Both Sides of the River

A collection of essays, interviews and stories, written and collected by Singleton Stratford. Mostly unremarkable in prose or in prowess, however what might remotely interest someone in reading this book is it's unique subject matter.

The collected entries comprise not only Stratford's journal and recollections about his travels with the "Delta 8" but later goes into his own youth and life experiences as a Half Orc living among humans.

Here the collection finds its through line, as in later entries the focus shifts to other Half Orcs Stratford meets, befriends, fights and all other interactions. As well as lots about his wife and children and how as he and his wife are both Half Orcs their kids are also Half Orcs and their fears and hopes for their futures and them wondering if having kids is right given how the world will treat them.

Theres also a large amount of content on the Stratfords' parenting "stratagems". Their very elaborate system for parenting Half Orc children.

It is also noteworthy that there is little focus on Orcs or humans except in how they connect to the Half Orcs stories we are given.

Thus the reader gets varied accounts of the diverse range of experiences, attitudes and points of view among Half Orcs of all stripes, however the commonalities are clear in how they are often abused and victimized in both human and orc culture, which s the clearest "message" of the book as a whole.