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Outrage: Level 10
Alex Malone is brain damaged from a career as a legendary goon in the outlawed sport of hockey. Now he's a cop because that’s the only job that’ll take him. His presence is enough to raise a citizen’s outrage level, putting him at constant risk of being banished—or worse, sent to the mysterious Maze.
His headaches bring the type of pain that makes plunging off one of Pittsburgh’s bridges a viable option. The bouts of unfettered rage interfere with his ability to complete even the simplest task of rounding up the centenarians with the dying brains and bionic bodies who terrorize other citizens.
Since The People assumed control of the Republic of America, death before 130 has become a thing of the pre-Revolutionary past. Cancer, heart disease, spinal cord injury—all eradicated thanks to tax dollars funding medical research instead of wars and unjust justice. If only they could figure out the brain…
So an experimental treatment sounds good to Malone. It feels good, too. The blackouts that would end with bleeding knuckles and a citizen unconscious on a sidewalk are replaced by vivid memories. The only problem is that the memories aren’t his. They're filled with torture and more violence than even the undefeated champion of ice boxing could imagine.
With a sense of purpose not felt since his days as hockey’s premier fighter, Malone is determined to find out what’s going on in his head, even if it makes him a target of the outraged mob and the powerful sadists that manipulate it, and leads him to horrifying truths that should have remained lies.
Outrage: Level 10 is an anti-hero's journey through the inner workings of a violent, near-future dystopia.
His headaches bring the type of pain that makes plunging off one of Pittsburgh’s bridges a viable option. The bouts of unfettered rage interfere with his ability to complete even the simplest task of rounding up the centenarians with the dying brains and bionic bodies who terrorize other citizens.
Since The People assumed control of the Republic of America, death before 130 has become a thing of the pre-Revolutionary past. Cancer, heart disease, spinal cord injury—all eradicated thanks to tax dollars funding medical research instead of wars and unjust justice. If only they could figure out the brain…
So an experimental treatment sounds good to Malone. It feels good, too. The blackouts that would end with bleeding knuckles and a citizen unconscious on a sidewalk are replaced by vivid memories. The only problem is that the memories aren’t his. They're filled with torture and more violence than even the undefeated champion of ice boxing could imagine.
With a sense of purpose not felt since his days as hockey’s premier fighter, Malone is determined to find out what’s going on in his head, even if it makes him a target of the outraged mob and the powerful sadists that manipulate it, and leads him to horrifying truths that should have remained lies.
Outrage: Level 10 is an anti-hero's journey through the inner workings of a violent, near-future dystopia.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2021
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Leitner
21 books54 followersLucy Leitner is the author of five novels and many published short stories that blend horror, sci fi, black humor, and irreverence to explore “the terror of knowing what this world is about.” Her books have been classified as transgressive fiction, satire, splatterpunk, and, her personal favorite, “goofball noir.”
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 22, 2021
Lucy Leitner’s long-awaited second book following 2012’s ‘Working Stiffs’, a comedy-horror mash-up of a George A Romero zombie flick meets Office Space, shares a lot in common with her debut novel, in that Outrage Level 10 is another gory, funny, fast-paced social commentary, packed full of creativity.
Before the Revolution, Alex Malone was a world-famous hockey player. Now he is a cop with zero authority and even less respect, living in a world where justice is decided by the people. It is a world where Alex has no place anymore and the brain injuries he suffered during his glory days are causing so much misery that he is seriously considering ending it all.
After undergoing an experimental new treatment, Alex finds his headaches disappear overnight. Replacing them are unsettling visions that aren’t his own, and which begin to lead him toward a conspiracy so large that the truth of this bold new society may be its undoing.
The first thing that struck me was how incredible the world-building in ‘Outrage Level 10’ is. It is such a brilliantly constructed world, with endless little details that really help to create a feel and a vivid picture when reading this novel. You can see why there has been such a large gap between Leitner’s first and second book if this is the level of thought that goes into what she is writing. It can sometimes be a victim of its own success in this regard, however, as there is so much stuff that the author has created that I confess to getting a little lost a few times.
Released by Necro Publications, legendary in indie horror for unleashing Edward Lee on an unsuspecting world, this particular publisher comes with perhaps a certain expected level of violence and depravity and Outrage Level 10 does deliver on this. The dystopian future setting is ripe for outlandish, blood-drenched mayhem and Leitner makes the most of this without taking things too far and letting the action overshadow the story she wants to tell. Gorehounds should leave relatively satisfied but if you’re not an extreme horror fan, fear not, as ‘Outrage Level 10’ doesn’t take things quite that far.
