Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Grey Bastards
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.jonathanfrenchbooks.com/
CITY: Atlanta
STATE: GA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in TN; married; children: a son.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has also been a public speaker at conventions.
AWARDS:Winner of Second Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off, 2017, for The Grey Bastards.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Jonathan French is an American writer. Born in Tennessee and raised overseas, he eventually settled in Atlanta. French self-published the “Autumn’s Fall Saga” fantasy series beginning in 2012 with The Exiled Heir. The Errantry of Bantam Flyn, the second novel in the series, was published in 2014.
In an interview in the Qwillery, French discussed the major influences in his life on his writing. He shared: “Living abroad as a kid was a major influence. I was this 9-year-old from Tennessee that had recently discovered Dungeons & Dragons and comic books, and the next thing I know I’m living in a place where medieval castles and cathedrals can be visited after school. And it all compounded from there. The interests spread to military history, weapons/warfare, wargaming, art history, all while beginning to absorb book after book: Middle-earth, Prydain, Discworld, Redwall, Conan.” French admitted that “those trends have continued almost uninterrupted as I’ve gotten older, but have also been supplemented by new pursuits like fatherhood and an interest in wilderness survival.”
French published The Grey Bastards in 2015. The sprawling Lot Lands separate the land of the humans from the land of the orcs. Half-orcs patrol the Lot Lands to prevent the orcs from overrunning the humans. After a half-orc wizard appears and the group’s leader, the Claymaster, begins acting strange Jackal believes that it is time to overthrow him. Jackal’s democratic attempt to replace the Claymaster results in his being exiled. While plotting ways to save his former community, he resuces an elven girl and becomes a folk hero to a community of halfings after saving them from centaurs. While roaming the Lot Lands, though, he learns the true reason why the half-orcs must spend their existence guarding the land.
In an interview in the Qwillery, French talked about the research he conducted in order to write The Grey Bastards. He stated: “I did a massive amount of reading about Reconquista-era Spain. S.S. Wyatt’s translation of Daily Life in Portugal in the Middle Ages by A.H. de Oliveira Marques was invaluable. I also had to do a fair amount of internet research about different species of swine in order to make the riding hogs believable.”
A contributor to Kirkus Reviews pointed out that “this is a dirty, blood-soaked gem of a novel.” The same reviewer noted that the novel is “powered by unparalleled worldbuilding, polished storytelling, and relentless pacing.” The Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “an addictively readable–and undeniably cool–fantasy masterwork.” A Publishers Weekly contributor remarked that “French’s prose, appropriately lowbrow among the half-ores, is almost poetic at other times.” The Publishers Weekly contributor labeled The Grey Bastards “excellent fantasy fare on all levels.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2018, review of The Grey Bastards.
Publishers Weekly, May 7, 2018, review of The Grey Bastards, p. 51.
ONLINE
Jonathan French website, https://www.jonathanfrenchbooks.com (October 13, 2018).
Powells website, http://www.powells.com/ (June 29, 2018), author interview.
Qwillery, http://qwillery.blogspot.com/ (June 22, 2018), author interview.
Jonathan French is the author of the Autumn's Fall Saga and The Grey Bastards.
His debut novel, The Exiled Heir, was nominated for Best First Novel at the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in 2012. His second book, The Errantry of Bantam Flyn, rose to #6 on the Kindle Norse/Viking Fantasy bestseller list, proudly sharing the top ten with Joe Abercrombie.
His newest work, The Grey Bastards, is best described as "Sons of Anarchy...with half-orcs". It won the 2nd annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off in 2017, and was soon acquired by Crown Publishing. Bennett Coles, author of Virtues of War from Titan Books, praised the book, stating: "Anchored by a trio of complex and unique heroes who won my loyalty in the very first pages, the story explodes into action and doesn't let up."
An engaging and energetic speaker, Jonathan has led panel discussions at conventions such as DragonCon, TimeGate, and CONjuration. Recently, he had the pleasure of being featured in an episode of the web-series Retroblasting as a consultant on the cultural impact of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
Jonathan currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and son.
