunken book stood in the middle of the room. Other books looked away too embarressed to witness it trying to stand up on a table. When the book finally managed it, it urinated all over the place and screamed: "I'm The Weight of Blood!"
"So, how much do you weigh?" asked The Colour of Magic.
"Obviously less than before," said The Light Fantastic and chuckled.
The Weight of Blood seemed confused. It wasn't the brightest book after all and drinking certainly didn't help. Unfortunately this advice also goes for reading it.
"I tell a great story," The Weight of Blood continued "about two brothers. One's a magician drawn to darkness, the other his loyal brother. A valiant fighter!"
"Really?" asked a lot of the Dragonlance books. "We did this exact same story already."
"Yes, but I do it worse! Ahm...better, I mean" lulled the book, stumbled and fell from the table, flat on its cover.
The other books shrugged and continued on with their meals, The Weight of Blood already forgotten.
In a little corner A Dance with Dragons and The Wise Man's Fear gloomily stared into each others eyes dreaming of their love child, a 2000 page book where nothing happens.
As the books at the Sanderson table started their usuaul debate of which of his series should get a book next something changed.
All of a sudden an ugly, naked, drunken book stood in the middle of the room. Other books looked away too embarressed to witness it trying to stand up on a table. When the book finally managed it, it urinated all over the place and screamed: "I'm The Weight of Blood!"
"So, how much do you weigh?" asked The Colour of Magic.
"Obviously less than before," said The Light Fantastic and chuckled.
The Weight of Blood seemed confused. It wasn't the brightest book after all and drinking certainly didn't help. Unfortunately this advice also goes for reading it.
"I tell a great story," The Weight of Blood continued "about two brothers. One's a magician drawn to darkness, the other his loyal brother. A valiant fighter!"
"Really?" asked a lot of the Dragonlance books. "We did this exact same story already."
"Yes, but I do it worse! Ahm...better, I mean" lulled the book, stumbled and fell from the table, flat on its cover.
The other books shrugged and continued on with their meals, The Weight of Blood already forgotten.
May 10, 2015
The Weight of Blood follows half orc, half elf brothers, Harruq and Qurrah Tun, who outcast and survivors of terrible beginnings become the disciples of the evil sorcerer Velixar.
The story line was okay enough, nothing groundbreaking, but it kept my attention well enough. There were a few plot holes and I felt that the characters were not at all realistic. The beginnings of the brothers, while horrible I felt provided a very poor excuse for why they acted the way they did. Qurrah had more reason than Harruq, but I guess Harruq was the low intelligence brawn following his brother as the author attempts to suggest, but really doesn't provide any evidence other than twinges of guilt after he dismembers children.
The book was gruesome, and I despised the actions of both characters. I might have gotten over it for one of the brothers, Harruq if given sufficient reasoning behind his actions or maybe even if I saw a fraction of what Aurelia seemingly saw, but it wasn't really there. And his relationship with Aurelia was I felt completely unrealistic.
Aurelia gives whole new meaning to denial. Kids start being slaughtered as soon as the brothers move into town, but she refuses to see it. She is so convinced Harruq has a good heart and its all his brother manipulating him. Until she meets his brother, who "seems nice".
Don't think I'm going to pay for the rest of the series.
The story line was okay enough, nothing groundbreaking, but it kept my attention well enough. There were a few plot holes and I felt that the characters were not at all realistic. The beginnings of the brothers, while horrible I felt provided a very poor excuse for why they acted the way they did. Qurrah had more reason than Harruq, but I guess Harruq was the low intelligence brawn following his brother as the author attempts to suggest, but really doesn't provide any evidence other than twinges of guilt after he dismembers children.
The book was gruesome, and I despised the actions of both characters. I might have gotten over it for one of the brothers, Harruq if given sufficient reasoning behind his actions or maybe even if I saw a fraction of what Aurelia seemingly saw, but it wasn't really there. And his relationship with Aurelia was I felt completely unrealistic.
Aurelia gives whole new meaning to denial. Kids start being slaughtered as soon as the brothers move into town, but she refuses to see it. She is so convinced Harruq has a good heart and its all his brother manipulating him. Until she meets his brother, who "seems nice".
Don't think I'm going to pay for the rest of the series.
May 23, 2016
I went into this with low expectations, based on some of my GR friends' reviews on this. Perhaps it was that, or perhaps I was just in the special place I sometimes get where a book hits exactly the brain tickle-dots it needs to, but I really, really enjoyed this book.
The story centers on two half-orc brothers. They have shitty, miserable lives due to fantasy-style race relations. Together, they strive for something better for themselves. And the way they strive is to serve evil incarnate.
It could be said that these two main characters are evil themselves. They certainly do evil things. Plenty of 'em. Regardless, I'd say they're "bad guys" at the very least. And I do adore a story about the "bad guys." They're often so much more interesting and nuanced than stories about the ol' "white hats." This one certainly was.
Orcs are awesome. Yeah, I said it.
Look at him go! WHEEEEEE!
The story centers on two half-orc brothers. They have shitty, miserable lives due to fantasy-style race relations. Together, they strive for something better for themselves. And the way they strive is to serve evil incarnate.
It could be said that these two main characters are evil themselves. They certainly do evil things. Plenty of 'em. Regardless, I'd say they're "bad guys" at the very least. And I do adore a story about the "bad guys." They're often so much more interesting and nuanced than stories about the ol' "white hats." This one certainly was.
Orcs are awesome. Yeah, I said it.
Look at him go! WHEEEEEE!
March 17, 2015
This book was like watching ugly people have mostly boring sex.
It wasn't attractive and I knew pretty much what was going to happen next but
I kept going because every once in a while something got me going.
As with seeing bad sex I am reminded of better sex and this too was the same as reading about the mediocre Half-Orc brothers, Qurrah & Harruq (notice anything about the names?) They made me think of a similar and better brotherly relationship, that of Dragonlance's Caramon & Raistlin.
I got this book off Amazon for free so really I can't complain too much just as I really can't complain about walking down the street and looking into a window of an ugly couple engaged in clammy missionary sex.
The Weight of Blood seems to be some mild grunting for an uncomfortable 20 minutes.
It wasn't attractive and I knew pretty much what was going to happen next but
I kept going because every once in a while something got me going.
As with seeing bad sex I am reminded of better sex and this too was the same as reading about the mediocre Half-Orc brothers, Qurrah & Harruq (notice anything about the names?) They made me think of a similar and better brotherly relationship, that of Dragonlance's Caramon & Raistlin.
I got this book off Amazon for free so really I can't complain too much just as I really can't complain about walking down the street and looking into a window of an ugly couple engaged in clammy missionary sex.
The Weight of Blood seems to be some mild grunting for an uncomfortable 20 minutes.
May 7, 2015
2.5 stars. I didn't hate it but there wasn't a lot to like.
August 8, 2012
Everything has history, and in doing so, it repeats itself. Fantasy has one of course, which cannot help at times but to be trapped in an endless loop of plots riddled with holes, one dimensional characters and easily simplistic magic. The last of which has trouble changing because it's more about how its is presented in every story.
This story said it would be different and I believed it. You see Weight of Blood fails on so many levels. Take for instance the setting. The twins, half Orcs who have the inverse of the others name-kind of cool I guess-move into a new place, but it's describe in about one sentence with the same feeling to it, but they're in a completely different city and it has no soul. And believe me, when you're reading a book like Perdido Station on the side, you find out that a city can have just as much or even more personality than a character. Well, more than the kind featured in this anyway.
