Book Review: Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike

Genre(s): Fantasy / Comedy

Content warning: This book contains themes of violence/combat, addiction, racial disparity, death, and necromancy.

Being a hero and adventuring is expensive, and comes with a high mortality rate. But that doesn’t stop most from entering the profession. For Gorm Ingerson, his hero days are in the past. He’s been exiled from his home and blacklisted by the hero’s guild. But that doesn’t stop him from being blackmailed into a final quest along with several other questionable heroes, hosted by the temple of an insane goddess and funded by their rival religious faction. His choice is simple: undertake the quest or be executed.

Orconomics has a definite MMORPG vibe to it – with the ranks bestowed on heroes and the tasks that accompany said ranks (i.e., rank 1’s get to exterminate rats.) There are a number of other clever references to the classic games (like NPCs). I’ve played my share of MMOs, and if you enjoy those, you’ll probably also enjoy this book. The main group of heroes is also reminiscent of the “classic” MMO parties; a ranger, a bard, a couple of mages, a warrior…The only thing they’re missing is a tank, and it is mentioned at one point. It was a lot of fun to read.

The economy featured in the book was amusing too. There’s a stock market-like system in place to fund adventures, with brokers and buyers, “plunder funds”, and even business interest in the heroes’ quests. The loot sharing aspect was fascinating, a combination of profit-sharing and auctions.

There is also a healthy dose of humor throughout the book, and I can’t tell you how many times it had me laughing. On top of that, there’s a pretty interesting quest story line with a few twists and turns I wasn’t expecting. I really enjoyed this book.

If you’re looking for an entertaining fantasy that will make you laugh, check out Orconomics.

There is a second book in the series, Son of a Liche, which I’ll probably pick up in the very near future.

Author website: jzacharypike.com

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