Visit him at jonathanfrenchbooks.com
Jonathan French is the author of the Autumn’s Fall Saga and The Grey Bastards.
His debut novel, The Exiled Heir, was nominated for Best First Novel at the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in 2012. His second book, The Errantry of Bantam Flyn, rose to #6 on the Kindle Norse/Viking Fantasy bestseller list, proudly sharing the top ten with Joe Abercrombie.
His newest work, The Grey Bastards, is best described as “Sons of Anarchy…with half-orcs”. It won the 2nd annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off in 2017, and was soon acquired by Crown Publishing. Bennett Coles, author of Virtues of War from Titan Books, praised the book, stating: “Anchored by a trio of complex and unique heroes who won my loyalty in the very first pages, the story explodes into action and doesn't let up.”
An engaging and energetic speaker, Jonathan has led panel discussions at conventions such as DragonCon, TimeGate, and CONjuration. Recently, he had the pleasure of being featured in an episode of the web-series Retroblasting as a consultant on the cultural impact of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
Jonathan currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and son.
Q&AS
Powell's Q&A: Jonathan French, Author of 'The Grey Bastards'
by Jonathan French, June 29, 2018 10:23 AM
The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French
Describe your latest book.
The Grey Bastards is an epic fantasy set beyond the borders of the decadent kingdom of Hispartha, where for the sparse inhabitants of the Lot Lands, the threat of orc raids looms over daily life. The last Great Incursion is 30 years in the past, and Hispartha has all but abandoned the Lots. Only the half-orc gangs known as "hoofs" stand between their former human masters and the vengeance of their full-blood cousins. Riding massive hogs bred for war, these mongrel warriors guard the borderlands that divide the worlds of their mixed heritage.
Of all the hoofs, the Grey Bastards is the most notorious, yet the only leader they have ever known has grown increasingly tyrannical. Jackal, a young, cunning, and charismatic rider, intends to take his place. His designs are bolstered by two close companions: Oats, a hulking mongrel with more orc than human blood, and Fetching, the only female in all the hoofs.
Jackal’s plans, however, are thrown into turmoil when a mysterious betrayal saddles the Grey Bastards with a captive elf woman. Her reclusive people want her back, but her return could bring war to the Lot Lands. And what of the foreign sorcerer who seeks friendship with the Bastards? Could his sudden arrival aid Jackal’s bid for leadership or upset the delicate struggle for power?
The Grey Bastards attempts to bring a vibrant grit to the world of fantasy literature. It utilizes many of the iconic elements of fantasy — old kingdoms, clan conflicts, fantastical creatures, and nonhuman inhabitants — but with warriors more reminiscent of Sons of Anarchy than Tolkien’s noble allies. It’s an epic fantasy with sword and sorcery sensibilities, grimdark edge, and spaghetti western undertones.
What was your favorite book as a child?
This is a tough one because my mom read to my brother and me religiously, so there are many contenders. I’m going to cheat a bit and name a series: The Serendipity series by Stephen Cosgrove. They are these slim little fables with wonderful illustrations by Robin James that usually contain some fascinating mythical creature and always, of course, a moral. If I had to pick one, I’d say Creole was my favorite because I thought the design of the titular character was just fantastic. I still have the volumes my mother purchased from that series, and am pleased to say my 5-year-old son enjoys them immensely. They’ve become a regular choice during our nightly storytime.
Jonathan French's collection of the Serendipity books.
When did you know you were a writer?
I would say I was about halfway through my first novel. There came this weird moment where I just knew I was going to finish it. It wasn’t something that was going to remain a fragment in a Documents folder on the hard drive, it was going to be a completed manuscript. Knowing I was a writer came with knowing I could (and would) finish a book.
What does your writing workspace look like?
It’s a simple desk near lots of windows holding a computer, several good dictionaries and thesauruses, note cards, a few bills (always bills), and never the Sharpie when I need it. Probably the most notable feature is the elliptical machine standing behind my chair, because sometimes I just need to get up and move.
