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19th out of 119 books
—
61 voters
Goblin Quest (Jig the Goblin #1)
by
Jim C. Hines (Goodreads Author)
Jig is a scrawny little nearsighted goblin-a runt even among his puny species. Captured by a party of adventurers searching for a magical artifact, and forced to guide them, Jig encounters every peril ever faced on a fantasy quest.
Paperback, 346 pages
Published
November 7th 2006
by DAW
(first published November 2nd 2004)
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Mar 29, 2013
MrsJoseph
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
fantasy,
fantasy-comedy,
format-paperback,
series,
series-to-build,
dragons,
goblins,
2012-read,
2012-reviewed,
tbr-decimation
I first heard about Jim C. Hines via a mention the Dear Author blog. Jim Hines created a hilarious poem based off of the song Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot. I laughed so hard when reading his poem
Baby Got Books
that I had to chase down his blog.
http://bookslifewine.wordpress.com/20...
http://bookslifewine.wordpress.com/20...
2 likes · like · see review
view 1 comment
Dec 04, 2008
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
Jig the goblin in very low on the pecking order in the goblin tunnels.
But one day Jig runs afoul of a group of adventurers. The group is led by a prince with too many older brothers. He wants to prove himself. So with his wizard brother, a dwarf protector, and a young elf thief, they have come to the tunnels to search for the legendary Rod of Creation.
It is said to be deep in the mountain, beyond the terrible Necromancer, and guarded by an ancient dragon. Jig is impressed into service as a gui...more
But one day Jig runs afoul of a group of adventurers. The group is led by a prince with too many older brothers. He wants to prove himself. So with his wizard brother, a dwarf protector, and a young elf thief, they have come to the tunnels to search for the legendary Rod of Creation.
It is said to be deep in the mountain, beyond the terrible Necromancer, and guarded by an ancient dragon. Jig is impressed into service as a gui...more
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines is the first in a trilogy of books about a goblin named, "Jig." (I'm assuming the other two books are about Jig, I've not actually read them yet. But I will...read on...) Jig is a misfit and spends his days just trying to stay out of the way of most of the other goblins. He has a quicker wit than most other goblins, but that's hardly valued in the goblin world. Through a series of serious bummers Jig quickly finds himself in a place he's never been: outside the gobli...more
I love this book so much.
I read it last year, but now I finally treated myself to the two sequels, I decided to read it again. It definitely held up to re-reading.
I don't know how Goblin Quest would seem to people who aren't familiar with fantasy RPGs or post-Tolkien fantasy adventure novels. I enjoy both, on sufferance. Goblin Quest reads to me as though Jim C. Hines interviewed me about EVERYTHING that annoys me about D&D and then set out to write a book to make me feel better.
The protagon...more
I read it last year, but now I finally treated myself to the two sequels, I decided to read it again. It definitely held up to re-reading.
I don't know how Goblin Quest would seem to people who aren't familiar with fantasy RPGs or post-Tolkien fantasy adventure novels. I enjoy both, on sufferance. Goblin Quest reads to me as though Jim C. Hines interviewed me about EVERYTHING that annoys me about D&D and then set out to write a book to make me feel better.
The protagon...more
Jim Hines is a really nice guy. He's a regular attendee at our local SF cons, and I've attended several panels where he's talked about life as a fledgling author. I've also had the chance to chat with him a few times, and, like I said, he's a really good guy.
This year, he was the Toastmaster for ConFusion, the con we have every January. Because of that, and because he's such a nice man, I decided that, well, I should probably read one of his books. Sorry about that, Jim.
I really wish I hadn't w...more
This year, he was the Toastmaster for ConFusion, the con we have every January. Because of that, and because he's such a nice man, I decided that, well, I should probably read one of his books. Sorry about that, Jim.
