The Free Bastards
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- Create Date：2021-10-04 08:51:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jonathan French
- ISBN：0593156684
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Reviews
Annarella
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I'm a bit unobservant and thought this was the third book in another series I read （it also deals with half-Orcs）。That said I loved it from the first pages as the author is a hell of a talented storyteller and I was thoroughly enjoying what I was reading even if I'm sure I missed something。I loved the characters， the fast paced plot， and the humour。The world building is fascinating and I will surely appreciated it more once I read the rest of the series。It surely was serendipity as i discovered I'm a bit unobservant and thought this was the third book in another series I read （it also deals with half-Orcs）。That said I loved it from the first pages as the author is a hell of a talented storyteller and I was thoroughly enjoying what I was reading even if I'm sure I missed something。I loved the characters， the fast paced plot， and the humour。The world building is fascinating and I will surely appreciated it more once I read the rest of the series。It surely was serendipity as i discovered a new to me excellent fantasy author。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
D。A。 Adam Smith
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First of all， a big thanks to Orbit， Nazia， and the marketing team for an early copy of the book （which I failed at reading in time for release because I was so immersed in it I decided to take it slow）。 It in no way affected my review。The Free Bastards is a final book that takes everything we hold dear， all the cool， badass， components we’ve loved from the first two and throws a dash more of court intrigue that’s a weird fit with mongrels around， more strange magic and ramps it all up to a hund First of all， a big thanks to Orbit， Nazia， and the marketing team for an early copy of the book （which I failed at reading in time for release because I was so immersed in it I decided to take it slow）。 It in no way affected my review。The Free Bastards is a final book that takes everything we hold dear， all the cool， badass， components we’ve loved from the first two and throws a dash more of court intrigue that’s a weird fit with mongrels around， more strange magic and ramps it all up to a hundred！ It’s a book that knows itself and ain’t scared to flaunt it。 It’s a tapestry of all that the Lot Lands had to offer in books 1 and 2， woven into a tight picture then set ablaze; let me tell you this， reader， when the fire that’s Oats starts， it doesn’t stop。Immediately， my first thoughts when stepping into the Lot Lands and Ul-wundulas again are that I’m dazzled by French’s writing， how’s it both evolved and the same it’s always been: clear， concise， and brutal， in parts， and how he draws us into a new voice … one we know but not as closely as the past two， yet we’re treated to a distinguished， familiar voice。 A friend coming home。 A side point to the creativity of the writing: I really enjoyed the way Oats described the town as it was plotted on their rudimentary map， where he’d viewed the town plotted on old paper， marked by bits and bobs they could find， we’re treated to a very Oats field of view instantly; the way he complained about his beard etc。 It helped fit right into character and ground us immediately。 Though， after the initial pages it wends slow， and I did admit I found it a bit difficult to orient myself in Oats’ voice。 I found myself searching for Jackal or Fetch， but that quickly disappeared with … a … certain …Maiden Spear are so。 Freaking。 Cool。 And that， my friends， is where Oats took over and I never looked for anyone else。The story truly comes into form by 20%， the relationship between Oats and Muro is honest and genuine; knowing French is a father himself， this is more sincere。 Oat’s character arc， and the two little boys that surround it is ever endearing and couldn’t grip the heart more if it tried。 It really put Oats forefront as a real， believable character and not just the brute force he was in earlier books。 The ‘healing’ I share the same sentiments about。 It， along with the rest of the book， is painstakingly plotted。 Ever intriguing。Story of Herathos Lionclad is cool and sets us up for a bit more world-building， a bit more history and culture。 And I was definitely there for it。 Until now， we’ve seen Hispartha and the frails as just evil jailers keeping the Lot Lands under control。 We saw a bit of them at Castille but nothing like we do in this book。 The world expands before my eyes， sprawls into histories with Herathos’ story and the promise of powers and magic beyond what we first thought they wielded。 