Customer Reviews

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So, some reviewers have rated this book "one star" just because there are so many five-star reviews that they seem fake? And they think the reviews are fake because they are "too well-written"??
Anyways, I have just finished reading book 3 of this series. I have read books 1 and 2 a short time ago, and I can't wait to read book 4.
While reading book 3, I realized how well-planned out the plot lines are. You see everything start to come together in book 3, and you start to see the story arc of the entire series.
Book 1 really hooked me, and the rest of the series (so far) is just as good, or even better.
Recommended by N. Fillion to all his fans on twitter.
Sci-fi kids' series, but enjoyable to read as an adult.

I'm the first to admit that science fiction has never been my favorite genre, but I wanted to give VIRUS ON ORBIS 1 a try. I have to say that I'm very glad I did. Besides having an interesting and entertaining story, the true beauty of the book, at least for me, is the fact that I never felt so overwhelmed with the new world the author created that I wanted to give up. There weren't a thousand crazy names I had to figure out how to pronounce, or a million-and-one gizmos and gadgets that made no sense. With this book, Mr. Haarsma has created a world that even young teens will relate to, and that adult fans of science fiction are sure to enjoy, as well.

Johnny Turnbull, thirteen, is a resident of the seed ship Renaissance, along with his eight-year-old sister, Ketheria, and about two hundred other children. Children, and no adults, since all of them died and left the children as orphans. In Johnny and Ketheria's case, their parents had signed a contract to work on the Rings of Orbis (four rings surrounding a wormhole) for four years. Unfortunately, since the children have been on a ship with only a computer called Mother supervising them, no one knows what will happen once they finally arrive at the Rings of Orbis. They do know, though, that they'll be at the mercy of its citizens.

There's a problem, though, as there usually is. Johnny has recently discovered that he's a human Softwire - the very first human able to directly communicate with any computer using just his mind. He's been trying to warn the citizens of Orbis that a virus is attacking their central computer, but few are willing to listen. Actually, few are willing to even take the fact of his being a Softwire seriously at all. But it is that fact that could possibly be the only thing that will spare Orbis -and its inhabitants, including the orphans - from destruction.

VIRUS ON ORBIS 1 is the first book in THE SOFTWIRE series, and it will be interesting to see where the author takes Johnny next. The majority of this story features him battling both the Trading Council and Orbis's rulers, the Keepers. After reading this great first installment, you'll definitely be ready for the next book in the series. I know I am, and I'm not even a science fiction fan!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

I came across "Softwire 1: Virus on Orbis" while it was a free download for Kindle. The premise looked very interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. While I am a bit of a science nerd (aren't all Chemistry majors nerds?) and possibly outside the intended age range of this series, I was thoroughly pleased with the intriguing plot, exciting characters and mysterious universe.

Teen readers (probably boys grades 6 and up) will love the plot, the rebel leading character Johnny Turbull and the non-stop action. The story picks up from the first two pages and remains upbeat and exciting to the closing words.

Some things I especially liked: The author doesn't dwell on pedantic astrophysics yet he correctly applies concepts such as: wormholes, space-time, and dark matter. Furthermore, the "fictional universe" in which the novel is set could plausibly be our own universe (in a couple of million light years!) Even still, its a very creative universe with well-developed characters and environs.

If you're a teen reader (or adult for that matter) who enjoys Star Wars, Harry Potter, the Matrix, or anything related to adventures in deep-outer space, don't miss this novel and it's sequels.

Overall: A+

i met author pj haarsma at Wondercon in Anaheim this weekend. I just had a one day pass and was trying to take it all in when i came to mr. haarsma's booth and saw this amazing 6 foot artwork depicting some sort of beautiful and hideous aliens from a distant world...so i had to stop. he started telling me about his book Softwire --The Rings of Orbis and i was immediately into it. A spacecraft full of orphaned children coming to a distant world where they will have to work as slaves for these grotesque bullying aliens really grabbed my attention. i started reading on saturday night and finished sunday morning and it was just packed with everything i love about science fiction. the writing was fast and furious, the aliends were horrific and real, the kids were fun and the hero was kid who could interface with computers -- the softwire of the title -- and he possessed the power to flip out the aliens and destroy their world. but i won't tell you anymore..just read the book...

