I’m not actually sure when this review posted (found it… May 4, 2018), it was written for Booklist, and I had referenced it back in 2018 on this post. I have since read the sequel to The Grey Bastards, and am looking forward to subsequent novels by Jonathan French.
Jackal is a Grey Bastard, one of several brotherhoods of half-orcs committed to defending the no-man zone between human civilization and the invading bands of orcs. At least, that’s what Jackal and most of the half-orcs believe they’re doing. Jonathan French turns fantasy on its head by featuring half-orcs as the unlikely heroes of his story, awkwardly sandwiched between their orc and human progenitors. Further complicating matters in Ul-wundulas, or the Lot Lands, are the presence of isolationist elves, homicidal centaurs, and a group of halfings who are religious zealots working towards the return of their god. The ugly secrets, betrayals, and twists in this book keep the pages turning as Jackal and his friends discover and fight back against the dark magics and conspiracies involved. Between the lies they’ve been fed and the isolation between the various races, Jackal begins the book with little real knowledge of the world’s problems and his hoof’s place in fixing or causing them. By the surprising conclusion, he’ll have answers that lead to more questions, and ultimately to a sequel.