Somehow, I have missed Forbeck's The Rise of the Arch-Illager, book six in the series, but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the RETURN of the Piglins. This is a stand alone.
March 7, 2023, Random House Worlds
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Farnum lives in the Overworld, and his job is to run a zoo, which he doesn't feel he does well. After a horrifying incident when he was trapped underground during an adventure gone wrong, he has been afraid to travel, so his animals are very quotidian, although he takes good care of them. His friends, adventurerers Grinchard and Mycra, understand a bit, but also try to encourage him to expand his horizons. He does manage to bring home a few animals, like a leucistic axolotl and a heat loving strider. There is even a hoglin, but it dies and becomes zombified (a zoglin). During a small trek, Farnum runs into a Piglin when both are in the Nether. The Piglin is Kritten, who has run into trouble with the leader to the clan, Bungus, and a subordinate, Uggub. Piglins all use they/them pronouns, as does Grinchard. Kritten is smaller and smarter than most Piglins, who honor brutality more than wisdom. Kritten is exiled, and eventually goes with Farnum to the Overworld. Piglins are allergic to this environment, but because of a healing potion that Farnum gave Kritten earlier, they are able to withstand the environment. Kritten goes back to Bungus and tries to convince the leader to trust a potion to keep the Piglins well while they take over the Overworld and loot it for its gold. Because Farnum has put in obsidian portals in the zoo so he can collect more exotic animals, the Piglins are able to attack. They do this viciously, although Kritten tries to make sure that Farnum stays safe. The two are able to communicate by drawing pictures. When Farnum realizes the horror he has unleashed, he comes up with a plan to ruin the portals, which will mean trapping the Piglins in the Overworld, where they will all die. Eventually, they decide to try to lead the Piglins to another obsidian portal and hope that they stay in their world. This works fairly well, even though an injured Piglin, Fungus, is unable to make the journey. Fungus manages to put themself in a cage, and becomes the hit new sensation of Farnum's zoo as a zombie Piglin. (A ziglin?)
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