I really wish I hadn't w...more
Meet Jig. He's a goblin runt. He's about to have a REALLY bad day. As if muck duty weren't enough, his pet fire spider has burned off all his hair and the bullying captain Porak has sent him ahead on patrol while the rest of the goblin guard gambles. Things might have turned out ok if only Jig hadn't run into that group of adventurers... Meet the adventurers. Prince Barius is the warrior, his brother Rysland is the magician. They've got a dwarf too, Darnak, who keeps them from killing each other...more
From ISawLightningFall.com
THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS
Genre fiction is all about tropes, conventions, common ways of doing things that stretch from story to story. Read a little in the field, and you quickly realize that trying to nullify the ancient prophesy by killing all the village's children just won't work and that your imagination hasn't produced that groaning from the attic. Constant repetition has worn some such standards down to the nub, so it's no wonder that authors like to overturn them a...more
THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS
Genre fiction is all about tropes, conventions, common ways of doing things that stretch from story to story. Read a little in the field, and you quickly realize that trying to nullify the ancient prophesy by killing all the village's children just won't work and that your imagination hasn't produced that groaning from the attic. Constant repetition has worn some such standards down to the nub, so it's no wonder that authors like to overturn them a...more
An excellent romp for anyone who likes fantasy, and who's tired of the same old looting-questing-raiding tropes. If you've ever played D&D, in particular, you'll adore the offbeat sense of humour and skewed perspective in this novel.
At times, I got a bit annoyed with the very obvious trope inversions, but then the author would throw some fabulous aside out there, or a really resonant bit of character development, and I'd go back to being in love with the book. It's a fast, fun read, meant to...more
At times, I got a bit annoyed with the very obvious trope inversions, but then the author would throw some fabulous aside out there, or a really resonant bit of character development, and I'd go back to being in love with the book. It's a fast, fun read, meant to...more
This is the first book in the Jig the Goblin trilogy by Jim C. Hines. This was a humorous and entertaining classic dungeon crawl adventure.
Jig the goblin is the runt of the goblin community. When he accidentally gets tangled up on a quest with two humans, a dwarve, and an elf he finds himself having to be more courageous than ever...which is something a goblin never is. Jig will face off against a necromancer and a dragon and become the worshiper of a forgotten god, and all he wanted to do was g...more
Jig the goblin is the runt of the goblin community. When he accidentally gets tangled up on a quest with two humans, a dwarve, and an elf he finds himself having to be more courageous than ever...which is something a goblin never is. Jig will face off against a necromancer and a dragon and become the worshiper of a forgotten god, and all he wanted to do was g...more
This book will lose most, if not all, of its humor if you haven't played D&D. In fact, it basically reads like a novel version of a D&D game, written from the point of view of an NPC (Non Player Character.) This NPC is Jig, a goblin who falls in with a group of adventurers who are bent on exploring a dungeon, slaying a dragon, and retrieving a wand of enormous power.
For such a by-the-books old school role-playing type adventure, there's a surprising amount of subtlety. One of the most en...more
For such a by-the-books old school role-playing type adventure, there's a surprising amount of subtlety. One of the most en...more
It's Jig, not goblin.
Actually, it's Jig the goblin in the role of fairy tale Simpleton.
I've broken with D&D tradition and rounded up, in case anyone is keeping track, after all one review rounded down.
Goblin Quest isn't as polished as Hines' The Stepsister Scheme and it seems that Hines hadn't fully developed his style as of yet. In truth, some areas could use a tighter editor.
There, that's the bad stuff out of the way.
Hines is brillant. He's wonderful. He's cool. He's a D&D geek. The am...more
Actually, it's Jig the goblin in the role of fairy tale Simpleton.
I've broken with D&D tradition and rounded up, in case anyone is keeping track, after all one review rounded down.
Goblin Quest isn't as polished as Hines' The Stepsister Scheme and it seems that Hines hadn't fully developed his style as of yet. In truth, some areas could use a tighter editor.
There, that's the bad stuff out of the way.
Hines is brillant. He's wonderful. He's cool. He's a D&D geek. The am...more
Goblin Quest is a fast read, quick with the humor and if you've ever played D&D, it gives more of a perspective about the monster side of things. Goblins aren't just a quick bit of EXP (experience) after all anymore.
Well, at least one shows more intelligence than the others. Jig and his pet fire spider, Smudge get captured by a small group of adventurers who are on a question for the Rod of Creation which was wielded by a powerful wizard back in the day.
