Fierceland: 'An impressive, urgent novel' Mohsin Hamid

by Omar Musa

‘An impressive, urgent novel by a talented and courageous writer.’ – Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West

How do you mourn your father when you know his secrets?

After many years abroad, Roz and Harun return to Malaysian Borneo for the funeral of their father Yusuf – and to reckon with their inheritance. A renowned palm-oil baron during Malaysia’s economic rise, Yusuf built the family’s immense wealth by destroying huge tracts of rainforest. What his children know is that he was also responsible for the violent disappearance of a man who stood in his way.

Harun has become a successful tech entrepreneur in Los Angeles, Roz is an artist struggling to stay afloat in Sydney. Now they want to return something their father stole from the forests of their homeland. In their quest for redemption they grapple with the legacy of power and corruption, dreamers and exiles, thugs and zealots. Most dangerous of all, they are haunted – by the ghosts of colonialism, the ghosts of family, the ghosts of language, and the ghosts of the forest itself.

A trailblazing journey across the globe, Fierceland weaves the past and the present into an emotionally powerful family saga that plays out at a mythical scale.


‘Exhilarating, melodious, smart, resonant about the fragility of our times . . . A revolutionary novel of consciousness with Borneo at its core. This is the novel I’ve been waiting for.’ — Ellen Van Neerven

'Potent and powerful, Fierceland is a shapeshifting novel of great reckoning; a brutal, beautiful study of wilderness within and without, of the ghosts that afflict and follow in the wake of family, legacy and complicity.' — Hannah Kent

'Surprising, surreal, and written with gripping poetic prose, Omar Musa reminds us why he is a virtuoso storyteller.' — Sara M. Saleh

'If ever there has been a Great Bornean Novel, Omar Musa's Fierceland is it. Borneo writes back in these pages, offering up a breathtaking, heartbreaking, headspinning reply to decades of Malayan supremacy and erasure. But Fierceland is more than simple it is a wild, poetic, ride, both lyrical and pyrotechnical, through the light and the darkness of a family and all its histories. Vehemently, furiously, it asks the great timeless what does it mean to belong to a place? What do we owe our homelands? What do they owe us? Who gets to take, and who must give?' — Preeta Samasaran

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Asia, Australia, Literary Fiction, Politics, Audiobook

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 20, 2026

About the author

Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian rapper and poet from Queanbeyan,
Australia. He is the former winner of the Australian Poetry Slam and
the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam. He has released three hip hop albums,
two poetry books (including "Parang"), appeared on ABC's Q&A and
received a standing  ovation at TEDx Sydney at the Sydney Opera House.
His debut novel "Here Come the Dogs" was published by Penguin Australia in July 2014.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out really strong for me - the setting and folklore of Malaysian Borneo both drew me in and held me captivated during the first part of the book. But when Roz and Harun were reintroduced as adults at the time of their father's death, in Australia and the USA respectively, I struggled to remain engaged. There were some really interesting ideas (I have heard Omar Musa talking about the real-life project of his wife's, recording the sound of the sap in the trees) and I also enjoyed the device used to pull the reader along through the story - a Venetian glass bead that changes hands many times over several generations. Overall I'm glad I read it, but I thought I would have liked it more.

Narration of the audiobook was entirely competent and suited to the story and characters, but I think I grew a bit weary of listening to the broken English after a while. I may have liked it more if I'd read a text edition.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one review I have read of Fierceland thought the book was about something entirely different from what I thought it was about, and that, I think, is testament to how rich, lush, and multilayed this book is. Musa gives us a sprawling family epic, through the lives of two siblings. And through them, we see the towering image of their complex father, a shifting mother, and an over-the-top aunt. And through these characters, we see the stories of migration, of modernisation in Borneo, of living through 9/11 as a muslim, and the painful, tight bonds of family and how we can choose to keep or cut. All this presents like the forest at the heart of the story, a gorgeous tangle, which the closer you explore the more pattern and detail you see.

[a_geminireader · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Fierceland" by Omar Musa isn't just a novel you read; it's a world you step into. The story follows siblings Roz and Harun as they return to their ancestral home in Malaysian Borneo after their father's death, a journey that’s meant to be about settling his affairs but becomes a profound reckoning with their past and identity. Musa’s narrative is a masterclass in weaving the personal with the political, making a powerful statement about family, land, and the devastating cost of progress.

