Ogres, Review

Adrian Tchaikovsky is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I'm yet to read a book of his that I dislike and I've read a fair few of his books in the past two years, including Shards of Earth. Ogres goes up there with some of his best work.

I went into Ogres not really knowing what it was about, other than what its title suggests. But basically, ogres are real, they're bigger than you and they rule the world. It has always been this way. The story follows Torquell, who dares to lift his hand against the landlord's son (his ogre owners). No human can raise their hand against an ogre without losing their life. But this act sets Torquell on a path to finding out the truth about the ogres and how they came to rule the world instead of your standard human.

This is a story that gives little away for so long but sucks you in entirely from start to end. And what an ending it is!

What's impressive is how much Torquell goes through in this novella. It's not a full novel and yet he goes through so much that it could easily be one. From a rascal to a murderer, an outlaw, a slave and finally a hero.

You also learn a fair bit about the ogres thanks to the Ogress Isadora who becomes Torquells master for a time. Through Isadora, you gain more of an insight into how humans are viewed by them.

There are a few unexpected twists along with a lot of graphic content - which you should expect as ogres aren't known for kindness.

As I've found to be a custom in Tchaikovsky's books, there are some thought-provoking moments and morals to be learned. Ogres is no exception.

Ogres is yet another fantastic read. One that could easily have been turned into a full novel. It's not often that I read a novella and think "I'd spend good money to have this in my bookcase", but that's exactly what I thought when finishing this story. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read that didn't go where I thought it would. I highly recommend this one. Once I started I found it very hard to put down.

Rating: 5/5