Review of The Outlander

[Justin Christensen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Outlander" by Nolan Zaren.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Outlander by Nolan Zaren gave me, for the most part, exactly what I expected it would. As advertised, this is a story about a man who ends up with a harem full of beautiful women who are all intensely loyal to, and madly in love with, him and don’t mind sharing him. The book contains (porno)graphic sex scenes, violence, supernatural powers, and even aliens, all of which were exactly on-brand. The only part of this book that took me off guard was the extremely heavy Christian elements. Yes, you read that right. This is a Christian harem story, where the hero has the full blessing of the God of Abraham to kill all of the bad guys and plow all of the women. If that sounds awesome to you, then you are absolutely the target audience here.

The Outlander begins with Raylan, the protagonist, making his final child support payment. His kids are turning 18, which means he now has no problem leaving them to fend for themselves. He muses about his life, how he has failed, and how the world has failed him, while he travels to a mysterious cave he had discovered years earlier. The cave is a portal to another world, and now that his kids are adults, he plans to leave our world behind and start a new life on the other side of the portal. As he arrives at his destination, he hears the voice of God telling him that his quest can now begin. God affirms that Raylan is on the right path and literally commands him to kill his enemies and get lots of women.

The rest of the book is pretty straightforward. Mostly it is about Raylan, who (unsurprisingly) kills lots of enemies and gets lots of women. Raylan’s kids also have their own chapters, though, as they realize their dad is missing and set off on their own quest to try and find him. Raylan builds himself a life and discovers that God’s plan for him is far grander than he had imagined.

There are quite a few areas Zaren could improve on in this book, primarily surrounding the editing. It does not seem like The Outlander was professionally edited, as it is filled with grammar and spelling issues. The writing is fairly simplistic and tends to be repetitive, particularly in the many sex scenes. All of that being said, however, it is undoubtedly the best faith-affirming erotic novel I have ever read. It’s a really fun and funny concept with a surprisingly well-thought-out plot. If you can overlook the rough edges, it’s honestly a really enjoyable book. If you are a faithful Christian man who has fantasized about being rewarded for your steadfastness with a completely above-board harem of gorgeous women, it is overwhelmingly likely that you will enjoy this book.

So, for all of these reasons, I am happy to give The Outlander a rating of four out of five stars. The one star deduction is due to the quality of the editing. This is not the sort of book I normally read, but it does what it sets out to do pretty dang well.

******
The Outlander
View: on Bookshelves

[Kibet Hillary]

I had to stop when I reached the point where the review states that the book comprises heavy Christian elements. It sounds really interesting, but I do not believe I have read anywhere in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, where the reward is a harem of gorgeous women; it is a fantasy, indeed, and one that would appear contrary to the Bible. Thanks for the informative review, @Justin Christensen.

[Hills Christopher Albert]

Thanks for the detailed review! It’s fascinating how The Outlander blends such an unusual mix of genres and themes—faith, harem fantasy, and sci-fi—into one story. Your point about the editing is important; polishing those rough edges could definitely elevate the experience. Still, it sounds like Nolan Zaren managed to create a unique niche that resonates with a very specific audience, which is impressive in itself. I appreciate the honest take on the book’s strengths and flaws!

[Sue Ebert]

I have to say this book sounds quite unusual, but your review was very informative. A faith-affirming erotic novel containing aliens and supernatural powers is not to my taste, but I appreciate your opinion. Thank you!

[NetMassimo]

Christian porn fantasy is a new one for me. I thought the harem award was more a Muslim thing, but you never stop learning. I guess that kind of fantasy transcends religions. Thank you for your great review!