The Bone Raiders by Jackson Ford

ARC Disclosure: This book was received free of charge from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review.

At a Glance: Fierce Female Raiders and Fire Breathing Giant Lizards

Jackson Ford has created an awesome and unique world in The Bone Raiders, with clear inspiration from Mongolian culture and an all female raider group who wear the bones of their dead enemies, this book is giving Mad Max vibes, except Ford replaces the post-apocalyptic setting and custom cars with a fantasy world and giant fire breathing lizards.

The Bone Raiders follows the clan of all female raiders who are attempting to just remain free in the great expanse of The Tapestry, they live by their own code, but their way of life is being threatened by the Great Khan of Karkorum is looking to expand his city into The Tapestry. When Sayana, a former member of the high society in Karkorum accidentally rides a fire breathing araatan (giant lizard) while on a failed raid, she concocts a desperate and unorthodox plan to use the araatan as mounts to fight th Khan’s expansion efforts.

The Bone Raiders is a an adventure fantasy that isn’t afraid to jump outside the normal bounds of the genre creating something truly unique even when using some familiar tropes.

The Tapestry: A Fight For Nomadic Freedom

The Tapestry used to be a land of nomads, villages of people who lived off the land and worked together, and the only real threat was the different raider clans and the animals in the area. When the new Kahn took over, he had grand plans of expansion, forcing citizens in the tapestry to move to the staging area full of gers being constructed outside the main city of Karkorum.

There are territories to the north and south of The Tapestry are both briefly referenced throughout the novel, as a probably threat in future installments in the series.

While there isn’t a traditional magic system introduced, the araatan more than make up for that with their unique design. They’re fire breathing giant lizards that have made their way down from their mountain homes in search for food who are able to be steered similar to other mounted animals like horses, but that is only if they don’t kill you before you can get on them.

The political system is a familiar style of imperial rule, where every ruler wants to make a name for themselves to stand out in the history books, and this worlds Kahn is no different. He rules with a mentality of obey or die which creates the focal point of tension and rebellion.

The Bone Raiders stands out with it’s unique take on the typical Dragon/Rider bonding through the araatan and the bone raiders, the all female raider clan being the most feared in the land, and the raiders morality regularly coming into play.

Character Bonds: Found Family Facing Extinction

The Bone Raiders is written from 3 different points of view, giving us insight into both sides of the conflict.

Sayana is nothing short of a bad ass, the former princess turned raider is brash, headstrong, tough as nails, and has a problem with authority wether it’s the Kahn trying to take her way of life or her chief Chimeg’s orders. She’s well rounded, struggles with the morality of her decisions to become a raider, and is resigned in the fact that the ends justify the means. She is forced into a situation where she must prove herself to justify the choices she makes.

Hogelun is our muscled up, beat your face in, then cook a great meal long time member of the Rakada. She is torn between the comfort of the familiar and the ever rising need for change, all while navigating her relationship with fellow bone raider Erhi.

Yesuntei is the right hand to the Kahn, she’s calculating, ruthless, and unwavering in her commitment to the vision of expansion for the city of Karkorum. The only soft spot this woman has is for her sister Tuya who lives just outside the palace and is a renowned animal trainer.

Our supporting cast is just as interesting, my absolute favorite was Khunbish (Khun for short) who clearly suffers from PTSD but it manifest in some wild ways. She only makes sense a quarter of the time, but when she does, it’s usually profound. Erhi is our last raider in the group, she and Chimeg were ex-soliders turned raiders and formed the Rakada, she is deaf, uses signs to communicate, and acts as the groups healer. Last but not least notable character is Tuya, Yesuntei sister and is a famed eagle tamer, who has an eagle who scouts and hunts for her.

No character that gets any page time is boring or feels like a repeat, they’re all complex, interesting, and at times a bit sarcastic in an amusing way.

Multiple POVs Collide: Empire vs. Freedom

The Bone Raiders is a mostly fast paced read, with multiple action sequences that are done well and I never felt lost in the dust ups. The book does have some strategically placed slower character moments, but they are welcome amidst the chaos of this world and give us a great look into these morally complex people Jackson Ford has created.

Each time we change perspectives it feels purposeful, and gives you more insight into the intertwined conflict that is developing throughout the read. I never had a moment where I wished I didn’t have to read through a certain POV, and even when it was the Yesuntei chapters i enjoyed getting the insights into the motivations of the enemy. She had one of the most interesting backgrounds of all 3 of the main POV characters.

This book had a few twists I never saw coming and they never felt out of place and sometimes even had that recognition of previously read foreshadowing that was overlooked at the time. Ford did a great job at tricking me early on in the story, I don’t want to spoil but I certainly thought this book was going to give me everything I wanted with little to no build up, and Ford pulled that rug right out from under me during my read.

