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PJ. Haarsma

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 Paperback – February 26, 2008

by PJ Haarsma (Author)

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"Filled with exotic aliens, dangerous situations, and fast-paced adventure. Younger sci-fi fans will happily hang in with JT." — Booklist

Thirteen-year-old Johnny Turnbull has always known there was something different about him. It turns out he’s the first-ever human softwire — able to enter and communicate with computers with his mind. Now that JT and two hundred other orphans have been put to work in alien factories on the first ring of Orbis, things are going very wrong. The "perfect" central computer is malfunctioning, and suspicious eyes are turning to JT. Could he be the one responsible?

Reading age

12 years and up
Print length

262 pages
Language

English
Grade level

7 - 6
Lexile measure

650L
Dimensions

5.1 x 0.8 x 7.6 inches
Publisher

Candlewick
Publication date

February 26, 2008
ISBN-10

076363638X
ISBN-13

978-0763636388
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Editorial Reviews

Review

What happened next surprised even me.

The back of my eyeballs exploded into a ring of brilliant blue light. Instead of seeing the files in my mind's eye, my eyelids melted away and exposed the complex mechanics of the computer. It was as if I had pushed my head inside, as if I had physically entered the central computer. I felt a rush of electricity across my skin, exploring my face, as though something was trying to read me. The horrible noise outside quieted, and soon I was able to see things much more clearly. The colors inside the computer were as bright as in my first nightmare.

Then I saw a small figure running through the files cloaked in radiant green electrons.

_______

THE SOFTWIRE: VIRUS ON ORBIS I by PJ Haarsma. Copyright © 2006 by PJ Haarsma. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA."PJ Haarsma’s spectacular universe will take you further and faster into
the future. even non-sci-fi fans will blast off on this one." — Frank Beddor, author of the Looking Glass Wars trilogy — Frank Beddor

"I've always been amazed at a writer's ability to create a universe, and that's exatly what PJ Haarsma has done. With ease, he has created an amazing world — an economy, a religious faith, and an adventure not to be missed." — Nathan Fillion, actor, FIREFLY and SERENITY — Nathan Fillion

About the Author

PJ Haarsma has been gazing at the stars and wondering what's out there his whole life. After a successful career as a commercial photographer, he finally decided to write about it. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick; Reprint edition (February 26, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 076363638X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763636388
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 650L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 6
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,141,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,524 in Children's Orphans & Foster Homes Books (Books)
- #3,072 in Children's Computers & Technology Books
- #7,666 in Teen & Young Adult Family Fiction

Customer Reviews:
79 ratings

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PJ Haarsma

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PJ Haarsma has been gazing at the stars and wondering what's out there his whole life. After a successful career as a commercial photographer he finally decided to write about it. "It's our destiny. We're going to have to leave this planet some day and it's sooner than we think.

Customer reviews

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3 star		7%
2 star		8%
1 star		3%

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Alexis DeSousa

What A Ride!

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2011

Verified Purchase

I have to say that this book had me from the start! It was really an enjoyable read, one that I wish I had been able to come across as a teen reader. And what's also awesome about it? It's FREE on Kindle (click the image to get there).

So, The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 is a sci-fi novel, that, although it is considered a young adult novel, appeals to all ages. I really found the characters highly relatable and very interesting. As soon as I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

The novel centers around a young boy, J.T., and his fellow human children. The group is traveling on a seed-ship to a remote place called Orbis, their new home. We find out early in the novel that there are no adults on the seed-ship, the Renaissance, and that they all mysteriously perished. They were originally headed to Orbis, to work one year on each of its rings. The children arrive to find out that they must work off the agreement their parents made as, sort of, a bunch of indentured servants.

J.T. is one of the older kids and he is a tough one. We find out he can talk to the computer by just thinking. The aliens on Orbis call people with this talent Softwires. J.T. doesn't take too kindly to being singled out. Who could blame him?

The world of Orbis is described with great wonder. I really wish I could see this place. It seems awesome. J.T. has a few friends, and a silent sister, that follow him around and help him out during their time on Orbis 1. Just as they arrive, however, things start going wonky with the central computer - a supposed infallible piece of technology. Many of the citizens blame J.T.

You'll have to read to find out who the culprits are behind this, but it is full of plenty of intrigue and information regarding a fully developed world. I really want to know more, and I have already purchased the second novel, The Softwire: Betrayal on Orbis 2.

