The Gray Sheep
The Lochsmith Book I
Following a quest powered by strong friendships, The Gray Sheep is an intricate and commanding series-opening fantasy novel.
Marked by wry wit, S. M. Somerset’s rich and complex fantasy novel The Gray Sheep introduces a fantasy universe with emotive finesse.
Difficult choices and improvisation are part and parcel of this dystopian story. Cosette’s father is ill, so she takes up his profession to make ends meet. In doing so, she becomes the first woman jeweler of Marenburg, a coastal town at the world’s economic center. Then Tearnan warships arrive, bringing war to Marenburg even as Cosette’s father’s condition worsens. Attempting to cross borders to reach her father, Cosette is mistaken for a spy after the invading enemy captures her. She decides to cooperate with them, hoping to secure her freedom and later be reunited with her father.
In the course of her troubled travels, Cosette relies upon volatile entities, but more so on people whom she trusts because she grew up with them. Indeed, the novel somewhat idealizes friendship, even in the face of considerable and unwarranted violence. Comparatively, Cosette’s enemies are sometimes vague; still, her circumstances are commanding and tense because of her interpersonal relationships.
The worldbuilding is intricate and vast, and there is magic in the way that animals and monsters speak in this text. At the same time, settings including markets and townships are fleshed out in practical terms, with an eye toward the particulars of their operations. Herein, unbreakable swords can be tested by science and the supernatural; fate is not absolute, but subject to the whims of human beings and other creatures.
Indeed, this series-opening volume does an able job of setting the stage for the books to follow. It covers the world’s politics, geography, moral standards, and the rhythms of its everyday life well, showing how global and local issues are impacted by the ongoing war, whose implications shape life on the narrow streets and on farmland, as well as informing parent-child relationships. Against this background, Cosette and those around her grow and change. And as the novel progresses, outside forces keep testing their defenses, which they fortify on repeat, drawing on the strength derived from weathering their life events, internal decisions, and trials of friendship. Their connections form the novel’s core, exemplified best in their nuanced, tailored conversations.
In the gritty fantasy novel The Gray Sheep, a girl faced with impossible circumstances goes on a wild adventure in a time of war, leaning on her friendships for endurance.
Reviewed by
Katelynn Watkins
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
