In the Company of Ogres

3,5 stars (I rounded up), just a really fun read! This is my 2nd A.Lee Martinez book (after 'Gil's All Fright Diner') and I think I'm on to him. Or at least how he writes. Take a straightforward tale, don't overly muck it up with a lot of philosophical blah blah, mix in a nice portion of (dis-)likeable and diverse characters and last but not least, treat every possible species of dead or undead players with respect! And viola! He's 2 for 2 so far in tickling my funny bone me just when I need it the most. Now don't worry, I'm not going to start oozing with Terry Pratchett (or any other literary Terrys) comparisons. These books are not that complex nor as multi-layered as the better Discworld novels, though they'd give a few of the lesser loved titles a run for the money! But these are good books and I look forward to picking out a new one. Bottom-line: 'In The Company of Ogres' is a fun ride that stays on track and delivers in terms of humour, suspense and action. And again, if you're going to use fantastical characters as liberally as ALM does, then by golly, don't take them too seriously! Well done! Recommendation: if you see any of these at your used book store or at the local library, read them! Do not pass go, do not collect etc. etc., just read the darn things!

Despite the blurb, above, this book is neither Phule's Company nor Guards! Guards! It is pure A. Lee Martinez, and if you're not already a fan of Mr. Martinez' oddly twisted tales and quirky characters, then Lucky You! You have some wonderful reading ahead of you. In the Company of Ogres is one of Mr. Martinez' earlier books, and so it doesn't have quite the polish as, say, Monster or Divine Misfortune, but one is still treated to much more than just bare glimpses of the amazing story teller that Martinez is to become; the book is chock full of Martinez' trademark comic fantasy tall-tale style. Well worth the reading.

We read all the time about the great hero and his fight against the Dark Lord abd his army, but what about those soldiers in that army? This book is about those soldiers and the troubles they face. The personal lives of the soldiers that are the worst of the worst, so it's a comedy and the story moves at a fast pace. The book is a little dark in that the main character dies like five times, but there's a reason and the climax is a very good version of the metaphysical faceoff I expect from this author.