Queen of the Orcs: King's Property (Queen of the Orcs)

by Morgan Howell

Queen of the Orcs: King's Property (Queen of the Orcs)

book data

67 ratings, 3.72 average rating, 14 reviews (more data...)

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published

July 31st 2007 by Del Rey

binding

Mass Market Paperback

isbn

0345496507 (isbn13: 9780345496508)

description

Born into hardship, Dar learns to rely on herself alone. When her family betrays her, Dar is conscripted into King Kregant’s army and its brutal...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 98)

All ratings | 5 stars (13) | 4 stars (29) | 3 stars (19) | 2 stars (5) | 1 star (1) | avg 3.72

all | this edition

Deborah

Deborah rated it:

11/29/08

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in January, 2008

I guess I'd call this "dark fantasy" since there is little hope throughout the book. It's also not a book I, personally, would give to anyone under 15 years old. The book clearly implies, though never actually states, that Dar was raped repeatedly by her father and both Dar and a young girl come very close to being raped on several occasions. While most of the sex, rape, brutality, and killing occur 'off screen' and none of it is explicit or gratuitous, the horror and danger of her sur...more

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Ben

Ben rated it:

11/23/07

Read in November, 2007

King's Property is the first in a series of three books by Morgan Howell. Set in a somewhat generic fantasy setting, the trilogy centers on the character of Dar, a resourceful (human) peasant woman who is conscripted into the king's army to serve in a orcish regiment.

I read this novel as I have been floating for a couple years now the idea of writing something similar, a sort of reinterpretation of the idea of orcs, which coincidentally also had a human woman as the main character (fantasy l...more King's Property is the first in a series of three books by Morgan Howell. Set in a somewhat generic fantasy setting, the trilogy centers on the character of Dar, a resourceful (human) peasant woman who is conscripted into the king's army to serve in a orcish regiment.

I read this novel as I have been floating for a couple years now the idea of writing something similar, a sort of reinterpretation of the idea of orcs, which coincidentally also had a human woman as the main character (fantasy literature is not a very original field). Thus, I felt the need to examine the competition.

Howell takes a slightly different direction than I might have expected. Some things are as I guessed: Dar lives in a dark, gritty, "realistic" place where pragmatism is by far the dominant ethos. I was surprised, however, by the orcs. They share little more in common with Tolkien's orcs (the light by which all orcs must be interpreted, for better or for worse) than being large, "ugly," and fierce. But even the fierceness is not as one might expect: These orcs are not always violent on their own (though they sometimes are) but rather at the behest of their human leaders, whom they serve for the sake of their queen who is in some way allied with Dar's king (many of these particulars are omitted in the volume and are presumably dealt with later). The orcs, rather than being a disorganized, violent mob, are the most disciplined of all the troops Dar encounters, up to and including the king's own guard. There are some more surprises I don't want to give away to those that haven't read the book, but the orcs eventually deviate even more from the Tolkienesque archetype. On top of all this, I could see definite hints of "noble savage" myths mixed in the orcish behaviors, which makes me somewhat uneasy. While I was somewhat disappointed that the orcs were not what I might have guessed, that is not a fault of the book.

The main character, Dar, shows elements of nineteenth century adventure novel heroines and the women of Greek epics and tragedies (she shares some things in common with Cassandra), though I don't know that she could have existed prior to the advent of modern feminism. She is not Buffy, though (at least not yet). She survives on courage, genius, and audacity, not on her ability with the sword. One of the weaknesses of this novel is that Dar seems to display too much courage, genius, and audacity. In fairness, though, Dar is clearly depicted as exceptional; I just sometimes balked at how exceptional.

The other characters, at least the humans, tend to go the other direction. I can't accuse them of being one-dimensional, most aren't, but rather of being dull, in both senses: stupid and boring. Development is admittedly not a high priority for many of these characters though, as few live long enough for us to care what happens to them. Thus, this is not as large a fault as it might at first seem.

On the whole, though, I found this to be an intriguing book. There were enough surprises, but not too many, to keep me curious about what would happen. Dar is interesting and sympathetic (if not always wholly believable). I'm curious to see where Howell takes this all in the next two books.

A word of warning: This is definitely a book for "mature readers" as they say. It is so in a way that is appropriate to the subject matter - this isn't an exploitation novel - but some elements may still be disturbing. Specifically, besides the usual decapitations and such, there is a constant threat of sexual violence (none of it graphic, but still...) in the book. Furthermore, Dar, it turns out, comes from an abusive past, and some references to that may also be disturbing to some, I imagine....less

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Isalei

Isalei rated it:

12/14/08

Read in April, 2008

This book was way better than I expected it to be.

I found it as a library suggestion at my local library so I was very pleasantly surprised by how much better it turned out to be than just the short library summary I'd read about it.

The other two that go with it, Clan Daughter & Royal Destiny are just as amazing as well. I really found it hard to put this book down once I started it so if you do get the chance to read it, I recommend getting the the other two series that go along wi...more

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Brownbetty

Brownbetty rated it:

05/02/08

Read in May, 2008

The story of Dar, more or less kidnapped to be a woman for the army, and I say 'be a woman' on purpose.

