Legion of Thunder: Orcs First Blood, Book 2

Stan Nicholls. Gollancz, $14.95 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-575-06871-1

Humans, those ""rapacious interlopers,"" brought strife and environmental devastation to the ancient land of Maras-Dantia, but the warlike orcs may be its saviors in Stan Nicholls's gory sequel to Bodyguard of Lightning, Legion of Thunder. Leading a band of rebel orcs called the Wolverines, Stryke (who's smart at least by orc standards) searches for the three remaining ""instrumentalities"" that will free the elder races from human domination, battling evil symbiotes, bandits and goblin slavers at every turn.

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