Jonathan French's workspace.
What do you care about more than most people around you?
Well, I live in a red state, so I probably care more about education and the environment than most of my neighbors. I’m watching the rampant development of the Atlanta suburbs destroy all our woodlands, which keeps me in a constant, simmering rage. I just never have understood the point of bulldozing a forest to put up another shopping plaza when there are a half-dozen identical places within spitting distance fully abandoned because the businesses within folded.
Tell us something you're embarrassed to admit.
I am positively abysmal at card games. Poker, Gin Rummy, Spades, you name it. From shuffling to dealing to remembering rules, I am hopeless. And my ability to wrap a present is beyond embarrassing.
Introduce one other author you think people should read, and suggest a good book with which to start.
I doubt he needs my help, but I think Jesse Bullington is brilliant. The Enterprise of Death is unique, daring, disturbing, and well crafted. For me, it was the perfect blend of history, fantasy, and horror.
Besides your personal library, do you have any beloved collections?
I’m a huge tabletop gaming nerd. My collection of vintage Warhammer miniatures borders on pornographic. It’s the only thing I use eBay for! I’m constantly searching for those now out-of-print models that escaped me as a kid. My comic book collection is also something I treasure. My quest to procure every issue of The Savage Sword of Conan series is ongoing, but the fun is in the hunt!
Jonathan French's collection of The Savage Sword of Conan comics.
What's the strangest job you've ever had?
I worked for a professional drapery service in Chicago during my years there. It was a family owned and operated business with the second and third generations behind the wheel at that time. The meat of the business was installing stage curtains, mostly for schools, but we also did the giant professional theatres. It may not sound interesting on paper, but clambering up and down scaffolding taking down titanic opera house curtains inside these impressive performance spaces was a fun job for a young man.
Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage?
Not really. I live in Atlanta, and Oakland Cemetery is one of my favorite spots in the city. I always visit Margaret Mitchell’s grave when I go, so that’s the closest I’ve come.
What scares you the most as a writer?
The question: “What’s your book about?”
If someone were to write your biography, what would be the title and subtitle?
If it were written in some distant, ideal future: Jonathan French: From Bullied to Bestseller
Offer a favorite passage from another writer.
This is a passage written by Samuel Shellabarger regarding the Renaissance that I adore: “It was a fecundating sun that kindled to a responsive flame of joy in life. It evoked beauty and hastened decay. It brought forth indiscriminately good and evil, and while creating it also destroyed. The misèrere, the de profundis, the dirge of pilgrimage, grew faint, as men perceived no need for pity, no depths to rise from, no pilgrimage to make. Scornful of phantoms the passionate present engrossed and satisfied. Art, science, grace, a new philosophy, and different ethics, sprang up once more from ancient soil, while former creeds and codes, the medieval faith with its dreams of chivalry, became ancestral legend, discredited, if still poetically indulged. The sun had risen, dispersing dreams.”
Share a sentence of your own that you're particularly proud of.
"Seek potent allies and you shall find the most grievous of your future foes."
Describe a recurring nightmare.
There is an interstate interchange here in Atlanta known locally as Spaghetti Junction. It has 14 overlapping bridges, the highest 90 feet in the air. I often have to drive over the topmost bridge, which fuels a recurring nightmare of my truck going off the side. The worst part is how realistic it always is. There are never any of those dreamlike elements that tip it off to save your sanity, like the road being made of squids or Rasputin riding in the passenger seat. Nope, it’s my truck in every detail, the bridge is a perfect copy, and the fall is disturbingly, terrifyingly realistic. Really hope it’s just a nightmare, but there is that morbid part of me that wonders if it’s a premonition.
What's your biggest grammatical pet peeve?
It’s a personal one, meaning I think it’s one only I do. And it’s using “drug” instead of “dragged." Being from the South, I acquired the foible honestly. “I hitched that log to my truck and drug it off the road.” “We drug the canoe up on the shore.” That’s how it’s said in daily speech and it creeps into my writing. Even my New York editors miss it on occasion, but the British never do!
