Half-Orcs Books In Order

Publication Order of Half-Orcs Books

The Half-Orcs series is one of American Author David Dalglish’s more popular works; a collection of novels that, rather than attempting to recreate the classics, instead seeks to thrill and entertain, achieving its author’s primary purpose, which is to deliver excitement.

The Story

The story of the Half-Orcs series is set in the mythical world of Dezrel; it is a place filled with magic, demons, fiends, the undead and a whole host of otherworldly creatures, both good and bad.

It is within Dezrel that so many of David’s other series are set, this including the Shadowdance series and the Paladins. The Half-Orcs series is rather aptly named, chronicling the lives of half-orc brothers Harruq and Qurrah Tun; beings of mixed blood (half orc and half elf) David Dalglish brings to life the tales of their trials, their rise from humble beginnings into a place of death and corruption, and the calling of redemption and atonement that threatens to tear them apart.

Constituting five novels, The Half-Orcs series of books delves deep into the world of Dezrel and the divine powers that inhabit its planes; divine powers intimately intertwined with the destinies of the half-Orc brothers and around whom the conflicts of the world will unfold.

The Author

David Dalglish is the author of the Half-Orcs series; he was born in April 1984 and has made a name for himself creating epic fantasy stories. A graduate of Missouri Southern State University (2006), Dalglish pursued several odd jobs before finally publishing The Weight of Blood’, his first novel, in 2010.

Initially finding his success onlinethrough self-publishing, David eventually crossed over to traditional forms of publishing after attracting the attention of and signing a deal with Orbit Books. Following deals with Amazon publishing and 47North, David Dalglish’s star seems set to continue shining both within traditional and non-traditional publishing arenas.

Most critics have admitted that Dalglish rarely brings anything new to the table; where he seems to succeed immensely, however, is his ability to take the same old tropes and give them a new spin, the result being novels and book series that are not only pleasurable to consume but exciting and contagious.

The Weight of Blood

This is the first book David Dalglish ever published; it also the first novel in his popular Half-Orcs series. Within its confines, we are introduced to Harruq and Qurrah Tun. The brothers did not lead pleasant lives as children. And they expected to continue along a path trodden with poverty and misery, until an opportunity to escape their squalid beginnings emerged. Qurrah Tun and Harruq chose to follow the prophet velixar, not out of blind loyalty but because they wanted to strive towards a better life.

It was a decision that would change their lives and that of Velixar’s cause, the brothers rising to become his most trusted disciples, charged with leading the prophet’s undead army to victory.

It is during the preparations for war that trouble first begins to truly stir within the stable existence the brothers had carved out for themselves. When Harruq becomes indebted to an elf named Aurelia, he begins training with her and, in time, catches a glimpse of what she represents, hope for a better world. What promises to become a beautiful friendship struggles under the weight of war between their races.

Now the brothers have been ordered by their prophet to fight alongside the humans, effectively making Aurelia Harruq’s foe. As chaos begins to touch the edges of Dezrel, Harruq will have to determine if he has the will to reject the violent nature of his Orcish persona and turn against his own brother in an attempt to find redemption.

Whatever decision Harruq makes though, he knows that someone he loves will have to perish.

The weight of blood is dark fantasy; it thrives on the conflict it creates between its primary protagonists; Harruq and Qurrah Tun are compelling characters with divergent opinions that prove intriguing as they are slowly but surely forced down different paths, allowing the reader to not only empathize with one’s determination to seek atonement but to sympathize with the choices of the other.

David’s writing isn’t perfect, though one would be hard-pressed to fault it for any particular failings; the plot is fast paced and any reader hungry for action within a fantasy setting will not be disappointed.

The first book in the Half-Orcs series manages to mirror numerous other series in the same genre while finding ways of standing apart.

The Cost of Betrayal

In the second book of the Half-Orcs series, protagonists Harruq and Qurrah Tun have entered into an alliance with a band of mercenaries. However it is an alliance that is uneasy and strained, but one that Qurrah Tun and Harruq have no choice in pursuing, not with their prophet dead and their home gone.

As they gear up for conflict with a formidable guild of thieves, their hopes for happiness and a bright future begin to extinguish as divine forces start moving, the consequences of their actions having a direct bearing upon the fate of the brothers.

Harruq is ready to risk all to protect his family; however Qurrah might doom them both, his love for a girl and the machinations of a goddess presenting obstacles that even he might be unprepared to contend with, especially with the imminent return of the prophet.

What Harruq knows for sure is that the cost of disloyalty will be steep for those that have to make the payment.

The second novel of the series is very tightly written; it is a fast paced ride within which we are re-introduced to characters from the first novel (as well as a select few new ones), Dalglish taking the time to develop his cast, revealing new depths to their individual personalities and making it that much easier to empathize with the goals of the different parties.

Anyone that wasn’t quite sold on the first book will be happy that they stuck around; there are more thrills and more action as Dezrel, David’s world, is brought into clearer focus. Characters that will significantly impact stories within some of David’s other series of novels like Shadowdance also make an appearance.