Ratings30
Average rating3.7
The Grey Bastards by Jonathan French turned heads back in 2017 by winning the second annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off run by Mark Lawrence. It follows a “biker gang” of half-orcs that patrol on giant boars and has since been picked up and published by a major publishing company in June 2018.
French manages to take what could have been a generic fantasy setting (halflings, orcs, elves, etc.) and spin it into a gritty, unique world. Halflings are intimidating as hell, there's a mysterious Betrayer Moon that can pop up at random that stirs the centaurs into a killing frenzy, and the existence of any “good guys” is questionable at best.
Years before the story picks up, a massive war took place between humans and orcs. When it looked like the humans would lose, their half-orc slaves took up arms and rode into battle astride giant war pigs. As repayment for their heroism, the humans granted the half-orcs their freedom and land at the border between the orc and human realms, on the condition that they help prevent the orcs from returning.
Thus began the half-orc “hoofs,” who all share the same badass motto:
Live in the saddle. Die on the hog!
Jackal:
Fetching:
Oats:
The Claymaster:
Crafty:
Target Audience