Between the Sheets: Low Sapphic Heat, High Sapphic Heart

The Bone Raiders never gets steamy, but doesn’t shy away from the romantic sapphic subplots which earns it a 🌶️ (1.0) on the spice scale. The romance jumps between an existing relationship between Hogelun and Erhi which feels authentic as they argue about the dynamics and treatment of one another while also showing the deep care and fear of loss people develope for long time partners.

The other relationship is a bit spoilery so I won’t deep dive it, but it’s a slow burn born of forced proximity with a lot of yearning and questioning of how the other person feels. Overall the relationships are well done, especially the found family relationship of the Rakada which is one of my favorite fantasy tropes, and Ford does it justice.

Bro Reading Comfort: Mainstream Fantasy with Underground Attitude

The Bone Raiders is a fantasy novel in all the aspects that matter when it comes to reading this in public which earns it a 😳 (1.0) on our comfort scale. The cover art is really cool, and won’t garner any weird looks if you’re reading this at the local coffee shop.

While the book has profanity in abundance, it’s fitting to the nature of the story and the characters using it, and never over done or out of place. The book is catered towards adults and frankly I swear like a sailor in my day to day conversations and I notice more when books do everything they can to avoid the naughty words. There are no intimate scenes in The Bone Raiders so even if someone has read it and sees you on the bus, you won’t get the awkward eye brow raise from them.

Darkness Factor: Moral Complexity Without Crushing Pessimism

Ford tackles some heavy themes in The Bone Raiders such as PTSD, cultural oppression, and a healthy does of violent conflicts earns it a 💀💀 (2.0) on the darkness scale. All of this always serves a purpose and never feels like it’s added for any type of shock value, all these moments lead to genuine development of our characters and the world they live in.

The book does a great job balancing these gritty elements with the found family aspect of the Rakada through witty banter, bonds that feel genuine, and the hopeful resolve of the raiders even in the face of peril.

Ford does a great job of using these factors to build tension without ever leaving you feeling like it’s hopeless and questioning how exactly the characters made it out of a situation.

Book Battlefield: All Female Cast Challenges Male Dominated Fantasy Space

While female main characters are on the rise in the Romantasy space, and even some traditional fantasy, it’s a rare thing to see a fully female cast in epic fantasy. It’s refreshing to see this in the space in general, but even more so from a male author. Ford’s Rakada stand toe to toe with some of the great male groups that dominate the epic fantasy landscape today and I’m so happy to see it.

Ford manages to carve out something special with The Bone Raiders, challenging what is considered the “norm” in the fantasy space. The book never feels like it is using the all female cast to prove a point or make a statement, and just tells an amazing story which is refreshing and I hope Ford ends up being a trend setter with The Bone Raiders.

The other things to note is how well Ford integrates the Mongolian setting throughout the story, which is a departure from the typical medieval fantasy worlds we see in similar works. Ford clearly did the research and his experimentation has paid off.

Should You Bother?

For Abercrombie Fans: The Bone Raiders offers up the ethical complexity of Joe Abercrombie without the all the despair.

Looking for a Fresh Take on Fantasy: This book blends the classic tropes with some new directions with it’s all female cast and Mongolian inspired world.

For Dragon Bonding Fans: Ford has created a unique but familiar feel with his use of giant lizards in place of the classic Dragon

For Character Driven Readers: Several unique voices that are all morally complex, from different backgrounds, and navigating their found family as their world crumbles around them, this book hits all the boxes for a character lead story.

Final BroMantasy Verdict

The Bone Raiders has certainly managed to carve out a new spot in the epic fantasy genre by taking some big risk and challenging some genre “norms” and it has done so in a way that I think will change the expectations for future books in the space which is why I’m rating it a 4.5/5.

What makes The Bone Raiders special isn’t just the fire breathing lizards (though that’s super bad ass), but Ford’s commitment to emotional honesty, challenging the genre norms, and the clear research put into the cultural references. The setting feels researched rather than appropriated, while the all-female Rakada clan avoids both “strong female character” tokenism and the common pitfalls of “women written by men”. The moral complexity around raiding lifestyle creates genuine ethical weight without making it feel like a hopeless endeavor.

Ford delivers everything I want when I pick up an epic fantasy, amazing characters, a unique and interesting world, found family bonds, and interesting creatures that I haven’t seen before. The Bone Raiders reminds me why I love the fantasy genre, getting to discover something new and different while still keeping some of the genre traditions.

As a series opener The Bone Raiders does a great job at concluding the books story, avoiding any type of massive cliff hanger, but making it obvious that the story can continue in a meaningful way. I highly recommend picking this up on release if you’re into morally complex characters, a new twists on traditional epic fantasy, a fan of sapphic romance, or just looking for an action packed fantasy read.