The characters...okay, I'm going to rework a scene from the book, but replace the wording, so as to not upset anyone.
Harruq: is it bad to snort coke off of a dead hooker's decapitated head and then use the remains as a toilet?
Qurrah: well, I mean, it could be worse. *stuns Satan with an evil smile* She could've been alive as you did it! MWAHHAHAHAHAH
Harruq: yeah, you're right! Oh, brother how else would I find damnation without you?
So yeah, they're supposed to be bad, but honestly, Harruq acts like doing these atrocious acts is no big deal, then thinks he has the right to hate on all of humanity. Yes, it's one of those books, the humans are ignorant douches to the core. Yes, we do suck. And the intro scene, for some reason, Harruq can kill a full grown Orc without a lick of real battle experience. Qurrah might as well rule the underworld with his powers. Which-I have to give him credit-he has been training for.
See, I have a soul.
There is a love interest with an elf that is so forced that I was embarrassed to read this book. So embarrassed in fact that I could not finish it. Yes, that's right I quit prematurely and I think it's what saved me from a violent self induced death.
Well, does this book have anything good about it? Well, the history and lore suck. The setting is usually a race war on the brim. Hmm, the books moves fast though, but so does diarrhea.
Oh, wait, I know! It was free!
This story said it would be different and I believed it. You see Weight of Blood fails on so many levels. Take for instance the setting. The twins, half Orcs who have the inverse of the others name-kind of cool I guess-move into a new place, but it's describe in about one sentence with the same feeling to it, but they're in a completely different city and it has no soul. And believe me, when you're reading a book like Perdido Station on the side, you find out that a city can have just as much or even more personality than a character. Well, more than the kind featured in this anyway.
The characters...okay, I'm going to rework a scene from the book, but replace the wording, so as to not upset anyone.
Harruq: is it bad to snort coke off of a dead hooker's decapitated head and then use the remains as a toilet?
Qurrah: well, I mean, it could be worse. *stuns Satan with an evil smile* She could've been alive as you did it! MWAHHAHAHAHAH
Harruq: yeah, you're right! Oh, brother how else would I find damnation without you?
So yeah, they're supposed to be bad, but honestly, Harruq acts like doing these atrocious acts is no big deal, then thinks he has the right to hate on all of humanity. Yes, it's one of those books, the humans are ignorant douches to the core. Yes, we do suck. And the intro scene, for some reason, Harruq can kill a full grown Orc without a lick of real battle experience. Qurrah might as well rule the underworld with his powers. Which-I have to give him credit-he has been training for.
See, I have a soul.
There is a love interest with an elf that is so forced that I was embarrassed to read this book. So embarrassed in fact that I could not finish it. Yes, that's right I quit prematurely and I think it's what saved me from a violent self induced death.
Well, does this book have anything good about it? Well, the history and lore suck. The setting is usually a race war on the brim. Hmm, the books moves fast though, but so does diarrhea.
Oh, wait, I know! It was free!
March 25, 2015
I eventually decided that all the characters have to be insane.
The story suffers from split-brain disorder to begin with. On one hand there are scenes of appalling brutality and destruction as Harruq and Qurrah are drawn under the wing of a malevolent entity. On the other, there are moments of warmth as the two interact with each other, and in Harruq's case with his love interest Aurelia. These two hands don't speak to each other very much, as though this were two separate books using the same character names had been interleaved. The brothers don't much reflect on the destruction they cause or the dark destiny they are being primed for.
It is, honestly, a disconcerting effect, which I could accept with the premise that these two much-abused, bad-childhood individuals were exhibiting extreme mental illness that pushed the 'bad parts' into the background during daytime life. But it doesn't hold together. Eventually the amount of stupidity or sociopathy required for the other characters to overlook the Tun brother's behavior overwhelms the reader's acceptance.
It's clear that Dalgish is neither playing on the idea of "Orcs as minions of evil", nor on "Orcs as misunderstood Klingons", but this third path is not thought out in terms of the story being told. It's a pity because his vision of the Orc race in terms of the world's cosmology is interesting: the Orcs are a broken race, their elf ancestors--who backed the wrong side in a cosmic war that didn't involve them--cursed and stripped of longevity and beauty and craft, but not inherently evil or destructive. The Orcs, who have retreated from service to the (supposedly) evil god, have forgiven themselves and moved on. It's an idea that rings just enough of Tolkien to show the lineage of thought, but is different enough to take the story in a fresh direction.
The story suffers from split-brain disorder to begin with. On one hand there are scenes of appalling brutality and destruction as Harruq and Qurrah are drawn under the wing of a malevolent entity. On the other, there are moments of warmth as the two interact with each other, and in Harruq's case with his love interest Aurelia. These two hands don't speak to each other very much, as though this were two separate books using the same character names had been interleaved. The brothers don't much reflect on the destruction they cause or the dark destiny they are being primed for.
It is, honestly, a disconcerting effect, which I could accept with the premise that these two much-abused, bad-childhood individuals were exhibiting extreme mental illness that pushed the 'bad parts' into the background during daytime life. But it doesn't hold together. Eventually the amount of stupidity or sociopathy required for the other characters to overlook the Tun brother's behavior overwhelms the reader's acceptance.
It's clear that Dalgish is neither playing on the idea of "Orcs as minions of evil", nor on "Orcs as misunderstood Klingons", but this third path is not thought out in terms of the story being told. It's a pity because his vision of the Orc race in terms of the world's cosmology is interesting: the Orcs are a broken race, their elf ancestors--who backed the wrong side in a cosmic war that didn't involve them--cursed and stripped of longevity and beauty and craft, but not inherently evil or destructive. The Orcs, who have retreated from service to the (supposedly) evil god, have forgiven themselves and moved on. It's an idea that rings just enough of Tolkien to show the lineage of thought, but is different enough to take the story in a fresh direction.
May 22, 2012
I got about 40% into this book (probably like 75 pages) before I called it quits. It's a relatively uneven, kind of repetitive story about two half-orc brothers (it's a sign of the cultural times that I feel no need to explain to anyone what a half-orc is) who spend their time training for the final apocalypse and going about the depressing business of slaughtering innocent people. Strangely, this book gets a ton of praise and 5 stars reviews on Amazon, but I just did not get into it.
August 18, 2022
I really enjoyed this novel. I enjoyed so much that I order through amazon the next four novels of this quintet (not counting with the sixth book that is going to be released because I really don't know if it's a begginning of a new trilogy or stand alone book with the same characters.
This is how dark fantasy novel should be. Weight of Blood is a tale about two brothers, half-orc, half-elf, who don't fit any of those worlds. One of the brothers Qurrah it's a Necromancer and Harruq it's a fighter (he isn't but soon learns how to be).
The brotheres kill a lot (mass murderers), including children. There is also great display of magic (necromancer) and so we really can't put them in the anti-heroes class. They are evil. Qurrah knows he is doing evil deeds and Harruq does the killing for his brother, and he has the power to decline so...
Side-Note: The similiraties with Caramon/Raistlin from Dragonlance are many. Raistlin being a powerfulnecromancer mage and Caramon a fighter. They both are Twins. One is a evil twisting bastard that do anything to advance in his arts and the other is a faithful brother who do anything for his brother. One of the differences his that Raistlin would never ask for Caramon to kill for him so he could study a corpse but Qurrah would. And Caramon would never do it, and Harruq would. There is also a Crysania Aurelia who enloves goofy Harruq and a powerful mage who helps RaistlinQurrah achieve his true power called Finstandatilus Velixar, but in this case he helps both brothers.
