The life of a hero is one that is often considered to be wondrous. A hero is someone who rescues damsels in distress, slays monsters, and most times is greatly rewarded. But a hero is also one who does these things often with no promise of a reward, thrown into a situation where they must be a hero without any warning at all. But times have changed and being a hero is no longer just a one-time event. Instead, being a hero is a job. A job that one will attend to every day, working their way up the ladder to become the best hero around. But not everything is as it seems and even heroes can fall from their pedestal; and for those like Gorm, it becomes more imperative to hide from the other heroes than to try to become the best.

If you’ve always been drawn to fairy tales and stories of happily ever after you’ll definitely be drawn to Orconomics: A Satire (The Dark Profit Saga Book 1) by J. Zachary Pike. Of course, it’s not exactly the same tired story you’ve probably read before. This is an entirely new twist on those traditional stories and it’s got some very interesting heroes. I loved the characters - from Gorm and Gleebek to Mr. Flinn, Brunt and, of course, some of the plunder funds. There’s a lot of action and adventure in Orconomics by J. Zachary Pike and that’s something anyone will enjoy. You will definitely be drawn in by the story and, of course, by the Dark Prince himself.

In Orconomics: A Satire (The Dark Profit Saga, Book 1) by J. Zachary Pike, heroes have stepped up to a professional level, where the adventuring industry drives the economy of Arth, a world filled with magic and ethereal beings. Hoards can be sold or bought and there are contracts for heroing. This new system is a debacle to Orcs, Goblins and the like. To avoid being killed, these once feared dark creatures have to apply to become Noncombatant Paper Carriers (or NPCs) – which means they have papers, are employed and thus non-attackable. When Gorm Ingerson, a Dwarven ex-hero, is recruited to take a quest for a mad goddess, powerful corporations and governments show an unusual interest in his progress. Together with his ragtag group - the goddess’s prophet, Grom’s goblin squire Gleebek, a beautiful elf, two mages who hate each other, an annoying bard, and a suicidal warrior - he must find the lost Elven Marbles.

Without a doubt, Pike gives fantasy fans a fresh, fun addition to the genre. The world building closely resembles our own, so every aspect of politics, economy and whatnot hits close to home and made me chuckle as I read through. It is tough being a hero in a fantasy world where magic, economy and bureaucracy collide. Even more so when you’re a disgraced former hero who is forced to team up with oddball characters. Pike has a wry sense of humor that translates well onto the page, with lines like “Treasure hoards don’t shrink!” adding to the entertaining nature of the book. It may seem that the story is satirical through and through, but as it progresses the story takes a much more thrilling turn, and things get decidedly more epic in scale.

Wow! What a spectacular read. I just finished with Orconomics: A Satire, the newest work by author J. Zachary Pike, and I can truly say that I haven’t had so much fun with a book in a long time. In this engaging novel we are introduced to the world of Arth, where heroes have become professionals. The economy of Arth is run on the adventures of heroes, so much so that hoard futures are bought and sold, heroing contracts are developed and entered into, and heroing guilds are formed. Gorm Ingerson, an ex-hero, finds himself in quite a pickle of a situation when he, along with a party of other rag-tag heroes, is forced into heroing for an unlucky goddess bent on forcing a prophecy regarding some marble statues to come to fruition.

I so enjoyed this book. So much so that even at the end, (which isn’t inconsequential at close to 400 pages), I was looking for more. Orconomics: A Satire is an excellent book. Any lover of humor or fantasy would love it, and anyone who enjoys the books of Terry Pratchett would enjoy this work of J. Zachary Pike just as much. I highly recommend his book to anyone looking for a unique and interesting take on both fantasy and economics, but in such a fun and lighthearted way that you’ll find yourself chuckling throughout. I understand that Mr. Pike is continuing to work on more ventures in this direction, including animation, films, and more books, and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Orconomics: A Satire (The Dark Profit Saga Book 1) by J. Zachary Pike takes us into the world of professional heroes. It is an everyday thing for heroes to rob the monsters of their money, but the quest Gorm Ingerson is about to embark on will be more then just the normal quest. Arth economy is driven by adventure, and Arth is a land full of magic and beings like Orcs, Goblins and more. Rather than just some handsome prince going for the money, the hoards that are held by such monsters are taken and bought up by corporations. If the “bad guys” want to avoid being killed by heroes, they have to apply for special NPC papers. It is in this world that Gorm stands up for an undocumented Goblin and ends up getting himself marked for recruitment. It is anyone's guess how the quest he is sent on by a mad goddess's prophet will turn out.

Have you ever wondered what a world like the fantasy games we play would really be like? This book answers that question in a very fun romp through an adventure land. I loved every moment and every page of this book J. Zachary Pike has created a world that is equal parts satire and adventure in its own right. Gorm is an interesting character, a man who knows how things work in his economy, and yet he is willing to stand up for others when the occasion calls for it. If you would like to take a romp through a fantasy land filled with all the creatures we tend to love in other stories, this is a great book for you. It is rich and fun and perfectly enjoyable.

An incredibly smart, funny, and exciting book. It lives up to its billing as a Satire, as there are layers upon layers of social and political commentary to be found, as well as brilliant and innovative takes on fantasy and RPGs in a more general sense. Yet still it manages to be a completely engaging fantasy novel at the same time.

The writing is far better than the surface may suggest. The writing is such that the things that you may take on face value at first easily and eagerly coax you into a more appreciative and complicated meaning underneath. Deep characters and character developments, world building that could not have been thought out any better, exciting action and devastating revelations.

As a.bonus, the book has legs - as even after you're finished reading you'll find that rereading it will almost give you another book entirely. Not to give anything away (and I don't think this does) it's kind of a literary version of watching Memento or Sixth Sense for a second time - Pike plants things in Orconomics all the way through, as only one that is truly great at his craft can, and things will take on more (if not new) meaning when you catch them on a second pass.

If you aren't itching for the second book to be finished by the time you've read the last sentence, then you either hate fantasy... or you just aren't very bright.

Seriously, Mr. Pike, PLEASE get Son of a Liche out - like yesterday!