The Half-Orcs: Books 1-5

I purchased this after reading "A Dance of Cloaks". First off like everyone else says this is pure grownup, no sugar included fantasy. There will be parts that make you angry at the actions the brothers do, but it's all leading to one wild and amazing finale. I can't recommend this series enough.

After reading the first 20 percent of the book it is very apparent that this book is a total rippoff of original Dragonlance books. The two main characters are mirror images of the Majere brothers (Raistlin and Caramon) only difference being their origin (half orc/elf). From the very start, the plot revolves around a bloodfest with various races being slaughtered by the two brothers. The whole premise is childish and thoughtless with those at the receiving end being so stupid they cannot see what is happening in front of them. Quite frankly the book totally turned me off. If your going to spend money then buy the orginal dragonlance chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. Totally disappointed!

There are some things I can tolerate in books and some I cannot. Firstly, everytime a human is compared to an elf martially. the elves are always simply slaughtering the poor fumbling humans. In one scene there are two lightly armored elves fighting and holding off ten heavily armored humans with shields and swords. I am sorry but this is just too ridiculous, unless of course one of the elves is patrolling Gotham City in his off hours. Apparently the author has some sort of human self loathing going on. When I roll my eyes at battle scenes....things are not going well for your book.
The characters are also unlikable. It is one thing to make us root for the bad guy, but to have your main character be a child killer and to in some roundabout way from the female elf's perspective have us kind of dismiss that because he acts "goofy" around her? Please.
The main half orc fights with two swords and is self taught.......and apparently he is some sort of savant even without formal training. That sort of thing especially with two weapons of equal length would take years to master and under strict tutelage....but ok Mr. Dalglish.
Perhaps the whole human loathing tone of the book just put me in a foul perspective but I really did not enjoy any of it. The romance seemes so contrived and akward. Take this review for what it is..one irritated man's opinion.
If you love elves and have always wanted to be Legolas then this is the series for you.

The bitter, angry mage paired with the hulking, none too bright warrior brother. Just a bit familiar to any fans of Dragonlance. But at least those brothers were consistent and made sense. The half orc brothers have no consistency, the other characters are only consistent in their stock, cardboard cut out presentation. The main bad guy is an immortal Palpatine.

Someone else mentioned this was like a Dungeons and Dragons session, and I agree.

To be honest I only made it past the attempted sacking of the elven town and had to stop. These characters aren't real and it is impossible for me to care about them. The 'good' guy is a butcher, plain and simple, a child murderer. Oh but we can forgive him! The Elven girl sure does--I mean after learning how to fight with a staff from an untrained half orc that uses two swords--never mind that dual handing is incredibly hard for even accomplished swordsmen. In any case, this Elven girl falls in love over a few weeks time with a half orc based on their sparring time. Despite the fact he is the main suspect in numerous child killings. Makes sense again.

Maybe it gets better as the books go along. But I won't be finding out. I can't root for a butcher, no matter how "redemptive" the storyline turns.

This starts out pretty good, the first book was original and had a good story, and I found the characters enjoyable.
But the second book was way too cheesy. It was almost like there was an assumption of familiarity and the reader is expected to laugh at the cheesy jokes. And the plot is really forced. The way the half orcs meet up with the Eschaton is just so bizarre and irrational. I couldn't read past about chapter 3, it just wasn't worth the time.

I mean, I like the mixed feelings and everything, but the setting for the tower, woods and otherwise important places are not well described. Even the main characters themselves, are not well described. I like stories who launch right into fights and stuff, but this is really sad compared to some of his other good books. I finished the second book, but it was like forcing a really sour concoction down my throat then stuffing salt in my eyes. it burned! There is not much background on the towns, as how they are built, how many men are garrisoned, etc. Weapon structure is not described, and weapon background is very vague.

I would not recommend wasting your time on this series from this author, but otherwise- I like his other series.

I couldn't even finish the first book. The characters are shallow and unbelievable. They gain amazing skills with little or no training. The plot is week and predictable. The writing style is sophomoric. Stay away from this one! I think no stars would be a better rating.

I started reading books from this author with the book, `A Dance of Cloaks` and found out what else the author had written after placing his name into the search bar. The first book of this series is offered up for free (as of this writing) and one can get their toes wet without feeling like they have been soaked. I will warn you though, the story and characters are compelling and there are more than just the three books in this series.

The story is about two brothers who have "cursed" blood in them. The term often used to note their half-orc nature. A chance meeting across a battlefield puts the brothers on a path of destruction. Destruction that threatens to encompass just not them and those who are near but the entire world. In this series the brothers struggle to find themselves and figure out their place in the world around them. To conquer or to save? Once fallen from grace is their a road back to salvation? What is love when all else lies dying?

Do yourself a favor and read the first book, you will not regret being brought into this very rich world.

This has the opportunity to be a great story. But, this story seems to be written by an 8 year old with a foul mouth and mind. Even though the author wrote a decent series (Paladins), I can tell his writing style hasn't left middle school. His choice of words is poor and there is a lot of unnecessary cursing in a fantasy series. Parents be aware.

I do not recommend this, even the cheap couple dollar Kindle version.

I purchased this set because I normally love fantasy! But I found the amount of Rape and horrific murder of children so upsetting that I will never trust David Dalglish again! I especially wouldn't trust him with my children if this is his idea of fantasy!

The first book in the series is, quite simply, too full of violence and gore without apparent reason, and the half-orc lead characters simply don't 'flesh out' into real personalities. However, the author makes a determined effort, with some success, to remedy this situation in the subsequent stories so that the personalities become more real and whilst the violence continues almost unabated, it does at least make a little more sense ... the classic conflict between good and evil and the choices faced when brothers are torn in different directions. I only just managed to make it through the first book but I did enjoy the others more, and the quality of the writing and plot development certainly improved.

Probably the best fantasy author I have ever read after JRR Tolkien. My Kindle cannot keep up. I read until I bleed it dry. I recharge it and head back to the land of Drezel as fast as I can reading until I am nodding from exhaustion. Cannot stop reading these books!

Great story! You love and hate the main characters, but always, you feel for them and their plight. The author does a great job of making it seem as if you are just beginning to glimpse a well developed world.

Looking forward to reading the rest!

Like others recently, I was bored and looking for something to read on my kindle. I came across the first book in this series which was listed as free. Why not? I read it very quickly, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is definitely not for everyone. The characters are not what you would expect. They are probably more realistic than what you would find in most fiction.
All in all, great books, especially the second one. Read them, the price is great and you wont be mad you did. Disregard everything I said if you have young children.

these books are right up there with R.A.Salvatore and his sets. I think the character's in this set are interesting ,funny and exhilarating full of intense action an wizardry .Must have more sets from him.

David Dalglish has written a very entertaining story about two half-orc brothers. One seeking forgiveness for his sins, and one seeking power no matter the cost. I just finished reading the second book in the series and could hardly put it down. The author takes you on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the book. I absolutely recommend this to other fans of the fantasy genre.

I should have gotten the free sample before I bought the ebook but I thought I couldn't go wrong with all of the good reviews. I wasn't expecting brilliant literature when I bought this -- I just wanted something simple to enjoy before bed. But the writing style is too cliched and the characters seem like they were lifted from a Dungeons and Dragons collection of NPCs. I can't recommend this book at all.