The Orphan Fleet

by Brendan Detzner

"The Orphan Fleet" is terrific adventure fantasy -- a non-stop tale of action and strange magic on a wind-swept mountain top where abandoned children have forged a free community, servicing far-traveling airships on sturdy wooden platforms. Here masked heroes with names like Golden Sam and The Sparrow are the ultimate celebrities -- and the mysterious Count leaves shivers of terror wherever he treads. When that community is threatened by an admiral who demands the return of his prized daughter, it triggers a terrible war fought in the air, on the ground, and in the old abandoned scaffolding circling the mountain ... a war where Golden Sam may prove himself a true hero after all, and the Count has a terrible role to play."

John O'Neill, Publisher & Editor of Black Gate Magazine

Genres: Fantasy

82 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2016

About the author

Brendan Detzner lives, works, and writes in Chicago. His work has appeared in Chizine, Pseudopod, Edge of Propinquity, Ruthless Peoples, Untied Shoelaces of the Mind, and the Book of Dead Things and Exigencies anthologies, as well as elsewhere. Brendan has also been featured at the Twilight Tales and Reading Under The Influence reading series in Chicago and runs his own reading series Bad Grammar Theater (http://www.badgrammartheater.com). You can keep track of what he's up to at http://www.brendandetzner.com.

Reviews

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Orphan Fleet is…definitely…unique. Unlike anything I’ve read. The main character, Jiaire, is just going through his very unusually normal life when bang; the most unusually unusual things start happening. He finds himself in situations where extremely high stakes at risk. I did not envy him.

The writing was done in the most suspenseful way possible; the imagery was exquisite, and the characters were full of personality. I loved The Orphan Fleet and rate it with 4 huge Boundless Stars....Beth 

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[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.25. An admirable attempt at a fantasy story. I appreciate the stylistic flairs here and there. Perhaps some would consider these a bit overdone, but I actually like that sort of thing. I still think it's accessible to a younger audience, and might even inspire them to next seek out something more than just another average young adult story... something a bit like this book.

But the story isn't quite fleshed out enough. Mysterious characters are never explored fully, the motivations of antagonists never become clear, the main conflict that starts it all up gets resolved very quickly and mostly 'off screen'. Additionally, in some parts the pacing felt a bit off—too fast more often than too slow, to me, so that the reader didn't get a good chance to get invested in all the characters. The interesting setting and the style of the author do make up for this in part, but I feel that the author perhaps relied too much on this and did not focus sufficiently on the story itself. Perhaps some of these issues are alleviated with other stories set in this same universe, of which at least one already exists.

It's still an interesting read, and it's not very long, so the time investment, I would say, is still worth it.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Young Adult novella is a great start to a new series. When the author mentioned that more novellas of the various characters will be forthcoming, I was happy to read it.
I can see this being the perfect series to get younger boys, and girls who like adventure, more into reading.

Those who enjoy WWE or Mexican wrestling will definitely enjoy this story. While the orphans on the mountain top work hard all day, they get to look forward to the staged fights in the evening. The fighters wear masks to cover their identity, while jumping and fighting, and making it look as if they are dancing. Since you can’t see who the fighters are, you never know if you are passing by them on the streets the next day.

There is lots of action, between the fake fights and the real war that breaks out when the mountain people refuse to give up one of their own, but there is also a wonderful story of friendship. And if you enjoy scarier characters, then the Count will be right up your alley.

At first it did take me a bit to be able to find the rhythm with the sentence structure. Some of them would run on for while. I'm not sure if they got more precise as I continued to read, or if the story was just so enjoyable that I didn't notice. On the other hand, at first the one word sentences that the main character used were a bit jarring, but they fit well with his personality.

Brian Detzner does a wonderful job creating a new world, with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. The characters are well developed, and I think this will be a series where the characters will continue to grow, making you eager for the next book.

[David Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: The author provided me a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

This book was really good; really entertaining. I just wish there were more. I probably wouldn't have purchased it on my own, just because its price is the same as so many full-length novels out there. But then I would have missed out on a very good story.

I'd call this more a novella than a full-fledged book, but for what it is, it was very well done. I was initially a little put off by the cover, which gave me an impression of a middle-school young-adult book. But that's not what it is. While this story could indeed be enjoyed by young readers, it is also entertaining for adults.

This is a full-fledged adventure in a well-realized world. The characters are complex and interesting, and the society they live in is a fascinating idea in itself. This is a good concept the author has going, and could develop into something as richly woven as Christopher Woodall's "Tales of the Ketty Jay" series. There are a few things that need a little polishing: personally, I had a hard time imagining some of the geography of the setting, like how they're on a mountain, but every bridge of balcony results in a drop into empty air.

But such complaints are relatively minor. I used the "suspension of disbelief" switch in my head and was off on an exciting ride.

I look forward to more, but I hope that "more" comes in the form of a full-length novel next time.

[Angela Jones-Cuéllar · Rating 3 out of 5]

pooled ink Reviews:

This novella is a fun adventurous tale of daring and bravery with a twist of magic. It is a very quick read and filled with bold imagination and interesting ideas. I can easily see many a young reader picking up this novella and demanding more stories to follow suit.

I wish there was a bit more development both in world-building and character development, but what was written was an interesting foundation. I would very much like to know more about Jiaire and his friends, where they come from, what they do, who they are. I would also be intrigued to know more about this Mountain and the Count and even the lands surrounding them. So many colorful ideas glimmer in the story but I am left wanting. Even so there is plenty of magic and adventure to keep one’s mind pleasantly entertained.

The Orphan Fleet glides through a daring plot filled with a mysterious cast of characters as these youths protect their wild home from its enemies. Fun, energetic, and interesting, Detzner’s story is sure to thrill those seeking a bite-sized tale of adventure.