What immediately grabbed me was Musa's poetic and vivid prose. He paints the rainforest not as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing entity, full of secrets and stories. You can almost feel the humid air and hear the buzz of the insects. This rich, sensory detail serves a larger purpose: it underscores the beauty and fragility of a land under siege. Musa doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of palm oil plantations and the destruction of indigenous homes, but he handles these tough subjects with a poetic grace that is both heartbreaking and essential. This book is a gut-wrenching elegy for a disappearing world and a poignant celebration of the resilience of those fighting to save it.
Beyond the environmental themes, the true heart of this novel lies in the raw, honest portrayal of Roz and Harun’s relationship. Their dynamic is so real—full of unspoken resentments, shared grief, and the complicated love that only siblings can understand. Through their journey, Musa explores the lingering trauma of a fragmented family and the weight of a legacy they never asked for. It made me reflect on my own family’s history and the unwritten stories we all carry. Fierceland is a reminder that healing isn't a linear process; it's about confronting the ghosts of the past to find a way forward.

This book is a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of storytelling to connect us to both the world and ourselves. It’s an immersive, moving experience that stays with you, forcing you to think about what we inherit, what we choose to protect, and the deep, profound connection between personal histories and the land we call home.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fierce story of two siblings who grow up with the sins of their father, rooted in power and the exploitation of the forest and the people who's lives are scattered there.

...there's no worse crime than stealing someone's homeland, because a person's homeland is their soul....p189

Omar Musa has been a favourite poet of mine for well over a decade, and I picked up this novel as soon as it came out last year, however it's the longlisting on The 2026 Miles Franklin Prize that gave me incentive to stick with the beautiful and sometimes challenging prose.
The setting of Malaysian cultural dysphoria was new to me but it's also universal to all displaced people in some way.

There is a wonderful crazy Auntie character who provides some light relief particularly with the "Capitalism Carbs" of Maccas... that gave me a chuckle or two.
I would be very happy for this to win the MF and while I listened to the audiobook (highly recommended) I'll be keeping my paperback copy too. It's one that I'd like to read again.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update: Winner of the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award

Two Malaysian siblings return to Malaysia for their tycoon father's funeral, who had made a fortune from palm oil plantations, which in turn, eradicated so much of the rain forrest.

Roz is a somewhat struggling, liberal artist, living in Australia. Her brother, Harun, is a successful AI and AR developer, who lives in the US. The two live different lives and have diverging beliefs and views.

This award-winning novel has many things going for it: it's a page-turner, it's informative, has well rounded, distinct characters, and it also looks at the complexities in developing countries, inequality and the effects of colonialism and post-colonialism, and blending some poetry and folklore with prose.

We'll have to wait to find out if it'll win the Miles Franklin prize, as it's on the shortlist.

[Katdakoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟

This is a rating born of both emotion and appreciation. A novel set in contemporary (pre covid) kota kinabalu! And post 9/11 muslim existence in the western world!

The descriptions of borneo evoke familiarity and electric aliveness in their precision. The family story was heartbreaking - the relationship between the siblings so choked and full of love and contempt.

Sometimes the prose felt a bit too expository, but i think that is a difficult line to tread. I appreciated the untranslated melayu. Some of the characters remained mysteries - Susan/Jenab, crazy auntie.

Epic in scope, much to chew on - the cursed murrina? The literal hauntings? The 🦉 feathers and abah? - and much to laugh out loud at - the artist manifestos (!!!)

What a novel.

[Houlcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the opening poem which frames this beautiful and luminous novel Musa tells us exactly what this tale is to be about, “Let us dally no more, sayang. Let us name this thing a ghost story-“ yet I didn’t quite believe him. However, with each chapter, the ghostly revealed itself further and further, as Musa explores that which haunts us and what we are haunted by, which are not the same thing at all.

There’s such a love of language and literature found at all points in Fierceland, with Musa blending prose and poetry perfectly to create a story just sings.
I loved the references to Le Guin, digs at Conrad and Crazy Auntie’s name checking of countless artists There’s so many perfect moments in the book, too many to list, but Musa’s thoughts on fractals and humans as the embodiment of these, everyone a microcosm of some larger power struggle, and Rozana’s artwork of carnivorous plants, have to be up there.

