Review by Kite of Ember -- The Orb by Tara Basi
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Kite of Ember
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- Latest Review: The Orb by Tara Basi
Review by Kite of Ember -- The Orb by Tara Basi
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Orb" by Tara Basi.]
3 out of 4 stars
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With refreshing originality, Tara Basi’s The Orb sets the stage for a dystopian future in central Europe with unique science fiction elements. Entwined with the use of virtual reality and military gyrocopters, Basi’s novel provides a wide range of interests in the science-fiction world. If you enjoy the stylistic elements of stories such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, then this book offers a good read.
Beginning in an underground shelter, the reader is introduced to the world that Basi paints so well. Step by step, the characters and the atmosphere in which they belong are slowly revealed progressively throughout the novel. I personally enjoy the descriptions that the author utilizes, as it raises questions that are only answered with more questions. With this writing style, although not for everyone, the reader is left intrigued and committed to learning more.
Numerous themes are embellished within Basi’s writing including love, hate, distrust, religion, and deception. With such a wide variety of themes, the author throws the reader for a loop, including the reader in the chaos which the characters are fighting. The constant battle to discover what is right and what is wrong and the question of whether the ends justify the means constantly echoed in my mind while reading this novel. With thoughtful questions and illusions to vices of the modern day, Basi’s book is perfect for any science-fiction fan. However, it may not be perfect for everyone. With repetitive cursing and mild sexual themes, The Orb may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Personally, I loved the creativity of the atmosphere and the future that seemed plausible in terms of technological advances. However, upon finishing the novel, I was left thoroughly underwhelmed. The climax that the entire story was frantically leading up to seemed to fall flat, as if the author had to come up with a solution last-minute. As for reading level, I found the novel to be a casual read and easy to understand. Although, some instances felt as if an elementary sentence was littered with high vocabulary stripped from a Thesaurus, resulting in terminology that felt out of place. I was also left questioning the events that were going on and struggling to play the events smoothly in my mind as the fictional terms were thrown about and the focus changed from character to character throughout the book.
Overall, Tara Basi’s novel was with little grammatical error and extraordinary creativity. Despite this, I find that the confusing verbiage and choppy story-line distracts from the quality of the book and thus rate it three out of four stars. I personally enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to science-fiction fans who are looking for a unique take on the future of society. Putting biases aside, however, there was room for improvement in the editing of the story-line construction. With a little improvement, I would be more than happy to reread this novel and I hope to see Tara Basi’s originality in future novels.
******
The Orb
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
3 out of 4 stars
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With refreshing originality, Tara Basi’s The Orb sets the stage for a dystopian future in central Europe with unique science fiction elements. Entwined with the use of virtual reality and military gyrocopters, Basi’s novel provides a wide range of interests in the science-fiction world. If you enjoy the stylistic elements of stories such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, then this book offers a good read.
Beginning in an underground shelter, the reader is introduced to the world that Basi paints so well. Step by step, the characters and the atmosphere in which they belong are slowly revealed progressively throughout the novel. I personally enjoy the descriptions that the author utilizes, as it raises questions that are only answered with more questions. With this writing style, although not for everyone, the reader is left intrigued and committed to learning more.
Numerous themes are embellished within Basi’s writing including love, hate, distrust, religion, and deception. With such a wide variety of themes, the author throws the reader for a loop, including the reader in the chaos which the characters are fighting. The constant battle to discover what is right and what is wrong and the question of whether the ends justify the means constantly echoed in my mind while reading this novel. With thoughtful questions and illusions to vices of the modern day, Basi’s book is perfect for any science-fiction fan. However, it may not be perfect for everyone. With repetitive cursing and mild sexual themes, The Orb may not be suitable for younger audiences.
Personally, I loved the creativity of the atmosphere and the future that seemed plausible in terms of technological advances. However, upon finishing the novel, I was left thoroughly underwhelmed. The climax that the entire story was frantically leading up to seemed to fall flat, as if the author had to come up with a solution last-minute. As for reading level, I found the novel to be a casual read and easy to understand. Although, some instances felt as if an elementary sentence was littered with high vocabulary stripped from a Thesaurus, resulting in terminology that felt out of place. I was also left questioning the events that were going on and struggling to play the events smoothly in my mind as the fictional terms were thrown about and the focus changed from character to character throughout the book.
Overall, Tara Basi’s novel was with little grammatical error and extraordinary creativity. Despite this, I find that the confusing verbiage and choppy story-line distracts from the quality of the book and thus rate it three out of four stars. I personally enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to science-fiction fans who are looking for a unique take on the future of society. Putting biases aside, however, there was room for improvement in the editing of the story-line construction. With a little improvement, I would be more than happy to reread this novel and I hope to see Tara Basi’s originality in future novels.
******
The Orb
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Orb by Tara Basi
