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John C. Wright

Orphans of Chaos (The Chronicles of Chaos) Mass Market Paperback – October 31, 2006

by John C. Wright (Author)

69 ratings

Book 1 of 3 in the Chronicles of Chaos Series

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What if your teachers taught you everything–except who you really are?

For Amelia and her friends, the strict English boarding school she lives in is all she has ever known. The sprawling estate, bordered by unknown territory on all four sides, is both orphanage, academy, and prison. The school has a large staff, but only five students, none of whom know what their real names are, or even how old they are.

Precocious and rebellious, all five teenagers are more than just prodigies. Amelia can see in four dimensions. Victor can control the molecular arrangement of matter. Vanity can find secret passageways where none existed before. Colin is a psychic. Quentin is a warlock.

And, as time goes by, they're starting to suspect that none of them are entirely human . . .

John C. Wright previous fantasy novels, the Epic Chronicles of Everness, were lavishly praised by both readers and reviewers. Now he embarks on an ambitious new saga that explores the overlapping boundaries of science, mythology, and the imagination.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Wright’s myth-infused fantasy looks like something older Harry Potter fans might enjoy with its creaky British boarding school setting and its five ageless orphans―Colin, Quentin, Victor, Vanity, and Amelia each with a supernatural gift.” ―Publishers Weekly on Orphans of Chaos

“Wright's Orphans of Chaos is a stylish roller-coaster ride through the best loops and swerves of science fiction and fantasy. Zelazny lovers in particular ought to love this book as much as I did.” ―Sherwood Smith

“A bit like C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia updated by half a century, but with more gusto.” ―Locus on Orphans of Chaos

“I don't know if John Wright's intent for Orphans of Chaos was to write a Harry Potter for grownups. But that's what he's accomplished. . . .highly enjoyable.” ―SFsite

“An exciting, unusual, and very satisfying ride through the author's imagination, and the results are certainly going to make Wright even more of a hot property.” ―Chronicle on Orphans of Chaos

“Start of a complex mythology-based series from the author of the astonishing far-future Golden Age trilogy . . . . Fascinatingly, dazzlingly…erudite fantasy that trends inexorably toward science fiction; addicts will pounce.” ―Kirkus, starred review on Orphans of Chaos

About the Author

JOHN C. WRIGHT lives in Centreville, Virginia.

Series: The Chronicles of Chaos (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; Reprint edition (October 31, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765349957
ISBN-13: 978-0765349958
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 68 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,323,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4272 in Superhero Science Fiction
- #21125 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- #36728 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

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Raquel

Good potential but lacking

May 10, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I put my judgments aside before I read this book, even though the author likes to refer to himself in third person. Now, I like the premises and the air of mystery of the story. Unfortunately, it has the pacing of slow internet. It reads like a person who is trying to sound smart wrote it. Newsflash, John, writing in an older style because you think it sounds "smarter" just makes you a poser. The author also can't write realistic women characters either. Women have more dimensions than just being masochists who think about their sex appeal constantly. This author also named on of his sons "Pingping". Yes, I'm serious. This author isn't just a bad writer. He is a monster. It pains me to know that John C. Wright goes to bed every night thinking that he is a good writer.

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Zach

The Beginning of an Amazing Trilogy

November 21, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Okay, I pursued obtaining this book (and not only this book, but the entire trilogy) after finishing Wright's The Golden Age (The Golden Age, Book 1) trilogy and loving just about every second of it. Wright combines truly visionary creativity with compelling characters set in rather peculiar but completely intriguing situations. All these elements come together for books that are not only intricate in their complexity, but also unrelenting in their character development, the pace of the narrative, and the utilization of very abstract concepts to add layers of complexity to the already inherent tensions and conflicts of the story.

That previous paragraph describes every book of his I've read. This book, in particular, launches yet another visionary and truly creative trilogy. Five orphans of an orphanage begin to discover that they are not, in fact, normal in any sense of the word. Four of them realize abilities of four opposing paradigms of power/perception/reality, while the fifth's powers and abilities lie as far from and against the powers of the others as theirs do against each other's. This only begins to explain why the teachers of this orphanage outnumber the students - and these teachers are all mythological demigods. In the end they are not orphans at all, but rather captives - not only from their homes and families, but from who they truly are and the powers and abilities which come with that identity.

Some readers might be disturbed by a specific "spanking" scene, as another reviewer has noted. Cultural differences could probably be designated as the root of this discomfort. That said, the scene did not seem to me to be inconsistent with either the characters involved or the cultural and sociological context of the narrative.

An advanced understanding of fourth dimensional physics as well as a thorough grasp of mythology would probably complement any reading of this book, as Wright never shirks from diving headfirst into rather deep scientific or mythological explorations - but such learning isn't essential to enjoy and partake of the story in general. But be forewarned, sometimes the intellectual waters can get deep rather quickly, so be ready to drink in and digest some rather abstract and intellectual concepts.

So if you are in any way a fan of science fiction and/or fantasy, don't hesitate to pick up this book. I'd just advise trying to get my hands on all of 'em first - Wright truly can't write a novel-size story (I think is creative vision is just too big), so his publishers break his stories down. If you only have this book, you are going to be extremely frustrated when you reach the last page - the story doesn't end or conclude, it just stops. It stops at a logical break in the storyline, mind you, so there is some level of resolution, but only on a minor level which only drives the narrative forward even more.

Overall, an incredible book written by an amazing author. I really do not hesitate to recommend this book/trilogy.

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Good reading!

November 8, 2009

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I really enjoyed this first book in what is a series, and I can hardly wait to read the next one! It opens with an idea that is certainly not original (or doesn't seem so, at first): A British boarding school with a tough but fair headmaster, strict teachers, etc. But wait! There are only 5 children in the school. As the story unfolds, from the perspective of one of the students (Amelia), we learn about their history at the school, what the children know and don't know about themselves.

It turns out that things are not quite what they seem at first! Gosh, I don't want to give away too much, but I think I can say that the school only appears to be a school, and the young people only appear to be students. They are actually hostages in a great billions of years old war. Enough said about that.

As the young people get more of a sense of who they are, and what their individual powers are, they naturally try to escape. This first volume in basically a book of explication and background, preparing us, I hope, for greater adventure.

I recommend this book 100%. I think young people, say serious readers, from about 12 and up could enjoy it, although there are some PG13 parts. I actually liked this much more than the Harry Potter books, and that says a lot!

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D. Bost

Good mystery, subtle horror, genre blending

April 13, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Like many good books, this can be read on several levels. It is genuinely primarily an adventure story, with the heroes gradually finding their way to greatness. It's something of a coming-of-age story, obviously, and underneath it all is a deep reservoir of old-school horror that would make Lovecraft chant in unfathomable tongues.

Essentially, this is the kind of book that you may find very interesting on one read-through or more light reading over several readings. For a book aimed very clearly at a teenaged audience, it's very adult (in the sense of complexity and depth, not sex-- the sexual themes are very firmly early-teenager through the entire series, as is appropriate to the cast).

Recommended.

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Christopher J. Moran

I did like it enough to eventually do a re-read

February 11, 2015

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

I actually got this when it was free for the kindle, then had to buy the DTB editions for the second two. I did like it enough to eventually do a re-read. I bought the DTB edition now so I could have all three available for students to read in my class. I have read many reviews that come down hard to Wright for over sexualizing the characters, who are portrayed as children. Some scenes did seem a little weird and creepy, but it never made me put it down. I'm pretty sure I wrote a review back then on the kindle edition.

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5 star		36%
4 star		24%
3 star		8%
2 star		20%
1 star		11%

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