The Sorceress’s Orc: Elaine Corvidae

This originally appeared as a post in April 2011.

As with so many books of late, I met the author at a convention (SheVA, I believe).  I had seen Elaine Corvidae’s name floating around on guest lists for some years, but never quite got around to reading her work. Once I met her, and heard her read the first chapter of her latest book, The Sorceress’s Orc, I knew it was time to correct that situation. I downloaded Daughter of Snow for the Kindle and read it all in a series of big gulps; that one was all right, but had more typos and formatting errors than I normally put up with. It didn’t particularly enchant me.

However, I kept thinking about that first chapter of The Sorceress’s Orc that I’d heard Elaine read, and I really wanted to find out what happened next; so I contacted her and asked for a review copy. Elaine was kind enough to send me a hard copy, with the understanding that I don’t do puff pieces; I say what I think, good or bad. Thankfully, in this case it’s mostly good: her writing is simple and straightforward, making for easy and enjoyable reading.

In The Sorceress’s Orc, the main character, Vervain, is a teacher of Magical Sciences at the University of Giavolo. Due to some vague but strong premonitions of disaster from the divination department, several teachers are assigned orc bodyguards. This is first seen as ridiculous, then appreciated when an attack actually does come about. One teacher is kidnapped, Vervain is nearly killed, and quite a few students die. It’s a briskly paced story, and well-written, if a bit predictable; I knew who would turn out to be the ultimate villian within the first fifty pages, and had Vervain’s eventual romantic partner figured out almost as quickly. The characters are lively and enjoyable to read about, if, again, a bit on the stereotyped side: the outwardly staid and repressed teacher who turns out to be a brilliant and passionate woman; the hulking, brooding bodyguard who turns out to have a noble, kind, and tender heart; the stuffy academics more enamored of rules than sense; the bright but lazy student who is galvanized by events into applying herself.

Note, please, that none of this is intended as disparaging criticism. Corvidae pulls off the story well, by dint of some solidly skilled writing. This book is a thoroughly fun, light read, and I’m very glad I asked for it.

Elaine Corvidae is the award-winning author of over a dozen fantasy and science fiction novels under Mundania Press. The Sorceress’s Orc is a self-published endeavor, and she notes on her web site her reasons behind that:

I find the opportunities offered by the internet to be fascinating, and I want to explore them. Although I’m still invested in the traditional publishing model with most of my books, I’m not at all convinced that it will survive in its current form. Even if it does, it works best with books that have the broadest appeal possible. The Sorceress’s Orc is aimed at a niche market (perhaps even the niche of a niche)—which the internet is actually very good at reaching. Hence this experiment.

I’d say that her experiment has been a success so far, at least for me; it has introduced me to Corvidae’s writing and hooked my interest in seeing more of her work. And, interestingly, her self-published novel reads more cleanly and with less typos than the Kindle version of Daughter of Snow. Whodathunkit? Overall, I’d recommend Corvidae’s work to folks who want a simple story with a deft handling of character, pace, and humor.