Blurb: (From Book 1) Jackal and his fellow half-orcs patrol the barren wastes of the Lot Lands, spilling their own damned blood to keep civilized folk safe. A rabble of hard-talking, hog-riding, whore-mongering brawlers they may be, but the Grey Bastards are Jackal's sworn brothers, fighting at his side in a land where there's no room for softness.
And once Jackal's in charge--as soon as he can unseat the Bastards' tyrannical, seemingly unkillable founder--there's a few things they'll do different. Better.
Or at least, that's the plan. Until the fallout from a deadly showdown makes Jackal start investigating the Lot Lands for himself. Soon, he's wondering if his feelings have blinded him to ugly truths about this world, and the Bastards' place in it.
In a quest for answers that takes him from decaying dungeons to the frontlines of an ancient feud, Jackal finds himself battling invading orcs, rampaging centaurs, and grubby human conspiracies alike--along with a host of dark magics so terrifying they'd give even the heartiest Bastard pause.
Finally, Jackal must ride to confront a threat that's lain in wait for generations, even as he wonders whether the Bastards can--or should--survive.
Review: Tricky tricky tricky. I ultimately liked this series, but it would be extremely far down the list of books that I'd recommend someone. Therefore, given the ratio of recommends, I decided to a bit harsh, and mark this series as not recommended.
The author often cites the TV show 'sons of anarchy' as inspiration for the series. I've never seen the show, but I imagine that fans of that would most likely love this series. There are things to enjoy from this series aside from such a comparison though. While i doubted the change in point of view between books, I thoroughly enjoyed it in the end. I am also a big fan of the comraderie between the bastards, and love books that package such relationships. The lot lands were well fleshed out, as well as the world in which they exist.
Regrettably, I found the plot very convenient. I did not enjoy some of the twists, and it often felt like a set of mini-quests that were stitched together with an explanation added at the end. That is not to say it wasn't enjoyable. If you're intrigued by the blurb, then this series is till worth giving a shot.