Orconomics: A Satire

By J. Zachary Pike

Professional heroes kill and loot deadly monsters every day, but Gorm Ingerson's latest quest will be anything but business as usual.

The adventuring industry drives the economy of Arth, a world much like our own but with more magic and fewer vowels. On Arth, professional heroes are hired to slay fantastic creatures with magic weapons. The beasts' treasure and corpses are hauled back to town and divided among investors. It’s a lucrative system for Lightlings like Dwarves and Elves, but Shadowkin, such as Orcs and Goblins, can only escape the guild by applying to become Noncombatant Paper Carriers (NPCs), and taking menial jobs.

When Gorm Ingerson, a Dwarven ex-hero with a checkered past, stands up for an undocumented Goblin, he inadvertently singles himself out for recruitment for a legendarily suicidal quest. But there’s more to Gorm’s new job than an insane prophecy: powerful corporations and governments have shown an unusual interest in his progress. If his party of eccentric misfits can survive the intrigue, lizard men, purse kobolds, healing potion addicts, and other threats long enough to complete their quest, Gorm might be able to turn a bad deal into a golden opportunity.

Orconomics: A Satire is a funny epic that has readers laughing and cheering. Pick up your copy today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Zachary Pike
• Release date: Sep 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9780990859604

Reviews for Orconomics

[deshanya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought I'd like this book when I saw the cover and read the title. Now that I've read it, I know I was wrong -- I LOVE this book.This is a saga about professional heroing. That's right. The hero business has gone pro. You can even buy and sell hoard futures -- the chance that a given hoard will produce great loot. There's heroing contracts. And guilds. And accountants. And so many other fun little details. But the most important of those are the NPCs -- the former enemies of light who have gotten themselves papers and are now employed by the light and no longer attackable. It calls into question just what is a villain and what is a hero.The story centers around a group of unwilling adventures variously "convinced", by blackmail, bribery or any other means necessary to take a quest for an unlucky goddess. They're a motley bunch -- the experienced members are drunks and cowards and the inexperienced members are just as likely to get them all killed as to get themselves killed. Somehow they blunder their way to success, only to discover that this is only the beginning of the true heroing.A marvelous adventure and fun besides.

[bluehighlighter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for a review.I had some trouble getting into it, as the plot and/or dialogue had to be put on hold frequently for worldbuilding. Well, the more honest term is "infodumping," but I understand that it was necessary, and it DOES get better as the books go on. Other than that, I found the technical aspects of the book delightful. Dialogue was frequently tongue-in-cheek, the situations were whimsical and funny, and the character-building, while a bit obvious at times, enjoyable. The dialogue -- I just have to mention it again -- was great. Any time Heraldin or Jynn had a line, I was delighted. Also, the exchange with the Orcs at the beginning of the Bloodroot section was ingenious. As to the satirical and sword and sorcery elements... it may be a good idea to brush up on a little of both before reading, or secure a suitably nerdy friend to ask for explanations to certain references. Overall, though, I cannot wait for the sequel, "One Angry Son of a Liche."

[Kelly West · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wickedly funny, and a great twist on the old hero saga!

[andorion-259107 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly good. Highly recommended.

[gecizzle · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Something tells me that if I was not a World of Warcraft player, I might find this book interesting. Because that's what this book is. World of Warcraft. Imagine that all the NPC characters, and the actual players were in real life, doing quests, running dungeons. Being Orcs and Trolls and Gnomes. Like its their job to do quests and such.

If I didn't play WoW, this might appeal to me. But as it is, It bores me to tears. Because I've played WoW for so long, that it actually bores me to tears; well, until the expansion comes out anyway. But I digress. The real reason this book sucks isn't that its just a WoW story. It sucks because it just isn't an interesting WoW story. Nothing happens that anyone would care about.

I'm pretty sure there is WoW fanfic that's 10 times more interesting than this book. So, fuck Orconomics in its dirty stinking Orc butthole. Because any fucking retard can write a more interesting story than this stupid book. There, I said it.