Ogres is one of those stories that you should go into as blind as you can. The basic premise is that ogres rule the world and the humans, "monkeys", exist only to serve them. Torquell, the young son of the headman of a small village ruled by an ogre lord, lands himself in more than a bit of hot water when he dares to raise his hand against the son of the lord. Torquell's transgression leads him to discover the truth about the ogres and the way of the world.

I'll be honest, the bulk of the reading experience of this novella is the most meh I have felt about a Tchaikovsky story since I DNFed [b:Ironclads|34466691|Ironclads|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499862212l/34466691._SY75_.jpg|55586798] years ago. It has exactly the kind of theme heavy, low character development, heavy handed approach that I hated about Ironclads. It's exploring the idea of injustice, servitude and rebellion but told entirely in 2nd person POV focused on Torquell. I did not realize how much I only like 2nd person in limited doses because it constantly pulled me out of the story and I really struggled to care about anything that was happening. There's some great commentary, but I just didn't connect with it.

All of that changed at a point where Tchaikovsky masterfully changes course and brought this from a 2 star read to a 4 star read. Restored all my faith in him as an author and made me instantly connect to and marvel at what was happening. Spectacularly well done.

If you haven't already, pick up this novella if you can tolerate that much 2nd person POV, the journey Tchaikovsky takes you on is worth it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CAWPILE Rating
-----------------
Characters: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Writing: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Intrigue: 7/10
Logic: 9/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 7.9/10 = 4 stars

Well this had a twist ending I hadn't seen coming and I loved it!

So when I started reading this I was completely thrown off by the style, its written in 2nd person point of view which after reading this I believe is the first book I have read in this style, since I can't think of any others. It wasn't jarring just different, I'm used to a narrator talking to me the reader, I'm not used to being the "hero" or the "main character" but after awhile it was kind of fun.

Tchaikovsky really has a way with writing about certain all too real unfair situations involving the wealthy/higher class and the lower class, in a bizarre way that really points out the issues. It's a story that is steeped in the economics of the working class and how they are basically tricked, lied and taken advantage of all by the wealthy who deem it's their right to do so because they "thought of a solution" who of course conveniently left themselves out the equation on the changes that were being forced upon everyone else. It's not shrouded in the story either it's pretty blatant once you start putting all the pieces together, especially towards the later half of the book, its just in your face. But the story also touches on, slavery, greed, human nature, and so much more. The simple fact that Tchaikovsky can include all of these elements in such a short story while making sure to keep it engaging really shows to his writing ability. I was glued to the story, I was floored by how he managed to get these points across while blending fantasy and science fiction together,

I never read the synopsis of this story before I requested it on Netgalley but I still ending up getting something completely different than what I thought I was getting with a title like Orges, but its a title that still manages to make sense with the story. Tchaikovsky is a must read author for me.