• Author: Michael Warren Lucas
• ISBN: 9781642350647
• Format: ebook
• Start: 2025-04-25
• Finish: 2025-05-22

This is a collection of short stories following the lives of orcs in prohibition-era Detroit. As the lowest on the social ladder, the orcs work as dock workers and bootleggers, trying to support their clan. The stories deal with family and relationships, difficulties with assimilation and preserving one’s own culture, systemic oppression, and of course smuggling booze. Overall I enjoyed this, although a few of the stories didn’t do much for me. Using mythical creatures as a stand-in for various immigrant groups marginalized throughout American history is a great literary device and I’d be happy to read more in this world.