Do you have any phobias?
Great. White. Sharks. I can’t even watch them on TV. My son gets much enjoyment seeing me flee the room if one appears on the screen.
Name a guilty pleasure you partake in regularly.
Video games, for sure. Far less than when I was a kid, but the itch is often there. Thankfully, I don’t have much of an attention span for them, so I rarely put in the required hours to finish one. Good thing, too, because they are such a time sink! I do still keep an active account on Lord of the Rings Online, since it’s the closest thing there is to touring Middle Earth.
Gimli from the Lord of the Rings Online game.
What's the best advice you’ve ever received?
Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.
Do you ever dream about The Grey Bastards being adapted into a tabletop wargame?
And the answer is: Yes! Everyone raves about A Song of Ice and Fire getting an HBO show, but I think G. R. R. Martin's real victory was getting a miniatures wargame. I daydream all the time about a gorgeous line of models: half-orc hog-riders, centaur marauders, orc raiders, noble and low-born cavaleros, Unyar scouts. I write up army lists for each of the hoofs and mull over rules for a game focused on mounted combat. One day, maybe...
Top 5 Books I Adore as a Reader, but Make Me Feel Inadequate as a Writer (In Descending Order)
The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington
This book is perfectly balanced between brilliance and blasphemy. Morbidly atmospheric and delightfully profane, it takes major narrative risks and handles those risks with true artistry. With intriguing historical elements, strong doses of horror, and enough magic for fantasy, it’s a novel that defies most genre definitions, but at its core are all the best trappings of a penny dreadful. Bullington, you talented, talented bastard!
Robocopter Ski Patrol by Aaron C. Cross
Humor is damn hard to write and those that commit to being humorists always have my respect. I’d love to write for Futurama or Archer, but know I don’t have those comedic chops. Cross does. This book is zany, but well-honed. Laughing out loud has become little more than hyperbole these days, but with Robocopter, you actually will. Often.
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
Just about every book I’ve read has at least one line that makes me go, “Damn,” and elicits that potent mixture of becoming simultaneously impressed and envious. With this book, it happens on just about every page. Every. Fucking. Page. I’d probably put a hit out on Bancroft if he wasn’t such a damn gentleman (not to mention, I want to see what happens in the rest of his series).
The Faded Sun Trilogy by C. J. Cherryh
This is a bit of a cheat, being three books, but I read them in a single volume. And that volume is probably the reason I will never attempt to write science fiction. Cherryh’s ability to world-build without exposition is awe-inspiring. The alien cultures created, presented, and explored in this series are as intricate and nuanced as the story itself. An immersive, slow-burn I love, but could never emulate.
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
This is to literature what The Longest Day is to films: many tackle the subject of war, but few manage to create a vision this thoroughly realized. The events are sweeping, but the approach is intimate. It’s an ugly thing, armed conflict, and the flawed people involved are made uglier by its effects, yet you’re still left with sympathy for them. Pretty sure Abercrombie made some dark pact to pull that off. To my mind, the only thing wrong with the book is that he will have a tough time topping it. If he ever does, the reader in me will rejoice, but the writer will stick a fresh pin the voodoo doll.
÷ ÷ ÷
Jonathan French is the author of the Autumn’s Fall Saga and The Grey Bastards. His debut novel, The Exiled Heir (Autumn's Fall Saga #1), was nominated for Best First Novel at the Georgia Author of the Year Awards in 2012. His second book, The Errantry of Bantam Flyn (Autumn's Fall Saga #2), rose to #6 on the Kindle Norse/Viking Fantasy bestseller list, proudly sharing the Top 10 with Joe Abercrombie. Jonathan currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and son.
Friday, June 22, 2018
Interview with Jonathan French, author of The Grey Bastards - And 2 Reviews
Please welcome Jonathan French to The Qwillery, as part of the 2018 Debut Author Challenge Interviews. The Grey Bastards was published on June 19th by Crown.
