The Bookwyrm's Review of Og-Grim-Dog: The Three Headed Ogre by Jamie Edmundson

 

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Rating: 9/10

Synopsis

Two heads are better than one

Three can be a real pain in the arse

We are Og-Grim-Dog!

We have been loved and reviled! We have been the Hero of the Hour, the Darkest Villain, and everything in between! We have saved this world and travelled to worlds beyond it!

You think you can distil the life of Og-Grim-Dog into some words on a page?

When a stranger visits their inn, the regulars are in for a surprise. Did their Landlord really come here from Gal’azu—the dangerous, edgier province to the east? Could it be that his stories, so fanciful and fantastical, were episodes from his previous life?

When their Landlord is persuaded to have his life story recorded for posterity, the surprises come thick and fast. Just like his regulars, you too can learn how a three-headed ogre came to be a hero. Unlike them, you don't stand to be killed if it all goes wrong...

Review

Being a big fan of comedic fantasy, I was excited to check this series out. I love the idea of outside the box protagonists, and it doesn't get much more outside than a three headed ogre. Obviously being a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons and traditional fantasy, you can see various tropes turned on their heads throughout the story, in some of the most hilarious ways.

The worldbuilding obviously takes a play on typical fantasy worlds based on a more D&D model. It has the usual races of humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, ogres and trolls, but with some hilarious twists. There are adventurers guilds, but the rules of who's allowed in the guild are fairly strict, and subject to some very weird changes. Who knew that a three headed ogre wouldn't be seen as a valuable asset to a guild? You can see the author is going to have some fun with the various institutions you've come to expect in a fantasy world, and put his own fun twist on them.

The characters are so much fun that they're laugh out loud funny at times. The three brothers Og, Grim and Dog are just so much fun. Sharing one body, they can't escape each other, no matter how much they may want to on occasion. They are just hilarious riffing on each other, especially because they have such differing personalities. They are an Ogre, though, so their view of the world is a bit different than your average human or elf adventurer in some hilarious ways. The rest of the crew is a fun twist on fantasy tropes, from the vegan barbarian warrior health nut, to the ale and bbq eleven ranger, and you just don't see it coming. The villains are also an interesting mix of tropes turned on their head, in some really interesting ways I didn't expect. These are all real characters, given interesting arcs, not just satire.

The audiobook narration is performed by Chuck Wagner. He did an absolutely fantastic job bringing the characters to life, especially Og-Grim-Dog. He gave the three brothers their own individual voices, and really injected personality into each. In fact, he managed to give distinct voices to each of the characters, and it really rounded out the resulting story. His narrative pacing is excellent as well, and it really engages the listener. 

For a book I took to be just a light hearted satire when I got it, I was surprised at just how good a fantasy novel it is. With it's mix of engaging characters, creative worldbuilding and excellent action scenes, its truly a must read for fantasy fans. This is the kind of fantasy writers like Craig Shaw Gardener, Terry Pratchett and Kara Dalkey used to write that made me fall in love with fantasy, and it's so much fun to see it thriving again. I can see this book having appeal for any fan of fantasy.