Stan Nicholls - Orcs

Copyright 2004 by Stan Nicholls

(Bodyguard of Lightning 1999; Legion of Thunder 1999; Warriors of the Tempest 2000; The Taking 2000, first appeared in Swords Against the Millennium, ed. Michael Chinn, published by Alchemy Press)

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Orbit

Hachette Book Group, USA

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com.

First eBook Edition: September 2008

ISBN: 978-0-316-04284-0

Praise for ORCS

Stan Nicholls takes his well-deserved place beside Robert Jordan and George R. R. Martin as a modern star of fantasy.

The Independent

Incorporating wall-to-wall action with undercurrents of dark humor, Bodyguard of Lightning is a gritty, fast-paced novel with a neat twist. The heroes are orcsthough you wouldnt want to meet any of them on a dark night!

David Gemmell

Weirdly charming, fast-moving, and freaky, Bodyguard of Lightning is the most fun youre ever likely to have with a warband of orcs. Remember, buy now or beg for mercy later.

Tad Williams

A neat idea and Stan Nicholls pulls it off with great panache... enough weird sex to keep the tabloids outraged for weeks. Youll never feel the same about Lord of the Rings.

Jon Courtenay Grimwood, SFX

A warning: if you dont wish to become addicted to the most impressive new fantasy sequence in many a moon, you should avoid Bodyguard of Lightning.

Genre Hotline/LineOne Science Fiction Zone

Stan Nicholls tries to correct the bad press authors such as Tolkien have given to orcs. Nicholls tells his tale briskly and entertainingly.... If you like lots of hacking and slashing, Bodyguard of Lightning is for you!

Starburst

Bodyguard of Lightning is naturally full of fighting, blood-letting, and double-crossing. Nicholls has created a fast-paced adventure.

The Mentor

In the fantasy field, Stan Nichollss Legion of Thunder demonstrates a truly coruscating imagination in its outrageous narrative.

Publishing News Books of the Year 1999

Nicholls knows how to describe a battle in gritty detail, in such a way that it grabs your interest and yet still appears as unglamorous and unromantic as it should. A strange tale of magic, fantastic creatures, and mythical elder races that warps your expectations.

The SF Site

Warriors of the Tempest is, above all, a wonderful piece of storytelling; fast-paced with plenty of hairpin twists, crammed with loads of juicy battles and properly bad baddies, racing towards a carefully set up conclusion thats both exciting and genuinely moving.... Underlying all the fun and games are a core of skillfully drawn, fully realized characters who engage your sympathy from the start and never let go.... Sweet and sour orc, a feast for the most jaded fantasy-lovers palate.

Tom Holt, SFX magazine

The prose flows smoothly and the story is exciting.

Science Fiction Chronicle

Breathless and ruthless, menacing and fun. Easy to read and totally engaging.

The Alien Online

Stan Nichollss excellent Orcs sequence... is a welcome counterblast to the anti-orc onslaught due with the film launch of The Lord of the Rings.

The Guardian

Nows your chance to catch up with one of the most unusual writers in the genre. And its particularly wonderful not to have to put your brain to bed while reading Nicholls unlike many of his writing peers, theres a real intelligence always at work here. Not that we dont get the requisite rip-roaring action and colorful world-buildingalong with some cutting humor.

Tiscali SF Zone

It is an excellent adventure read. A good adventure story with plenty of action, humorous and well crafted. Thoroughly recommended.

SF Crowsnest

BY STAN NICHOLLS

Gladiators Game Book No. 1

Tom and Jerry: The Movie

Cool Zool

Strange Invaders

Spider-man: The Hobgoblin

The Nightshade Chronicles

The Book of Shadows

Shadow of the Sorcerer

A Gathering of Shadows

Fade to Black

Dark Skies: The Awakening

Orcs

The Dreamtime Trilogy

The Covenant Rising

The Righteous Blade

The Diamond Isle

Nonfiction

Wordsmiths of Wonder: Fifty Interviews with Writers of the Fantastic

Ken and Me

Gerry Anderson: The Authorized Biography

Graphic novels (as adaptor)

David Gemmells Legend

David Gemmells Wolf in Shadow

The Orcs omnibus is dedicated to
Marianne Gay and Nick Fifer, for being happy,
and for being a loving inspiration.

BODYGUARD OF LIGHTNING

This is, of course, for Anne and Marianne.

Oh well rant and well roar like true orcish warriors

Well rant and well roar for all that we be

Well march back from yonder all laden with plunder

Oh what treasures, what pleasures, then you will see

Farewell and good-bye to you fair orcish ladies

Farewell and good-bye to you ladies of hame

Weve taken a liking to mayhem and fighting

Our blades we will bring down and sharpen again

Well burn and well plunder and then we will sunder

Their heads from their necks and their gold from their purse

Well meet them in battle and kill them like cattle

Well drink their beer dry while the poor bastards curse

The first land we sighted we saw a tall spire

We crept up in darkness and set it aflame

We took silver and chalice for we bore them such malice

And we hope that next year they wont be there again

We found a fat farmer, we found his fair daughter

We tickled him up with the point of a knife

He babbled and gabbled, gave us gold without haggle

The girl ran off screaming so we roasted his wife

Now let every orc warrior take up his full tankard

Now let every orc warrior drink deep of strong ale

Our Wolverines spearpoints will skewer em like pork joints

Far richer and fatter the orcs will prevail!

Traditional warband marching song

Stryke couldnt see the ground for corpses.

He was deafened by screams and clashing steel. Despite the cold, sweat stung his eyes. His muscles burned and his body ached. Blood, mud and splashed brains flecked his jerkin. And now two more of the loathsome, soft pink creatures were moving in on him with murder in their eyes.

He savoured the joy.

His footing unsure, he stumbled and almost fell, pure instinct bringing up his sword to meet the first swinging blade. The impact jarred but checked the blow. He nimbly retreated a pace, dropped into a half crouch and lunged forward again, below his opponents guard. The sword rammed into the enemys stomach. Stryke quickly raked it upward, deep and hard, until it struck a rib, tumbling guts. The creature went down, a stupefied expression on its face.