Goblin War

January 7, 2008
Hines sidesteps the main question facing elvers—WWTD, or What would Tolkien do?—with a wink and his usual snort. His goofy elves, orcs, trolls, dwarves, humans and even an evil tree conjure laughter, not screams. Jig Dragonslayer might have a dash of hobbit in him as he reluctantly dashes into his latest adventure (after Goblin Hero
): he would much rather stay home in a comfy cave, hanging out with Smudge, his fire-spider, or Relka, a most excellent cook. But alas, they’re all pressed into a human/elf war against Billa the Bloody, a monstrous orc who’ll do anything to win, even if it means killing her army and human Princess Genevieve’s troops fighting for Wendel, king of Adenkar. Luckily, Jig has a secret weapon thanks to Tymalous Shadowstar, a Forgotten God who communicates with him telepathically. Shadowstar would sacrifice himself for his little goblin priest, but Jig’s amazing courage may not make that necessary. Readers will need familiarity with earlier books in the series, but Hines’s funny bone is sharp and YA-friendly.

March 15, 2008
In the third droll Jig the Goblin book (after Goblin Quest, 2006, and Goblin Hero, 2007), the runty, nearsighted, blue goblin again is thrust unwillingly into great peril, prodded by the forgotten god he worships. Human warriors invade the goblins mountain lair and purloin the Rod of Creation. The power struggle among the gods spills into the mortal world, where the orc Brilla the Bloody leads her army of monsters against humans at the behest of another forgotten god, who wants to entice the god of death to the killing fields and slay him. Part farce, part parody, Hines rip-roaring narrative has us cheering the highly sympathetic Jig on to victory.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)