*Editorial Book Review*
A Violent Shade of Orange
by Gary Corken
Publication Date: 20th April 2026
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 213
Genre: Historical Fiction
In 1888, Jim Donnelly is nine years old, Catholic, and alone in Belfast. The state has a solution for boys like Jim.
St. Joseph's Industrial School takes him in and takes most of him apart. What survives enlists in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, ships to South Africa, and finds itself on the wrong side of a ridge at Colenso with the Boer guns already ranged in.
From the backstreets of Belfast to the Tugela to the Western Front, A Violent Shade of Orange follows one man's passage through the machinery of empire — the institutions that formed him, the wars that used him, and the silence that claimed him in the end.
Known unto God.
Nowhere to go, no one to turn to. Alone and without purpose, with no family and no one to care for him, Jim Donnelly finds himself picked up from the streets and taken to St. Joseph’s Industrial School.
From one regimented life to another, Jim leaves school only to discover that he is lost without the rigid routine that had come to define his existence. Living according to commands, obeying orders, keeping quiet, and doing what was expected of him had become second nature. Combined with a lack of references and little hope of finding employment, the appearance of a recruiting sergeant offers him the only clear path forward.
A Violent Shade of Orange by Gary Corken provides an account of life in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers that feels almost biographical, following Jim Donnelly as he struggles to find his place in a world where everything he once was has been stripped away, his life remoulded into a series of repetitive and disciplined routines.
Jim views the world with a certain detachment. At school, it was easier—and far safer—to keep quiet, keep his head down, and do as he was told rather than draw attention to himself. The harsh sting of Brother Dominic’s strap taught him to learn quickly, reducing daily life to little more than survival. Moving from St. Joseph’s into the army feels like the only logical progression for someone who has hardened himself against criticism, closed himself off from emotion, and learned to march through life one carefully measured step at a time. Jim is a character I found myself respecting throughout the novel because, despite his instinct to blend into the background, he is quietly aware of his own strengths and capabilities. When the moment calls for it, he does not hesitate. He is disciplined, thoughtful, and deeply resilient, and his determination to endure whatever hardship comes his way speaks volumes about the strength of his character. He is very much a product of his environment, and the strict discipline of St. Joseph’s has produced a man who slips naturally into military life.
Jim's arrival at St. Joseph’s is anything but hopeful. Escorted by an officer with a rope binding his wrist to the officer’s own, it feels less like the beginning of a new life than a march towards the gallows. From St. Joseph’s onwards, Jim’s future appears almost predetermined. Enlisting, completing his training, and eventually being shipped to Natal merely continues the strict existence that has shaped his life. The situation in Natal is grave, and the arrival of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at the besieged town of Ladysmith serves only as a warning of the hardships that lie ahead. The depiction of the war and its battles has been written with remarkable attention to detail, creating a fictionalised yet authentic portrayal of the heavy losses and brutal conditions endured by the regiment. The novel leans more towards historical biography than dramatic fiction, giving the impression that the reader is experiencing a genuine personal account. While this inevitably creates a degree of distance from the characters, it also lends the story an authenticity that is compelling throughout. Jim’s emotionally restrained perspective complements this narrative style perfectly, and I found myself completely absorbed as I experienced this period of history through his eyes.
The historical setting has clearly been exceptionally well researched, and a great deal of effort has gone into creating a novel that is both informative and immersive. The battle scenes are particularly effective, with the relentless sounds of gunfire and the almost mechanical rhythm of aiming, firing, reloading, and repeating creating an atmosphere that settles heavily over the reader. Despite its deliberately detached, almost documentary style, the novel succeeds in creating characters who feel believable and worth caring about, while simultaneously offering a fascinating account of a lesser-known period of history.
There are, undoubtedly, deeply emotional moments throughout the novel, made all the more powerful by Jim’s restrained reactions to them. As such a reserved man, he appears to accept almost everything that happens with quiet stoicism, making the occasions when his composure finally falters all the more affecting. The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers suffer devastating losses under Boer fire, and Jim watches friends and comrades—men he has trained, lived, marched, and fought alongside—fall around him. These moments are genuinely heartbreaking, as the contrast between Jim’s normally measured narration and the grief that finally breaks through creates some of the novel’s most powerful scenes. Gary Corken achieves an excellent balance between historical fact and fictional storytelling, producing a novel that is as enlightening as it is compelling.
An intense account of one man's journey from the disciplined confines of St. Joseph’s Industrial School, through the hardships of the Second Boer War in South Africa, and the lasting impact it has upon his life, A Violent Shade of Orange by Gary Corken is an impressive achievement. Not only does it hold the reader’s attention from beginning to end, but it also reflects the depth of the author's research, resulting in a novel that is both enthralling and highly informative.
Review by Ellie Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club
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Gary Corken
I was born in Belfast and have lived in Devon for many years. A military background and a lifelong fascination with history. The First World War shaped the kind of stories I wanted to tell, long before I considered myself a writer.
Retirement changed that. With time to follow a thread I had always left hanging, I began researching my grandfather. I had little to go on — a name and a childhood memory of a photograph of a man in uniform. What I found became Outrunning the Grey.
One book became five. The Sons of No Country trilogy tells the same conflicts from different sides — British, Boer, and Irish. Blow In draws on my Belfast roots to explore the Troubles and their long reach into ordinary lives.'
I write historical fiction about ordinary people caught in the machinery of wars. Five books in, I am still following the same thread.