It is an effective horror book, and its satire, aimed squarely at things like social media, ‘cancel culture’ and law enforcement, is as biting as it is funny. While I thought the satire worked very well, it did outstay its welcome on a few occasions, dragging the pacing down somewhat with one too many examples of the trap this society has fallen into by believing they hold all the power when it is, as it always was, a select few that control things behind the scenes. It’s an interesting and timely message, but perhaps a little too on-the-nose on occasion.
Outrage Level 10 is a truly unique novel, mixing horror, satire and sci-fi into a vividly realised dystopian setting. Reading it is both an exciting and immersive experience and any horror fan looking for something truly different need look no further.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter - @RickReadsHorror
Before the Revolution, Alex Malone was a world-famous hockey player. Now he is a cop with zero authority and even less respect, living in a world where justice is decided by the people. It is a world where Alex has no place anymore and the brain injuries he suffered during his glory days are causing so much misery that he is seriously considering ending it all.
After undergoing an experimental new treatment, Alex finds his headaches disappear overnight. Replacing them are unsettling visions that aren’t his own, and which begin to lead him toward a conspiracy so large that the truth of this bold new society may be its undoing.
The first thing that struck me was how incredible the world-building in ‘Outrage Level 10’ is. It is such a brilliantly constructed world, with endless little details that really help to create a feel and a vivid picture when reading this novel. You can see why there has been such a large gap between Leitner’s first and second book if this is the level of thought that goes into what she is writing. It can sometimes be a victim of its own success in this regard, however, as there is so much stuff that the author has created that I confess to getting a little lost a few times.
Released by Necro Publications, legendary in indie horror for unleashing Edward Lee on an unsuspecting world, this particular publisher comes with perhaps a certain expected level of violence and depravity and Outrage Level 10 does deliver on this. The dystopian future setting is ripe for outlandish, blood-drenched mayhem and Leitner makes the most of this without taking things too far and letting the action overshadow the story she wants to tell. Gorehounds should leave relatively satisfied but if you’re not an extreme horror fan, fear not, as ‘Outrage Level 10’ doesn’t take things quite that far.
It is an effective horror book, and its satire, aimed squarely at things like social media, ‘cancel culture’ and law enforcement, is as biting as it is funny. While I thought the satire worked very well, it did outstay its welcome on a few occasions, dragging the pacing down somewhat with one too many examples of the trap this society has fallen into by believing they hold all the power when it is, as it always was, a select few that control things behind the scenes. It’s an interesting and timely message, but perhaps a little too on-the-nose on occasion.
Outrage Level 10 is a truly unique novel, mixing horror, satire and sci-fi into a vividly realised dystopian setting. Reading it is both an exciting and immersive experience and any horror fan looking for something truly different need look no further.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/category/...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter - @RickReadsHorror
December 15, 2021
Outrage: Level 10 by Lucy Leitner is a novel of a possible future. Leitner is a journalist and advertising writer from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in journalism but has turned her interest to writing. Leitner has written several books, including Working Stiffs, and also had her shorter works published in anthologies and at godless.com.
In Leitner’s future a revolution changed America. Like so many revolutions, it was based on ideals, fairness, equality, and the good of the people. What happens after the revolution, like so many other revolutions, is vastly different from the original goals. The goals are still there but corrupted. It happened throughout history in the French and Russian revolutions, for example. What started as healthcare for all, an end to violence, and offensive behavior ends in mob rule egged on by key figures.
Several modern themes are carried to their limits: the role of the police, sensitivity/offensive names and behaviors, ending violence, our attachment to social media, and what Rousseau would call the general will. An interesting theme that is lightly played throughout the novel, and perhaps explains how society evolved into chaos, is the people’s lack of understanding of history. The people know the Holocaust and Tuskegee but don’t grasp the details or make the details fit their thinking.
At first, I thought this novel may have been a little simplistic on details, but I quickly came to realize that it was part of the satire of the new society. Leitner combines a unique type of humor in a dystopian society that seems to lift the reader above the harshness of the society. The characters are well developed and believable as well as the general plot. Leitner takes the seeds of today and lets them thrive in an uncontrolled environment of tomorrow. Thomas Jefferson said, “The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate.” Leitner shows us a democracy that rests on the foundation of an emotional electorate. Well Done.
In Leitner’s future a revolution changed America. Like so many revolutions, it was based on ideals, fairness, equality, and the good of the people. What happens after the revolution, like so many other revolutions, is vastly different from the original goals. The goals are still there but corrupted. It happened throughout history in the French and Russian revolutions, for example. What started as healthcare for all, an end to violence, and offensive behavior ends in mob rule egged on by key figures.