The Maiden Spear and whatever else lurks in their power made me wonder why the Incursion wasn’t easily stopped。 Hispartha are a force to be reckoned with。 Battles are quite obviously at thew forefront of this book， visceral and fully formed。 There’s wet beneath you， mud caked， and you wait for the blare of the horn; then it’s a churn of madness， cannon fire， all of it experienced， not felt。 The show not tell is strong in this one。 I loved the carnage that French sowed in this book; this is the first time we’ve seen the Bastards go to war。 And it was war at its best and worst。 Wars claim much and give little， and that’s no truer here than it is anywhere else。 A side note: Ruin … whoa。 What a scene。 You know if you know。There’s such a change of pace in the second half， where the Bastards go to Hispartha to duel with words and royals， that it really does slow down。 In fact， before the last act it feels like an entirely different series。 It displayed versatility in writing and what the land of the frails is really like。 If the first part of the book is a pitched battle， a muddy and bloody scupper for land in the Lots， the second very much is at court in the land of humans， castles， and royals。 And the funny thing is that French makes this seem a lot more vicious and brutal than any of the battles before it。 There’s a stark cruelty to those who wield power over another group， something that’s far more harrowing than war。 It’s in these last chapters that we truly see how much French can break our heart （damn you！） and how mature， heartfelt and complex the writing was up until that points。 I’m not going to lie; I was utterly stunned at one point in this book。 I honestly had to stop reading and go back over the page。 Yes， there’s a lot of badassery and magic in the end， but it’s those personal moments， those last conversations， those subtle cues that make this book and make this series。 You care about the characters， despite them being half-orcs you relate to their suffering。Overall， this gave me a lot more than I thought it would。 If you’ve reading Grey Bastards or as far as True Bastards， then it’s criminal not to read this one。 It truly is a work of art， but， be warned， there’s certain parts that may trigger you （I mean， who am I kidding， the Lot Lands are one big trigger warning）。 I feel … or hope … that this isn’t truly the end。 Not with some of the hints that French drops in his acknowledgements page， nor with the unexplored parts of Ul-wundulas， nor with certain people still at large。 I’m hoping we see these lands again。 。。。more
Ned Lud
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Thank you， Mr。 French， for exceeding my expectations。 Thank you for the wonderful vulgarities。 And thank you for plucking my emotional strings。 The arts…ya gotta love them！ 5⭐️
Nick Brett
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The third in a very entertaining trilogy。 You must read the previous two before this， but it will be worth it。So far the books have been about a band of Half Orcs （a “Hoof”） and their bit of the barren Lot Lands， an area of constant danger that nobody wants。 But now there are suggestions of invasion and the life and survival of those in the Lot Lands may be in jeopardy。 In order to defend themselves the Bastards may have to make alliances with people likely to betray them， but everything is at s The third in a very entertaining trilogy。 You must read the previous two before this， but it will be worth it。So far the books have been about a band of Half Orcs （a “Hoof”） and their bit of the barren Lot Lands， an area of constant danger that nobody wants。 But now there are suggestions of invasion and the life and survival of those in the Lot Lands may be in jeopardy。 In order to defend themselves the Bastards may have to make alliances with people likely to betray them， but everything is at stake。The two previous books have definitely taken us in a direction that leads to this。 There have been a cast of interesting characters and many plot twists to get us to where we start this book。 And all of that continues， the main difference here is that the focus is on Oats， a “thrice blood” who may be even more dangerous than even he realises。This tale takes us out of the Lot Lands to confront those who might covert them and takes them to a place that might be more dangerous than any before， Royal Court。This is not for the faint hearted， glorious swearing and descriptions， fabulous characters， twists and turns， blood and violence。Proper grown up fantasy and author Jonathan French has completed an astonishingly good trilogy。 。。。more
James