I also love the balance this creates with Here Come The Dogs, Musa’s first novel, which was so aggressively masculine. From from the very start of Fierceland, the voice is distinctly feminine, with femininity an ongoing undercurrent. Masculine traded for Feminine. The physical exertion of sports versus the pixels of videogames and coding, concrete for forest. A perfect compliment of novels.

Best paired with the laughter of a Pontianak, a bite of a Macca’s Fillet-O-Fish and a palm oil plantation with fruit ready to be harvested.

[Déwi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!!!! Love this book so much. It’s beautifully written, and more than engaging. It’s truly captivating with its changing literary and artistic styles, challenging and evolving through strong multidimensional characters and layers of history. This book exceeded my expectations!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omar Musa is the Trent Dalton of Borneo.

[Rachel Coutinho · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Predominantly follows the lives of two children from Borneo who witnessed an incident in the forest. Brilliant on so many levels - messages about climate change, living in another culture, missing the motherland, loss of language, capitalism and power.

Aside from poems scattered throughout the books, this story is very poetical in parts. There is also unique formatting for each perspective of the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[baneen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, wow. I finished this on the flight back from Malaysia, having started reading it in Borneo. Borneo is a magical place, suffering from deep devastation inflicted upon it and its forests and people, which continues today at an unrelenting pace to satiate a ferocious appetite for cheap goods.

This book captures the magic of Borneo. The history, and the ongoing devastation. Omar Musa’s poetry seeps the pages, dancing the story along.

It was surreal to have had the privilege of travelling through some of the places in the book; to have experienced the same gorging mosquitoes, sweltering heat, delicious food and devastating poverty. I’m in awe with Borneo. An island so beautiful has been hollowed out for palm oil. It was confronting to see swathes of unending palm oil plantations on our drive to our river cruise to see the Borneo Five… endemic animals pushed to the edge of the forest and onto the river. At some points, the palm oil plantations came as far as to kiss the riverbank itself. It confronted my own privilege to see the Bajau people and other indigenous groups live lives of statelessness and sanctioned poverty. The irony of visiting some of the world’s most beautiful dive sites and nature spots and to see the horror of people’s every day, the rubbish, the smell, the sheer lacking.

Anyway, back to the book, I would recommend this read. Though sometimes the magical realism felt clunky in Roz and Harun’s everyday lives. Otherwise this book manages to capture within its ~330 pages a wide plethora of stories and information. It covers Borneo’s colonial history, the importance of living memory, connection to land and diasporic experiences (lol at the Sydney shade). I feel devastated for the Crazy Aunties we have lost at the hands of corrupt rich men, the Pacicks who are left behind, and the Salams who suffer the indignities of loss of homeland and livelihood.

At times, the book suffers from being too overreaching as we don’t get to appreciate characters and certain moments as more than one dimensional. I would have loved to know Mak’s backstory more, I love an iconic chess genius (hello pinkpanthress) but why does she not get along with Crazy Aunt? Let’s pass the Bechdel test a bit more. But seriously, the book suffers also from juxtaposing characters to make a point Crazy Aunty vs conforming, Islam convert Mak who gives up her engineering degree, and then Silicon Valley tech millionaire Harun vs struggling artist greasy hair and pimpled Roz.

I wish Musa explored the tension and struggle of the siblings confronting their dad’s legacy a bit more, that felt lacking after a lot of build up. I went into this book thinking it was more memoir based and from that probably expected more commentary from the siblings as adults. We could have done without the side commentary on good old Down Under racism, obviously this is drawn from Musa’s experiences living her but this came at the expense of focusing more on Borneo.

Still 4 stars bc the novelty of reading a book after travelling the same places was great! I have a photo with the referenced ancient 100 year old Dipterocarp tree that features in Musa’s wife! I appreciate Musa’s commitment to the various art that has come out of this book, particularly the song of the wood and the translations into the different 54 languages of Sabah!

