Bookreview.com recently reviewed Of Orbs and Lords and here's what they had to say:
"It is delightful to come across an eighteen year old who not only reads books, but actually writes one. Of Orbs and Lords is a fantasy that covers much territory common to the genre, including quests, treasure, heroic battles, and frightening monsters. In doing so this young author explores a style of narration as modern as video games like Myst, and as ancient as Beowulf: the first true work of English literature.

As we follow Mr. Kennedy's hero Xeoromir and his friend Immahyr through a long series of heroic adventures, the story told is thoroughly detailed, and yet curiously distancing. The language, elemental yet direct, has the simplicity of a Grimm's fairy tale and the atmosphere of a TV fantasy movie. We see much more of what the characters do than what they think of the adventures that unfold around them. They acquire treasures and honors--but their inner lives remain largely hidden from us, and the characters, for the most part, seem far away, as if photographed at a distance.

There are flaws as well as strengths in the account of these rambling adventures. Perhaps in the spirit of thoroughness, exposition is sometimes unnecessarily repeated, as already related events are re-narrated for the ears of newly introduced characters or audiences. A host of detail is often over explicit for the comprehension of the reader, and sometimes becomes tedious. Greater experience as an author is likely to remedy these faults. On the positive side, kennedy's sentences are clear and complete, his syntax sound, and the book is better proofed than many I see on the shelves.

Mr. Kennedy's interest in science makes some interesting forays in the text. We see it in is intricate descriptions of architecture, his detailed accounts of the workings or war machines, and his interest in the biology of fairies. Notably, the magical orb at the story's center (discovered in the spooky ruins of the city of Jarronal) is made of Sodium, an element of whose properties the author is clearly well aware. Traveling through the Author's imaginary landscapes, we experience a hint of lonely grandeur. As we watch his two heros successfully complete their quests and gather the honors and treasures that are due them, a reader cannot help but wonder if the hero (and perhaps the author) do not yearn for something beyond the mundane rewards of the hero/adventurer. In future works, it is not unlikely that Kennedy will add depth to his characters, and perhaps venture into venues that lean more toward science fiction than sword and sorcery. It will be interesting to watch that future unfold." -bookreview.com