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Book: The Free BastardsAuthor: Jonathan FrenchPublisher: OrbitPublished: 2021POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNINGSThis is the last book in the Lot Lands trilogy。 I’m not going to give much background on the series as I intend to do a review of book 1 （the Grey Bastards） once I find the right beer to go with it。I got The Free Bastards from Netgalley as an e-arc and as it was released in the UK today I’m reviewing it before the previous two， but you should really read the whole series as it’s awesome。We star Book: The Free BastardsAuthor: Jonathan FrenchPublisher: OrbitPublished: 2021POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNINGSThis is the last book in the Lot Lands trilogy。 I’m not going to give much background on the series as I intend to do a review of book 1 （the Grey Bastards） once I find the right beer to go with it。I got The Free Bastards from Netgalley as an e-arc and as it was released in the UK today I’m reviewing it before the previous two， but you should really read the whole series as it’s awesome。We start with the Hoofs at war。 Like with the previous two books， the POV in Free Bastards has switched。 This time we are following Oats the ‘Big Bastard’ thrice-blood， a giant with a heart of gold。 As the book opens he is leading a raid on a city behind enemy lines in order to rescue a number of fellow half-orcs who have been captured。 I think this scene sets the tone of Oats’ book well。 Unlike his two best friends who have ascended to levels of superiority over their brethren - Fetching as the war chief of all Ulwundulas and Jackal as the near-invulnerable Arm of Atukhan - Oats can still get down and dirty with his fellows。 He can still lead from the front and that makes him the perfect character to follow in this story。Something the author does well over the three books is creating a distinct voice for each of the 3 POVs。 Jackal’s think first ask questions later freneticism comes across perfectly in the first book， and likewise Fetching’s cynicism pervades how her story is told in book two。 Here， with Oats， we have his internal war between his capacity for violence and his caring nature taking centre stage。 Nowhere is this better explored than through his interactions and reminiscences about the two boys - Muro and Wiley- who he sees as almost his own。 His tenderness and desire for a better world for them to grow up into provides the perfect counterpoint to the violence he must do to achieve it。It’s a brilliant， epic conclusion to a series that has so much more depth than its set-up -half-orc ‘bikers’ on massive war pigs- suggests it has any right too。Bleed for the Saddle， Fight to be Free 。。。more
Mogsy （MMOGC）
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5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum。com/2021/09/28/。。。The Lot Lands trilogy comes to a close with The Free Bastards， centering on the final member of our True Bastards hoof trio， the thriceblood known as Oats。 It’s also important to note that although every novel in the series has followed a different character， each story builds upon the events that happened before。 As such， these books aren’t really meant to be read as standalones， and experiencing them in chronological ord 5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum。com/2021/09/28/。。。The Lot Lands trilogy comes to a close with The Free Bastards， centering on the final member of our True Bastards hoof trio， the thriceblood known as Oats。 It’s also important to note that although every novel in the series has followed a different character， each story builds upon the events that happened before。 As such， these books aren’t really meant to be read as standalones， and experiencing them in chronological order is recommended。As the novel begins， the inevitable war with Hispartha has finally come to the Lot Lands， and Oats， loyal friend and Bastard that he is， finds himself on the front lines because he knows that’s where he belongs。 Our protagonist is aware that he’s nothing special， unlike his friends Jackal， god-touched and off on his own mission， or Fetching， who has brought the people of the Lots together into a grand army and now leads them as their new war chief。 However， Oats has never desired for anything more than to fight for his hoof， and being three-quarters orc has always made him bigger and stronger than his half-blood brethren， making him very good at what he does。Unfortunately， the forces of Hispartha also have their divine warriors and dark sorcery， and Oats soon realizes this isn’t a war they can win through brute strength alone。 The stakes are high， and should the half-orc rebellion fail， their enemies would bring ruin to all the Lot Lands and the hoofs that live within them。 With the lives of his loved ones on the line， Oats must make the difficult choice to journey to the heart of the human’s empire rescue his friends and confront the scheming wizard who betrayed them。 