Fantasy Novel - Humans Vs Orcs. At the end the reader is made aware there are gods or equivalent playing some sort of game which was the story the reader just read. Read around 1980s or earlier.

[Iain]

It was my brother's book from most likely early-mid1980s or earlier. Pretty sure the cover was black with some lime green orcs on the front.

I can't recall the guts of the story, however i feel like there was some sort of quest the humans or dwarves were on and in the end there was a big battle. The book sort of pans out and you are made aware these gods or other worldly beings are playing a game like a tabletop and these characters in the book are part of it.

Honestly can't remember a lot more, it felt like it was in a made up world. A young me listened to Metallica while reading it on holiday and thought it was epic. I can't imagine it being that long as I wasn't an avid reader at that stage in my life.

I've been looking for this for a while with no joy! I don't recall if it was humourous like a Terry Pratchett, but maybe I was too young to realise..

Thanks!

[Rob]

Stan Nicholls wrote a few books about Orcs. I don't think they were that early though.

[Iain]

hi Rob, yeah his are too young for what I'm looking for. thanks

[Bennett]

This sounds very much like Terry Pratchett's Interesting Times. It starts and ends with the gods playing a board game that determines the fate of characters in the story.
.. or doesn't, because Lady Luck intervenes on behalf of one of the characters.

There's another Pratchett that revolves around an ancient historic battle between dwarves and trollels -- Thud! -- but no gods that I can recall.

[Iain]

thanks Bennett, I'll look into this one :)

[Kris]

Google Books preview of Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett by Terry Pratchett - Bennett's suggestion:

https://books.google.com/books?id=ti3...
There are different cover images.

[Iain]

Had a look over Interesting Times. Not it unfortunately. I don't think it was a humourous book, more a serious fantasy. I don't remember being aware of the gods / titans angle from the start, it felt like a surprise ( I think)