# Serious lack of Ork fiction



## Gochu85 (Jun 17, 2011)

I have been looking everywhere for novels or even short stories written from the Ork's perspective, but have been sorely disappointed. I found the short story in Fear the Alien and the graphic comics written from the point of view of a captured Colonel of the 96th Tallarn Desert Raiders (Warhammer 40,000: Blood and Thunder). I wish I was able to write even short stories about battles and campaigns through the Ork's eyes, but lack the confidence. Is it just that nobody is interested? The majority of books I can find are either Space Marines or Imperial Guards. Maybe I am part of a very small group of people that wish to see these stories (or the only one). Anyone else's thoughts on this?


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## arumichic (May 14, 2011)

A lot of people don't like writing from a xenos' perspective. They don't want to put human emotions and thought processes into a xenos since xenos won't have the same feelings and processes that humans have, so lots of people prefer not to write them. If that makes sense.
I would love to see more stories that aren't SM or IG, but alas they are harder to find.
If you want to write stories, I'd be more than happy to help edit them if you want and need it.


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## Gochu85 (Jun 17, 2011)

Yeah, after writing that thread I realized that if I am going to complain about it, why not become part of the solution? I would love it if someone could help me edit, yes. I am working on a short story that I was toying around with in my head for awhile right now. A mob of Orks that is part of a boarding party on an Imperial ship. Trying to focus on just the desire to have some excitement and something new from the ork perspective. I think they would be the easiest to write about, motivated by the very base human emotions of greed and anger. All it takes is opening up the inner psycopath/klepto within myself and writing what I would feel at that moment lol. Kind of worrying, actually...hmm.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

One of the SM: Battles, Purging of Kallidus, have two parts in the beginning and end from Ork perspective which was really fun reading. I recommend reading for inspiration.  Orks have such a strong confidence I almost feel sorry for them. ^^


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## OrkByTheGraceOfGork (Jun 9, 2010)

There's also the short story, Iron Inferno in Fear the Alien.

But, you're right there's not that many. If a book could be written from an alien's perspective, I think Orks could be the race. They're relatively simple, not that complicated. A person could get into their psyche and write about them.


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## D-A-C (Sep 21, 2010)

Gochu85 said:


> I have been looking everywhere for novels or even short stories written from the Ork's perspective, but have been sorely disappointed. I found the short story in Fear the Alien and the graphic comics written from the point of view of a captured Colonel of the 96th Tallarn Desert Raiders (Warhammer 40,000: Blood and Thunder). I wish I was able to write even short stories about battles and campaigns through the Ork's eyes, but lack the confidence. Is it just that nobody is interested? The majority of books I can find are either Space Marines or Imperial Guards. Maybe I am part of a very small group of people that wish to see these stories (or the only one). Anyone else's thoughts on this?


_Helsreach_ and _Path of the Warrior_ both feature Orks.

But to be honest you shouldn't hold your breath for a novel in which the Orks are protagonists.

'Wez a gonna stomp da humis brains in' and 'Oi, Orks is da biggest and da strongest' wouldn't make for fun reading after a few pages.

Although there is a non 40k novel entitled _Orcs_ which is supposed to be pretty good.


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## torealis (Dec 27, 2006)

Writing from an Ork's perspective is like writing historical fiction from a caveman's perspective surely?


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Can you imagine the difficulty of writing a book from the Orks perspective.

All heads raised when the main door to the bridge opened. Several Nobz began cursing, and a runt was kicked casually across the floor, to make way for the new arrival.
Grishnak the Invincible was making his daily rounds of Da Big Ship.
"Rite me's ald muckers, wozza go'n on 'ere den?". There was a dreadful silence.
"Oi! Ya scumbags, i's talkin' ta ya filth", the Warlord unsheathed his favourate war axe.
"Boss, we's wern't expectin' ya...." CHUNK, the deck Kaptains head was catapulted into the air like a childs toy.
"Shuddup! I wern't talkin' ta youse"
"Boss....". Dakadakadka. Three more of the ships crew were reduced to green gore as Grishnak let lose with his bolter.
"Nor you"
"Boss....", SLICE, HACK, RIP.....