Once there， it will take more than brawn and violence to survive the dangerous political quagmire of Hispartha， unless the frails make the mistake of pushing our thriceblood Bastard a little too far…I’ve got to hand it to Jonathan French。 Oats began the series as a peripheral character， hovering just on the edge of my attention。 Sure， he was interesting enough， but still incomparable to the larger-than-life personalities of Jackal or Fetch and the excitement of their rip-roaring adventures。 But all of that’s changed with The Free Bastards， which singlehandedly vaulted to Oats to the position of my favorite True Bastard。 Behind his daunting scarred physique hides a thoughtful soul， deeply committed to his family and friends。 Paired with a steely resolve to take on anything， this makes him the most complex of The Lot Lands protagonists。You also best hold tight to your hog if you’re to have any chance of keeping up with the insane pacing。 The book opens with a measured introduction as French takes a moment to catch readers up， tying up some loose ends from the previous books as well as to give Oats a proper introduction so that we can get reacquainted。 But once all that’s taken care of， we’re off to the races， with the action coming in fast and unrelenting。 If you’ve enjoyed the series thus far， you’ll certainly love this installment as well， with its vicious blood-soaked battles， ribald sweary language， and irreverent genre-bending takes on epic fantasy tropes–all of which have become The Lot Lands trademarks。But like I said， Oats is really the highlight here。 A fearsome warrior， he is also capable of much insight and compassion。 Of the True Bastards trio which consists also of Jackal and Fetching， Oats was perhaps the one I connected to emotionally the most。 There were moments where I felt close to tears， especially the ending， which cast such a warm， comfortable and glowing light on this trilogy of books otherwise filled with so much darkness and violence。 One wouldn’t think such a conclusion would be fitting， but I felt the scene was the perfect sendoff for these characters， and the crowning glory this brilliant epic fantasy masterpiece。So， do yourself a favor and pick up The Lot Lands if you haven’t yet。 For any fantasy fan who has ever lamented the fact that high fantasy with elves and orcs seem to all feel the same， here is your cure。 。。。more
Gregg Buford
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The Bastard stayed true and consistent throughout this series。。 Each book focused on Jackal， Fetching and Oats。 The Free Bastards focused on Oats and it was the least favorite of the three books for me I think。 Not that Oats isn't a true bad ass or anything but he just got a little to introspective and depressing in a way。 The story continued in the vane of the previous books mostly The Bastards remained hard fighting and raunchy brothers to the end。 They are orc or half orcs that prove to be ju The Bastard stayed true and consistent throughout this series。。 Each book focused on Jackal， Fetching and Oats。 The Free Bastards focused on Oats and it was the least favorite of the three books for me I think。 Not that Oats isn't a true bad ass or anything but he just got a little to introspective and depressing in a way。 The story continued in the vane of the previous books mostly The Bastards remained hard fighting and raunchy brothers to the end。 They are orc or half orcs that prove to be just as heroic as any other character that I love to read about in any great fantasy story。 There are some twists that happen near the end but the story went the way I expected and could just enjoy reading really。 I had forgotten some things that happened in the previous books and maybe that took a little something away from reading one。 I will need to reread the whole series back again sometime in the future though。 This is a series that surely will appeal to some and probably trigger some others。 All in all a good series。 。。。more
Caroline Palmer
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A great read and another series I wish was longer！
Kit （Metaphors and Moonlight）