This is another book I got free and enjoyed so much I am buying the rest of the series. It kept my attention and I did not want to put it down. Interesting concept and well done in my opinion.

This is the first book in the Softwire series. It is a YA series written by Canadian author PJ Haarsma. I found it as a download a few days after I bought my BlackBerry Playbook.

It is the story of a group of children who are travelling on a generational ship (travelling for hundreds of years) and for some un-explained reason, all the parents are dead. They have mostly been raised and educated by the computer systems on the ship. The voyage ends and the children are landed on the first ring of the group of planets of Orbis. Here they have to work to earn the keep that their parents had contracted. It is once they start their forced labour that their difficulties really begin.

I loved this book. I found it hard to put down once I started reading. I think I finished it in two sittings. I love books with space travel as I am fascinated with new cultures and what a better place to consider how to construct a culture than on a new planet.

I feel that this book will appeal to young readers. First of all, they have no parents, in fact, they never knew their parents. Second of all, it's the kids who end up having the power and the ability to resolve the major dilemma that ensues.

Author PJ Haarsma is the founder of the Kids Need to Read Foundation. The Foundation "works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children."

I am 31. Well read. I just got Kindle on my mac and saw this free book. Seemed like it was for kids and teens but it was free so why not. I was hooked. Finished reading it that day and needed to know more. I read all four books in about four days even sneaking in a few chapters at work on my lunch break. It reads like a kid book but the plot, the characters, the suspense, the imagination is addictive.

This wasn't a bad read at all. It was one of the books I listened to on my Kindle on my way to and fro from Nashville to Atlanta. It had a good premise, fairly gripping from the beginning, and had a lot of things that you remembered in passing and had a HUGE part in the story towards the end. That was more of a con since I was listening to my Kindle read it, but I don't think it's a big deal if you're ACTUALLY reading it.

Johnny is a great character, but Ketheria was my favorite. I might just have a thing for silent but strong characters, but to me, though she didn't say a word, she was the best. His friends Max and Theodore were okay, but I was more interested in the ability he has and why he has it. Pushing into computers was described so that I could literally feel what that might be like. It wasn't like four to ten pages of description, but tiny bits comparing it to normal senses humans have really made the whole process real.

The world was an interesting blend. It didn't come to life for me quite like some other books have, but then again, the world wasn't what J.T. was exploring; it was the characters he encountered. They were done well, twisted even. The bullying got a little old, I must admit, but this book is aimed for children who are probably experiencing something like it not for college students who are die hard sci-fi fans.

All in all, I thought the world was done well and the characters were likeable. Not awesomely loveable, but you can't expect to love every book you come across. Story moved fairly well too. The end seemed just the tiniest bit rushed, but was satisfying. Took me about 6 hours to listen to the whole thing.

I'm going to be completely honest with y'all: the only reason I downloaded and read this book is because Nathan Fillion tweeted about it. If I can't trust Captain Tightpants to recommend good books who can I trust?

Anyways, this book was really engaging right from the get-go. If you've ever played a board game called `Starfarers of Catan' then some of the back-story may look a little familiar (it did to me anyways) but that made it more enjoyable for me. We start off on a ship with 200+ kids running around with no adults and we follow them and our main character Johnny for the rest of the story.

I really liked this book the characters where fleshed out and had personality, the world-building was interesting, and it had lots of non-humanoid aliens which is always a plus! I haven't been this intrigued by a YA hard Sci-Fi since I finished the Dragon and Thief series by Timothy Zhan. You do see the plot holes that other reviewers mentioned, but the ride is so fun you give it a pass. I will definitely finish this series!

I've never read anything by this author but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Apparently there is some concern about so many five-star ratings for this book (which is confusing to me) but I'm adding my five-start rating. Generally I'll only review something that I really dislike, or in this case something I really like. This was a great, fast-paced story. I recommend it.