Believe me when I say this is a good book. Similar to some of Warhammer fiction like CL Werner novels life Wulfrik, Palace of the Plague Lord or even the Grey Seer novels.
This is how dark fantasy novel should be. Weight of Blood is a tale about two brothers, half-orc, half-elf, who don't fit any of those worlds. One of the brothers Qurrah it's a Necromancer and Harruq it's a fighter (he isn't but soon learns how to be).
The brotheres kill a lot (mass murderers), including children. There is also great display of magic (necromancer) and so we really can't put them in the anti-heroes class. They are evil. Qurrah knows he is doing evil deeds and Harruq does the killing for his brother, and he has the power to decline so...
Side-Note: The similiraties with Caramon/Raistlin from Dragonlance are many. Raistlin being a powerful
Believe me when I say this is a good book. Similar to some of Warhammer fiction like CL Werner novels life Wulfrik, Palace of the Plague Lord or even the Grey Seer novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2011
Readers of David Dalglish should be drawn to label his novel, THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD (TWoB), as RPG fiction, or gamer's fiction. At least this reader will. And that's not a bad thing, in my opinion.
Early on, Dalglish's straightforward storytelling and his choice of main characters made me wonder if the author was a gamer. Harruq and Qurrah Tun are half-orc brothers (they soon find out the other half of their blood is elven rather than human) eking out a living in a humano-centric world, and the details of their plight, as well as how Dalglish treats his characters and the setting around them, took me back to a wonderful time in my life when I couldn't get enough Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms fantasy. For those not in the know, these were some of the first novels released by TSR (now Wizards of the Coast) in the mid to late '80s, the very first offerings that launched a major publishing house based on their Dungeons & Dragons worlds. I ended up contacting the author online while reading this book and wrote that TWoB is conjuring up memories of early Weis, Hickman, and R.A. Salvatore, to which Dalglish responded, "Ding, ding, ding!" So, I assume I nailed it.
I enjoy TWoB for what it is, a dark and gritty fantasy spent with races of the D&D sort -- Harruq as a fighter, Qurrah as a necromancer -- who are faced with some hard decisions. Actually, not so bad for Qurrah, the more oppressed of the two and, hence, the more ambitious, who obviously has a low empathy "stat" and doesn't hesitate to grab for power when it's offered to him, despite it meaning he must fully give in to his evil nature. Harruq is much less evil than his brother, obviously having more of the elven blood in his veins than the orcish, but goes along with Qurrah out of love for his twin (so, yes, I got some of the old Caramon and Raistlin nostalgia here, and you Dragonlance fans will know what I mean).
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but you might imagine the direction Dalglish is taking this in, as we have the dark and selfish Qurrah, and then Harruq, who is much lighter in nature and can see more good in the world. Indeed, Harruq even manages to find love.
The author and I agreed on a book swap, so I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of a signed copy of THE COST OF BETRAYAL, which is book II in "The Half-Orcs." I'll be sure to keep you updated right here when I finish this next installment.
Four stars (out of five). Quite recommended for fantasists in general, and highly recommended for gaming enthusiasts or those who like their fantasy served dark with no cream and very little sugar.
--
Some other books in David Dalglish's "The Half-Orcs":
Early on, Dalglish's straightforward storytelling and his choice of main characters made me wonder if the author was a gamer. Harruq and Qurrah Tun are half-orc brothers (they soon find out the other half of their blood is elven rather than human) eking out a living in a humano-centric world, and the details of their plight, as well as how Dalglish treats his characters and the setting around them, took me back to a wonderful time in my life when I couldn't get enough Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms fantasy. For those not in the know, these were some of the first novels released by TSR (now Wizards of the Coast) in the mid to late '80s, the very first offerings that launched a major publishing house based on their Dungeons & Dragons worlds. I ended up contacting the author online while reading this book and wrote that TWoB is conjuring up memories of early Weis, Hickman, and R.A. Salvatore, to which Dalglish responded, "Ding, ding, ding!" So, I assume I nailed it.
I enjoy TWoB for what it is, a dark and gritty fantasy spent with races of the D&D sort -- Harruq as a fighter, Qurrah as a necromancer -- who are faced with some hard decisions. Actually, not so bad for Qurrah, the more oppressed of the two and, hence, the more ambitious, who obviously has a low empathy "stat" and doesn't hesitate to grab for power when it's offered to him, despite it meaning he must fully give in to his evil nature. Harruq is much less evil than his brother, obviously having more of the elven blood in his veins than the orcish, but goes along with Qurrah out of love for his twin (so, yes, I got some of the old Caramon and Raistlin nostalgia here, and you Dragonlance fans will know what I mean).
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but you might imagine the direction Dalglish is taking this in, as we have the dark and selfish Qurrah, and then Harruq, who is much lighter in nature and can see more good in the world. Indeed, Harruq even manages to find love.
The author and I agreed on a book swap, so I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of a signed copy of THE COST OF BETRAYAL, which is book II in "The Half-Orcs." I'll be sure to keep you updated right here when I finish this next installment.
Four stars (out of five). Quite recommended for fantasists in general, and highly recommended for gaming enthusiasts or those who like their fantasy served dark with no cream and very little sugar.
--
Some other books in David Dalglish's "The Half-Orcs":
February 16, 2012
When I hear the words dark fantasy I expect I guess horror fantasy. In that regard I dont quite see the dark fantasy people are getting on with about this book. Gritty fantasy I think would be more accurate. But otherwise its fairly traditional fantasy. You have your elves, your humans, your orcs, and your undead. Humans are useless (no, really, they are), elves are masters of bows, orcs seem liable to tear your arms off and beat you to death with them, and the undead eat all of the above.
The god element in this was an interesting one and I like overall what Dalglish was trying to do here with his characters. harruq is by far the more interesting of the brothers but the "all you need to change is a womans love" routine gets a little grating. While it is apparent, particularly through the gods bit, that there is a rich and thought-out world out there, the plot just seems to plod forward at times, and the characters aren't quite as fleshed out as they could be in a lot of cases. And gore for what seems to be gore's sake.
Still, the series has potential. There are moments where you can start to feel that pull. Is it the best thing out there? No. Is it entertaining for a few days' read? Certainly.
The god element in this was an interesting one and I like overall what Dalglish was trying to do here with his characters. harruq is by far the more interesting of the brothers but the "all you need to change is a womans love" routine gets a little grating. While it is apparent, particularly through the gods bit, that there is a rich and thought-out world out there, the plot just seems to plod forward at times, and the characters aren't quite as fleshed out as they could be in a lot of cases. And gore for what seems to be gore's sake.
Still, the series has potential. There are moments where you can start to feel that pull. Is it the best thing out there? No. Is it entertaining for a few days' read? Certainly.
February 21, 2011
A short review as it's been about 2 months and I don't recall all the details.
Where to begin - I started off with high hopes coming from the previous Dalglish book which I quite enjoyed, and was severely disappointed. The editing and quality of this book was nowhere near as good as the previous I'd read, and everything seemed quite 1-dimensional.