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4 StarsReview:*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley。 This has not influenced my review。*The first book was about Jackal， the second was about Fetching， and this one was， last but not least， Oats’s story， and he was just as interesting。 There was a lot going on with him， emotionally， that I never even realized。 And as tough as he is， being not only one of the Bastards but also a thrice blood （the child of an orc and half-orc， rather than orc and human）， he， in many ways， has a soft and 4 StarsReview:*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley。 This has not influenced my review。*The first book was about Jackal， the second was about Fetching， and this one was， last but not least， Oats’s story， and he was just as interesting。 There was a lot going on with him， emotionally， that I never even realized。 And as tough as he is， being not only one of the Bastards but also a thrice blood （the child of an orc and half-orc， rather than orc and human）， he， in many ways， has a soft and caring heart。 At least， for some of the people in his life。But every character in this series felt so realistic and believable and complex and three-dimensional。 This is one of those series in which it truly feels like these are real people （or half-orcs）， and I would kind of forget that they were actually created in someone’s head。Also， I never thought I’d care so much about a giant hog so ugly and smelly it is literally named Ugfuck。I was a bit bummed that， after the first book， Jackal wasn’t really in the story anymore， and then， in this one， neither Jackal nor Fetching were really in the story。 I loved these three， as a trio and individually， and they loved each other， and I just would’ve liked more time with all of them together。 But I guess this was what was needed for Oat’s to have his own arc and realize some things about himself and make the hard decisions he had to make。And it was just a great book！ Intricate plotting。 Intense action。 Laughs and fun moments。 Sadness and difficult moments。 Gory， brutal fighting。 Friendship。 A hint of romance。 Emotional struggle。 And， of course， half-orcs on hogs！I will once again warn， for anyone who hasn’t read the previous books， that many of the characters are vulgar and crude and say/think things that are sexist， homophobic， fatphobic， and otherwise offensive， so this may not be a series for everyone。 Also trigger/content warning for *SPOILER* （view spoiler）[suicide。 （hide spoiler）] *END SPOILER*Overall， this was a solid ending to the series。 It was bittersweet， at times it was sad， but this book wrapped up everything nicely without overdoing it。 The characters were superbly well-written， the world and plot were complex， and I’m glad I decided to give these half-orcs a chance！*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Ebook via TTS*Recommended For:Fans of Books 1 and 2 in Jonathan French's The Lot Lands series。 Anyone who likes high fantasy， half-orcs， complex plotting and world-building， and badass， likeable， developed characters。 Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight 。。。more
Sean
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Received arc from Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for honest read and review。This is the third in a completely absorbing series。 I absolutely loved it， a little bit slow in the middle，but picked up to give me everything insane from a great book。I f you like Orcs， gore， fun and the odd swear words then this is for you。I have not enjoyed a series as much as this for a while and I highly recommend。
=^。_。^=
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Cant wait to get my hands on this book！！！！
Michael
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A terrific conclusion to a series that continued to get better and deeper as it went along。 A lot of this one focuses on Oats， and it's a choice that works。 Beautiful ending。 A terrific conclusion to a series that continued to get better and deeper as it went along。 A lot of this one focuses on Oats， and it's a choice that works。 Beautiful ending。 。。。more
Jason
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An exciting， fun， and surprising conclusion to the Lot Lands series。 Oats may be my favorite protagonist of the three -- he's fallible， emotional， and complicated。 Not every plot thread wraps up neatly， but that's in keeping with the messy world of these books。 I look forward to seeing what this author does next。 An exciting， fun， and surprising conclusion to the Lot Lands series。 Oats may be my favorite protagonist of the three -- he's fallible， emotional， and complicated。 Not every plot thread wraps up neatly， but that's in keeping with the messy world of these books。 I look forward to seeing what this author does next。 。。。more
Beatrix Starling