[liv (≧▽≦) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars ----

This wasn't bad, I just unfortunately struggled to connect with the characters and the story. I think it may be trying to do too much character-wise. Not only are there many different characters' perspectives, they jump back and forth between the 1800s and modern day, and whilst I understand what Musa was trying to do here, I only found a few of these perspectives really impactful in regards to the overall message. I found pockets of the book to be really really strong, but then it would meander and lose me :(

This book hits on some really important ideas though, mainly who benefits and who doesn't from the exploitation and destruction of developing countries - and why it's never actually the residents who benefit. It also touches on losing a parent who was objectively a horrible person, but who also set you up with a really good life. The kids having to reckon with the destruction of both their ancestral home and the community that raised them, perpetrated by their father. The character 'Crazy Aunty' is a queen! I loved the rich description of Borneo and the rain forest, absolutely beautiful, how anyone can sleep at night knowing their the reason it is being destroyed, I will never know. The poetry throughout is also a highlight, stunning, and I loved how Musa made an effort to translate it into as many Indigenous Malay languages as he possible could!

There was a really powerful quote (but I didn't highlight it at the time UGH) that stuck with me, it went along the lines of 'it's not just the plants or the animals that die alongside the forest, it's the hidden knowledge, languages and cultures' ... More of this message needs to be put out into the world!

[Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so grateful I was able to read this book, because it feels like someone took a good look into my soul and put it onto paper.
Fierceland is a story about man and nature, about belonging and family, and what it means to strive for a better life for yourself at the cost of the things you hold dear. It took up the question I find myself asking now: is it acceptable to work for the oppressor, or to the person who causes the harm, to put food on your table? Is being able to ask this a form of privilege? And where do you draw the line; what is an intangible thing against your family's security?
Musa uses characters I am familiar with and intertwines them meaningfully, skillfully: the father who will stop at nothing in the name of progress, the son who finds solace in masks and religion and playing the long game; the daughter set adrift, aware of her role in causing harm and unable to do anything to stop it (or so she believes) at the same time; the wise aunt turned pariah. The writing is thoughtful and made this a fleshy, living experience. I will be dwelling on this for a While.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Rinaldo]

Two years ago, I had the luxury to read this book in its draft form, but since then Omar Musa has polished the book to its ultimate sheen and sharpness, like a meteorite kris folded and forged over and over into perfection.

Telling the story of siblings Roz and Harun, this is at the same time a family epic, a ghost story, and a magical realism tale. At times, the themes of childhood memories and haunting trauma also reminded me of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

However, reading this book in 2025 was an entirely different experience. In 2025, this book was an easy read, but tough at the same time.

On one hand, the subject matters are very close to me: as an Indonesian who went to Australia for higher education and work, this Southeast Asian family epic with an Australian perspective simply hit home. With beautiful, flowing prose, this is simply a gorgeous book. The streets of Sydney, where Roz and Harun spent their teenage year, were familiar and vibrant. Even my recent visit to KL resonated a lot with the KL section in this book.

On the other hand, it was an especially tough read because it also hit so close to home. At the moment I was reading this book, my fellow Indonesians in Sumatra were paying the devastating economic and environmental costs thanks to decades of massive deforestation for oil palm plantations and logging. I saw the looming figures of Yusuf bin Mansur from the book on local TVs and news: unapologetic patriarchs, driven by unadulterated greed and bald-faced shamelessness, claimed that everything they had done was done only for the best for the country.

And yet, Fierceland is also a tale of perseverance, how nature as a living force is working for its own vengeance. Drawing a lot of parallels from old school Indonesian horror flicks, Omar Musa played with the ideas of family curse and the spectral figure of pontianak (also known as kuntilanak in Indonesia). Typical of great classic literature, there were recurring imageries, strong, repeating, and almost haunting throughout the book. From the murrina, owls, orchids, to the corpse flower, there is a section of Bornean forest living vividly in my head. Green, eternal, humid, rich, noisy, full of life, unforgiving, remembering, enduring.

[Cathy]

I think I need to re-read this at some point to absorb it at a more leisurely pace. I read, and listened to this one in combination on a deadline for book club, and should have started much sooner. It’s beautifully written, poetic and thought provoking, with some challenging content around the nature of colonialism, exploitation, and family dynamics.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was vaguely on my radar but I probably wouldn't have read it if it wasn't shortlisted for the Miles Franklin. I'm so glad it was!
This is a story about growing up in Malaysia, coming of age in Australia, and reflecting on family and your place in the world as an adult. Many parts were extremely relatable to me. The story is moving and the writing is beautiful.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled to follow the story.

[Sarah De · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wanted to enjoy this more. I loved the rich deep dive into Borneo, especially as it's a place I've been, and flowed along the poetic river of metaphors and descriptions. I feel the different point of view disrupted the story and a couple of them didn't add anything. My rating slipped as i moved through the book. Probably a good book to re-read and to take in again.

[Aisyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's a really important facet of Malaysian history — Borneo — that is broadly overlooked by mainland politics; also overlooked by Malay-Australian diasporic cultural relating. In Fierceland, Omar Musa takes a strong look at the impact of palm oil production in Borneo and a somewhat intersectional view of power as it plays out in Malaysia. There are several complex, unlikeable characters, which is refreshing when we think about the way the Australian cultural sphere understands and projects Malayness. It's not just "hey we eat and make lots of delicious multicultural food like rendang and ayam masak merah," it's also that there's many ultra wealthy Malay oil-palm tycoons and politicians that subjugate the land and resources of this country for profit and paternalistic "national prosperity", as is demonstrated in Fierceland.

My own family is from mainland peninsular Malaysia (with its own distinct history and politics) across Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, said to descend from the Minangkabau in the 7th century (though highly debated). I grew up in canning vale, western australia (suburbs of perth), which stands second to melbourne in highest population of Malaysian expats to a suburb within so-called australia (according to the ABS 2021 census). Both of my neighbours growing up were Malaysian families, Chinese and Malay respectively.

To much of my family, both extended and immediate, speaking to the conditions of First Nations land and people across peninsular east Malaysia and archipelagic west Malaysia is a low priority. For many reasons, accessing culture and history through familial means is only possible when it’s possible to stop working long enough to care (ie. when your family has middle class mobility, or is wealthy) - it's otherwise a long, unromantic and isolating learning that comes in drips and drabs through European frameworks of understanding, or in the small moments of energy that family and kin have to share their stories.

So with this in mind it's clear that Fierceland is a culmination of this slow recollection and research. A lot of which I see myself in, or see all of my own research in, as a Malay artist and writer that grew up in australia.

My only major critique of this book is that the question of Harun's identity is criminally underwritten. It's hard to tell why this choice was made — to leave the story of his queerness so blank — when everything else in the book felt so intentional and lovingly complex. It does make me wonder if the author, among all the people who reviewed his manuscript, had sought consultation from any queer Malay writers. Maybe he did, maybe it's possible this was an intentional choice. But as a queer, trans person who has complex relationships with relating to and visiting Malaysia, I found myself really let down by how Harun was presented. At best, the choice to characterise him as gay feels tokenistic, lacking any depth. At worst, it feels like a covertly homophobic caricature of cis gay campness rather than any complex view of turmoil that gay men, women and queers in the diaspora may experience distinctly from people like Nurhafizah (Auntie), Rozana, Abah and Mak. All other characters in the book are written complexly and intersectionally, but I wanted a lot more from Harun, because I know there's a story there that many have lived. Ultimately, I feel like it would have been better for him to have been presumably straight (like everyone else was?) than to have been written in the stereotypically “gay” way that he was.

Overall though, this books feels like a really, really important contribution to the cultural storytelling of Malaysian history in australia. I’m glad that it now exists as a touchstone to return to both in the practice of writing and in the livelihood of being Malay in australia.

[Clockwork Chapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fierceland by Omar Musa is one of those rare books that completely takes you by surprise. You think you’re just settling in for just a story but instead, Musa hands you something raw, haunting, and unforgettable. It’s not just a novel you read, it’s one you feel deep in your bones.

The story follows siblings Roz and Harun, who return to their ancestral home in Borneo for their father’s funeral. But this is no simple homecoming. What unfolds is a reckoning with family, with drama, with grief, with the brutal legacy of a father’s empire built on the exploitation of the rainforest and the deep scars of colonialism. Musa doesn’t shy away from the messy stuff: guilt, inherited trauma, and the stories we’re forced to carry whether we want to or not.

And I found the writing just breathtaking. You can tell Musa is talented. Every line hums with rhythm and emotion. The rainforest itself pulses through the book as more than just a setting it becomes a character that breathes, aches, and remembers.

One of the standouts for me was the “Crazy Auntie.” You know that saying about the “madwoman” being the only sane one? That’s her. She’s layered, sharp, and unforgettable exactly the kind of character that lingers long after you’ve finished just like this book!

Fierceland isn’t an easy read, but it’s a necessary one. Bold, layered, and fiercely original, it challenges you to sit with its discomfort and walk away changed. If you’re looking for a book that doesn’t just tell a story but says something this is it.