Several modern themes are carried to their limits: the role of the police, sensitivity/offensive names and behaviors, ending violence, our attachment to social media, and what Rousseau would call the general will. An interesting theme that is lightly played throughout the novel, and perhaps explains how society evolved into chaos, is the people’s lack of understanding of history. The people know the Holocaust and Tuskegee but don’t grasp the details or make the details fit their thinking.
At first, I thought this novel may have been a little simplistic on details, but I quickly came to realize that it was part of the satire of the new society. Leitner combines a unique type of humor in a dystopian society that seems to lift the reader above the harshness of the society. The characters are well developed and believable as well as the general plot. Leitner takes the seeds of today and lets them thrive in an uncontrolled environment of tomorrow. Thomas Jefferson said, “The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate.” Leitner shows us a democracy that rests on the foundation of an emotional electorate. Well Done.
February 12, 2022
It should have been a better world. Adam Levine was dead. The oligarchy and patriarchy of the old world order were dismantled by revolutionaries. Direct democracy had replaced the corrupt justice system, allowing all citizens to participate as members of the jury of peers. Unfortunately, the future envisioned in Lucy Leitner's Outrage Level 10 is not the utopia the people believe it to be.
Alex Malone is a throwback, a former enforcer on the ice with a history of drug abuse and brain damage as mementos of the days when hockey was still a sport. As with all violent and destructive forms of competition, hockey is no more. Malone's former career has become a ridiculed and maligned memory of the brutality and uncivilized nature of the world before the revolution. There aren't many options available to someone with Malone's history, so he becomes a cop, a member of another institution with a tainted history of violence and cruelty, extant in this future America as little more than glorified meter maids and health inspectors.
When Malone's psychiatrist injects him with a potential cure for his brain damage, Alex initially seems happier, and his memories appear to be returning. But are they his memories?
What unfolds from there is a high-intensity mystery, as Alex and his unlikely partners in crime seek to unravel a sinister plot that strikes at the very heart of the nation and threatens to display the utopian society for the savage and superficial dystopia it is.
Leitner does an excellent job of sharing this cautionary tale of a revolution compromised by not only the flawed and dangerous men guiding it but also by a society engrossed in social media and an unwillingness to recognize the lack of justice associated with the court of public opinion as a substitute for legitimate courtrooms. Differences of opinion are escalated to the point of being perceived as assaults, and "cancel culture" truly becomes a thing as citizens sentence one another to death for crimes against their fragile sensibilities.
Reading Outrage Level 10 reminded me of the way Lenin--and later Stalin--essentially took the reigns of the revolution's government apparatus and steered the force it gifted them toward their political opponents and enemies of the state who did nothing more than offer dissenting opinions. In all respects, it applies here in America just as effectively. There's a worthwhile message to be found in these pages, that the revolution doesn't end when the old structures are taken away. A constant state of vigilance is required to keep the new structures honest and focused on the goals of the revolutionaries.
Alex Malone is a throwback, a former enforcer on the ice with a history of drug abuse and brain damage as mementos of the days when hockey was still a sport. As with all violent and destructive forms of competition, hockey is no more. Malone's former career has become a ridiculed and maligned memory of the brutality and uncivilized nature of the world before the revolution. There aren't many options available to someone with Malone's history, so he becomes a cop, a member of another institution with a tainted history of violence and cruelty, extant in this future America as little more than glorified meter maids and health inspectors.
When Malone's psychiatrist injects him with a potential cure for his brain damage, Alex initially seems happier, and his memories appear to be returning. But are they his memories?
What unfolds from there is a high-intensity mystery, as Alex and his unlikely partners in crime seek to unravel a sinister plot that strikes at the very heart of the nation and threatens to display the utopian society for the savage and superficial dystopia it is.
Leitner does an excellent job of sharing this cautionary tale of a revolution compromised by not only the flawed and dangerous men guiding it but also by a society engrossed in social media and an unwillingness to recognize the lack of justice associated with the court of public opinion as a substitute for legitimate courtrooms. Differences of opinion are escalated to the point of being perceived as assaults, and "cancel culture" truly becomes a thing as citizens sentence one another to death for crimes against their fragile sensibilities.
Reading Outrage Level 10 reminded me of the way Lenin--and later Stalin--essentially took the reigns of the revolution's government apparatus and steered the force it gifted them toward their political opponents and enemies of the state who did nothing more than offer dissenting opinions. In all respects, it applies here in America just as effectively. There's a worthwhile message to be found in these pages, that the revolution doesn't end when the old structures are taken away. A constant state of vigilance is required to keep the new structures honest and focused on the goals of the revolutionaries.
May 24, 2021
Review is also available on horror oasis.com: https://horroroasis.com/outrage-level...
