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How I discovered this book: I've read almost all the books in the Broken/Twisted World series by this author, so Amazon kindly let me know when she had a new book out. 😉
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Futuristic
I really liked this book, as much as Kate Mary's zombie series. Protagonist Indra is a member of one of the four tribes of Outliers, in a world where the Sovereign people rule, with the Fortis providing the muscle. The Outliers are the workers, the weak, who rely on hereditary jobs in the Sovereign's kingdom. Immediately, I wanted to know where this strange land is supposed to be; a fantasy world, or Earth? The suggestion that it's Earth comes at just the right time, as Indra is shown the remains of one of the cities. Centuries before, their world had been overcrowded, with technology so sophisticated that the inhabitants' weapons could wipe out whole kingdoms; this they did, unleashing 'poison' into the world that rendered much of it a wasteland. 'What they had fought over none of us knew for certain, but we know that it had not only destroyed them, but left the earth barren and dry... poisoning it for future generations.'
Yes, I think it's mean to be Earth, but we don't know. Books exist, containing writing that no one can understand. I love that the question was put into my mind but not answered fully, and hope there will be more about this in future episodes. There are other clues ~ the rich Sovereign have grown weak, small and plump because they are waited upon and spend much time eating and drinking, and the women make all the decisions (!!). However, in the wilds, where Indra's tribe (the Winta) live, women are the weaker sex; they tend the home fires while the men go out hunting.
The beginning of this new series builds up nicely, painting pictures of the world I know I am going to continue to read about. I liked how KLM has done this; it's not a big information dump, but she skillfully sets up all the info we need about the Sovereign, Fortis and Outliers within the first few chapters of the story, so we're good to go for the rest. I was engrossed from the start.
After lots of terrible things happen to Indra, her friends and family, she looks around at the women of her tribe ~ women unarmed, women defenceless and useless. This, she knows, must change.
As I was reading, I thought, 'KLM has been watching Outsiders', and in the Author's Note she thanks the show for giving her the name Asa for the guy I had my eye on as the main love interest/hero of the hour. Works for me ~ I love Outsiders (I picture Indra looking like G'Winveer, for anyone else who watches it).
This first instalment of the Outliers saga is a real 'easy-read' at the same time as being a totally gripping page-turner, and I read 90% of it in one day. Any negatives? There are a few small editing glitches (the same information repeated more than once, a couple of minor instances that seemed like afterthoughts dropped in, instead of being threaded through the story), but nothing that would worry most readers, and I give this a wholehearted thumbs up. Roll on May, when Book #2 is published!
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