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A massive thank you for the advanced reader copy through Netgalley！I was so hyped when i got this book that i did a little squeek and dance。Tossed all other books and got stuck in。。。。 several weeks later。。。Well， that was a ride and a half！ The conclusion to this epic story had everything you wanted: battles， tears， politics; and more that you didn't know you needed。 I didn't love every decision made， but that's a personal preference， it doesn't take away from the book。 Some of the final battle e A massive thank you for the advanced reader copy through Netgalley！I was so hyped when i got this book that i did a little squeek and dance。Tossed all other books and got stuck in。。。。 several weeks later。。。Well， that was a ride and a half！ The conclusion to this epic story had everything you wanted: battles， tears， politics; and more that you didn't know you needed。 I didn't love every decision made， but that's a personal preference， it doesn't take away from the book。 Some of the final battle elements left me in wonderment， it was so clever and twisted。 I hope you will enjoy it as much as i did！ 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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The Free Bastards（The Lot Lands #3）by Jonathan FrenchThe first book of the series is one of my favorite books ever！ The second one was was excellent too！ When I was offered to read this one I was on Cloud 9 for days！ This is a series that most people would not associate with me。 It's brutal， harsh， foul， violent， but absolutely brilliant！ It has orcs， half-orcs who are the main characters， elves， cyclops， minotaurs， wizards， magic， humans， a demon， and more。The half-orcs are not wanted by man or The Free Bastards（The Lot Lands #3）by Jonathan FrenchThe first book of the series is one of my favorite books ever！ The second one was was excellent too！ When I was offered to read this one I was on Cloud 9 for days！ This is a series that most people would not associate with me。 It's brutal， harsh， foul， violent， but absolutely brilliant！ It has orcs， half-orcs who are the main characters， elves， cyclops， minotaurs， wizards， magic， humans， a demon， and more。The half-orcs are not wanted by man or orcs so the are pushed off to the poorer lands called the lots。 They ride big wild hogs as big and vicious as the men and women who ride them。 But the half-orcs love their beasts！ They are family to them。This last book centers around a handful of characters we have followed since they were slops （just caring for the hogs and not yet riders）。 Now they are seasoned warriors。 They go through so much in this book！ There's a prison break， water/sea battle， and battle against a wizard and demon！ They are betrayed numerous times and even in the hands of an evil Queen at one time！ It's unpredictable！ Besides the terrific characters， suspense， the witty dialogue， great world building， and fantasy， there is some great lines that really stand out。 I can't share because I had an arc。I think this book brings out more of the tenderness beneath the rough exterior more than the other books。 It is told from Oat's POV but even from there we see the tenderness， caring， softness of the hoof （ their group）。 Never thought I would say that about these warriors！I have to say， I was touched many times during this book。 I often just enjoy the book and move on。 This book had many parts that continued to linger in my mind。I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this wonderful， brutal， fantastic book！ Oh， and love the incredible cover！Live in the saddle！ Die on the hog！ 。。。more
Adam
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4。5 / 5The freedom of the mongrels is on the precipice of failure: The Lot Lands are at the tipping point of being crushed between Hispartha and the Tyrkanian empire， and betrayal seeps from every ill-begotten ally。 Violent fates for the True Bastard brothers and sisters is inevitable。 Hell， the first arc of this book is a non-stop action sequence consisting of a chase scene that culminates in an against-all-odds， fingernail-chewing battle。 The Free Bastards is a brutal， thrilling read， laced wi 4。5 / 5The freedom of the mongrels is on the precipice of failure: The Lot Lands are at the tipping point of being crushed between Hispartha and the Tyrkanian empire， and betrayal seeps from every ill-begotten ally。 Violent fates for the True Bastard brothers and sisters is inevitable。 Hell， the first arc of this book is a non-stop action sequence consisting of a chase scene that culminates in an against-all-odds， fingernail-chewing battle。 The Free Bastards is a brutal， thrilling read， laced with dark humor and tough decisions， unexpected gut-punches and genuine surprises。But it was the quiet moments that hit hardest。Jackal， Fetch， and Oats have traveled a long road together。 We didn’t know them as slops—hoof prospects—but we’ve been at their side as they’ve evolved from the lower ranks of their hoof to the powerful leaders and symbols of hope that they are by story’s end。 But with that power comes the inability to connect with their peers like they used to。 So the only truest， most honest bonds that they’re able to keep have been with each other。