The Goblin Corps

The Goblin Corps follows a squad of monstrous soldiers serving in the armies of the dark lord Morthûl. Rather than focusing on heroes battling evil, this military fantasy chronicles the missions and conflicts of a dysfunctional unit composed of goblins, trolls, orcs and other traditional "bad guys." The story tracks the members of the Demon Squad as they undertake covert operations and survive internal power struggles. Their assignments range from sabotage to assassination, testing both their combat skills and their strained unit cohesion. The squad faces mounting challenges as various forces align against their master's reign. Through battles, betrayals, and shifting allegiances, the monster soldiers must complete their objectives while navigating complex political machinations. This subversive take on fantasy tropes examines themes of loyalty, perspective, and the nature of good and evil. By centering traditionally villainous creatures, the novel raises questions about how stories shape our understanding of morality and heroism.

Readers describe The Goblin Corps as a dark fantasy that flips traditional hero narratives by following monster protagonists. The book maintains a 3.7/5 rating on Goodreads (1,500+ ratings) and 4.1/5 on Amazon (100+ ratings). Readers appreciated: - Humor and witty dialogue between squad members - Fresh perspective on familiar fantasy tropes - Detailed combat scenes - Character development of the monster squad Common criticisms: - Pacing issues, especially in the middle sections - Violence and crude humor that some found excessive - Complex names and terminology that slowed reading - Length (500+ pages) felt too long for the story "The banter between characters kept me engaged even during slower parts" - Goodreads reviewer "Takes too long to get where it's going, but worth it for monster fans" - Amazon review "Like Inglourious Basterds meets Lord of the Rings, from the orcs' perspective" - LibraryThing user

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🔥 The book deliberately subverts traditional fantasy tropes by following a squad of monstrous protagonists who serve the "evil" side, rather than focusing on heroic warriors. 🗡️ Author Ari Marmell wrote several novels and sourcebooks for popular tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and Vampire: The Requiem before writing The Goblin Corps. 🌟 The main characters include a variety of classic fantasy monsters: an orc, a troll, a goblin, an ogre, a kobold, a bugbear, and a shapeshifter—each with distinct personalities that challenge stereotype expectations. 🏰 The story takes place in parallel with a traditional fantasy epic happening in the background, where heroes are trying to save the world, but readers only see these events from the monsters' perspective. 📚 Despite its dark themes and violent content, the book maintains a strong thread of humor throughout, particularly in the bickering and banter between the mismatched squad members.