Spotlight: The Grey Bastards – Jonathan French
About the book:
LIVE IN THE SADDLE. DIE ON THE HOG.
Such is the creed of the half-orcs dwelling in the Lot Lands. Sworn to hardened brotherhoods known as hoofs, these former slaves patrol their unforgiving country astride massive swine bred for war. They are all that stand between the decadent heart of noble Hispartha and marauding bands of full-blood orcs.
Jackal rides with the Grey Bastards, one of eight hoofs that have survived the harsh embrace of the Lots. Young, cunning and ambitious, he schemes to unseat the increasingly tyrannical founder of the Bastards, a plague-ridden warlord called the Claymaster. Supporting Jackal’s dangerous bid for leadership are Oats, a hulking mongrel with more orc than human blood, and Fetching, the only female rider in all the hoofs.
When the troubling appearance of a foreign sorcerer comes upon the heels of a faceless betrayal, Jackal’s plans are thrown into turmoil. He finds himself saddled with a captive elf girl whose very presence begins to unravel his alliances. With the anarchic blood rite of the Betrayer Moon close at hand, Jackal must decide where his loyalties truly lie, and carve out his place in a world that rewards only the vicious.
(First published: October 16th, 2015)
Re-released: June 26th, 2018 (Orbit)
About the author:
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.