The plot didn't rescue it much - things just seemed to happen, and the character backgrounds and history didn't tie in very well with the changes. The story was also quite gory - which has its place in fantasy books, but oftentimes here seemed that it was added to fill in space or cover up holes in the plot.
While overall I did not enjoy this book, having read A Dance of Cloaks I hoped the following books would get better so continued with the series. As I believe these are self-published and did not use an editor, and this was the first such book released, I have hopes the remainder of the series would improve.
Where to begin - I started off with high hopes coming from the previous Dalglish book which I quite enjoyed, and was severely disappointed. The editing and quality of this book was nowhere near as good as the previous I'd read, and everything seemed quite 1-dimensional.
The plot didn't rescue it much - things just seemed to happen, and the character backgrounds and history didn't tie in very well with the changes. The story was also quite gory - which has its place in fantasy books, but oftentimes here seemed that it was added to fill in space or cover up holes in the plot.
While overall I did not enjoy this book, having read A Dance of Cloaks I hoped the following books would get better so continued with the series. As I believe these are self-published and did not use an editor, and this was the first such book released, I have hopes the remainder of the series would improve.
May 27, 2017
Sequels are like marriages: three out of four end poorly. Here the author's skill outweighed his premise. I enjoyed this sparse fast moving tale so I kept nodding along wondering how the author was going to make it all pay off. Unfortunately, I'll need to read the sequel. Which doesn't usually happen. :(
August 20, 2011
The Weight of Blood reminds me of the pulp fantasy I loved as a teenager. Two things stopped me from just having fun and reliving my youth, though: Unlikable characters and occasionally sloppy writing.
The series' titular half-orcs are brothers, Qurrah and Harruq. Qurrah is like Batman's Joker without any of the charisma. An angry young man who has had a rough life, he sets out to burn the cruel world to the ground. Were he born in the modern world he'd likely listen to angry Norwegian black metal. Here, he sullenly rages against the machine.
Harruq is both more interesting and more frustrating. He actually wrestles with the evil acts he is led to commit. Instead of an interesting resolution, however, his crisis of conscience is ended by the love of a woman. Dalglish brings us back to the 1950's, where all a bad boy needs is a girl to love him hard enough. In this case the bad boy doesn't wear black leather jackets and smoke cigarettes, though. He just murders children.
Ladies, don't try to fix a child murderer. That ship has sailed.
I won't talk about the love interest, but the courtship is a good seque to my writing complaints. The flirting between them is giggle-worthy. I have more game than these people, and that's not something I'm able to say often.
'"Don't worry," she said, patting his hand. "Your ass is safe with me."'
Hot!
The writing issues show up most in the fighting and the magic use, which is unfortunate since both are frequent. Battles last several pages, and are spacially confusing. I spent long stretches not quite sure where combatants were relative to one another, or what they were doing.
This is a seemingly minor example, but the problems it highlights are endemic: After Harruq has both his swords knocked away by an elf, he is kicked to the ground. One of the following lines is "Instead he lied there, his nose throbbing and his swords limp in his hands." I'll give the benefit of the doubt and assume he was lying there, not telling falsehoods. The swords were knocked out of your hands, though, Harruq! Did I miss you having sword teleportation?
Let me now backpedal and ask you to ignore everything I just said. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Why did I complain so much? Because the book's defects are really frustrating. The idea is interesting, but it gets dragged down by a bunch of issues that a professional editor should have caught before it got out the door.
In my mind a two star review denotes either a book that is bad or a three star book with issues. The Weight of Blood is the latter, and in the end I'm glad I read it.
The series' titular half-orcs are brothers, Qurrah and Harruq. Qurrah is like Batman's Joker without any of the charisma. An angry young man who has had a rough life, he sets out to burn the cruel world to the ground. Were he born in the modern world he'd likely listen to angry Norwegian black metal. Here, he sullenly rages against the machine.
Harruq is both more interesting and more frustrating. He actually wrestles with the evil acts he is led to commit. Instead of an interesting resolution, however, his crisis of conscience is ended by the love of a woman. Dalglish brings us back to the 1950's, where all a bad boy needs is a girl to love him hard enough. In this case the bad boy doesn't wear black leather jackets and smoke cigarettes, though. He just murders children.
Ladies, don't try to fix a child murderer. That ship has sailed.
I won't talk about the love interest, but the courtship is a good seque to my writing complaints. The flirting between them is giggle-worthy. I have more game than these people, and that's not something I'm able to say often.
'"Don't worry," she said, patting his hand. "Your ass is safe with me."'
Hot!
The writing issues show up most in the fighting and the magic use, which is unfortunate since both are frequent. Battles last several pages, and are spacially confusing. I spent long stretches not quite sure where combatants were relative to one another, or what they were doing.
This is a seemingly minor example, but the problems it highlights are endemic: After Harruq has both his swords knocked away by an elf, he is kicked to the ground. One of the following lines is "Instead he lied there, his nose throbbing and his swords limp in his hands." I'll give the benefit of the doubt and assume he was lying there, not telling falsehoods. The swords were knocked out of your hands, though, Harruq! Did I miss you having sword teleportation?
Let me now backpedal and ask you to ignore everything I just said. Overall, I enjoyed the book. Why did I complain so much? Because the book's defects are really frustrating. The idea is interesting, but it gets dragged down by a bunch of issues that a professional editor should have caught before it got out the door.
In my mind a two star review denotes either a book that is bad or a three star book with issues. The Weight of Blood is the latter, and in the end I'm glad I read it.
November 29, 2011
Pure dreck. Unfinishable.
July 30, 2010
What would you get if you turned Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser into a pair of half-orc brothers, gave them severe inferiority complexes, moral ambiguity, and massive tempers, and then threw in a powerful religious zealot who sways them closer to the dark side than any individual should ever be comfortable with?
Why, you’d have “The Weight of Blood” by David Dalglish.
“The Weight of Blood” is an extremely dark fairy tale that tells the story of those aforementioned half-orc brothers, Qurrah and Harruq Tun. As far as main characters go, I don’t think I’ve ever seen their likeness. Sold separately into slavery by their orc mother early on in life, they eventually escaped and found each other again, only to grow up without guidance on the streets of a town called Veldaren, scavenging for food and learning that sometimes in life, when you come from nothing, it’s better to kill than be killed. Qurrah is a spindly and coldly intelligent sort whose greatest passion is to become a powerful sorcerer. Harruq, on the other hand, is a large-bodied and (sometimes) kind-hearted oaf who exists seemingly only to protect his physically weaker brother. The dialogue between the two borders on hilarious in the early going, when they’re still nothing but vagrants. But there is something darker in them, mostly in regards to Qurrah, which begging to be released. They are archetypal antiheroes, existing on the periphery of a society that wants no part of them.
The story starts off with a bang, dropping us in on the brothers as an army of orcs attempts to invade Veldaren. It is here that we first meet Velixar, a necromancer and master of the dark arts, who eventually takes the brothers under his wing. Through Velixar, we also are presented with a sizeable chunk of the world Dalglish has created, which is notable if for no other reason than it gives the reader a frame of reference to draw upon further down the road.
The novel is chock full of intense and extremely graphic battle scenes. It would be easy to get lost in the action if these scenes weren’t expertly crafted, which they are. The actions the brothers take from the onset vary from miscreant to downright evil. They butcher women, children, whole families, mostly without batting an eyelash. Even when one of them seemingly finds love, through the appearance of a beautiful sorcerer elf named Aurelia, this does little to stifle the loathsome behavior. Qurrah and Harruq appear to be brutes, ostensibly without a soul, and they act as such.
