goblin heroes
Reading Jim C. Hines's "Goblin Hero", I thought of the song that one Nickelback guy did for the Spider-Man movie:

And they say that a goblin HE-ro can SAYV us...

I hate that song.* But I did like "Goblin Hero".

"Hero" resumes the misadventures of Jig, the cowardly goblin protagonist of "GoblinQuest". Though he still lives in the dank caverns below a monster-infested mountain, life's improved somewhat for Jig. After the events of the last book, he's heralded as "Jig Dragonslayer", a nickname he hates, and has become a priest of Tymalous Shadowstar, an admittedly third-rate deity (according to the last book, Shadowstar was once got lost in a desert for the better part of two centuries).

Jig has even attracted a jealous rival, a female goblin (gobliness?) named Veka. Somewhere along the line, Veka picked up a tome called The Path of the Hero written by a sage named Josca (a distant relation of JOSeph CAmpbell, perhaps?) and rigorously follows its guidelines, hoping to take Jig's place as the sole Goblin Hero. Even worse, the goblins' new chieftain, Kralk, sees Jig as a dangerous rival, and schemes to kill him off at the first opportunity.

Things turn less rosy when an angry ogre arrives at the goblins' lair, demanding the aid of mighty Jig Dragonslayer. The ogres are on the run, it seems, and mysterious invaders armed with sinister magic are conquering the lower tunnels. Unless something is done soon, the invaders will conquer the entire mountain. Jig, like any sensible goblin, wants nothing to do with it.

So, of course, it's up to him to save the day. Assuming he can keep the ogres from killing him. Or the hobgoblins. Or his fellow goblins. But that's all in a day's work for a Goblin Hero.

Quite a good read, and I'm looking forward to the final book in the sequence: Goblin War.

-JM

*I spent a long time working in retail, and so consequently I hate every popular song released between 1998 and 2006.  And a large number of oldies. And most Christmas music.