Helpful

Jex

Softwire

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2011

Verified Purchase

A group of kids, raised on a spaceship by a computer program, have finally reached their new home of Orbis 1 only to find out that their destiny is to be enslaved in order to pay off their parents' debt. While trying to make the most of the life that's been thrown at them, JT comes to find that he has a special gift that is not only rare to anyone, but has never before been seen in a human. JT is a softwire. He can communicate with machines in a way that no one else can: by physically up-linking his mind without any cords or interface. However, as JT arrived on Orbis 1, so did the problems with the central computers causing many of the citizens to turn on him, the only softwire and the only one that could be ruining their precious computer. It is up to JT, with the help of some of his friends, to figure out what is causing all the computer glitches and stop it before Orbis 1 is taken down.

I downloaded this book when it was offered for free on amazon.com and didn't expect too much based on the length, and well, the fact that it was free. I was pleasantly surprised when I began to read and found the topic riveting. Just think of how much you could do in life as we know it now if you didn't have to use a mouse/keyboard to do anything on a computer. Instead you simply thought of what you wanted to do and it was done. The ability to interface with a computer in that fashion could bring all kinds of opportunities, not to mention free up so much time in our day. Main topic of the book aside, I truly enjoyed getting to know the various characters and species found on Orbis. I think the author has a real thing for slime covered/goey aliens, because they seemed to come up a lot in the story. I loved Keithera's character, even though she couldn't speak her personality truly shined. She got quite a few chuckles out of me as I pictured her chasing her toy or getting excited when offered food. I was glad to see she played a bigger role in the end (don't worry I won't say what it is).

This was a very quick read, but I liked it a lot. I'm going to have to go out and get the next three books in the series.

Helpful

J.P.

The Softwire Series by P.J. Haarsma

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2012

Verified Purchase

I'll admit that my speed reading days for books left me in college. Even with my fun books that I read, it can take me a several days to finish one. So when I went through the Softwire Series in roughly a week, you know it's got to be amazing! Oddly enough, I have to thank Nathon Filion for tweeting a link for a free digital copy of the first book (Virus on Orbis 1).

The brief synopsis from P.J. Haarsma's site really hooked me in too.

Thirteen-year-old Johnny Turnbull has always known there was something different about him, even before he and two hundred other kids landed on the first ring of Orbis. But once their spaceship lands, he is identified as the first-ever "softwire" -- a human with the ability to enter and communicate with computers through his mind -- and becomes the focus of intergalactic intrigue. Johnny and the rest of the refugee orphans are put to work in alien factories, and very quickly things go very wrong. When the all-knowing, all-controlling, and technologically "perfect" central computer starts malfunctioning, suspicious eyes turn to Johnny. Is he the one responsible? This action-packed, fast-paced sci-fi novel will keep kids on the edge of their seats.

For this computer geek, the direct interface into a computer hooked me in instantly. Through the first book you're introduced to this amazing new world, with aliens that have been around forever, a few factions within them. The book takes you on a very fun adventure, and really captures the mystery and adjustment to a world completely different than your own.

But by the end of Book 1, you realize that everything isn't quite as Utopian as you would like them to be. Through the next 3 books, you're taken deeper and deeper into the Rings of Orbis, its deep history, and how Johnny (JT) and his sister play into it. You're also taken into a lot of turmoil and grief that the "knudnicks" on Orbis are subjected to. The entire series does a great job at working through the struggles of class divisions between the elite and the poor.

On top of this is the transformation of JT himself. Starting out as a bright eyed, energetic 15 year old, he's quickly given a large amount of responsibility because of his talents. He also has the entire universe looking over his shoulder, which causes a lot of struggles. But JT's struggles go even deeper, dealing with free will vs. fate, sacrifice, and a whole range of emotions. There was so much going on by the fourth installment that I wasn't sure how Haarsma would resolve it all, and do it in a manner that stuck with the whole of the story. He did it amazingly well. There was even a small amount of romance and tragedy mixed in to the whole story that fit perfectly.

My mind is still racing from all of the tech, adventure, and thought provoking things this book brought out. Softwire is targeted for the 10 and up, but it is written so well that adults (or really big geeky kids like me) will enjoy it thoroughly.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Anne-Marie Davis

Can't wait for the next instalment!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2016

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PJ Haarsma is a great writer. Loving this series.

Mallory

A Clever Book

Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

I had read some negative reviews about Orbis 1, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I am a fan of PJ's collaboration with Alan Tudyk with Con Man and the Spectrum series. I can see that Spectrum is in the same universe as Softwire. Looking forward to seeing the future connections between these series.
Orbis 1 had good characters, and interesting setting. I'm looking forward to seeing these characters develop, and the setting expand.

Riamh

Nice sci-fi book!

Reviewed in France on April 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

It's a fast-paced and intersting story set in an original world: a part of the univers where four rings stabilise a wormhole. Nice for the young... and the not so young!

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