Rating: 
Summary: Orcs as Marines?
Review: "Grunts" is told from the viewpoint of orcs (those guys always getting killed by the so-called heroes), and these orcs find a cache of modern day Marine armaments. What happened after this? A whole heck of a lot of chaos and humor; this book had me laughing from beginning to end. You just gotta love it with the orcs teaching elves to be Marines, and cannibalistic halflings running around causing havoc. This is a great book, which I have read over and over. "Grunts" is not your standard fantasy, but it is a whole lot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: A good idea misused
Review: When a friend recommended this book to me, I thought it'd be fun to read a standard fantasy as seen from the bad guys' perspective. Although the idea and the back cover text is great, the book doesn't much deliver on its promise.Expecting a light and funny read, I was dissapointed to find the prose heavy and much too ambitious for the genre. If Gentle had sticked with providing a pastiche of fantasy with the evil side's perspective, the book could have been very funny. As it is now, after spending very little time parodizing the fantasy genre, Gentle launches into a story involving US Marine equipment, quickly doing everything she can to destroy the setting and atmosphere of fantasy. The result is a very 'modern' slapstick, and not very funny - the fantasy pastiche potential is lost along the way. Although slow going and much too long, the book pick a little up after the first 100 or so pages, but it never reaches a point where you really want to read on. For a funny fantasy, read Bored of the Ring instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful book.
Review: I thought this book to be a wonderfully different approach to fantasy. Told from the bad guys perspective, it was really refreshing to hear how things worked from the eyes of those perennial losers ...the orcs. Nine tenths of this book was great. Good storyline, good characters, witty...My only complaint was the futuristic aspect (marine weapons) although, to be sure, it DID add a lot of humor....other than that, I loved it
Rating:
Summary: A book to be appluaded
Review: Ive been reading since I was just a small lad, and in this period of time I have found many, many books that just take the same old genre and put another coat of paint on it. Or, just beat the perverbeal horse with the perverbeal crow-bar of mundaness. I have to say when my friend handed me this book I was very doubtful, I had just been let down way too many times with fantasy. How many times do I need to read about the small town farmer that becomes an action hero? And I have to admit, the first 50 pages seem to be kind of slow, but after that there is NOT a slow spot. Its packed full of comedy, new ideas (which is SOARLY needed in this genre)action, and has MANY characters. I see it this way, how many times have you WISHED for the damned hero in gold armour to be shot with a sniper rifle? Or for once maybe the dark side of the force just might win, in this book its all possible, ALL! For lots of luaghs and at least something to tide you over till the next WOT book comes out, give this one a wirl.
Rating:
Summary: What The Heck Are The Naysayers Problems?
Review: Admitedly this isn't the greatest book I've read, I've read alot, but not everyday is a new Asimov, Clark, or Williams born. Gentle isn't a godess. She's funny. Very funny. This book is crude and rude, get over it. In a genre overflowing with lusty women, pure heroes, and more 'dark lords' than you can shake a stick at, this is a fantastic breath of fresh air that comfortably makes fun of the over bearing cliches of fantasy. Honestly I an disgusted with the people who disliked the book. So what if it's not Harry Potter, I swear to god, if I see that goddamn book one more time I'm gonna' scream! Dammit there's better stuff out there, get over it. It's nice to see a book with no qualms to violence, doesn't let up or anything else, it's frantic and fun. And if whoever ran through the reviews and but a negative mark on all the reviews comes round and marks me down for liking this book, I'll find you... I swear to god I'll find you.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm ashamed to own this book
Review: This is an awful book. Was it supposed to be funny? Was it supposed to make a point? I couldn't tell, because the characters were stale and flat, the situations confusing and the resolutions unsatisfying. They should use this book as a tool to teach people how not to write fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun to Read
Review: Well, I already reviewed this book, but somehow that review never got posted, and since I'm to lazy to rewrite the whole thing, here're the basics. --Great fun to read (great humor and lots of action, especially for fantasy and military fans) --C(h)ock full of adult content and situations and language --Borrowed lots from movie "Aliens" --Lost my interest in middle of book 3 --Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Mary Gentle Goes Not Gently In To Dark Orcs
Review: A well-written story, sometimes using gore to excess, but highly original, integrating the sparkle of magic, the commonplace of a Marine grunt, and the truly unique and surprisingly pitiful perspective of orcs as cannon fodder. For those who like to be grossed out, and enjoy a lot of action along those lines, where violence is a casual event minor enough to seldom occasion comment by the locals, you'll enjoy the hell out of it!
Rating:
Summary: Good Versus Evil Revisited
Review: Grunts! is a really wild trip. I can't think of another novel I've read that has more shooting, explosions, and guns. The fantasy novel is wholly original (of course the Forces of Good aren't inheritantly good) and the jokes range from plain gross to mildly funny to laugh out loud hilarious. The novel itself is divided into three parts (books 1, 2, and 3) and the best and most exciting part is book 2. It includes one of the most fantastic castle sieges I've ever read (use flying elephants to bomb the enemy, why not?). Book 1 does a relatively fine job of setting up the events in books 2 and 3. However, I found book 1 to be the least funny part of the novel. Book 3 includes an unneeded cameo by a 20th century human from Earth (you'll have to read the novel to see how he gets from Earth to the planet in the novel). Book 3 is even more chaotic and odd than books 1 and 2. Book 3 includes one of the funniest and most ludicrous trial scenes I've ever read. Despite some minor complaints, and some excessive depictions of violence, Grunts! is a very original and ultimatly strange fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Grunts!: a slightly offensive, violent, Middle Earth fantasy
Review: The orcs of the horde of darkness are a pitifull, disgusting, disturbing bunch. where there's a complete mystery about just about everything in this race, one thing's for certain: they're all going to die. Or are they? This book tells what REALLY happened during a time when man still had to share the world with the other races. Not the best book for children to read, as it has plenty of adult content, and profanity. Perfect if you like guns and war. This book is by Mary Gentle.
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