Imagine a time where all power seems to be in the palms of your peers. Judgements lain left and right, while the outrage of the people is voiced. Will you fall victim or come out on top, it’s your decision? Outrage: Level 10 is brimming with witty satire, but there are some truly horrifying moments. We follow Alex Malone, once known for his tenacity on the ice as the NHLs most noteworthy brawler, the fights, drugs, and pain, have all lead to Alex’s demise. He is haunted by visions, or maybe memories, but one thing is for certain; they are not his own. He dives headfirst to uncover the secrets to the mysteries that have ensnared his mind.
Readers will probably find it easy to get lost in the world that Leitner has created, the worldbuilding and the writing are engrossing. I found myself completely captivated with the entire plot. Turning page after page, having to know just what was next. Its believable really, anyone across the globe can look out of their window and witness a myriad of reasons to become outraged, but the people of Leitner’s work have been given a voice. We are provided entrance into a world where the people seemingly blindly cast out their fellow people for what they believe is for the good of the world. The general way in which they remove those whom they’ve become outraged, is by banishing them to the Maze, few make it back. The Maze seems like a test that most people would fall victim to, its dark, the people who have sent you here are able to dig up your past and they know your history. Any vices or regrets that you may have can be turned against you. Your deepest secrets are no longer safe, it all comes out for you to deal with, just you and the Maze.
Another thing about Outrage: Level 10 that I enjoyed is the design of the Super-Seniors, think about it… a world where all life-threatening diseases seem to have been eradicated, simply replacing affected parts with synthetic ones. Lose a limb, hell we’ll pop a new one on and you’re good to go. Cancer? No worries, we can remove the affected organs and replace them too. Nothing is impossible in this time, and life after 100 may just get better. As long as you’re in a loving home and you get the care you need, why not live until your engines goes out. With the scientific advances of this world, death isn’t a prevalent as one might believe.
Throughout the entirety of Outrage, the people of this time believe that they’re providing a service to their fellow “man”, but in reality, not all of us are adept enough to determine whether someone is truly guilty. Selfishness can surely get in the way, opening up the proverbial window for nefarious activity, but collectively in this era of The Republic of the People, all is not as it seems. No matter how well you think things may be, remember that evil is always lurking.
Overall, what I enjoyed most about this book, is the clearly evident amount of work that went into crafting this piece of work. I read an article that the author wrote, which stated that Outrage: Level 10 is the product of 8 years of hard work. Imagine, putting in that much time to make sure your tiny idea came to fruition. I haven’t read any of Leitner’s other work, but I can surely say that I will be looking forward to other offerings that she has now, and in the future.
Thank you to Lucy and Horror Oasis for the e-book for review.
March 13, 2021
Horror, in my opinion, takes itself too seriously.
In the non-stop, adrenaline-pounding quest to put readers on edge, the genre often fails to move beyond its time-honored tropes around death and has too easily become a dumping ground for a collective unconscious obsessed with trashy plots, shitty characters, and mindless carnage. We all know that terrorizing ghosts, vampire serial killers, and flesh-eating zombies aren’t real, right? Yet we flock to horror as if it offers us genuine escape, when in fact everyday life provides even the average, half-comatose citizen an endless supply of frighteningly real drama.
Toxic environments. New diseases. Over-population. Scarce resources. Explosive poverty. The destruction of our planet through our own unflinching and unreflective economic activities, and devices, seems to place us on a hell-bent course we dare not alter, only amplify, thanks in part to ever-evolving technology and a social media infrastructure that has slithered into our hands, hearts and minds -- not to save us from ourselves -- but to expedite our demise through an endless buzz of annoying voices clamoring for our attention with an addictive swipe.
Falsehoods and distractions have begun to erode our capacity to even approach our own extinction critically. It’s the stuff of genuine horror, all right, and that’s why the truth about how stupid our world is, is why I was so glad to read Lucy Leitner’s Outrage Level 10. In the tradition of Voltaire, Celine, Twain, and Vonnegut, Leitner’s satirical horror story thoughtfully explores a human condition fraught with violence, but also fortified with truckloads of humor, as it traces the folly of people: specifically, The People -- the perpetually judgmental, partially informed, over-reactive mob of the future.
Letiner’s second novel is set mid-century after The People’s Revolution has won, heralding a golden age for civilization in which silly wars for profit have ceased and the human lifespan has been extended through science. Social justice is no longer a pipe dream, but a realization achieved through omnivices (phones) and an app called Chatter (Twitter on steroids) that allows The People to act in real time as witnesses, judge, and jury against any citizen whose missteps leads to enough outrage that warrants a trial and sentence to the mysterious Maze, to which many are banished but from which none return.
