Captive of the Orcs

by Benjamin Epstein

Dallet departed on a long journey, leaving behind his family, home, and his love. He planned to travel to the City of Brass Gates, and enter the priesthood of the Divine, the deity of the Luminean Exiles.

Torak was a young Orc, raised to pursue honor and victory. His tribe captured a trading caravan, and Torak enslaves a fleeing Luminean Exile.

Human and Orc, slave and master, bound by fate, must now adventure across the face of Codytha. One seeks revenge, the other freedom. And each is an enigma to his companion.

Genres: Fantasy

302 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2012

Reviews

[Rebekah McClew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. Dallet was really relatable, his character was well defined that he felt real. his love for his family and the rest from his group of Lumineans. During the entire time he was held captive and not knowing if he was going to live or die, what exactly was going to happen to him he wanted his loved ones and fellow Lumineans to be safe. He thought of others and not just himself when his life was in danger. He reacted in ways I wouldn't have but then you could see why he did and the results from it. There was so much story packed into it without being wordy or slow.

[Radu Anca · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting adventure. I liked Dallet's way of resolving his dilemmas and of getting ahead, it was quite refreshing and smart. The relatively strong religious undercurrent worked well within the story. I could go for a second installment if the author ever writes one.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Epstein's description of this this book intrigued me. He shared that it contained a spiritual component. While religion and magic are not new to the genre of fantasy, Judeo-Christian values are.

I loved this book! Epstein successfully integrated the tension of trying to practice a spiritual faith while living in a world that is at times disdainful and hostile towards those practices.

We meet the main character, Dallet, who is a soon-to-be seminarian student. His travels are interrupted by an attack on his caravan which results in him being taken as a slave to the Orc, Torak. Together they journey (with many side adventures) to Torak's village. Dallet must struggle with his growing faith as it is regularly in contradiction with his circumstances.

I grew to really like both characters Dallet and Torak. I thought Epstein did a fabulous job making them complex individuals whose personalities developed as the story progressed. I also liked the way the story unfolded. I found it took unexpected turns and kept me guessing. But, I especially appreciated both characters'spiritual growth.

Dallet is a "believer" who discovers most decisions are neither clearly right nor wrong. Torak, however, comes from a war-like community which values power and valor. He constantly finds himself in conflict with Dallet's belief system yet is attracted to it as well.

Great book! Anyone who appreciates fantasy will enjoy this book. However those who are looking for novels with a spiritual thread, like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien's work, will appreciate this story.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because of the title which took me back to the R.R.Tolkien series; one I loved. But, in this version the Orcs are green in colour with snouts and tusks and not born of the elven race. In this plot Dallet a young man is hired to work as a scribe on a caravan that's headed to a city where he will study to become a Luminean priest. On the way the caravan's attacked and his adventure begins when he's captured by a young Orc called Torak. The story brings to light issues of prejudice, class structure,and hatred but it also weaves in elements of friendship, trust and loyalty. I liked Dallet and Torak who found themselves on a strange journey of discovery that awakened unexpected elements of their character and beliefs. I found the book slow at times and wondered if I would finish reading it, but found in the end an inspirational piece of fiction that I would recommend to others.

[LAWonder10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great book especially for YA age. This is about a future time on earth.
The Orcs are a strong group who fight amongst themselves, mush like the American Indians did in early American history. Although they are devoted to their tribe their first devotion is to their God. Each tribe interprets that devotion differently.
The Luminean Exiles are humble, educated and often used in accounting and tutoring other groups so they can read and write as well.
This is also a time of Dwarfs, Elves and Faeries.
The book is centered on the Orcs and Lumineans but cleverly includes the other tribes. I can only assume this is the first of a series. It would be a shame if it weren't.
There is a lot of action and violence so isn't recommended for elementary ages.
It is also a story of reacting those very different and of prejudice. There are also lessons to be learned of tolerance, using wisdom and one's mind in various situations.

[Sheila Paigly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won Captive of the Orcs in a Goodreads giveaway.

Dallet is a Lumenean Exile on the way to the big city in order to study to become a cleric. His traveling party is ambushed by a orc raiding party. Dallet's traveling party is killed and he is captured as a slave by Torak. In turn, the rest of Torak's raiding party is killed by a rival orc tribe. Dallet and Torak make a journey together across the desert in order to warn Torak's tribe of the malicious intentions of the rival tribe.

I enjoyed reading Captive of the Orcs. It gave humanity to orcs by showing their everyday lives and customs. While orcs are commonly viewed as the villain in many fantasy novels, Torak has a softer side and is endearing. This is a great novel for anyone who has cheered for the underdog, hoping the universal villian will turn out to be a good guy after all.

[Ty Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway, and I was immediately intrigued by the title. Upon reading I discovered a very good book that follows Dallet, a Luminean Exile, as he makes his way toward the City of Brass Gates to study and become a cleric of the Divine. When the party he is travelling with is ambushed by a tribe of Orcs, things take a turn for the worse and Dallet quickly finds himself slave to a young Orc named Torak. The novel follows Dallet and Torak as they deal with the uprising of another Orc tribe and the chaos that ensues. The only complaint I have is that the story feels unfinished, but I'm guessing that will be remedied in a sequel still to come.

[Lizzy Lessard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come 7/19/13.

[Sabrina Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. If you like fantasy with a religious thread similar to. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien should really like this book.
This is a Goodreads win.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

It had quite interesting themes and will work very well toward its target audience, that is YA, I believe.