Huge thanks to @penguinbookssea @chai_n_books and @arii_reads_ for the ARC, and happy publication day to Omar Musa!

[ishhreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fierceland- Omar Musa

What brilliant writing! I couldn’t stop thinking of the story. Once I started, I was hooked on the premise. I won’t stop thinking about it for a while. I could see how the author penned through poetry and Malay slang, that was so unique.

Roz and Harun, the sibling duo, return back to Malaysian Borneo for the funeral of their father, Yusuf, and settle his inheritance. Their father is a powerful palm oil baron. Roz is an artist and lives in Sydney. Harun is a tech entrepreneur in LA. They want to give back what their inherited wealth is. The story unfolds in two timelines weaving through the history of the land Sabah and Malaysian rise.

What I loved the most was the poetic way of describing the story of the destruction of the forest, political history, and land theft. It never hides to speak of the truth. While reading, my mind was telling me that even now people are destroying forests in the name of betterment. One of the endangered species will disappear without a trace. That’s what I felt when reading. I vividly pictured the Borneo forest; it was mesmerizing. I have always dreamt of living in a forest. Crazy auntie, I loved her the most, who never backed off from speaking the truth.

I can’t stop recommending this beauty to everyone who loves the historical genre. But a book that holds us to think, pause and reflect throughout the book. A powerful read that lingers with us forever.

Thank u for sending the ARC copy @penguinbookssea @arii_reads_ @chai_n_books

[Priyanka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book screams in volumes your ears may not hear, but your heart will catch!!! Such thoughtful, embedded words are scripted into these pages, pulling you into the lives of Rozana and Harun. A rainforest that stands with patience, witnessing everything. The forest was immersive showcasing mythical creatures, floklores and hidden stories whispering in the air.

Two innocent souls lost their essence to a bead or shall I say, the bead showed them their way. If you’re in the mood for a heart-wrenching read, this one might just tear you apart.

The visuals are cryptic, horrific, yet slanderous. Their POVs feel like diary entries bleeding hearts, confused thoughts, wandering years where they lost touch with themselves.

It touches on such sensitive themes as childhood trauma how it lingers within us, with unresolved emotions creeping like branches, trapping you in the world of owls. Their journey of redemption and breaking silence felt powerful and revolting.

The depth within just a few lines, the emotions they leave you pondering both sides of the coin. Although we never got Joseph’s side, it left me intrigued, wondering what he thought throughout his lifetime.

A meal is perfect when you can distinguish each herb and spice separately. Fierceland felt exactly like that, leaving the essence of each character lingering in your thoughts.

A thought-provoking read, with different sides, different voices, all seeking a soul to flourish within.

[Gavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breath-taking. A thorough interrogation of family, commerce/capitalism, religion, the rich, the environment (particularly the impact of oil palm plantations). I feel like I leant so much about Malaysian and its politics without the book ever feeling like a history lecture. Wonderfully written - strong driving plot with good characters and dialogue.

[Ming Suan Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars because I had a slight feeling of dissatisfaction when I finished it, like, wait what just happened, what about A B C etc I did not expect to be as blown away by this book as I was - attended an author event, heard him speak and I’ve heard of his poetry but a book about the Borneo rainforest ? This was a passionate declamation of the need to save our rain forests writing with great lyricism (which I am wary about usually but really worked in this instance) About greed and corruption but also about poverty and desperation. Harun and Rozana are siblings who accompany their ambitious entrepreneurial father down the river to view the giant trees and inadvertently spot one of the locals sabotaging the equipment to prevent them from cutting down the ancient trees for a palm oil plantation. Rozana is young and in awe of her father and tells him what she saw. And the father Yusuf gets his men to beat up this guy Salam so badly that he is incapacitated for many years. It’s no surprise the children are completely screwed up by having experienced this . They are sent to Australia for school where Rozana the artist is high half the time and her gay brother on the other hand tries to be as religious as possible praying 5 times a day and wearing a songkok till 9/11 makes him the brunt of racist bullying. He moves to the USA where he is developing AI to create a virtual forest - the same one his father destroyed. I found this so interesting - the history behind how palm oil came to malaysia from Nigeria, the politics and machinations of the powers that be in malaysia. Omar also used the presence of a bead originating from Italy (a murrina) that has travelled through history through wars and thefts to end up in Salam’s hands where it was eventually stolen and given to Rozana. Its return to Salam’s family at the end of the book was important even if there is no redemption granted by his family. There is a lot of magical realism in this book - the ghosts and owls and the rainforest have voice and agency and represent I surmise the inner turmoil of characters. At the end I hope it means that the siblings have exorcised the ghost of their father Yusuf and the bloody legacy he left them and are on their way to making reparations for his sins. I hated the ending for crazy auntie and their mother jenab/susan as there was no redemptive arc for them but it was realistic I suppose.