In other words, society has traded the bureaucracy of law enforcement and the legal system for a nationalized gossip chain through which justice is swiftly served. This triumph of social networking, however, has unraveled into a failed experiment in social engineering, or so claim society’s few remaining loud-mouthed outcasts. Enter Alex Malone, a former hockey star for the Pittsburg Penguins whose game-time brawling and off-the-rink drinking and drugging has inflicted enough brain damage to force him, after hockey has been outlawed, to become society’s lowest form of life, a cop. And while organ transplants have transformed countless geriatrics into bionic Olympians in this near-future paradise, mastering the decay of the human brain has been less successful.
Luckily for Malone, the pounding headaches that have set him on a suicidal track are reversed after he is administered an experimental drug that not only alleviates his mental agony, but improves his cognition and provides him with new memories. Unfortunately, they are not his own. These vivid hallucinatory ‘recollections’ of murders he’s sure he's never committed sets Malone in pursuit of those responsible, leading him to the top of the social hierarchy and into the heart of the Revolution and its perpetuators.
Some on the Left will view this book as a triumph of their egalitarian ideals. Some on the Right will argue it is a repudiation of political correctness and cancel culture. I’d say Leitner is an equal-opportunity dissenter, providing room in her story for a racist bar patron to get the beating he deserves, while making sure The Biden Natural Aging Center plays an amusing part in the plot, too.
Outrage Level 10 is not about whether or not you should eat avocado toast for breakfast. It is a little about whether or not you should broadcast to the world that you are eating avocado toast for breakfast. It is a lot about the long-term implications of the end of privacy and the power of social media to dominate our lives in an unprecedented way.
A funny and important novel.
In the non-stop, adrenaline-pounding quest to put readers on edge, the genre often fails to move beyond its time-honored tropes around death and has too easily become a dumping ground for a collective unconscious obsessed with trashy plots, shitty characters, and mindless carnage. We all know that terrorizing ghosts, vampire serial killers, and flesh-eating zombies aren’t real, right? Yet we flock to horror as if it offers us genuine escape, when in fact everyday life provides even the average, half-comatose citizen an endless supply of frighteningly real drama.
Toxic environments. New diseases. Over-population. Scarce resources. Explosive poverty. The destruction of our planet through our own unflinching and unreflective economic activities, and devices, seems to place us on a hell-bent course we dare not alter, only amplify, thanks in part to ever-evolving technology and a social media infrastructure that has slithered into our hands, hearts and minds -- not to save us from ourselves -- but to expedite our demise through an endless buzz of annoying voices clamoring for our attention with an addictive swipe.
Falsehoods and distractions have begun to erode our capacity to even approach our own extinction critically. It’s the stuff of genuine horror, all right, and that’s why the truth about how stupid our world is, is why I was so glad to read Lucy Leitner’s Outrage Level 10. In the tradition of Voltaire, Celine, Twain, and Vonnegut, Leitner’s satirical horror story thoughtfully explores a human condition fraught with violence, but also fortified with truckloads of humor, as it traces the folly of people: specifically, The People -- the perpetually judgmental, partially informed, over-reactive mob of the future.
Letiner’s second novel is set mid-century after The People’s Revolution has won, heralding a golden age for civilization in which silly wars for profit have ceased and the human lifespan has been extended through science. Social justice is no longer a pipe dream, but a realization achieved through omnivices (phones) and an app called Chatter (Twitter on steroids) that allows The People to act in real time as witnesses, judge, and jury against any citizen whose missteps leads to enough outrage that warrants a trial and sentence to the mysterious Maze, to which many are banished but from which none return.
In other words, society has traded the bureaucracy of law enforcement and the legal system for a nationalized gossip chain through which justice is swiftly served. This triumph of social networking, however, has unraveled into a failed experiment in social engineering, or so claim society’s few remaining loud-mouthed outcasts. Enter Alex Malone, a former hockey star for the Pittsburg Penguins whose game-time brawling and off-the-rink drinking and drugging has inflicted enough brain damage to force him, after hockey has been outlawed, to become society’s lowest form of life, a cop. And while organ transplants have transformed countless geriatrics into bionic Olympians in this near-future paradise, mastering the decay of the human brain has been less successful.
Luckily for Malone, the pounding headaches that have set him on a suicidal track are reversed after he is administered an experimental drug that not only alleviates his mental agony, but improves his cognition and provides him with new memories. Unfortunately, they are not his own. These vivid hallucinatory ‘recollections’ of murders he’s sure he's never committed sets Malone in pursuit of those responsible, leading him to the top of the social hierarchy and into the heart of the Revolution and its perpetuators.
Some on the Left will view this book as a triumph of their egalitarian ideals. Some on the Right will argue it is a repudiation of political correctness and cancel culture. I’d say Leitner is an equal-opportunity dissenter, providing room in her story for a racist bar patron to get the beating he deserves, while making sure The Biden Natural Aging Center plays an amusing part in the plot, too.
