The Lot Lands
#1884.11 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2015–2021 Reading commitment Medium Jonathan French Last reviewed 2026-08-25
Overview
The Lot Lands trilogy follows the half-orc riders of the Lot, a lawless borderland patrolled by outcast "hoofs" on war-hogs, as they defend both flanks of a fragile human/orc frontier from monstrous incursions no one else wants to face. Beginning with the hoof-leader Jackal and continuing with the rider Fetching, the trilogy is a foul-mouthed, gleefully profane take on frontier fantasy that takes its half-orc protagonists, and the prejudice they live under from both sides of their ancestry, dead seriously underneath the swagger.
Sword & sorcery, Grimdark · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Lot Lands Jonathan French
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Grey Bastards | 2015 | core | 4.05 (9,193 ratings) |
 | The True Bastards | 2019 | core | 4.15 (3,584 ratings) |
 | The Free Bastards | 2021 | core | 4.28 (2,238 ratings) |
Core = the 3-novel trilogy. The Grey Bastards was originally self-published in 2015, won that year's Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, and was substantially revised for its 2018 Crown/Penguin Random House edition; the original 2015 publication year is recorded here as first publication per this project's print-edition convention, with the revision noted rather than treated as a separate work.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Lot Lands? The Lot Lands's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Lot Lands? Publication order, starting with The Grey Bastards. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Lot Lands finished? Complete (2015–2021).
- How much reading does The Lot Lands take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Lot Lands ranked? #188 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 15,015 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #188?
Ranked #188 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.11 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (15,015 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #187, The Draconis Memoria (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Complete · 15k ratings · Ranks #188 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length sword-and-sorcery universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Grey Bastards (2015)
- The True Bastards (2019)
- The Free Bastards (2021)
Awards (verified)
- Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (Grand Champion), 2016: won: The Grey Bastards
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Suggestions computed from what The Lot Lands and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Night Angel Trilogy Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
- The Tide Child Trilogy Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.11 across 15,015 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Lot Lands admitted (Jonathan French) accepted 2026-08-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Reader-rating platform series page: The Lot Lands Tier 4
- Publisher listing: The Free Bastards (Penguin Random House) Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-08-25
Rule: Core Canon = the 3-novel trilogy: The Grey Bastards (2015, self-published; revised 2018 trade edition), The True Bastards (2019), and The Free Bastards (2021).