TQ: Welcome to The Qwillery. What is the first fiction piece you remember writing?
Jonathan: Let's see...It was a fantasy story I wrote in 4th grade. I was living in England at the time and my teacher, Ms. Carlsen, was an amazing Dutch woman that read The Hobbit to her class every year as a tradition. I'd already read it, but I loved hearing her read it aloud because she had such love for the story. She encouraged me to read The Lord of the Rings, to draw scenes from the book, and to write my own fiction. I ended up writing this multi-chapter short story that was more akin to Dragonlance and the Golden Axe video game than to Tolkien. But she was still unbelievably supportive to the point that she had me read it aloud to the class, which was simultaneously awkward and exhilarating.
TQ: Are you a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid?
Jonathan: I'm a hybrid who leans heavily to the pantsing side.
TQ: What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?
Jonathan: Consistency. I don't defend my writing time very well. My son is 5 and the stuff he is doing is just so much more fun than staring at a screen and thumping at keys. I also hate trying to describe architecture. And physics.
TQ: What has influenced / influences your writing?
Jonathan: Living abroad as a kid was a major influence. I was this 9-year-old from Tennessee that had recently discovered Dungeons & Dragons and comic books, and the next thing I know I'm living in a place where medieval castles and cathedrals can be visited after school. And it all compounded from there. The interests spread to military history, weapons/warfare, wargaming, art history, all while beginning to absorb book after book: Middle-earth, Prydain, Discworld, Redwall, Conan. Those trends have continued almost uninterrupted as I've gotten older, but have also been supplemented by new pursuits like fatherhood and an interest in wilderness survival.
TQ: Describe The Grey Bastards in 140 characters or less.
Jonathan: #TheGreyBastards is a raucous tale of half-orcs riding huge war pigs. It’s been hailed as one of the filthiest books ever written. It’s now available!
TQ: Tell us something about The Grey Bastards that is not found in the book description.
Jonathan: Halflings in this world live underground, but instead of nice cozy hobbit-holes, they dwell in the ancient tomb of a fallen human god, sending out pilgrims to endlessly search the world for every last relic of the deity's time as a mortal warlord.
TQ: What inspired you to write The Grey Bastards? What appeals to you about writing Epic Fantasy?
Jonathan: My wife was the one that insisted I write the story as a novel. Originally, the story was a half-formed idea for a Dungeons & Dragons game. I had painted a bunch of cool half-orc models that I wanted to use for my next game and I always like to provide my players with an element that firmly connects their characters out of the gate. Sons of Anarchy gave me the notion of a mounted gang, so I figured on having that gang be “half-orcs only.” My wife suggested I use hogs instead of horses, though I was concerned it was a little too obvious. She also said, “Forget the game. Write the fucking book.” That pretty much set the tone for the entire thing!
Far as Epic Fantasy goes, it’s always called to me as a reader and I write what I want to read. The possibilities are endless and, for me, it only gets better when married to elements from our own world history. Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age as an alternate version of our own past, Tolkien's use of Anglo-Saxon folklore, even the original Old World of Warhammer, I find all of that to be such a wonderful gateway into learning about real world events. I would love for The Grey Bastards to spark some young reader's interest in medieval Spain. So many people find history to be dull, but fantasy can be the sugar that helps the medicine go down.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for The Grey Bastards?
Jonathan: I did a massive amount of reading about Reconquista-era Spain. S.S. Wyatt's translation of Daily Life in Portugal in the Middle Ages by A. H. de Oliveira Marques was invaluable. I also had to do a fair amount of internet research about different species of swine in order to make the riding hogs believable.
TQ: Please tell us about the cover for The Grey Bastards.
Jonathan: The cover was designed by artist and photographer Larry Rostant, along with Little, Brown Book Group creative director Duncan Spilling. It depicts the POV protagonist, Jackal; a young, cunning half-orc rider and member of the Grey Bastards.
TQ: In The Grey Bastards who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?