Read my FULL review here: http://pooledink.com/2016/04/05/the-o...

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Jiaire loves his life working on the docks with "family" and friends but when forces threaten to put a stop to their way of life, Jiaire steps up to defend his city. Who is the girl from the market? Can Jiaire and "family" stop the threat?
Characters
Jiaire, young man to loves his "family" and city
Aevin, "sister" one of the elders
Sunald and Hunleigh, both best friends to Jiaire
Soo- "brother" to Jiaire
The Count, "our mutual friend"
Amber, the girl from the market who knows a lot
Final Thoughts:
Overall I thought the story was very slow. The story seemed to lack that thing to keep me from putting it down. The best thing was the characters Jiaire , and The Count the only entertainment.

[Katie Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Orphan Fleet, and was pleasantly surprised. This novella is a fast-paced tale of adventure for children and young teens. We follow Jiaire, an orphan like all of his friends, as he goes through a normal day that suddenly turns into anything but normal.

I liked the engaging writing style, which gave me a visceral view of what was happening. Also, the main character is likable, as were his cohorts. There is some mystery here and some violence. You can see the beginnings of a lush, fascinating world here that could contain many more stories to come.

If you enjoy fantasy in the children to young teens genre, The Orphan Fleet is a fresh, new universe to discover.

[Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing world that Brendan Detzner has created! It took me a few pages to settle into the rhythm and reasons of this fantastic novella and the more I read the more I wanted. I don't report on what a book is about only the feelings I have while reading. But, I have to say that the end of Leonard is still in my mind and it chills me to the bone. I have many questions about almost everything in The Orphan Fleet. Of course, that means I will be waiting very impatiently for the next installment.

Please give up your real life Mr. Detzner and only write to fulfill our curiosity. (Only half joking, lol).

[Fajriy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author through a LibraryThing Member Giveaway.
When an admiral claims a girl of an orphan community as his daughter and demands the community to return her, a terrible war occurs.
Readers may need a while to get into the story, but the reading will get easier with the solid settings and characters.
This is a fresh, original fantasy story, a very appealing start for a series with interesting characters like the brave Jiaire, the mysterious Count, and the determined Amber.
I recommend this book to everyone who likes YA fantasy stories with adventure and actions.

[Reina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Orphan Fleet" is a completely unexpected, delightful YA alternative universe novella about a kid who lives on... let me try to describe it- it's kind of like Sky Vegas, but also a major shipping port/radical commune. The whole society is structured around a fantasy-world version of pro wrestling but with more swords and rope swings, and also it's a religion.

Guys, this book is so fun. It's world-building ice cream, AND it has a ripping good plot. There's going to be a sequel, and I think it's well worth visiting again.

[Fatimah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love the unique world, plotline and characters that Brendan created but I'm always confused with his writing style.
I don't even know how to explain it, but the story always start with a lot of mysteries or puzzling plotline (maybe it was intended to be like that, it will all be answered as we go through the story, but I still think it's a lot more confusing than it was supposed to be which makes the reading experience frustrating at first. In other words, I took longer time to get used to the story than when I'm reading books from other authors).

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely a unique story, I just feel like it was a little bit under-developed. I'm hoping that we will get some more details about the world building in the second one and that the characters become a little bit more 3-dimensional because it's such a great idea but it all felt a little bit rushed. I guess it's sometimes hard to find that perfect spot in between 'pages and pages of exposition' and 'just throwing us into the middle of everything with no explanation'. I think it would be a really fun story for middle-grade children though.

[Tammy J Rizzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual read, but fun and enjoyable!

I don't often read YA, but this one was a lot of fun. If you like steampunk, heavy on the punk, and pirates, and wrestling, then this book is for you. The hero, Jiaire, on the verge of adulthood, finds himself embroiled in a war that could cost him and all his friends their lives. But when offered a chance to end the war, does he have it in him to do what it takes?

[Tweller83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. I'm not loving my time with the non-finalist SPFBO books. This was an interesting world with interesting characters but it didn't seem fully fleshed out. That's not true, it seemed fully fleshed out but somewhere I had never been with things that I didn't understand and never really did understand. I don't mind being thrown into a world that is different, but over the course of the book, I'd like to learn to understand. With this one, I never did. The things that confused me were still confusing at the end of the book. I don't think I'll try to find the others that are set in this world that the author talks about in the afterword. I've been saying negative things, but it really wasn't, it was a decent book and if you are at all interested, I would encourage you to pick it up and try it for yourself.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never let it be said that I don't try new things. I may not like half of them, but heck, I still try them.

One of those things are books I wouldn't normally read. Be it their genre, their covers, something in the plot... They're just not my usual one-clicker. Still, that doesn't mean I'll come to love all of them.

Case in point, The Orphan Fleet. A fun, short, and entertaining book, but clearly not one for my tastes. It focused on Jiaire, an orphan living at a place called the Mountain, along with others like him. One day, a military guy tries to take one of them, claiming she's his daighter, and the Orphans wage war on the man with extremely dramatic results.

Sounds exciting, right? Well, it certainly is, but not to the extent I expected it to.

The actions seemed rushed at some points, or too lengthy at others. The mock fights between the masked performers took way too long in the book, and nearly bored me to tears. Jiaire's inner musings fell in that category, too. In most of the story, I felt like I was being told what was going on - not shown.

All in all, this was a... well, you can call it an experience, all right, but not one I might ever repeat. Jiaire and his friends can stay up there in the Mountain, alla happy and stuff, or they can grow up and finally leave, but I can't be bothered by any of this...

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com/

[Jasmine Warren · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book, I was confused by the dialogue and grammar errors. The events of the book were sporadic and did not flow very well. I think this book should have been written in first person instead of 3rd person, that way the dialogue would have made more sense.

My full review is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...