That statement is not quite true, however, and herein lays the brilliance of the world author Dalglish has created. This is a story of their fall and hopefully redemption, though as a series, once we reach the end it is still in the early stages. But the hope is there that these two will find their way. We get to see inside the brothers’ heads, and what we find there, though disturbing, allows us to feel a glimmer of gallantry. They are capable of love – this much is evident by the way they feel about each other – and any being who can experience that emotion in its fullest and most vulnerable can eventually learn to harness that inner goodness. All they ever needed was guidance, something that was denied them through unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.
And this is where we come to the crux of the fable that the author is telling us. In many ways, the brothers’ situation mirrors events we see all the time in the “real world”. They have nothing, they are starving and ostracized. Everyone looks down on them. They wander through life without a purpose save staying alive. When one looks at it like this, is it any wonder that when a stranger approaches the destitute pair and offers them a life that has meaning they leap for it? They who have nothing are promised the world. They who’ve been looked at as the lowest of the low are told they will be worshiped as gods. They who have had to scrape and claw are given gifts of such power that they become death incarnate. When viewed from this vantage point, can we not understand, even sympathize, with the plight Qurrah and Harruq have been forced to deal with? If we, as civilized humans, were put in the same situation, would our morality not begin to wither and die after a while? This rings true with what happens every day in certain parts of the world. It is almost the very blueprint for terrorist recruitment. And at the end of the day, that is what the brothers become. Terrorists. They target not only the enemy but the young and innocent. They strike from the shadows, seeking to assist a greater agenda that they either don’t or can’t understand.
This is a very dark book, so take that as a warning. If you don’t like the images of flayed arms and legs, decapitation, or bodies reduced to quivering masses of blood and innards, stay far away. However, if you appreciate a well-told story that pulls you into its world and won’t let you back out, this is the novel for you. It is unrelenting and fast-paced. It makes you care about the characters, no matter what bad deeds they may perform. And, best of all, it allows you to feel hope that the characters will turn it all around, and through something as simple as an act of kindness.
In short, I loved “The Weight of Blood”. The title says it all. It’s about the inherent price of violence, the duty of family, and the pressure to do what’s right. I would definitely recommend it. As far as fantasy goes, I feel you’d be hard pressed to find one that equals its scope and passion. I, for one, can’t wait to get pulled into the next volume.
Why, you’d have “The Weight of Blood” by David Dalglish.
“The Weight of Blood” is an extremely dark fairy tale that tells the story of those aforementioned half-orc brothers, Qurrah and Harruq Tun. As far as main characters go, I don’t think I’ve ever seen their likeness. Sold separately into slavery by their orc mother early on in life, they eventually escaped and found each other again, only to grow up without guidance on the streets of a town called Veldaren, scavenging for food and learning that sometimes in life, when you come from nothing, it’s better to kill than be killed. Qurrah is a spindly and coldly intelligent sort whose greatest passion is to become a powerful sorcerer. Harruq, on the other hand, is a large-bodied and (sometimes) kind-hearted oaf who exists seemingly only to protect his physically weaker brother. The dialogue between the two borders on hilarious in the early going, when they’re still nothing but vagrants. But there is something darker in them, mostly in regards to Qurrah, which begging to be released. They are archetypal antiheroes, existing on the periphery of a society that wants no part of them.
The story starts off with a bang, dropping us in on the brothers as an army of orcs attempts to invade Veldaren. It is here that we first meet Velixar, a necromancer and master of the dark arts, who eventually takes the brothers under his wing. Through Velixar, we also are presented with a sizeable chunk of the world Dalglish has created, which is notable if for no other reason than it gives the reader a frame of reference to draw upon further down the road.
The novel is chock full of intense and extremely graphic battle scenes. It would be easy to get lost in the action if these scenes weren’t expertly crafted, which they are. The actions the brothers take from the onset vary from miscreant to downright evil. They butcher women, children, whole families, mostly without batting an eyelash. Even when one of them seemingly finds love, through the appearance of a beautiful sorcerer elf named Aurelia, this does little to stifle the loathsome behavior. Qurrah and Harruq appear to be brutes, ostensibly without a soul, and they act as such.
That statement is not quite true, however, and herein lays the brilliance of the world author Dalglish has created. This is a story of their fall and hopefully redemption, though as a series, once we reach the end it is still in the early stages. But the hope is there that these two will find their way. We get to see inside the brothers’ heads, and what we find there, though disturbing, allows us to feel a glimmer of gallantry. They are capable of love – this much is evident by the way they feel about each other – and any being who can experience that emotion in its fullest and most vulnerable can eventually learn to harness that inner goodness. All they ever needed was guidance, something that was denied them through unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.
And this is where we come to the crux of the fable that the author is telling us. In many ways, the brothers’ situation mirrors events we see all the time in the “real world”. They have nothing, they are starving and ostracized. Everyone looks down on them. They wander through life without a purpose save staying alive. When one looks at it like this, is it any wonder that when a stranger approaches the destitute pair and offers them a life that has meaning they leap for it? They who have nothing are promised the world. They who’ve been looked at as the lowest of the low are told they will be worshiped as gods. They who have had to scrape and claw are given gifts of such power that they become death incarnate. When viewed from this vantage point, can we not understand, even sympathize, with the plight Qurrah and Harruq have been forced to deal with? If we, as civilized humans, were put in the same situation, would our morality not begin to wither and die after a while? This rings true with what happens every day in certain parts of the world. It is almost the very blueprint for terrorist recruitment. And at the end of the day, that is what the brothers become. Terrorists. They target not only the enemy but the young and innocent. They strike from the shadows, seeking to assist a greater agenda that they either don’t or can’t understand.
This is a very dark book, so take that as a warning. If you don’t like the images of flayed arms and legs, decapitation, or bodies reduced to quivering masses of blood and innards, stay far away. However, if you appreciate a well-told story that pulls you into its world and won’t let you back out, this is the novel for you. It is unrelenting and fast-paced. It makes you care about the characters, no matter what bad deeds they may perform. And, best of all, it allows you to feel hope that the characters will turn it all around, and through something as simple as an act of kindness.
In short, I loved “The Weight of Blood”. The title says it all. It’s about the inherent price of violence, the duty of family, and the pressure to do what’s right. I would definitely recommend it. As far as fantasy goes, I feel you’d be hard pressed to find one that equals its scope and passion. I, for one, can’t wait to get pulled into the next volume.
June 25, 2019
This was my first book by this author David Dalglish , I must say I enjoyed this book from start to finish , I mean how can you go wrong with half off brothers serving evil , and decisions must be made that can change their lives forever . So go pick this one up and enjoy yourself a good book you'll be hard pressed to put it down . 😁😁😁😁😁
August 2, 2023
A very solid start to this series! This is like RA Salvatore but more modernized!
December 20, 2018
This tale is written competently enough despite a few editorial issues, particularly malapropisms, but it is fantasy by the numbers, utterly reliant on tropes and conventions rather than providing any novel world building. It has absolutely nothing to bring to the genre.
Everyone knows what a half-orc or an elf is, so the author feels no need to give any further detail other than the occasional descriptions of clothing or preposterous weaponry, or tired cliches concerning female beauty. This facile approach extends to many descriptions. I was particularly irked by a magic chest returning to “normal” size on a few occasions. What’s “normal” for a wooden chest?
