The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 (Paperback)

by PJ Haarsma (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–Johnny Turnbull has spent all of his 12 years aboard the seed-ship Renaissance en route to the Rings of Orbis. Due to a mechanical problem, the adults on the spaceship perished long before Johnny and the other young passengers were born (they were stored as embryos and raised by the ship's computer). When they arrive on Orbis 1, the orphans quickly learn that they will be forced to work for the Guarantors (alien businessmen) in order to pay off their dead parents' debt for their passage. Johnny is immediately identified as the first human softwire, someone with the ability to enter and manipulate a computer with his mind. Because of his gift, he is a prime suspect when the central computer of Orbis 1 begins to malfunction. He must prove his innocence and solve the mystery of the mechanical failures before time runs out. The author deftly introduces the futuristic setting without getting bogged down in long and detailed descriptive passages, and the brisk plot will keep the interest of reluctant readers. Although a few of the secondary characters are not fully developed, Johnny and his sister are well drawn, and the scenes between the two are skillfully crafted. The first in a planned quartet, this book is a good selection for science-fiction fans.–Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Like the other 198 parentless children on the spaceship Renaissance, 12-year-old Johnny Turnbull (JT) and his seven-year-old sister are headed to Orbis, a multicultural world made up of four rings orbiting a wormhole. Upon landing, the children are shocked to learn that they must work as slaves for Star Wars-like aliens to repay their passage. When it is discovered that JT is a softwire, a being able to communicate telepathically with computers, the boy, both feared and coveted by different factions, becomes the prime suspect when the computer that runs the operations on Orbis 1 malfunctions. It's obvious that this is the first book in a series, but Haarsma fills it with exotic aliens, dangerous situations, and fast-paced adventure. Younger sf fans will happily hang in with JT as he tries to stay alive and keep Orbis from being conquered from within, and they'll look forward to other volumes in the Softwire series. Diana Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (February 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076363638X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763636388
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #587,179 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #18 in

  Books > Children's Books > Computers > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wild, Intergalactic Ride!, September 4, 2006

By	Them (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 (Hardcover)

PJ Haarsma has written an exciting and thoroughly convincing rollercoaster of a story that successfully navigates the classic pitfalls of first time novels and of science fiction in general, creating a story that moves quickly, characters that are as intriguing as they are unusual, and a world that I can't wait to explore in future books.

The challenge I find in most science fiction is whether the author has struck a balance between too much information and not enough. "Too much information" means the writer is spending pages describing the intricacies of unimportant details in the mistaken belief that an encyclopedic discussion of, say, the ancient sewer system in one of the more remote reaches of the galaxy will create a believeable "world". Ultimately, this just bogs down the momentum of the plot and the book winds up on the slag heap.

"Too little information", however, is when so little is explained that the world doesn't seem real, in which there are no restrictions or rules, with the result that when anything can happen, nothing has any value: the reader finds it hard to invest emotionally in the characters, and the author finds it hard to create any meaningful tension for the plot.

But somehow Haarsma has found the balance - giving just enough information to make the world believable, but never letting the pace of the plot slow down - especially in the last 50 pages which are full of surprises, twists and turns and which, like everything else in "Virus on Orbis 1" make you anxiously anticipate the next installment in the series!

Kudos, Mr. Haarsma!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wondercon discovery, August 30, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 (Hardcover)

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...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 9, 2007

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 (Hardcover)

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"