Outrage Level 10 is not about whether or not you should eat avocado toast for breakfast. It is a little about whether or not you should broadcast to the world that you are eating avocado toast for breakfast. It is a lot about the long-term implications of the end of privacy and the power of social media to dominate our lives in an unprecedented way.
A funny and important novel.
February 2, 2022
I usually go into books, movies, and just about everything, with low or no expectations. I know that sounds pessimistic, but I enjoy rarely ever being disappointed. For some reason, with “Outrage: Level 10” by @lucy.leitner , I expected to enjoy this book just based on the cover, the title and the fact that the author’s posts usually have something thoughtful in them (I rarely read the back blurb/synopsis of a book). I’m glad to say I was far from disappointed.
Set in the near future, this book takes place in a post-revolution America, where the word of law essentially boils down to the court of public opinion. Imagine all the outrage on Twitter deciding not only if someone is “cancelled”, but whether or not they live or die depending on the overall Outrage Level aimed at a certain person.
The world in this book is well thought out, incredibly detailed, and realistic enough for me to pause and wonder if a version of this might be where we’re headed. We’re already too close to it for comfort.
You would think this would be a depressing book, but it’s actually pretty funny, which is hard to do with fiction, and I commend Leitner for her sense of humour just as much as her thoughtful approach at dissecting society.
My main criticism of Outrage Level: 10 is that it drags in the middle while the ending seems a bit rushed. But I feel as though people might enjoy what I thought was a bit drawn out, because the author really explores this funny and concerning world with every page while adding depth to her interesting cast of characters. But I’m a slow reader, so that sometimes makes me an impatient reader.
If you aren’t quick to outrage, and want to have a laugh and ponder about the absurdity of what our society is becoming, I suggest giving this book a read.
Set in the near future, this book takes place in a post-revolution America, where the word of law essentially boils down to the court of public opinion. Imagine all the outrage on Twitter deciding not only if someone is “cancelled”, but whether or not they live or die depending on the overall Outrage Level aimed at a certain person.
The world in this book is well thought out, incredibly detailed, and realistic enough for me to pause and wonder if a version of this might be where we’re headed. We’re already too close to it for comfort.
You would think this would be a depressing book, but it’s actually pretty funny, which is hard to do with fiction, and I commend Leitner for her sense of humour just as much as her thoughtful approach at dissecting society.
My main criticism of Outrage Level: 10 is that it drags in the middle while the ending seems a bit rushed. But I feel as though people might enjoy what I thought was a bit drawn out, because the author really explores this funny and concerning world with every page while adding depth to her interesting cast of characters. But I’m a slow reader, so that sometimes makes me an impatient reader.
If you aren’t quick to outrage, and want to have a laugh and ponder about the absurdity of what our society is becoming, I suggest giving this book a read.
December 12, 2021
Original, fantastic, extremely well written. There is so much talent on every page. This will be a book I reread for years to come!
February 11, 2022
I received a copy of Outrage Level 10 in exchange for an honest review. This dystopian novel is set in the near future, 2040. Even though the primary problems of modern society appear to be solved; additional issues spring up like an unprecedented can of worms for the new Republic. “No disease. No war. Card with technology to prevent accidents. All great stuff, but what happened? People stopped dying. And when people stop dying, they just keep hanging around. So what happens? We have people living on top of each other. There aren’t enough jobs to go around. And when there aren’t enough jobs, the economy goes to shit. And that’s when you have discontent. You know what could make our world better, and would keep the powerful in power? Fewer people. But we don’t want to lose the moms to breast cancer and sons to battle. What if we could just get rid of the undesirable elements? Those people that just pissed us off. And what if the People did it themselves? Woah, that’d be swell. Then there’d be no questions asked.” What I loved about Lucy’s writing is that she predicts potential music, lingo, and name trends. There is a character with the first name of Underwood- no explanation necessary; and “moist” means rad! The protagonist, Alex Malone is a former Pittsburgh Penguin until hockey was outlawed and he became too brain damaged to take any job other than being a cop. He has memory loss and suicidal thoughts. Malone’s doctor implements an experimental treatment which makes him feel better immediately and have vivid memories and visions. When the “super seniors” go missing from the aging centers, Malone must investigate and finds more than what he bargained for. Malone sticks up for the People in a similar way he protected his team as the designated goon. I rated Outrage Level 10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5.
March 18, 2021
Set in a not-quite-dystopian future where social justice is the only justice, we follow Alex Malone, an ex-NHL player-turned cop, as he seeks answers to the violent and disturbing visions he's been having. Once he begins to pull on that thread, everything unravels quickly and with dire consequences.