Who better to lead the way (and trigge...more
Well, at least one shows more intelligence than the others. Jig and his pet fire spider, Smudge get captured by a small group of adventurers who are on a question for the Rod of Creation which was wielded by a powerful wizard back in the day.
Who better to lead the way (and trigge...more
As a fan of Hines' Princess series, it seemed only natural for me to go into his earlier series, i.e. the Jig the Goblin books.
For me, Goblin Quest was a good read but not one I'm particularly fond of. It plays on stereotypes well, and it's refreshing to see the viewpoint of the enemy (i.e. the goblins) rather than the adventurers and Hines does a superb job of actually making you think about the morality of dungeoneering (Especially if you're a D&D/RPG player). However, I didn't think the...more
For me, Goblin Quest was a good read but not one I'm particularly fond of. It plays on stereotypes well, and it's refreshing to see the viewpoint of the enemy (i.e. the goblins) rather than the adventurers and Hines does a superb job of actually making you think about the morality of dungeoneering (Especially if you're a D&D/RPG player). However, I didn't think the...more
This one pleasantly surprised me. I'm a great admirer of Jim's blog, which led to me pick up a book about -- ugh -- goblins in a standard RPG-like adventure.
But it's actually quite entertaining. Jig is something of a runt, but has enough smarts to eke it out in a brutish society. When your standard adventuring party comes along (complete with a slow-witted but strong warrior, a mage with questionable moral leanings, a stout-hearted dwarf, and a quick-fingered elf), he survives by involuntarily j...more
But it's actually quite entertaining. Jig is something of a runt, but has enough smarts to eke it out in a brutish society. When your standard adventuring party comes along (complete with a slow-witted but strong warrior, a mage with questionable moral leanings, a stout-hearted dwarf, and a quick-fingered elf), he survives by involuntarily j...more
"Oh, you're *THAT* goblin guy?"
Those were - as close as I can remember - my first words to Jim C. Hines, the author of Goblin Quest. I'd heard two short stories on PodCastle and ClonePod of his just a week before, and both my wife and I had laughed our way through them. So to have Mr. Hines in front of me - with copies of his Goblin books in hand - at GenCon was an unexpected surprise. He signed them, and I packed them away to read another day. Jim - I hope I can get away with calling him Jim -...more
Those were - as close as I can remember - my first words to Jim C. Hines, the author of Goblin Quest. I'd heard two short stories on PodCastle and ClonePod of his just a week before, and both my wife and I had laughed our way through them. So to have Mr. Hines in front of me - with copies of his Goblin books in hand - at GenCon was an unexpected surprise. He signed them, and I packed them away to read another day. Jim - I hope I can get away with calling him Jim -...more
I read this several years ago, and really enjoyed it. Recently, my 10 year old daughter read it, and in order to discuss it better with her, I read it again. Happily, this book holds up to time, and is still very much as enjoyable as it was the first time I read it.
Jig is a goblin. But not just any goblin, a nearsighted, runty, cowardly, smart goblin. Constantly picked on by other goblins, Jig is the lowest of the low. While being picked on by a group of goblin guards, Jig is forced to scout ou...more
Jig is a goblin. But not just any goblin, a nearsighted, runty, cowardly, smart goblin. Constantly picked on by other goblins, Jig is the lowest of the low. While being picked on by a group of goblin guards, Jig is forced to scout ou...more
Last book assigned/read for category fiction and yet another I would have never chosen had I free reign to pick a book in the fantasy genre, that said, it wasn't bad. The cover is misleading, I thought this was a book for young kids, but I'm thinking maybe older, like preteen. It follows pretty closely to the established hero's journey from the call to action, crossing the threshold, to the quest, and that whole "dark moment" thing etc. At any rate it was funny and different, at times it was a l...more
IN BRIEF:
Children young enough to swallow this text should not be exposed to the crass tidbits scattered here and there within it.
THE GOOD:
The author's effective portrayal of what is admirable about the race of Men inspires faith in humankind and in oneself. The storyline turns out to be beyond the mundane and hackneyed. There are many problems for the characters to solve, and several of their solutions are downright foxy.
THE BAD:
The voice of the text is exorbitantly juvenile and, of a consequen...more
Children young enough to swallow this text should not be exposed to the crass tidbits scattered here and there within it.
THE GOOD:
The author's effective portrayal of what is admirable about the race of Men inspires faith in humankind and in oneself. The storyline turns out to be beyond the mundane and hackneyed. There are many problems for the characters to solve, and several of their solutions are downright foxy.
THE BAD:
The voice of the text is exorbitantly juvenile and, of a consequen...more
This book is basically a satirical play on classic table top rpg's and the tropes that lay within them. It takes place entirely from a goblin's point of view as he is forced into a journey with a band of adventurers. The fun here is in the way that the goblin views the setup of the adventurers as each of them has their own class and even (despite a subtle portrayal) alignment.
It is difficult to enjoy any of the characters aside from Jig, himself. The book starts out with very little development...more
It is difficult to enjoy any of the characters aside from Jig, himself. The book starts out with very little development...more
This was a lot of fun to read.
Take your typical "hero on a quest to kill a dragon, blah, blah, blah" and completely turn it on its head.
We follow Jig, a runt of a goblin, who is nearsighted. He just wants to have enough to eat each day and to not be bullied about by the bigger goblins.
Unfortunately, for Jig, he is thrust into the company of aforementioned adventurers. Who are vile scumbags who simply want to use Jig and then kill him.
Jig ends up being the hero, and the leader of his people.
Where...more
Take your typical "hero on a quest to kill a dragon, blah, blah, blah" and completely turn it on its head.
We follow Jig, a runt of a goblin, who is nearsighted. He just wants to have enough to eat each day and to not be bullied about by the bigger goblins.
Unfortunately, for Jig, he is thrust into the company of aforementioned adventurers. Who are vile scumbags who simply want to use Jig and then kill him.
Jig ends up being the hero, and the leader of his people.
Where...more
A very fun novel that takes a critical and playful look at the traditional cliches of high fantasy by making the protagonist a goblin. Jig is a great character because of his goblinhood--the goblins of the novel are exactly like those found in typical fantasy novels, films, and games. By reading the entire story of the adventure from the goblin's point of view, consumers of "pulp fantasy" are forced to place themselves in an unusual perspective, because although Jig is weak, cowardly, sneaky, an...more
I love a good fantasy. Even as a child the core of my reading library revolved almost solely around fairy tales and fantasy stories about knights and dragons, princesses and frogs, hobbits and rings… you get the picture. Because I write a lot of fantasy myself, I took a break from reading fantasy for awhile to keep my own mind running fresh, but two weeks ago I felt the fantasy itch.
It’d been awhile since I’d read a good fantasy book, so I headed out to the local Borders and started perusing the...more
It’d been awhile since I’d read a good fantasy book, so I headed out to the local Borders and started perusing the...more
I was some 200 plus pages through some other trashy fantasy epic when the boredom factor hit my threshold. And I was in the mood for some other different fantasy story, something light, and this looked like fun.... A story about a puny, blue-skinned goblin named Jig with bad eyesight who finds himself pressed into service as a guide underneath the mountain where he lives. His captors are a vain prince, his half-mad wizard brother, a surly dwarf, and a thieving elf girl. And it's got a sense of h...more
What I love about this story is that it's not your usual "hero on an honorable quest". No, Jim Hines takes your average heroes and makes them the villains, stupid, self-righteous idiots, completely blinded by some strange codex of honor and heroism, and totally lacking common sense.
The group of heroes that comes into the mountains, on a quest to get a legendary wand, stumbles into Jig, a scrawny goblin runt. Being pushed around by the other, bigger goblins, what kept Jig alive so far was his wit...more
The group of heroes that comes into the mountains, on a quest to get a legendary wand, stumbles into Jig, a scrawny goblin runt. Being pushed around by the other, bigger goblins, what kept Jig alive so far was his wit...more
I came into this series in a backward way, which, considering the way Goblins behave, seems oddly fitting. I actually ran across the "Ask A Goblin" tumblr, first. It was so funny (especially the week Smudge was answering the questions) that I just had to find out more.
I really appreciate this author's work. Unlike many fantasy novels on the market, he doesn't get lazy and resort to having his characters fall neatly along gender lines. Male or female, they're all Goblins, and all just as likely...more
I really appreciate this author's work. Unlike many fantasy novels on the market, he doesn't get lazy and resort to having his characters fall neatly along gender lines. Male or female, they're all Goblins, and all just as likely...more
I no longer remember who first recommended this book... a friend on Facebook or Livejournal, I'm pretty sure. It's been sitting on my Teetering Pile for at least a year, if not longer, until a few weeks ago when I went looking for a paperback to take with me to read on the plane and it caught my eye.
What a fun book!! A marvelous twist on the hack-and-slash, follow-the-fellowship-on-their-quest type of adventure. It's funny, but can still manage to make you think about some of the tropes of the g...more
What a fun book!! A marvelous twist on the hack-and-slash, follow-the-fellowship-on-their-quest type of adventure. It's funny, but can still manage to make you think about some of the tropes of the g...more
As a D&D geek, I was vastly entertained by this lower deck version of a typical adventure. In addition to the insights into the mechanics of a chaotic evil race, you're also treated to a seat in the front row of party politics.
For those who aren't fellow geeks, there's still a fun story to be had as poor Jig is swept up as a captive by a band of bickering adventurers and gradually develops into a...less pathetic goblin.
Light, fun, and with a few good thinking points, I nearly rated this a f...more
For those who aren't fellow geeks, there's still a fun story to be had as poor Jig is swept up as a captive by a band of bickering adventurers and gradually develops into a...less pathetic goblin.
Light, fun, and with a few good thinking points, I nearly rated this a f...more
Any avid roleplayer will recognize how this book really turns your average RPG story on its head. Sure, I've stormed the Goblin lair before, but never have I seen it from the point of view of the invaded. So when Jig the Goblin is forced to help a party of adventurers on their quest for the Rod of Creation, I immediately found him to be a sympathetic character. Despite their prowess, the adventurers are fools, and Jig knows it, and I think every role player has at one point or another felt this...more
Goblin Quest by Jim C Hines is the amusing tale of Jig the goblin who gets kidnapped by 2 human princes, a dwarf and an elf to guide them on thier quest for the Rod of Creation. This novel was quite a humorious read that I had a hard time putting down because I was constantly wanting to know what would happen next. Throughout the novel there are several refferances to several classic fantasy novels such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy which add a nice touch to the world and even managed to brin...more
I was a D&D junkie when I was young, yes I was. I can still remember those early days of gaming, when it was all very new and everything seemed so magical and, well, really, really cool. I *loved* crawling through dungeons, as much to fight the monsters as to find out what cool treasure they were carrying. It was great moving along with my friends, the archetypical thieves, fighters, priests, and wizards.
As they tend to do, my tastes matured and I moved on to other games, but I never forgot...more
As they tend to do, my tastes matured and I moved on to other games, but I never forgot...more
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| What did you think? | 3 | 13 | Feb 03, 2013 06:26pm |
Jim C. Hines' latest book is LIBRIOMANCER, a modern-day fantasy about a magic-wielding librarian, a dryad, a secret society founded by Johannes Gutenberg, a flaming spider, and an enchanted convertible. He's also the author of the PRINCESS series of fairy tale retellings as well as the humorous GOBLIN QUEST trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in more than 40 magazines and anthologies, includin...more
More about Jim C. Hines...
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2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“That worked great! Thank you so much. What next?"
"I don't know. I didn't expect you to live through it."
"Oh.”
—
12 people liked it
"I don't know. I didn't expect you to live through it."
"Oh.”
“Torches," Porak ordered.
"This is dumb," Jig grumbled as one of the others handed out torches. "Why not run ahead and warn any intruders that we're coming? Maybe we should sing, too, in case they're blind.”
—
7 people liked it
More quotes…
"This is dumb," Jig grumbled as one of the others handed out torches. "Why not run ahead and warn any intruders that we're coming? Maybe we should sing, too, in case they're blind.”