Jonathan: Oats was probably the easiest. Mostly because he never gave me any problems. I always knew what he was going to say and how he was going to react. Plus, he’s both overestimated and underestimated at the same time; he’s pretty vulnerable despite his size and strength, and also far from stupid despite initial appearances. My inspiration for him was a mix of Jayne Cobb (from my favorite TV show Firefly) and the late, great MMA fighter Kimbo Slice, so I had a solid foundation to work with when writing him.
The most difficult to write was definitely Starling. I knew having a female character that was seemingly helpless through most of the book would cause trouble for some readers. But I was (and still am) playing a rather long game with her, so I kept the course despite second-guessing it on many, MANY occasions.
TQ: Why have you chosen to include or not chosen to include social issues in The Grey Bastards?
Jonathan: It was never a conscious choice. I didn't have that moment where I thought: "I'm going to address X issue!" However, I don't see how they can be avoided in a believable world. They exist, period. Bigotry, racism, and sexism are certainly a part of real life, and I could not avoid their inclusion in a book about mixed-race characters living in a male-dominated society. As a pantser, the issues came to the page organically, so I was forced to face them down. Or rather, the characters were. I tried to keep my opinions out of it and not preach or come down on any side. The characters are flawed, but they are also products of their experiences and there were opportunities that allowed them to evolve. This shit is complicated and messy in real life, so I hope that's what came to the page.
TQ: Which question about The Grey Bastards do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!
Jonathan: The question would be: Do you ever dream about The Grey Bastards being adapted into a tabletop wargame? And the answer is: Yes! Everyone raves about A Song of Ice & Fire getting an HBO show, but I think GRR Martin's real victory was getting a miniatures wargame. I daydream all the time about a gorgeous line of models: half-orc hog-riders, centaur marauders, orc raiders, noble and low-born cavaleros, Unyar scouts. I write up army lists for each of the hoofs and mull over a rules set for a game focused on mounted combat.
TQ: Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery quotes from The Grey Bastards.
Jonathan: Oh, these are always tricky because my memory is awful! Here goes:
1) Jackal likened religion to madness. He had heard that in the north, in the great cities of Hispartha, there were more temples than well-fed children, that a hundred faceless gods received the wealth of the nobles and the fearful pleas of the peasants. He found that difficult to imagine, but Delia, Ignacio, and others had assured him it was true. Thankfully, such belief was all but unknown in Ul-wundulas. Perhaps the badlands were gods-forsaken, but Jackal preferred to think that the Lots were home to those who had no need of invisible old men, dog-headed demons, and sour-faced crones. Here, faith was better placed in a strong mount, a loaded stockbow, and a few solid companions.
and
2) Roundth was standing in his stirrups, balanced perfectly, and windmilling his exposed cock around in one hand as he passed. The damn thing was as thick as a floppy tankard.
TQ: What's next?
Jonathan: The sequel is next! More Bastards are coming in March 2019. Sex! Violence! Vulgarity! Half-orc! Hogs! For those that wish to return to The Lots, it'll be a fun ride!
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Jonathan: Are you kidding? It was my pleasure. Thank you for having me!
French, Jonathan: THE GREY BASTARDS
Kirkus Reviews. (Apr. 15, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
French, Jonathan THE GREY BASTARDS Crown (Adult Fiction) $27.00 6, 19 ISBN: 978-0-525-57244-2
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.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"French, Jonathan: THE GREY BASTARDS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A534375214/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=636d5381. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A534375214
The Grey Bastards
Publishers Weekly. 265.19 (May 7, 2018): p51.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* The Grey Bastards
Jonathan French. Crown, $27 (432p) ISBN 978-0-525-57244-2
This terrific and highly original epic fantasy debut focuses on a single small fighting unit: the boar-riding half-ore 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-ores 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 ores, the arrival of an unknown half-ore 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-ores, is almost poetic at other times. His half-ores, 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. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Grey Bastards." Publishers Weekly, 7 May 2018, p. 51. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A538858685/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=8ca8d8b7. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A538858685