The tone of the book is uneven, attempting to be epic, but using far too many modernisms to succeed. Again, these are used as shorthand for expressions or situations that would be lengthier or awkward in epic language. There’s nothing wrong in using modern language, but the overall approach should be consistent: be either oldy worldy or modern, but not both, otherwise the final impression given is, in the author’s words, “goofy”.
The author is nevertheless brave to use amoral, even evil anti-heroes as the protagonists, and it’s a clever concept to tell the tale of the orcs for once, but they have to be interesting in order for the reader to root for them or want to spend time in their company. Neither Qurrah nor Harruq is interesting. The former is supposed to have a particularly awful backstory that put him on the road to necromancy, but he just comes across as sadistic, weak and easily led. The latter is meant to be a berserker with a heart of gold, and a soppy love story, but there is little or no evolution in his character to show the conflict between his personality and his supposed orcish nature (the “weight of blood” of the title). Again, the trope is triumphant: orcs kill because they do, they are evil because they are.
As to the action, well it’s computer game gore splayed out with a schoolboy’s sadistic glee. However, constant massacre with little jeopardy just gets samey and boring, and the pace of the story is in fact very slow however frenetic the slashing gets, because none of it advances the plot (the little of it there is). And the anime style conversations during combat are just irritating.
This could have been an inventive twist on the fantasy genre, but it’s a let-down. Nothing more than one level of a hack and slash computer game.
Will I proceed to level two in the series? Uh, nope.
Everyone knows what a half-orc or an elf is, so the author feels no need to give any further detail other than the occasional descriptions of clothing or preposterous weaponry, or tired cliches concerning female beauty. This facile approach extends to many descriptions. I was particularly irked by a magic chest returning to “normal” size on a few occasions. What’s “normal” for a wooden chest?
The tone of the book is uneven, attempting to be epic, but using far too many modernisms to succeed. Again, these are used as shorthand for expressions or situations that would be lengthier or awkward in epic language. There’s nothing wrong in using modern language, but the overall approach should be consistent: be either oldy worldy or modern, but not both, otherwise the final impression given is, in the author’s words, “goofy”.
The author is nevertheless brave to use amoral, even evil anti-heroes as the protagonists, and it’s a clever concept to tell the tale of the orcs for once, but they have to be interesting in order for the reader to root for them or want to spend time in their company. Neither Qurrah nor Harruq is interesting. The former is supposed to have a particularly awful backstory that put him on the road to necromancy, but he just comes across as sadistic, weak and easily led. The latter is meant to be a berserker with a heart of gold, and a soppy love story, but there is little or no evolution in his character to show the conflict between his personality and his supposed orcish nature (the “weight of blood” of the title). Again, the trope is triumphant: orcs kill because they do, they are evil because they are.
As to the action, well it’s computer game gore splayed out with a schoolboy’s sadistic glee. However, constant massacre with little jeopardy just gets samey and boring, and the pace of the story is in fact very slow however frenetic the slashing gets, because none of it advances the plot (the little of it there is). And the anime style conversations during combat are just irritating.
This could have been an inventive twist on the fantasy genre, but it’s a let-down. Nothing more than one level of a hack and slash computer game.
Will I proceed to level two in the series? Uh, nope.
June 18, 2012
The Weight of Blood is fast paced and well written. The premise is quite interesting as I’d never come across half-orcs before and the underlying question of whether they will give in to their orcish or elven blood (hence the title) made me want to keep reading. Both Qurrah and Hurraq are well developed characters with individual personalities and their loyalty to each other is one of the underpinning themes of the book. I enjoyed entering their world and joining them on their quest for power.
However… the author walks a very fine line between showing the characters’ darker motivations and causing the reader to lose sympathy with them completely. Any protagonist, even an anti-hero needs some redeeming qualities, or at the very least, a well-defined reason for doing horrible things. We need some reason to stick with a character, give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure we get that with Hurruq and Qurrah. They do terrible things. They kill children so Qurrah can use their body parts in his magic. They butcher an entire village because their master tells them to. They kill their own father without batting an eyelid. And yet we are supposed to feel empathy for these broken and mistreated individuals. It doesn’t quite work for me. We need more reasons as to why they behave this way. Ostensibly, it’s a result of being badly treated as children, but this idea isn’t explored enough to allow the reader to fully understand these actions. In fact, the only thing that lends some likeability to these characters is Hurruq’s love for the elf, Aurelia.
But I have a problem with her as well. Her initial motivation for meeting Hurruq is to keep an eye on him as she suspects he is responsible for a series of murders (which he is). Gradually, she falls in love with him. That’s fine. I’m okay with that. But at the end, Aurelia finds out about all the horrible things Hurruq has done. Aurelia is a goodie. Shouldn’t her reaction be horror? Anger? Revulsion? Instead, she decides to leave behind all her elf-kind to go on the run with Hurruq and Qurrah. I mean, come on. Love isn’t that blind, is it?
Having said that, the book ends on a note of optimism. The brothers have turned their back on their evil master and have decided to return to their home city.
I did enjoy the book and I’m interested enough to read the next books to see what happens to Qurrah and Hurruq Tun.
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes their fantasy dark and gruesome.
I give it 3.5 stars.
However… the author walks a very fine line between showing the characters’ darker motivations and causing the reader to lose sympathy with them completely. Any protagonist, even an anti-hero needs some redeeming qualities, or at the very least, a well-defined reason for doing horrible things. We need some reason to stick with a character, give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure we get that with Hurruq and Qurrah. They do terrible things. They kill children so Qurrah can use their body parts in his magic. They butcher an entire village because their master tells them to. They kill their own father without batting an eyelid. And yet we are supposed to feel empathy for these broken and mistreated individuals. It doesn’t quite work for me. We need more reasons as to why they behave this way. Ostensibly, it’s a result of being badly treated as children, but this idea isn’t explored enough to allow the reader to fully understand these actions. In fact, the only thing that lends some likeability to these characters is Hurruq’s love for the elf, Aurelia.
But I have a problem with her as well. Her initial motivation for meeting Hurruq is to keep an eye on him as she suspects he is responsible for a series of murders (which he is). Gradually, she falls in love with him. That’s fine. I’m okay with that. But at the end, Aurelia finds out about all the horrible things Hurruq has done. Aurelia is a goodie. Shouldn’t her reaction be horror? Anger? Revulsion? Instead, she decides to leave behind all her elf-kind to go on the run with Hurruq and Qurrah. I mean, come on. Love isn’t that blind, is it?
Having said that, the book ends on a note of optimism. The brothers have turned their back on their evil master and have decided to return to their home city.
I did enjoy the book and I’m interested enough to read the next books to see what happens to Qurrah and Hurruq Tun.
I’d recommend this to anyone who likes their fantasy dark and gruesome.
I give it 3.5 stars.
June 21, 2011
I knew when I picked up The Weight of Blood, I picked up some dark fantasy. It was much darker than I expected. This novel follows the story of two Half-Orcs, the big and brawny Harruq and his smaller brother Qurrah, a necromancer. They are half-feared and hated by humans, and despised by elves, and it is clear life has forced them into habits which are not of a morally high standard. Their complete dedication to each other surpasses all these matters.