French reserves these conversations during the calm in between storms where few words are said， but so much more is conveyed -- and they’re beautiful moments， showing just how strong this family knows each other。 A look， a smile， a nod of the head， a shared anecdote – the understanding that passes between the three I found to be some of the most powerful moments of the entire trilogy。 As this volume is Oats’ story – we never leave his POV for a single moment – we are privy to some of his other struggles with decisions on his future， his relationships with those who raised him， and those who look to him as a future father and， maybe， something more。 French interspersed these story beats incredibly well amongst thrilling ship battles， city clashes， rescue missions， court politics， and tying up mysteries that have been hanging around for the past thousand+ pages。 It’s deft work。One strike against the story was when one of the biggest plot mysteries was finally revealed， I found myself asking a lot of “well why didn’t it” and “how could it” questions。 It felt a little forced， a bit too neat， written more for maximum mic-drop effect instead of fitting into the context of the story。 It was still a great moment – and while it was somewhat projected and might not pass the closest scrutiny， it does not take away from the satisfaction and epic feel of the conclusion to the Bastards trilogy。There’s been some chatter about the rampant homophobia by the mongrel community in these books， substituting the word ‘backy’ instead of gay， and using that word as the punchline of some dialogue。 And that’s fine， as they’re just characters， and that’s just how some characters are written。 But for what it’s worth， I’d like to mention that there is far more positive representation of the LBGTQ+ community in this story than in previous volumes。 Jonathan French is a Crafty one， wrapping up Jackal， Fetching， and Oats’ stories with the heart and loss and depth it deserves， but it also leaves the door open for more Lot Lands stories to explore。 No matter what the future may bring， for three books I’ve lived in this saddle， and with the killer conclusion of The Free Bastards， I’m fortunate to die on this hog。 P。S。 Best pickup line ever:"Come， bedwarmer。 Let's find a nook and get shameful。" 。。。more
Dave
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There are hordes of thicks （orcs）， frails （humans）， and half-blood mongrels waiting impatiently to get their bloody hands on this。 This is the third chapter of French’s amazing trilogy。 First， came the Grey Bastards。 Then， the True Bastards。 Now， the Free Bastards。 “Live in the saddle。 Die on the hog。”The Stars of this trilogy are half-orc， half-human mongrel Bastards who no one wants。 The thicks or Orcs will rampage across the world， but their bastard children are all that stands between civili There are hordes of thicks （orcs）， frails （humans）， and half-blood mongrels waiting impatiently to get their bloody hands on this。 This is the third chapter of French’s amazing trilogy。 First， came the Grey Bastards。 Then， the True Bastards。 Now， the Free Bastards。 “Live in the saddle。 Die on the hog。”The Stars of this trilogy are half-orc， half-human mongrel Bastards who no one wants。 The thicks or Orcs will rampage across the world， but their bastard children are all that stands between civilization and utter wasteland。 In the lots you can find the bawdy， foul-mouthed hoofs of the mongrels， caught in no man’s land between empires that want to wipe them out and the savages from beyond。 Ugly， tattooed， fearsome， and riding astride giant barbarian hogs with giant tusks just as fierce as the warriors in the saddles。 The biggest and ugliest of all the hogs is Uggfuck， Oat's beast， named that because it sure fits。 When reading this book， be sure to play Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” 🐷 at maximum volume。 That fits too。The story and the language is not for the dainty。 These half-breeds fill their speech with every other word a reference to the nether regions of anatomy。 Bawdy is the word describing their world。 The battles are vicious， bloody， unyielding。 The drunken revelry following battle is just as fierce。 This particular volume tells its 600-page story from thrice-born Oat’s point of view。 It begins with a prison break and a great battle on a forbidden hill against odds no normal person would contemplate。 What follows is a long-awaited war with Hispartha， wielding magical forces Oat never imagined would be unearthed。 It’s a war the Bastards and their allies must win or the Lots would forever be wiped out and there are plots within plots to get there。What makes this volume sizzle is the desperate odds Oats， Fetching， Jackal， and the rest face as the alliances shift。 There is no lack of action， no intermission。 No dull plodding moments。 There are battles with hordes of centaurs， naval blockades， storming of fortified cities， and always the odds seem to favor Oat's enemies。 Despite the bawdy language and unremitting violence， the mad mongrel warriors of the Lots are all complex characters from Hoodwink to Sluggard to Oat。 Each one has a backstory and ghosts that forever haunt them。 This book is highly recommended。 。。。more
