The Bastard

The opening novel in a sweeping historical saga, The Bastard launches John Jakes’s celebrated Kent Family Chronicles with drama, ambition, and a vivid sense of the turbulent age in which its story unfolds. Set against the backdrop of eighteenth-century political unrest and the gathering storm of revolution, the novel follows a protagonist marked by complicated origins and drawn into a world of conflict, divided loyalties, and opportunity. Personal destiny and public history move side by side, giving the story both emotional drive and historical breadth. Rich in adventure, romance, and period detail, The Bastard is ideal for readers who enjoy expansive historical fiction with strong narrative momentum. It is the beginning of a multigenerational epic shaped by power, identity, and the making of a nation.