Orcs
#11383.59 adjusted 3.65 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 6 books Status Complete 1999–2011 Reading commitment Medium Stan Nicholls Last reviewed 2026-10-29
Overview
Stan Nicholls’s six Orcs novels tell fantasy’s familiar war from the other side. In the Orcs: First Blood trilogy (1999 to 2000), Stryke and his warband, the Wolverines, fight to survive in Maras-Dantia, a land whose magic is being drained by human settlers, while hunting for five ancient artefacts said to be able to change the world. The Orcs: Bad Blood trilogy (2008 to 2011) follows the same band to another world, where they are asked to help its orcs throw off their oppressors.
Sword & sorcery, Grimdark · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (6 works) counts toward ranking
Orcs: First Blood Stan Nicholls
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bodyguard of Lightning | 1999 | 1 | core | 3.43 (1,186 ratings) |
 | Legion of Thunder | 1999 | 2 | core | 3.58 (804 ratings) |
 | Warriors of the Tempest | 2000 | 3 | core | 3.50 (744 ratings) |
First trilogy, Gollancz, 1999 to 2000.
Orcs: Bad Blood Stan Nicholls
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Weapons of Magical Destruction; Published in the United States as Orcs: Bad Blood. | 2008 | 1 | core | 3.67 (1,232 ratings) |
 | Army of Shadows | 2009 | 2 | core | 3.74 (824 ratings) |
 | Inferno | 2011 | 3 | core | 3.72 (369 ratings) |
Second trilogy, Gollancz, 2008 to 2011, continuing with the same warband.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Orcs? Orcs's Core Canon is 6 books.
- What is the reading order for Orcs? Publication order, starting with Bodyguard of Lightning. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Orcs finished? Complete (1999–2011).
- How much reading does Orcs take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 6 Core Canon books).
- How is Orcs ranked? #1138 in this site's official ranking, based on 5,159 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1138?
Ranked #1138 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.59 across 6 core books.
- A smaller readership (5,159 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #1137, Tender Morsels.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 6 books · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #1138 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length sword-and-sorcery universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (6 Core Canon books)
- Bodyguard of Lightning (1999)
- Legion of Thunder (1999)
- Warriors of the Tempest (2000)
- Weapons of Magical Destruction (2008)
- Army of Shadows (2009)
- Inferno (2011)
Documented internal/story order
- Bodyguard of Lightning (1999)
- Weapons of Magical Destruction (2008)
- Legion of Thunder (1999)
- Army of Shadows (2009)
- Warriors of the Tempest (2000)
- Inferno (2011)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Orcs and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Snakewood Grimdark / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.65
- Le Vieux Royaume Sword & sorcery / Grimdark · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.34
- Book of the Ancestor / Book of the Ice Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
- Empire of the Wolf Grimdark / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.08
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.59 across 5,159 ratings on 6 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: Island of Whispers (Hardinge), The Beast Player (Uehashi, 4 books), Orcs (Nicholls, 6 books) accepted 2026-10-29
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Orcs: First Blood Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Stan Nicholls Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-29
Rule: Core Canon = the six novels of the two trilogies set in the same world: Orcs: First Blood (Bodyguard of Lightning, Legion of Thunder, Warriors of the Tempest) and Orcs: Bad Blood (Weapons of Magical Destruction, Army of Shadows, Inferno). The omnibus editions, the short fiction and the graphic novel Orcs: Forged for War are not included.