So the premise is interesting enough. But I had some problems with separating between the names of the brothers, and soon enough, I had trouble caring. While Harruq, a big oaf who slavishly does as his brother tells him, may have some redeeming qualities, Qurrah has almost none (his love for his brother being the exception). Once they hook up with the strange sorcerer Velixar, I would have been quite content if the three of them would have suffered a painful dead. It’s hard to enjoy a novel if you don’t care for the main characters.
The saving grace was the appearance of the elf Aurelia, who takes a liking to Harruq, despite her reservations about him. Furthermore, the pace and plotting of the novel was good enough to keep me going. And I must admit, a short e-mail exchange with the author, David Dalglish, helped as well. On a side note, the accessibility of indie authors is quite nice, and another reason for me to keep searching for indie novels (aside from the pricing of indie novels).
I was glad I stuck with the novel, because the ending provided some light on an otherwise gloomy horizon. I will read the sequel, and have in fact bought the Half-Orcs Omnibus, which contains The Weight of Blood as well as books 2 and 3 from this series.
So the premise is interesting enough. But I had some problems with separating between the names of the brothers, and soon enough, I had trouble caring. While Harruq, a big oaf who slavishly does as his brother tells him, may have some redeeming qualities, Qurrah has almost none (his love for his brother being the exception). Once they hook up with the strange sorcerer Velixar, I would have been quite content if the three of them would have suffered a painful dead. It’s hard to enjoy a novel if you don’t care for the main characters.
The saving grace was the appearance of the elf Aurelia, who takes a liking to Harruq, despite her reservations about him. Furthermore, the pace and plotting of the novel was good enough to keep me going. And I must admit, a short e-mail exchange with the author, David Dalglish, helped as well. On a side note, the accessibility of indie authors is quite nice, and another reason for me to keep searching for indie novels (aside from the pricing of indie novels).
I was glad I stuck with the novel, because the ending provided some light on an otherwise gloomy horizon. I will read the sequel, and have in fact bought the Half-Orcs Omnibus, which contains The Weight of Blood as well as books 2 and 3 from this series.
January 28, 2014
Quarrah and Harruq are quite the anti-heroes. They don't really have many redeeming qualities at all. Hard to connect to characters who didn't really reach out to the reader.
Quarrah is the brother who leads and Harruq the one that follows. Harruq does the violent bidding of his brother, he is his tool.
The relationship between Harruq and the elf Aurelia was interesting. She really tries to establish a connection between the two of them. There is a poignant scene towards the end that not only puts their blossoming friendship at risk it also becomes a a choice between life or death.
Harruq begins to question the authority of his brother and his attitude towards their quest begins to change.
The names of the brothers are a palindrome. Personally I think that might suggest a Jekyll and Hyde kind of situation. The author has created two men and presented them with possible character traits of one.One coin, two sides. The evil man and his conscience. Together they are on a path of steadily escalating violence. The acts growing in atrocity and their reaction to them becoming less apparent as time passes, ergo it doesn't bother them.
This is part of Magic, Myth & Majesty a box-set of Fantasy stories.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author.
Quarrah is the brother who leads and Harruq the one that follows. Harruq does the violent bidding of his brother, he is his tool.
The relationship between Harruq and the elf Aurelia was interesting. She really tries to establish a connection between the two of them. There is a poignant scene towards the end that not only puts their blossoming friendship at risk it also becomes a a choice between life or death.
Harruq begins to question the authority of his brother and his attitude towards their quest begins to change.
The names of the brothers are a palindrome. Personally I think that might suggest a Jekyll and Hyde kind of situation. The author has created two men and presented them with possible character traits of one.One coin, two sides. The evil man and his conscience. Together they are on a path of steadily escalating violence. The acts growing in atrocity and their reaction to them becoming less apparent as time passes, ergo it doesn't bother them.
This is part of Magic, Myth & Majesty a box-set of Fantasy stories.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author.
September 10, 2010
The story follows the lives of Harruq and Qurrah Tun, two half-orcs (half elf/half orc). They are brothers that are bound together by brotherly love and duty of what they are. Harruq is larger and stronger and prefers battle, where Qurrah is weaker, smaller yet strong in magic. They meet a dark magician, an evil man, that uses them for his own personal means. Qurrah is very accepting of his master's spells and lessons, Harruq accepts the gift of strength and swears his loyalty only to protect his brother.
The story has many twists and political rotations - the evil man wants war between man and elf and for elves to perrish. With the help of the half-orcs he almost succeeds, but no one was prepared for Harruq to fall in love with an elf and turn his back on his brother in his most desperate hour. With his gifts rejected, he stays with the beautiful elf and reunites with his brother. Their master perishes - or does he?
Dalglish has penned an intreguing high fantasy story of magic, mahem and blood. The battle and fighting scenes are well-written, the story flows easily, and satisfies with an ending that's open-ended, leaving the reader wanting more. The characters are likeable, hateable and gallant with very genuine personalities.
The story has many twists and political rotations - the evil man wants war between man and elf and for elves to perrish. With the help of the half-orcs he almost succeeds, but no one was prepared for Harruq to fall in love with an elf and turn his back on his brother in his most desperate hour. With his gifts rejected, he stays with the beautiful elf and reunites with his brother. Their master perishes - or does he?
Dalglish has penned an intreguing high fantasy story of magic, mahem and blood. The battle and fighting scenes are well-written, the story flows easily, and satisfies with an ending that's open-ended, leaving the reader wanting more. The characters are likeable, hateable and gallant with very genuine personalities.
August 12, 2017
This is my first review, so don't judge me too harshly here. My brother told me to read the book, as he had made his way steadily through this series and the others set in the same world in a matter of weeks. This is a man who spent a year reading the Hobbit. So straight off, I was expecting... Something.
I want to be harsh with the book, it is short, the story leaps forward in bounds, unhindered by all that pesky and weighty character development or descriptions of... Well pretty much anything. The origin story for our two heroes, fleshed out a little for this review, was "People hurt us. Kill humans. Kill elves. Die die die."
Well, okay, I exaggerate. But not much. I started the book this morning, and aside from a few hours spent doing chores, I was consumed by this book. Simple, quick, but hooking! I fully intend to read the other books in the series, though maybe not straight away. While I enjoyed the book, I was looking for something a little more fulfilling.
This book won't be everyone's idea of perfect, maybe not even their idea of good. But I thought it was excellent. I enjoyed it, and hope the second book will be even better.
I want to be harsh with the book, it is short, the story leaps forward in bounds, unhindered by all that pesky and weighty character development or descriptions of... Well pretty much anything. The origin story for our two heroes, fleshed out a little for this review, was "People hurt us. Kill humans. Kill elves. Die die die."
Well, okay, I exaggerate. But not much. I started the book this morning, and aside from a few hours spent doing chores, I was consumed by this book. Simple, quick, but hooking! I fully intend to read the other books in the series, though maybe not straight away. While I enjoyed the book, I was looking for something a little more fulfilling.
This book won't be everyone's idea of perfect, maybe not even their idea of good. But I thought it was excellent. I enjoyed it, and hope the second book will be even better.
May 26, 2010
Well, this book was easy to read. Very few editing errors, well-written grammatically and the pace was excellent. There was much evilness and the villains were truly villains except for the one I kept rooting for in spite of his 'orcish' short-comings. If you like detailed (and bloody) battle scenes, this book is good reading for you. I used to play a bit of D & D, hence I enjoyed the fantasy. Mr. Dalglish had some original ideas for magick and necromancy or at least they were original in my opinion since I'm not a big reader of fantasy/faery literature. I gave it four stars and will certainly go on to the next book in the series to see what happens next.