It takes a lot of time and effort to create a world, and it asks a lot of the reader to accept the changes that are different between the one they exist in and the one they are reading about. What made it easy to step into this book's future was how simple it was to envision it. Even the incredulous seemed credible, and I take my cap off to the author for crafting such a landscape. She even went so far as prefacing the story with constitution she drafted for her "Republic of America". Impressive.
To me, the story was more futuristic murder mystery than it was horror. It took about 60-70 pages to really pull me in, but after that, it was full of suspense, quick-witted humor, believable characters, and a smattering of violence to keep one's appetite for blood whetted. It was very well written, intelligent, and had an ending that both satisfied and hinted at a sequel.
Above all, it really makes you reconsider the power of social media, and the effects (both good and bad) it can have on the lives of those around us.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.
It takes a lot of time and effort to create a world, and it asks a lot of the reader to accept the changes that are different between the one they exist in and the one they are reading about. What made it easy to step into this book's future was how simple it was to envision it. Even the incredulous seemed credible, and I take my cap off to the author for crafting such a landscape. She even went so far as prefacing the story with constitution she drafted for her "Republic of America". Impressive.
To me, the story was more futuristic murder mystery than it was horror. It took about 60-70 pages to really pull me in, but after that, it was full of suspense, quick-witted humor, believable characters, and a smattering of violence to keep one's appetite for blood whetted. It was very well written, intelligent, and had an ending that both satisfied and hinted at a sequel.
Above all, it really makes you reconsider the power of social media, and the effects (both good and bad) it can have on the lives of those around us.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2021
A Bleak Dystopian Tale
Outrage Level 10 by Lucy Leitner is absolutely unique and creative. Lucy writes very well, and tells a fantastic tale. I absolutely loved her entry to the FSBIH series ‘Karen’, but unfortunately I didn’t feel as drawn into this novel. That is not to say it isn’t top notch quality!
Outrage Level 10 was hard for me to understand at times, I felt very disconnected from the characters, and really didn’t care what would happen to them. I did have to put the story aside from time to time. I definitely think this is more my own fault, and not a reflection on Lucy’s skills at all. I simply didn’t care for Malone or Marianne.
I was way off on the message of the story, and I suppose it could be left up to reader interpretation. Leitner was gracious enough to explain some meanings, and it aided me in grasping the story a bit better. It also made me need to reflect prior to writing a review in an honest way.
Overall, I give Outrage Level 10 by Lucy Leitner three and a half omnivices out of five aggs. I definitely will be revisiting this book at a later date. My only regret is that I didn’t speak with Lucy prior to reading. Nonetheless, if you are a fan of Blade Runner or The Running Man (more so the novel) you will love this book! Hopefully upon a second reading my rating will go up. I have a strong feeling it will. Until next time, my friends.
Outrage Level 10 by Lucy Leitner is absolutely unique and creative. Lucy writes very well, and tells a fantastic tale. I absolutely loved her entry to the FSBIH series ‘Karen’, but unfortunately I didn’t feel as drawn into this novel. That is not to say it isn’t top notch quality!
Outrage Level 10 was hard for me to understand at times, I felt very disconnected from the characters, and really didn’t care what would happen to them. I did have to put the story aside from time to time. I definitely think this is more my own fault, and not a reflection on Lucy’s skills at all. I simply didn’t care for Malone or Marianne.
I was way off on the message of the story, and I suppose it could be left up to reader interpretation. Leitner was gracious enough to explain some meanings, and it aided me in grasping the story a bit better. It also made me need to reflect prior to writing a review in an honest way.
Overall, I give Outrage Level 10 by Lucy Leitner three and a half omnivices out of five aggs. I definitely will be revisiting this book at a later date. My only regret is that I didn’t speak with Lucy prior to reading. Nonetheless, if you are a fan of Blade Runner or The Running Man (more so the novel) you will love this book! Hopefully upon a second reading my rating will go up. I have a strong feeling it will. Until next time, my friends.
January 15, 2024
Outrage Level 10 succeeds as both a thriller, and a darkly humorous look at today’s overly sensitive ‘cancel culture’ society taken to extremes. It’s an exciting story, and the setting will force readers to ask questions about where we are headed as a society, and what we would consider a ‘perfect’ world.
It’s a strange future that Alex Malone, ex-head breaker for the now-defunct Pittsburgh Penguins (that’s a hockey team) and now a cop, lives in. No more government, there’s just the Speaker, as the mouthpiece of the People, the Hammer, who is the People’s enforcer and…that’s it. It’s all the will of the People in regards to policy, crime, and everything else, decided by popular vote of the citizens through their phones and various social applications. Almost all crime consists of someone ‘offending’ someone else. Once it’s been posted online, if the outrage meter hits high enough through people commenting, the offenders face the Hammer, who most likely will condemn the perpetrators to the mysterious Maze, from which almost no one returns. People do live much longer, since all diseases have been cured, or the causing substances banned, but is it worth the price?