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fierceland is the place that becomes home while we're dreaming of home elsewhere. Or an imagined homeland, a place impossible to return to because it never existed. The dangerous places we go while chasing stars we never find....Who knows? Maybe it doesn't matter if Fierceland existed or not. It now exists simply because I spoke it. p295

If you are courageous, you will make it..just fine...just follow your ears and listen to the sounds coming from the forest. Hoot hoot! p15

Omar Musa engages all the senses as he conjures a world far from perfect, rather familiar. It was no surprise to discover that he is an experienced slam poet.

But we've seen lots of people like you, with good intentions and not much of a clue....You've made a gesture and a gesture can't be trusted, nor all the pretty words in the world, if they are not backed by action. p360

I wish things were different, but they can't be, and all we can do right now is dance...as fast as we can, saturated in music. p244

How much does truth demand of our loyalty when it compromises our love and threatens to rupture the foundations of our world? Fierce and tender, OM relentlessly burrows beneath assumptions, allowing the forest its own voice, exposing the quiet terrorism of environmental rape and questioning the value of eco-tourism and the proliferation of NGOs. Closer to home for most of us is his study of family dynamics and how the values we learn as children may play out in different ways yet remain as a bridge for our misunderstandings.

Can good come out of bad? Can the devil do God's work? Can good exist without evil? p232

But you can use your privilege to challenge the status quo, or to reinforce it. Privilege is a resource. Use it wisely. p233



4.5/5 rounded down for GR 5 point system
6/7 for 7 point system
What induced me to refrain from 5 or 7 is the end felt a bit rushed, as if it was decided that's a wrap, or maybe it was cut to fit page requirements.

[niskalagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far one of my favourite novels of the year! I was hooked from the start. A haunting blend of rainforest, nostalgia, politics, poetry, intergenerational trauma, ghosts and historical fiction.

I really appreciated how deeply politics are woven into the book - I feel like I was getting an education about Malaysian political history (and present) while also being totally taken by the page-turner storytelling.

I also was captured by how it was written - it didn't feel like it was written for the white gaze, nor did it give me the 'cringe' that sometimes comes with diaspora fiction. I feel like it did this by focusing less on identity politics and questions of 'where do I belong?', and more on genuine explorations of class, politics and power. While some of the characters do ask 'where do I belong?', it feels more like an expected and natural part of their character, rather than the novel's whole theme. As someone who has seen (and made) their fair share of 'diaspora blues' art, I really appreciated this.

I also loved the intersecting throughlines of the 'crazy auntie' and the kuntilanak. When all is said and done, I think the one message that will stick with me from this book is that of those characters - that in order to speak truth to power, you have to be prepared for the rest of the village to think you're crazy. I felt like these feminist themes were approached very sensitively by a male author. (And while we're on the topic - while it may seem small, I also really appreciated that none of the female protagonists were conventionally attractive. It's always a relief when beauty is not the expected norm for female characters!).

Finally, growing up in Borneo myself, Fierceland is the first book I have ever read that captures the beauty, fear and deep spirit of the Bornean jungle. I had no idea what I was in for, nor that this part of my childhood could, or ever would be captured so well in a book. For that reason, Fierceland made me feel deeply seen in a way I honestly hadn't prepared for. Of course, the bittersweetness of this is that the book is ultimately about the demise (but also, hopefully the reforestation) of such special places. For that, I urge any Bornean diaspora to give it a read. It will feel like you are back in the green, surrounded by cicadas, but not necessarily always in a comforting way.

For anyone else, I recommend this as a must-read. It is a book full of wisdom, challenge and compassion. Don't sleep!

[paperback_archives · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Fierceland thinking I wanted an escape. Instead, it hit me straight in the gut.

The novel begins with a forest trip something that should have been simple, playful. But for Roz and Harun, the forest becomes the place where innocence ends. In those shadows, they stumble across something no child should ever see-their father’s secret.