Dar is a woman in a culture that treats rape as the primary mode of interaction between men and women. Dar has been raped by her father before the book begins, and is very determined not to be raped again, but she has very few resources to do this. The other women for the army deal with the same problem, although most of them in different ways than Dar chooses.

Half-way through the f...more

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Jim

Jim rated it:

04/14/08

Read in February, 2008

King's Property is the story of Dar, a woman whose family hands her over to the army of King Kregant to serve the human and orc soldiers. Being a rather spirited woman, Dar makes several powerful enemies among the humans. Instead of allowing herself to be used, she turns to the orcs for protection, a choice which further alienates her from her fellow humans. It's a dark and violent book, often depressing, but Dar's struggle to survive makes for a good story, as does her gradual immersion into or...more King's Property is the story of Dar, a woman whose family hands her over to the army of King Kregant to serve the human and orc soldiers. Being a rather spirited woman, Dar makes several powerful enemies among the humans. Instead of allowing herself to be used, she turns to the orcs for protection, a choice which further alienates her from her fellow humans. It's a dark and violent book, often depressing, but Dar's struggle to survive makes for a good story, as does her gradual immersion into orcish culture and beliefs.

Props to Howell for taking an unflinching look at the role of women during wartime. It's not a pretty picture. The work is backbreaking and unforgiving, and the women have to choose between crawling into bed with a "protector" or risking gang rape every time the army makes camp. It's a refreshing change from the way women are typically ignored or glossed over in this sort of book. Howell focuses on Dar and the women, narrating the war from their perspective. We still see the battles and the bloodshed, but it's a very different perspective. Less honor and glory, and more of the day-to-day fear and desperation.

As a result, this was definitely not a light read. The human men started to feel a little cardboard in their nastiness, and there's at least one point where things got dark enough I almost tossed the book aside. I'm glad I didn't.

The book is obviously part 1 of a trilogy, not so much ending as stopping. We see hints of dark powers and foreboding omens, fight a big battle, and leave Dar and the orcs in a very tight spot.

It's a gripping story about issues which have been unforgivably neglected in the genre. And I'm all about books that develop the typical monstrous races. The orcs were interesting, if a little too romantically idealized. (They reminded me a bit of the noble savage stereotype.) Overall, I'm glad I read it, and I'll almost certainly pick up the next ... but I'll keep a lighter book on the bedside table, just in case I need a break....less

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Kathryn

Kathryn rated it:

03/25/08

bookshelves: fantasy

Dar is a young peasant woman who is drafted into service as a cook and servant for the army of King Kregent. She is told that she must serve the Orc Regiment, since for unknown reasons, orcs refuse to be served by men, and only accept food from the hands of women. Dar is terrified by the orcs at first (naturally), but she has spirit and refuses to let it be broken by orcs or men. She decides to risk her very life in an attempt to forge a kind of alliance with the orcs, and learns all t...more

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Kim

Kim rated it:

03/04/08

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: those looking for original imaginary world fantasy

I must admit that, although the plot of this book appealed to me, I initially resisted reading it for a couple of reasons, both of them related to the term "orcs." The most famous orcs, of course, are those found in Tolkien's works, and in works derivative of them, especially role-playing games. I wondered if using the term "orc" might even be considered plagiarism of a sort---but a bit of research into the origin of the term quelled my doubts. (It's a fascinating topic---...more

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Michael

Michael rated it:

12/03/08

Read in December, 2008

recommended to Michael by: Eric V

Very good. The Orcs are unique and have a well thought out culture and language that goes well beyond what is typically thought of as Orcish. The plot developes very slowly and as a tie in to future bookes of the series. However it is well written and interesting enough to make it hard to put down.

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Koko

Koko rated it:

03/17/08

bookshelves: 2008, fantasy

Read in March, 2008

An abused young woman is conscripted to serve the orcs in the (human) king's army. To avoid the attentions of men, she unusually befriends an orc.

Complex and unusual. I believe it is the first novel from this author, and I look forward to the others in this series.

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Scott

Scott rated it:

02/06/08

Read in February, 2008

Fun read and an interesting concept. Orcs in this world are a cross between samurai and mercenaries. The main character, Dar is fiesty and fun to read about, dispite the dark trends the book has towards women.

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Dejsha

Dejsha rated it:

06/20/08

Read in June, 2008

This has been a fun fantasy read, with very likeable Orcs. Not a usual character you like in a book. It has been very fun. But it is also a war book and dark in that respect.

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May

May rated it:

03/18/08

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in September, 2007

Recommended by Publisher's Weekly. Enjoyed it from beginning to end.

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SFReader

SFReader rated it:

01/13/08

bookshelves: reviewed

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Aeryn

Aeryn rated it:

09/16/08

Read in September, 2008

This was certainly a different perspective

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Monzz

Monzz rated it:

01/06/09

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Bookwyrm

Bookwyrm rated it:

01/05/09

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Laura

Laura marked it as to-read

01/02/09

bookshelves: to-read

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Millicent

Millicent rated it:

12/23/08

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Danielle

Danielle added it

12/20/08

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Angela

Angela marked it as to-read

12/15/08

bookshelves: to-read

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