That’s the world of Alex, and as a cop, he’s a member of an almost unnecessary profession (apparently, ‘defund the police’ REALLY took hold) since everything is by popular fiat, and everyone is policing each other. It doesn’t help that the few cops left are reviled by pretty much everyone. Alex tries a new drug designed to treat his CTE, and the drug, through visions, pulls him into a mystery involving senior citizens disappearing from retirement homes. As Alex soon finds out, it’s hard to solve a case that affects the few people left in power, and even harder when everyone is looking for an excuse, real or imagined, to take him down.
The plotline is an intriguing mystery and a tough nut to crack. Alex makes an excellent protagonist, and is sympathetic as a person who really has no value in a politically correct society. That is, until he remembers the old police motto, ‘to protect and serve.’ In Leitner’s world, protecting means eliminating anyone whom you disagree with, not helping for the common good, and that may not be far off from today’s current state of affairs.
It's her vision of a world gone crazy that provides the excellent story backdrop. She wisely keeps her own views out of it, instead using her razon-sharp humor to get the point across, without coming off as preachy. That’s the mark of excellent satire, the ability to write without tipping your own hand to the readers. She’s shown this skill in some of her other works like BAD VIBRATIONS, and it’s on full display here. She’s created a terrifying world, where people are condemned for accidentally serving the wrong food, since that can be seen as aggression or some sort of -iscm.
Another excellent work from one of the smartest writers of dystopian satire today. Orwell and Huxley would have loved her.
It’s a strange future that Alex Malone, ex-head breaker for the now-defunct Pittsburgh Penguins (that’s a hockey team) and now a cop, lives in. No more government, there’s just the Speaker, as the mouthpiece of the People, the Hammer, who is the People’s enforcer and…that’s it. It’s all the will of the People in regards to policy, crime, and everything else, decided by popular vote of the citizens through their phones and various social applications. Almost all crime consists of someone ‘offending’ someone else. Once it’s been posted online, if the outrage meter hits high enough through people commenting, the offenders face the Hammer, who most likely will condemn the perpetrators to the mysterious Maze, from which almost no one returns. People do live much longer, since all diseases have been cured, or the causing substances banned, but is it worth the price?
That’s the world of Alex, and as a cop, he’s a member of an almost unnecessary profession (apparently, ‘defund the police’ REALLY took hold) since everything is by popular fiat, and everyone is policing each other. It doesn’t help that the few cops left are reviled by pretty much everyone. Alex tries a new drug designed to treat his CTE, and the drug, through visions, pulls him into a mystery involving senior citizens disappearing from retirement homes. As Alex soon finds out, it’s hard to solve a case that affects the few people left in power, and even harder when everyone is looking for an excuse, real or imagined, to take him down.
The plotline is an intriguing mystery and a tough nut to crack. Alex makes an excellent protagonist, and is sympathetic as a person who really has no value in a politically correct society. That is, until he remembers the old police motto, ‘to protect and serve.’ In Leitner’s world, protecting means eliminating anyone whom you disagree with, not helping for the common good, and that may not be far off from today’s current state of affairs.
It's her vision of a world gone crazy that provides the excellent story backdrop. She wisely keeps her own views out of it, instead using her razon-sharp humor to get the point across, without coming off as preachy. That’s the mark of excellent satire, the ability to write without tipping your own hand to the readers. She’s shown this skill in some of her other works like BAD VIBRATIONS, and it’s on full display here. She’s created a terrifying world, where people are condemned for accidentally serving the wrong food, since that can be seen as aggression or some sort of -iscm.
Another excellent work from one of the smartest writers of dystopian satire today. Orwell and Huxley would have loved her.
June 28, 2021
Leitner relishes the absurdity of the world she created. Living up to the idea of a dystopian future, she juggles the world-building and conspiracy-themed plot with such a sarcastic flair in her prose, that the pages breeze on by. Always with a tangent on hand that doesn’t bog down the story, Outrage takes punches at this social media-driven day and age.
Almost in the vein of George Romero or Douglas Adams, Leitner has a voice for delivering deeply compassionate character moments that mesh with the satirical — almost bordering on parody — elements of the story.
For all the insanity, humorous and disturbing alike, Outrage hits with a through-line that manages to captivate the reader.
Almost in the vein of George Romero or Douglas Adams, Leitner has a voice for delivering deeply compassionate character moments that mesh with the satirical — almost bordering on parody — elements of the story.
For all the insanity, humorous and disturbing alike, Outrage hits with a through-line that manages to captivate the reader.
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