The Grey Bastards

Starred review from May 7, 2018
This terrific and highly original epic fantasy debut focuses on a single small fighting unit: the boar-riding half-orc war band known as the Grey Bastards, “forged in the heat of Ul-wundulas, tempered by the pressure of the badlands, and quenched in the brackish water of life on the hoof.” The coarse nature of French’s half-orcs is immediately on display in the opening scene, in which Grey Bastards Jackal, Oats, and Fetching face off against a squad of human cavalry at the local brothel. A raid by full-blooded orcs, the arrival of an unknown half-orc wizard dubbed “Crafty,” and a confrontation in a nearby swamp with the Sludge Man and some “giant, featureless leeches made of tar” are just the beginning for Jackal and his mixed-gender crew. Meanwhile, the band’s leader, Claymaster, has been crafting nefarious schemes with unclear ends. The plots within and around the Grey Bastards add elements of mystery to the scenes of bloody combat and weird magics. French’s prose, appropriately lowbrow among the half-orcs, is almost poetic at other times. His half-orcs, halflings, centaurs, and others have rich histories and folklore, giving the work depth while never getting in the way of the fun. This is excellent fantasy fare on all levels. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary.

Starred review from June 15, 2018

The Lots is a no-man's-land that forms the border between the human empire of Hispartha and marauding bands of full-blooded orcs. Patrolling the Lots are eight bands, or "hoofs" of half-orcs. Jackal rides with the brotherhood of Grey Bastards, along with his childhood friends Oats, a "thrice-blood" (more orc than human), and Fetching, the only female rider in all the hoofs. When a foreign sorcerer joins their group, his arrival brings turmoil and reveals the secret plans of their unbalanced leader, the Claymaster. Jackal is saddled with a captive elf girl, and his questions lead to some surprising discoveries--including the truth behind the disintegrating peace between humans and orcs. Faced with betrayal and disillusion, Jackal must decide where his path and his loyalty lie. The action-filled, sometimes grisly plot supports a raucous group of characters, amazing worldbuilding, and delightful descriptions of giant war pigs as steed. VERDICT Winner of the 2016 Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO), this gritty debut takes the swords and sorcery trope to new heights; a must for epic fantasy enthusiasts.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2018
French's adrenaline-fueled adventure fantasy, which features badass gangs of tattooed half-orcs on the backs of giant war hogs thundering across a lawless wasteland, is an unapologetically brutal thrill ride--like Mad Max set in Tolkien's Middle-earth.The Lot Lands are sprawling badlands that separate the realm of humans (frails) from the orcs (thicks). Seen as abominations from both sides, the half-orcs exist in loose outlaw clans that patrol the Lot Lands, keeping the frails safe from orc attack, as has been their sole duty for generations. Jackal is a member of the Grey Bastards, and although he loves his home in the Kiln--a seemingly impenetrable fortress that can heat its outsides like a blast furnace when attacked--he believes the leader of the Bastards, an old half-orc twisted with disease called the Claymaster, should be overthrown. The arrival of a half-orc wizard has increased the Claymaster's strange behavior. Jackal's childhood friend Oats--a giant thrice-blood (the product of a half-orc breeding with an orc)--backs his decision to attempt to head the Bastards, but when the group puts it to a vote, a tough female half-orc who Jackal thought had his back chooses the Claymaster, effectively exiling him into the Lot Lands. With the future of the Bastards in jeopardy, Jackal embarks on an epic adventure that includes saving an elven girl imprisoned by a demon that lives in a massive swath of bogland saturated with dark magic, becoming a folk hero to a community of halflings after battling crazed centaurs, and, most important, discovering the true history of the Lot Lands and the reason for the half-orc patrols. Powered by unparalleled worldbuilding, polished storytelling, and relentless pacing, French's novel is a cool fusion of classic adventure fantasy and 21st-century pop-culture sensibilities with nonstop action; a cast of unforgettable and brilliantly authentic characters; vulgar but witty dialogue; and strong female characters who overturn old sexist conventions. This is a dirty, blood-soaked gem of a novel.An addictively readable--and undeniably cool--fantasy masterwork.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.