Get the message?


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## Gochu85 (Jun 17, 2011)

The most interesting parts of Warhammer novels to me is the fighting. I am sure there are plenty who agree with me. What are the Orks about? Fighting, all the time. A novel written as a battle to battle, such as the invasion of a planet, I would find very interesting personally. I don't want to read about the day to day ship activity of any species, let alone Orks. That's not the reason I want to see a novel written from their point of view. It is their brutality and bloodthirst that interests me.


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## bobss (May 18, 2008)

I don't even like Orks.

Why would I want a book from their perspective alone? I like to take my fantasy settings with a pinch of seriousness. 

I think the Ork race is stupid and tries to add an element of fun to the setting, which is gimmicky at best. In the canon they serve as nothing better than 'filler bad guys' when the Imperium isn't busy fighting the Traitor Legions, Hive Fleets, or more advanced foes like the Necrontyr, Eldar or Tau. They're like cultists or heretics for Guardsmen to shoot at, just more annoying. 

Iron Inferno was refreshing from run of the mill Imperial shorts, but the Ork POVs in Purging of Kallidus were unnecessary. We didn't have them in Rynn's World or Helsreach. We don't need them period.

I'm sure just as many people don't want an Ork novel as those who do. With this in mind, would Black Library risk publishing it? I doubt it, I guess. 

Black Library publish stories that sell. 'Kinda why the Horus Heresy is too long and there are more sequels than newer reads.


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## Gochu85 (Jun 17, 2011)

Well, my original intent with this thread was for people who would actually be intersted in reading Ork fiction, not for people to come in here and complain about them. I was providing my opinion, my opinion being that I enjoy reading Ork fiction because to me it contains what interests me in a story. In general I find most of Black Library fiction to be a fairly boring read punctuated by short bursts of interesting material. The stories are predictable, the characters for the most part poorly written, and the plots clumsy. Again, this is all my opinion, flame me if you will, but I feel that if they are going to accept writing of that quality, then I want to read a novel based on what I find interesting.


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## bobss (May 18, 2008)

Gochu85 said:


> Well, my original intent with this thread was for people who would actually be intersted in reading Ork fiction, not for people to come in here and complain about them. I was providing my opinion, my opinion being that I enjoy reading Ork fiction because to me it contains what interests me in a story. In general I find most of Black Library fiction to be a fairly boring read punctuated by short bursts of interesting material. The stories are predictable, the characters for the most part poorly written, and the plots clumsy. Again, this is all my opinion, flame me if you will, but I feel that if they are going to accept writing of that quality, then I want to read a novel based on what I find interesting.


This really isn't flaming. 

If you like Orks, that's cool. If you enjoy Ork canon it's only natural you would like a complete novel on them. As a Adeptus Mechanicus and Eldar fanboy, I'd expect the same.

But I find Orks a nuisance personally. Especially in literature. Tolkien's Orcs were the monotonous soldiers of Morgoth and Sauron for a reason. Tolkien kept them at arm's length and provided us with many human and hobbit POVs with Orcs featuring within them. This was interesting as sometimes the 'bad guys' need to be undeveloped so they don't become too human. 

That's why I have a problem with the idea of an Ork POV, beside my obvious view that they're assholes. Ork's are far too inhuman for us to understand. Even more so than Eldar, I suspect. Eldar's emotions and behaviour are of a greater magnitude humans. But Ork's are totally different.

I guess a good author should be able to portray Orks well enough for us to recognise these differences, but still enjoy them as we would any other character. But I form bonds to the characters in what I read. Compassion, sympathy. If I did that to an Ork then I haven't read it right. I've given them human qualities in my mind which I shouldn't have.

If I wished to read Orks fighting, then I'd be happy with the Imperial Guard series or Space Marine's Battles series. I don't really like 'bolter porn' as such. I'd rather read good literature.