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin
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4。5 Stars ⭐️ I love these guys！！ Fetch will always be my favorite， she’s a kickass chief！！ This book was Oats book and it was so good。 Who knew a damn book full of half orcs that are foul-mouthed beyond all comprehension， would make me cry！！ There are battles and gore and cussing and a bit of tenderness！ If you loved the first two books， you will love this book and the overall outcome。 I cried at the end as well。 These BASTARDS had a bittersweet ending and above all， remember， "Live in the saddl 4。5 Stars ⭐️ I love these guys！！ Fetch will always be my favorite， she’s a kickass chief！！ This book was Oats book and it was so good。 Who knew a damn book full of half orcs that are foul-mouthed beyond all comprehension， would make me cry！！ There are battles and gore and cussing and a bit of tenderness！ If you loved the first two books， you will love this book and the overall outcome。 I cried at the end as well。 These BASTARDS had a bittersweet ending and above all， remember， "Live in the saddle！ Die on the hog！"This is an uncorrected proof so these few quotes that could be subject to change。 *The rokh shrieked as it dove， snatching the Maiden’s attention。 She looked up in time to see the figure leap from the great bird’s back， but she wouldn’t be able to see who it was。 Oats couldn’t either， but still he knew。 The chief had arrived。**Ugfuck was a lumbering mass of sagging pig flesh covered in rashes and stiff patches of louse-ridden hair。 One eye was red and bulging， the other small and often clogged with mucus。 Born a misshapen runt， he should have been killed on the day he first drew breathe。 Were it not for Oats， he would have been。 He’d saved the hog’s life that morning。*You have to love Ug！！ This whole trilogy was wonderful and I look forward to more of the authors work。 *Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for a digital copy of this book！ Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾Thank you to Penguin for sending me a Netgalley of this book！ BLOG: https://melissa413readsalot。blogspot。。。。 。。。more
Karen ⚜Mess⚜
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The publisher sent me an ARC！！The Lot Lands #3 is out， and I'm happier than a sot in a river o' whiskey！ And the best part？ Jackal is baaaaaack！ Powerful characters。 I especially loved Beryl and her strength and vulnerability。 Oats， for all his hardness and sensitivity。 The world building and story creation was stronger in this one， but it's the characters that bring The Lot Lands to life。 Love these orcs！ 5 stars！ The publisher sent me an ARC！！The Lot Lands #3 is out， and I'm happier than a sot in a river o' whiskey！ And the best part？ Jackal is baaaaaack！ Powerful characters。 I especially loved Beryl and her strength and vulnerability。 Oats， for all his hardness and sensitivity。 The world building and story creation was stronger in this one， but it's the characters that bring The Lot Lands to life。 Love these orcs！ 5 stars！ 。。。more
Jennybeast
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A fitting finish to an epic series -- continues epic， and returns to Oat's point of view。 Somehow I didn't expect that this series would have serious themes in amongst the non-stop action and adventure， but it consistently addresses racism， classism， the trauma of poverty and oppression and the growth that is sometimes needed to choose your own path。 you know， just with Orcs and violence and wonderful pigs and massive amounts of cursing。 Still awesome。Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss A fitting finish to an epic series -- continues epic， and returns to Oat's point of view。 Somehow I didn't expect that this series would have serious themes in amongst the non-stop action and adventure， but it consistently addresses racism， classism， the trauma of poverty and oppression and the growth that is sometimes needed to choose your own path。 you know， just with Orcs and violence and wonderful pigs and massive amounts of cursing。 Still awesome。Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Free Bastards
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Free Bastards&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Free Bastards&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0