When Their father dies, the siblings face the weight of his inheritance. It is not just money, but wealth built on blood and loss. Yusuf had risen from deep poverty to great power, but the question remains: was his cruelty driven by desperation, or by something darker, a hunger that could never be satisfied?

Yusuf’s story is not just about one man; it mirrors the larger history of colonialism, where forests were stripped bare, indigenous people uprooted, and resources taken for the profit of a few. Their pain becomes a reflection of collective wounds carried across generations.

Amid all this, one character stayed with me. “Crazy Auntie” her portrayal makes me wonder if she is really crazy or Her courage is mistaken for madness, as the book reminds us: “sometimes the madwoman in the village turns out to be the only sane one.”
Roz both fears and admires her aunt, haunted by the possibility of becoming her, by the possibility that clarity means isolation.

Towards the end, Roz and Harun choose to use the inheritance to restore the forest. It is a choice filled with hope but shadowed by impossibility because no amount of money can undo years of destruction. Yet their decision to try becomes its own form of resistance.

The Author Omar Musa’s writing is sharp and lyrical, painting the forest as both beautiful and wounded, alive with memory. The siblings’ grief feels intimate, yet they open onto questions of colonialism, ecological destruction, and the ethics of inheritance.

Bold, layered, unforgettable. Fierceland will unsettle you, move you, and leave you haunted long after the last page.

[Shalini · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪨BOOK REVIEW:-
🌳🪨Fierceland by Omar Musa:-

Fierceland is a passionately written tale of loss in the numerous ways in which it presents itself. The book is bold and pressing and possesses a lyrical quality to the writing which creates a sort of light tone to convey the actual message of the book. Nature is always patient with, us greedy humans and it is only our actions that take us down.
This grotesque and vivid novel will leave you feeling a multitude of emotions before the climax completely blows you away and leaves you thinking about it.

🌳🪨BOOK DESCRIPTION:-
After many years abroad, Roz and Harun return to Malaysian Borneo for the funeral of their father Yusuf – and to reckon with their inheritance. A renowned palm-oil baron during Malaysia’s economic rise, Yusuf built the family’s immense wealth by destroying huge tracts of rainforest. What his children know is that he was also responsible for the violent disappearance of a man who stood in his way.
Harun has become a successful tech entrepreneur in Los Angeles, Roz is an artist struggling to stay afloat in Sydney. Now they want to return something their father stole from the forests of their homeland. In their quest for redemption they grapple with the legacy of power and corruption, dreamers and exiles, thugs and zealots. Most dangerous of all, they are haunted – by the ghosts of colonialism, the ghosts of family, the ghosts of language, and the ghosts of the forest itself.
A trailblazing journey across the globe, Fierceland weaves the past and the present into an emotionally powerful family saga that plays out at a mythical scale.

[aemynadira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fierceland is a powerful & unforgettable novel by Omar Musa, a Sabahan-Australian author whose voice carries both poetry & fire. Set mostly in the lush, endangered landscapes of Sabah, the story follows Roz & Harun, two siblings grappling with the heavy legacy left behind by their father, a man complicit in crime, land theft, & environmental destruction. As Roz & Harun grow, so does the guilt they carry, witnessing the long-term effects of their father's actions that continue to echo through their lives. Though fiction, the novel reads like truth. Raw, fearless, & incredibly grounded in the realities of Sabah's past & present.

The author doesn't hold back. This book is a brutally honest commentary on political greed, corruption, & the cost of exploitation. From illegal logging to reckless palm oil plantations, it exposes how the hunger for wealth devastated indigenous lands, destroyed animal habitats, & displaced generations. The damage isn't just environmental, it's deeply human. And it's all written with such clarity & lyricism, making the pain feel both intimate & universal. Sabah's beauty is undeniable, but so is the ongoing betrayal it faces.

I truly loved how much heart & urgency this novel conveys. It's an ode to the people who fight quietly for their heritage, & a call for the rest of us to wake up. It reminds us that what we're experiencing now, the floods, the loss, the injustice, is the aftermath of decisions made long ago. But it's not too late. Through Roz & Harun's journey, we're reminded that reckoning is possible, & that healing begins with truth. Fierceland is more than a novel. It's a mirror & a warning. Brilliant. Everyone should read this.