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Write it mate. The Original Works section is open to all forms of fiction. Hell I`ve written from tyranid and necron perspectives in the past with little thought for reader reaction, and that`s really the only way to do it. The moment you try to please others, it`s no longer art, it`s work. And that`s no way to write. :no:

If you think you can make it work, go for it. :good:


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## The Sullen One (Nov 9, 2008)

Give writing a story a try mate. Start small, say about 2'000 words at most and figure out a rough draft for the story before writing it. Take something easy, such as the rise of a new Warboss. Write the story from his perspective and see what you get. As to editing, I'm up for helping you on that if you want.


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## buckythefly (Mar 16, 2009)

bobss said:


> I don't even like Orks.
> 
> Why would I want a book from their perspective alone? I like to take my fantasy settings with a pinch of seriousness.
> 
> ...


I am going to have to respectfully disagree. I think 40k needs the Orks, their the only thing standing between the grimdark depressodark of the grim darkness and making the game utterly intolerable at times. 

While the eldar mourn their losses, and the space marines continue to be "always angry, all the time." and the tau do whatever it is tau do. The orks have a good time, and they've been doing their thing since the inception of 40k. If you wanted to argue that the tau didn't belong, or the new blood angels writing is awful, that'd be one thing. But the Orks have been a part of the game since the beginning, and obviously SOMEBODY likes them as theirs a ton of Ork players out there, who tend to be the most passionate players in the hobby.

I for one think you'd be fully entitled to take one look at an "Ork" novel from the black library and walk away. but personally at least based on the entertainment value of the stories in the codex, Ork players deserve a novel, and I think many other non-ork players might buy it too, just to get a chuckle. Nobody expects fantastic literature, they expect the sort of antics featured in the codex, the stuff that makes the inner 12 year old go "oooooh cool" Like crashing motorcycles through Warhound Titans, and besting imperial commanders, only to let them go so they can try again.


So, Agree to disagree, but I'd love to see an Ork Novel.

@Original Poster 
So now its your job to write it, I want to read it. Make it big fast and explody, or just make it orking. If you need any help send me a PM I'm a terrible English student (as bobss probably had to fight through) so I am no editor, but I've done some fiddling with the orkish language and might be of some use. Either way mate, definitely give it a shot, even if it isn't fantastic I'll appreciate it.


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

And here is your oppotunity:

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=94422

The potential for a 7000-9000 word story of Ork blood and gore! GO FOR IT!


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## Lexington (Jun 5, 2008)

Hopefully, this isn't too necro-y (hey, the thread's only been fallow for, what, fifteen days?), but I'll point out that, before 3rd Edition made things to Imperium-centric, there were tons of stories written from an Ork perspective. If you can get ahold of it, check out the old RT-era "_WAAARGH - The Orks_" book, which was an entire tome dedicated to greenskin background, and featured several semi-interweaving stories of Orks and Grots interacting with each other. They're hilarious and wonderful.

For a taste of what they were like, check out this old story - Mad Mek Dedwrekka. It wasn't official or anything, but it captured a similar "vibe" very well, and is gut-bustingly funny to boot.


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## the Autarch (Aug 23, 2009)

definitely possible and i think it'd be a good read especially if you consider the infighting that occurs in ork tribes


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## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Just finished reading 'Imperial Glory'. If you want Orks, there's loads in this one!!


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

torealis said:


> Writing from an Ork's perspective is like writing historical fiction from a caveman's perspective surely?


cavemen everywhere would be quite offended


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## cheeto (Apr 1, 2011)

Running for class president, a friend of mine, in speech said "there is a time to be serious, and a time to be seriously out of hand..." the latter which pretty much sums up orks. I think that the toughest part of writing from an ork perspective is to be serious, but not too serious which would lead to what others above have mentioned as a threat of attributing human characteristics to a totally alien race. 

I think the trick is to heavily feature orks against imperials or heavily feature imperials in a predominately ork based story so that the contrast between races can not only be made but help define the differences, which somehow makes sense to me...

If you think you can write orcs, then I think you should go for it.


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