April 15, 2010
Pretty standard fantasy affair. The setting feels very DnD/Tolkien-ish (elves are pretty and live a long time, orcs be stoopid an' ugly, magic weapons, spells, and priests oh my!), with a few interesting bits thrown in about the world's deities.
I can't make up my mind whether Harruq and Qurrah ring true as characters. They each have some pretty major flaws (one more-so than the other), but also they are half-orc outcasts living in a hostile society and have had some seriously damaging life experiences.
I can't make up my mind whether Harruq and Qurrah ring true as characters. They each have some pretty major flaws (one more-so than the other), but also they are half-orc outcasts living in a hostile society and have had some seriously damaging life experiences.
April 2, 2011
wow, this was truly terrible. it's rare that i can't finish a book. the writing is uneven both in style and plot, and the characters are one-dimensional and completely undeveloped and unbelievable. i wanted this to be good because the idea of a story told from the orc perspective sounds cool, but it reads like the very worst LOTR fan fiction.
December 22, 2010
Surprisingly good, though at times a bit darker than I would like. Full review: http://fantasybookreviewer.blogspot.c...
April 5, 2015
Dark fantasy. Enjoyed it. It ended promising for book 2 too. Fantasy for when you need quicker reads.
April 28, 2023
Two stars because the story has potential, and is about half-orcs. I was excited to read about these characters and how they struggle with the weight of their mixed heritage. I was sorely disappointed. Orcs are depicted as inherently evil, mere brutes, or both. Very unfortunate.
While the premise has potential, it’s very poorly done. Half orc brothers struggling with the weight of their blood and with their upbringing. Then one brother tries to pull the other deeper into evil, and not wanting him to even consider another path. But the other brother does consider that there might be another way, despite everything. Then another person actually begins to see him for what he could be. The “good” brother is left to reconcile his love for two people, knowing (and trying to deny) that he must pick who he loves/values more.
Like I said, a promising story. But so poorly done. Many inconsistencies throughout the book, including (but not limited to):
- Characters say the same thing two times in a row and get different answers. It was jarring and odd.
- Characters often do things that are not “in character”. There wasn’t a reason for their behavior other than “this is how the story is supposed to go”. It didn’t seem to matter that their actions were not in line with their character. Very unprofessional and sloppy. It takes work to move the story along in a cohesive way.
- Harruq tells Aurelia a gruesome story about the first time he killed, which was supposedly while he was working on repairing the wall in his hometown. The first time he killed in the book was while fighting an orc in the opening battle scene. And that was just the first time we saw him kill, not necessarily the first time he’s done it in his life.
There’s no indication that Harruq was actively lying, other than not telling about killing the kids. But there were many times before that. Why wouldn’t he tell Aurelia that he killed an orc while defending his brother in battle?
Also, he said that Qurrah was distressed by that same murder, and said that he “didn’t mean to”. Really? After everything, how does that distress Qurrah? He killed just as brutally as a child. He demanded the blood offering of children. He reveled in such torture before this.
This seems to be an example of the author writing thins in “just because” that works for the story. There are many other examples, but this is the most glaring one. A huge inconsistency, just one among many.
- Aurelia just ignores Harruq’s evil deeds in every scene except two. And she ends up just brushing it off in one of them. She may be young by elven standards, but she’s old enough to recognize right and wrong. Although she initially rescued Harruq so that she could gather evidence against him (rightfully so, it turns out), but later in the book remembers how the guards “attacked him without cause or reason”. He was caught sneaking in to a tavern/orphanage! She knew before this that he was suspected of several brutal murders. He told her about some of the bad things he did.
- This leads me to the next thing – a tavern-orphanage?! Really? Even in a medieval fantasy setting, this is a stretch. Why would locals think this caretaker is kind as opposed to noticing that her employees are chronically abused orphans? Guards/watchmen would likely frequent a tavern and see something if no one else does.
- There are also several typos, which further ruin the immersion factor. It just added to my frustration.
There were some moments in this book that worked, but very few. There is great potential in the premise, but the writing was downright unprofessional and sloppy. It was difficult to get immersed in the world or to care about characters who only did things “because that’s how I want this story to go” (as opposed to behaving like thinking adults). I can deal with violence in stories, but the horrific level presented here only showed me the depravity of the main characters. I’m not convinced of the value of their redemption. The author could have convinced me with better storytelling, but the writing here fell short.
While the premise has potential, it’s very poorly done. Half orc brothers struggling with the weight of their blood and with their upbringing. Then one brother tries to pull the other deeper into evil, and not wanting him to even consider another path. But the other brother does consider that there might be another way, despite everything. Then another person actually begins to see him for what he could be. The “good” brother is left to reconcile his love for two people, knowing (and trying to deny) that he must pick who he loves/values more.
Like I said, a promising story. But so poorly done. Many inconsistencies throughout the book, including (but not limited to):
- Characters say the same thing two times in a row and get different answers. It was jarring and odd.
- Characters often do things that are not “in character”. There wasn’t a reason for their behavior other than “this is how the story is supposed to go”. It didn’t seem to matter that their actions were not in line with their character. Very unprofessional and sloppy. It takes work to move the story along in a cohesive way.
- Harruq tells Aurelia a gruesome story about the first time he killed, which was supposedly while he was working on repairing the wall in his hometown. The first time he killed in the book was while fighting an orc in the opening battle scene. And that was just the first time we saw him kill, not necessarily the first time he’s done it in his life.
There’s no indication that Harruq was actively lying, other than not telling about killing the kids. But there were many times before that. Why wouldn’t he tell Aurelia that he killed an orc while defending his brother in battle?
Also, he said that Qurrah was distressed by that same murder, and said that he “didn’t mean to”. Really? After everything, how does that distress Qurrah? He killed just as brutally as a child. He demanded the blood offering of children. He reveled in such torture before this.
This seems to be an example of the author writing thins in “just because” that works for the story. There are many other examples, but this is the most glaring one. A huge inconsistency, just one among many.
- Aurelia just ignores Harruq’s evil deeds in every scene except two. And she ends up just brushing it off in one of them. She may be young by elven standards, but she’s old enough to recognize right and wrong. Although she initially rescued Harruq so that she could gather evidence against him (rightfully so, it turns out), but later in the book remembers how the guards “attacked him without cause or reason”. He was caught sneaking in to a tavern/orphanage! She knew before this that he was suspected of several brutal murders. He told her about some of the bad things he did.
- This leads me to the next thing – a tavern-orphanage?! Really? Even in a medieval fantasy setting, this is a stretch. Why would locals think this caretaker is kind as opposed to noticing that her employees are chronically abused orphans? Guards/watchmen would likely frequent a tavern and see something if no one else does.
- There are also several typos, which further ruin the immersion factor. It just added to my frustration.
There were some moments in this book that worked, but very few. There is great potential in the premise, but the writing was downright unprofessional and sloppy. It was difficult to get immersed in the world or to care about characters who only did things “because that’s how I want this story to go” (as opposed to behaving like thinking adults). I can deal with violence in stories, but the horrific level presented here only showed me the depravity of the main characters. I’m not convinced of the value of their redemption. The author could have convinced me with better storytelling, but the writing here fell short.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews