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The Goblin Corps

Ari Marmell (Goodreads Author)

3.80 · Rating details · 698 ratings · 99 reviews

Welcome to the Goblin Corps. May the best man lose. Morthûl, the dreaded Charnel King, has failed. Centuries of plotting from the heart of the Iron Keep, deep within the dark lands of Kirol Syrreth-all for naught. Foiled at the last by the bumbling efforts of a laughable band of so-called heroes. Still, after uncounted centuries of survival, the Dark Lord isn't about to go ...more

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Paperback, 552 pages

Published July 26th 2011 by Pyr (first published January 1st 2011)

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· 698 ratings · 99 reviews

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Oct 25, 2017 Mikhail rated it it was ok

ARGH!!! Seriously, what the $&*&?!?!?

This has got to be one of the most frustrating books I have read in quite a while. So, for the first, oh, 95% of the book, I loved it! Five-star read! Engaging characters, well-done action scenes, character development and world building both deeper than they may at first appear, and solid plotting that was gearing up towards several interesting and exciting resolutions...

...which we did not get.

Instead of the epic conclusion we were hoping for, the ultimate ...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Scott Gray rated it it was amazing

The Goblin Corps is a dark, dirty, messy, foul-tempered, unruly, and below-the-belt junk shot of a novel — and one of the freshest books i read last year, for all the points cited above. It’s the story of an unlikely group of unlikelier anti-heroes — all members of the monstrous goblin races of the dark land of Kirol Syrreth. Morthûl is the Charnel King who rules that land — an undead-and-loving-it dark lord who keeps one part of his fiendish gaze on world domination, another on the efforts of t The Goblin Corps is a dark, dirty, messy, foul-tempered, unruly, and below-the-belt junk shot of a novel — and one of the freshest books i read last year, for all the points cited above. It’s the story of an unlikely group of unlikelier anti-heroes — all members of the monstrous goblin races of the dark land of Kirol Syrreth. Morthûl is the Charnel King who rules that land — an undead-and-loving-it dark lord who keeps one part of his fiendish gaze on world domination, another on the efforts of the Allied Kingdoms to destroy him, and yet another on the mysterious plots of his ambitious and vivacious (in the literal sense) queen. Cræosh is an embittered orc put in charge of a Demon Squad — a war-band of goblins in the service of Morthûl, and who are inexplicably the most inept-seeming group of warriors ever tasked with taking care of the dark lord’s business.

That business is uniformly foul, running the gamut from retrieving lost relics of magic to infiltrating a human city on a mission of kidnapping and assassination (a mission featuring an escape plan whose reading makes a most effective appetite suppressant; you’ll know it when you get there). At the center of things, Cræosh is an antihero with a really bad attitude. Think Elric of Melniboné as played by Denis Leary in Rescue Me. And though the amoral antihero isn’t a new concept for fantasy fiction, Ari Marmell cruises past the Moorcock Avenue off-ramp at high speed to push The Goblin Corps beyond dramatic nihilism and into stomach-churning, violently dark comedy. (At a couple of points, when the Demon Squad find themselves dealing with the court of the duplicitous Queen Anne, Marmell manages to write a stomach-churning, violently dark comedy of manners, which is an interesting feat.)

As i much as i was pretty sure that i would enjoy The Goblin Corps, i was pleasantly knocked out by Ari’s ability to do something that i’m not sure i could have pulled off in the same milieu — solidly empathetic characters. The deft touch displayed in the handling of his uniformly self-centered, self-serving, and objectively unlikable cast ultimately makes the book. Given a narrative that announces its intention from the get-go to avoid any kind of center of morality, engaging the reader becomes a matter of creating a substitute center of ethics — a character story rich enough that even as we see the characters’ actions and respond with a shuddering “You have got to be freaking kidding me…” over and over again, the depth of the story creates the connection to character on which every great novel is built.

In the end, the book wasn’t without minor quibbles for me (chief among them some of the details of the ending, which i won’t get into for their massive “spoiler alert” potential). As well, as with a lot of fantasy novels, the story of The Goblin Corps is two parts narrative and one part setup for more narrative to come. However, despite crafting an awesomely cliffhanger ending, Ari manages to tie the variously important narrative threads of the book together nicely before all is said and done.

This is not a book for those who feel compelled to skip the icky bits in Game of Thrones, or who are put off by profanity (because the novel contains an awful fucking lot of it). But likewise, prospective readers shouldn’t be put off by The Goblin Corps’ dark tone, because the story that tone wraps is funny, exhilarating, and frantically memorable in equal measure. ...more

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Dec 08, 2015 Tralan rated it it was ok

This book was going GREAT! It was goofy and fun and fresh. It was like Lord of the Rings from Mordor's perspective.

And then it ended. I'm sorry, the ending killed the entire book.

[Spoilers ahead]

we get this buildup between Katim and Craeosh. She has marked him to be a servitor in the afterlife. Everything goes to shit, because, well, they're the bad guys, so the squad leaves... and Craeosh dies "off screen" by being pushed from a cliff. Wat? Where is the big, final battle? The epic showdown? I' ...more

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Jun 24, 2018 Jacob rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

A good book with fun moments but also with dull stretches. The ending wasn’t what I expected, and there were a few interesting twists. I enjoyed the characters and their banter the most! The author did a great job with that. Around the middle is where it gets dull but if you push past that I think there’s plenty to enjoy.

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Oct 31, 2011 George Stankow rated it it was amazing

The best bad-guy POV story I've ever read. Can't wait for a follow-up. Graphically violent, in the very bestest way. ...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Enjee rated it it was ok

Juvenile humour. Slow read. I didn't really see "evil", was just told about it. ...more

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Aug 24, 2020 Kaitlin rated it did not like it

Shelves: rona-reads, book-club, summer-2020

DNF at 50%

Book club bust. This was so painful, my goodness. I'll just pretend I finished it at our next club meeting, I don't even care. ...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Vanessa rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

If you enjoyed THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW by Ari Marmell, then THE GOBLIN CORPS is more of the same. Only sillier. I know, I didn't believe it was possible, either, but just read the cover blurb: "The few. The proud. The obscene." Yes, yes he went there.

The source of said hilarity are the main characters, an "elite" group of goblinesque creatures formed by the evil Charnel King for a special mission: there's a troll, a kobold, an orc, a gremlin, a shapeshifter, an ogre, and a bugbear. Put them all t If you enjoyed THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW by Ari Marmell, then THE GOBLIN CORPS is more of the same. Only sillier. I know, I didn't believe it was possible, either, but just read the cover blurb: "The few. The proud. The obscene." Yes, yes he went there.

The source of said hilarity are the main characters, an "elite" group of goblinesque creatures formed by the evil Charnel King for a special mission: there's a troll, a kobold, an orc, a gremlin, a shapeshifter, an ogre, and a bugbear. Put them all together in their various levels of stupidity and prejudices, mix up a few stereotypes, drop them in the middle of a fabricated training mission with no defined leadership, and out pops a big, crazy mess. But then that's the point. They're supposed to be an elite military squad, but it's really just a bunch of bumbling around. It's funny. It's goofy. Eventually everything gets straightened out and they surpass all expectations. Yadda yadda. Until, at last, they learn the real mission they were assembled for.

THE GOBLIN CORPS has some of the same problems that CONQUEROR'S did, the least of which being the unnecessary adjectives cluttering the narrative. There's also the inconsistent PoV switching, which is usually the result of Marmell attempting to cram as many gags as he can into one scene. The characters of the demon squad sound a lot like humans with few cultural and physical details thrown in to differentiate them. The setting is your usual sword & sorcery world, the magic standard fare. The plot could have been pared down—the middle drags on—and the conclusion lacks real punch. As a result, this book bordered on a mediocre rating. However, despite these flaws, either Marmell is growing as a writer, or his new publisher (Pyr) provided him a good editor to help smooth out his storytelling. Whatever the reason, the result is a marked improvement.

Unlike the inconsistent characterization in CONQUEROR'S, THE GOBLIN CORPS has some characters you'll enjoy rooting for, whose motivations make sense. Sure they're the bad guys, and not only do they work for the Charnel King, they aren't very nice people, either. And yet, Marmell's characterization is consistent for most of them, and they progress over the course of novel with his signature campy style. It's kinda hard not to like someone who makes you laugh. Even if said goblin is a jerk.

By the time I got to the climax I looked back over the book and realized something. It feels like one, long dungeon crawl—and a really exhausting one at that. It includes quests for our adventurers to pick up and deliver magical items. Big, bad bosses who seem impossible to kill, who often require unconventional solutions. The group itself consists of a thief, a mage, an idiot with a club...you get the picture. And, of course, no dungeon crawl would be complete without mocking everyone in typical RPG fashion.

All of this could be stuff you've seen before, and therefore THE GOBLIN CORPS may sound like more of the same. And in some ways it is. Except, Marmell really is clever. He comes up with some ingenious situations, locations, and some downright sinister bad guys. Of course, don't forget the twist: our "heroes" are not handsome elves, noble humans, or punt-worthy gnomes. So, maybe, this twisted version is another dungeon worth crawling through.

Recommended Age: 16+ for content
Language: Unlike his first book, which was pretty clean, this one has ubiquitous profanity, including many anatomically impossible threats
Violence: From simple knocking each other around, to a wizard's gruesome magical experiments, to battles with blood and gore, and lots of mean bugs
Sex: Referenced a couple of times ...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Rob rated it really liked it

Shelves: sffword-review, read-in-2011, fantasy

The rag-tag bunch of adventurers on a desperate mission for their ‘boss’ is a common trope in all of fiction. In fantasy, this often is enhanced by magical objects and perilous creatures on the way to fulfilling said mission, in other words, quest/fantasy adventure. In Ari Marmell’s humorous and engaging novel, The Goblin Corps, the characters on the quest are those typically feared by the heroes on the quest (in ground tread by Stan Nicholls and Mary Gentle) – a goblin, an orc (Cræosh), a bugbe ...more

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May 15, 2015 Shalini Nemo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

What an enjoyable book!
Okay, so there are hokey moments, and occasionally the humor doesn't come off, but all in all it's been a good ride. You find yourself almost rooting for the strangely likable characters, but the author is clever enough to remind you that these are evil creatures fighting to advance an even worse evil's goals. The ending left me feeling unfulfilled though, but that's because while I stop short of rooting for them, I also felt bad for them (well, most of them. Some of them. ...more

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Dec 06, 2017 Brandon Hand rated it liked it

Accidently bought this on Amazon (stupid one-click option) but it had been recommended by a co-worker. It is a good book and the characters are great. The ending is what drags this book down. It is very anticlimactic. I does possibly open it up for a second book but is still very lack luster. I would only recommend this as a filler read if you have nothing else you have an aching to read.

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Mar 03, 2013 Zachary Ruffcorn rated it it was amazing

I have always wanted a book where the main characters are the bad guys and this is it every time you expect a little ray of sunshine they are there to throw it in your face and i cannot be more happy to have it

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Jul 09, 2012 Jonathan rated it it was amazing

Very dark but very funny fantasy novel about the bad guys. Great for those of us who like to see the typical fantasy story through the eyes of the villains.

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Nov 26, 2012 Taylor rated it it was amazing

Very crude - but really liked it. Might have to read it a second time.

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Nov 15, 2018 Drizzt rated it it was ok

I found Ari Marmell through the wonderful tales of Mick Oberon. Upon seeing this cover I had high hopes that were thoroughly dashed upon the mountains the Craebosh "supposedly" died upon.

The beginning and middle of this book were enough to capture me. I thought the combination of the squad was interesting. There were some seriously harrowing situations and rooting for the bad guys was fun. For a time it was genuinely interesting to see how the "good wizard" was such an asshole.

The issues is the ...more

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Jun 29, 2017 Kevin rated it really liked it

This is fantasy Fluff but really fun fluff. I enjoyed this immensely as the characters were well written and had very distinct personalities that were maintained throughout the story, the plot itself was a nice twist on standard fantasy stuff, and the story just kept chugging along and kept me entertained the whole time. I will admit that it probably could have been shorter as not all of the adventures were totally necessary, but they were very well described and fun to read. I think it was defi ...more

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Aug 04, 2021 Jeremy Frost rated it it was amazing

Literature snobs looking for high brow reading will be very disappointed by this pulpy, profane, absurdist thrill ride. But it set out to do something very particular, and it does that thing well enough to be considered a masterpiece.

I’ve spoken to the author on Twitter, he says it was inspired by an actual Dungeons & Dragons campaign... so if it feels like a dungeon crawl, that’s probably intentional. It also feels a little like a grindhouse movie, in the best possible way. As a fan of pulp nov ...more

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Oct 08, 2017 Frederick Allen rated it really liked it

Well written with a dark sense of humor, The Goblin Corps is a face paced pulp fantasy novel that examines the 'other side' of the fantasy spectrum with the main characters being an Orc, Troll, Kobold, Goblin and others. My only issue is that Ari Marmell sets up the plot in such a way that when I finished the book I wasn't sure if the Dark Lord had set the war in motion, or the DuMark had himself done the deed. In fact, I was hoping that the epilogue would answer the question and continue with t ...more

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Jun 18, 2017 Kevin Lau rated it it was ok

Shelves: high-school, adult, 2-stars

This book just didn't do it for me.

At 552 pages, this standalone fantasy novel should have been cut down to around 400. Even then, one could probably trim it further. Though the comedic chemistry between the main characters are quite entertaining, it's the really shallow characterization and extremely slow plot taking itself too seriously that gets in the way.

I'm pretty sure this is a D&D campaign-turned-novel due to how the story is paced with a lot of time focused on side quests, and I respect ...more

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May 29, 2018 Molly rated it it was ok

The Goblin Corpse is in many ways a fun book with unique characters, a great concept, and an interesting story. The problem with the book is its execution.

The Goblin Corpse reads like someone who really wants to impress you with how witty the author is, rather than improve the story with subtle means. The themes are incredibly weak, as they are all terrible "people," and most importantly; the characters are either not that good, or just not fun to follow.

I would recommend it to people who love ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Andrew rated it it was ok

It's like reading a fun cartoon, that's too long for what it is, and uses corse language to try to be "goblin-ey". There are genuinely some delightful parts to this book, scenes, phrases, and happenings but there are far too few in the 550 pages. The troll character Khatim, who seems a bit more gnoll than troll to me, is pretty rounded out and wonderful. All other 5 main "Demon Squad" goblin characters remain much flatter. By page 200-something, you've experienced all the book is really going to ...more

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Nov 16, 2019 Tim Fitzgibbon rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. Although crass at times, it showed fantasy from a novel and wholy interesting angle. Watching the moves and strategies used by a group of monsters and evil-based characters as they work to defeat the good wizard and protect their Lich-lord makes me yearn to play an evil campaign in Dungeons and Dragons or at the very least read more books to show the other side of the fantasy coin.

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May 08, 2017 Jenny rated it it was ok

Some characters were awesome (Katim!), some you just went ugggggh whenever they opened their mouths because they acted way childish. The relations between the characters were mostly stupid bickering, but I enjoyed Belrotha an Grimmol's friendship. The ending was so very meh, and it took me forever to finish the book. ...more

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Dec 01, 2017 Michael Trick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Fun book that feels very much like a series of Dungeons and Dragons adventures, albeit from the side of the "goblins", mix of goblinoid creatures such as trolls, orgres, orcs, and so on. Episodic nature stops the story from really building to a peak, and the ending may be problematic to some (I was OK with it, though I wished it was otherwise). Well written and enjoyable. ...more

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Nov 18, 2019 Joe Jackson added it

DNF @ 10%

Goes from prose that's too flowery to juvenile dialogue and combat. Sounded like a good concept, but the execution had an early-teen feel to it. When you're selling characters that can break people's necks with a backhand slap or grab the lance of a charging knight and stick it in the ground so he gets stuck up in the air, I'm not buying. Sorry. ...more

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Jan 29, 2021 Dale MIllard rated it it was amazing

Love this book. Very character driven book with colorful villians and uncouth protagonists. Easy read of very episodic adventures within the meta framework of a fantasy epic like Lord of the Rings. Haven't quite finished the book but heading into that final climax I couldn't be happier with this book. ...more

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May 22, 2020 Christopher rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf

As much as I tried loving it, I can't see myself finishing it. I rarely leave books in DNF section, but for now I will have to come back to it. For now though, after 186pgs I just can't seem to get lost and escape into the world the author created..

I'm sorry 😥💔 ...more

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Apr 09, 2021 Marlon rated it really liked it

This was a really good read and I loved the take on all the “monster races” but the ending was definitely lacking. It also seemed like it could have been a setup for a sequel. In any event it was entertaining but unfulfilling.

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Mar 16, 2019 Sir Redalot rated it liked it

Original idea but the ending kind of ruined it for me.

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Jul 14, 2019 Keith Tokash rated it it was amazing

Snide, sarcastic, evil ... and those are the protagonists. Good fantasy novel with lots of dark humor.

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About Ari Marmell

Ari Marmell

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When Ari Marmell has free time left over between feeding cats and posting on social media, he writes a little bit. His work includes novels, short stories, role-playing games, and video games, all of which he enjoyed in lieu of school work when growing up. He’s the author of the Mick Oberon gangland/urban fantasy series, the Widdershins YA fantasy series, and many others, with publishers such as D ...more