Book Review: The Outsiders of Orkland by Kenneth Feller

Title: Outsiders of Orkland

Author: Kenneth Feller

Page Count: 431

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 rounded up to 4 thanks to unique worldbuilding and New Zealand-esq setting. 

Steam: 🌶️🌶️.5 (1 on-page sex scene but romance is not the focus)

The blurb

What would you sacrifice for your family?

A plague ravages the Fringe, but a chance encounter with orcs from Bogan Island gives Boele hope for a cure.

With his lad, Willem, a dodgy crew, and a huge pair of stones, he sets off on a mission to once again unite the humans with the horde.

Or he could screw up and start a war. No pressure.

For fans of The Grey Bastards and Dungeon Crawler Carl, The Outsiders of Orkland is a fast-paced, foul-mouthed, dark fantasy with an Australasian twist.

The review

If you’re looking for a New Zealand-inspired fantasy look no further than The Outsiders of Orkland. Set in a world that loosely resembles colonial Aotearoa, it’s a refreshing take on a second world fantasy. 

First up, the world building in this novel is some of the most unique I’ve encountered in a long time. From the setting that combines New Zealand landscape and heavy metal-esq vibes through to the hyper-psychism magic system that gives characters magic-like abilities, the world of The Outsiders of Orkland is a grim one. There’s social inequality, crime and revolutionary plots along with death, murder and cannibalism, with the grimdark factor progressively dialling up chapter by chapter.

Character-wise, there are a lot of points of view to contend with, which is my one criticism of the story. Initially, the narrative rapidly switches between various characters, which makes it difficult to feel grounded and keep track of who is who, what each character wants, and what their allegiances are. Nevertheless, all the characters and their factions do become clear over the course of the novel (just give it time). Moreover, by the novel’s climax I was greatly looking forward to seeing how the characters and their factions would come to cross paths and clash given their radically different viewpoints. A particular highlight for me were the orc chapters where we get to learn about their vastly different way of life. The portrayal of trauma was also a refreshing take, particularly Willem’s PTSD as he comes to terms with what he’s had to do to survive.

The Outsiders of Orkland is marketed as a foul-mouthed dark fantasy with an Australiasian twist and it 100% delivers on both fronts. The world its characters live in is unforgiving and within it various factions vie for power. Despite this grim and gritty set up, each set of characters are desperately fighting to make their corner of the world better, which throws them into conflict with each other more often than not. 

***

Romance/steam levels explainer:

• Mild 🌶️– Some romantic interactions and kissing; no on-page or off-page sex scenes.

• Warm 🌶️🌶️ – Romantic interactions, kissing, and making out; fade-to-black sex scenes.

• Steamy 🌶️🌶️🌶️– romantic interactions, kissing, and making out; one or more on-page sex scenes.

• Scorching 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ – romantic interactions, kissing, and making out; detailed and/or longer on-page sex scenes that include four-letter anatomical terms.