THE GRAY SHEEP
From the Lochsmith series, volume 1
by S.M. Somerset
A metalworker braves a war-ravaged land to reunite with her sickly father in Somerset’s fantasy novel.
Ever since her father left to live with her uncle, Cosette Argant has run Argant Fine Metalcrafts on her own. Business was excellent until her coastal city of Marenburg found itself at war six months ago. The island country of Tearn has invaded the Republic nations, starting with Marenburg, which is split into 11 walled sections, or Quarters. Staying afloat is challenging enough for Cosette, and nearly impossible once civil unrest spurs a mob that storms the shops owned by reputed Tearnan sympathizers. Around the same time, Cosette gets word from her uncle, who writes that her father isn’t doing well. She’s determined to see him, but since she’s in the Journeyman Quarter, she’ll have to traverse three Quarters to reach the one where he currently resides—and those are now all Tearnan-occupied lands. Cosette sets out on the dangerous expedition, only to be grabbed by Tearnan soldiers in Sootlund, the first Quarter outside of Journeyman. These “gray sheep” (as Maren citizens call Tearnan soldiers) initially suspect Cosette is a spy and detain her. But it’s not long before they see her merit as a bright, capable woman fluent in both the Tearnan and Maren tongues. Likewise, Cosette gradually realizes that not all of the enemy gray sheep are malicious. Intelligence Officer Desil, for one, a Sirka (a member of a race with mysterious origins), is unexpectedly empathetic and receptive.
Somerset loads this first installment of this series with exposition (Tearn’s motivations for invading the coastal city stem from the political aftermath of another invasion a mere two decades earlier, as well as an assassination). The backstory showcases the author’s stellar worldbuilding—the novel includes an entire continent of nations, though this story centers on Marenburg. Some of the exposition comes courtesy of footnotes, which help the narrative to avoid decelerating too often. Cosette is a remarkable protagonist who puts herself at risk just because someone she loves may not have long to live. She tends to play the observer, a person only beginning to witness the conflicts that others endure—she previously “thought of the war as some far away thing that would never reach her.” Desil takes the narrative reins for a few chapters and reveals a plan she’s quietly working on (something that Cosette may have already deduced); as the story progresses, mutual trust seems possible. Contrasts between Marenburg (as part of the Republic Alliance) and Tearn further enrich this tale: While slavery exists in Marenburg, Tearn has outlawed it, even in its occupied territories. Similarly, magic is “one of the most grievous offenses” in the coastal city and surrounding areas, making Cosette wary of Tearnan mages. At the novel’s end, there’s plenty left to explore, from other locations on the map to such enigmas as the Watchful Eye, a legendary assassin.This dynamic world and cast of characters promise an engaging saga to follow.