Review of The Orb

[Teofana Bantu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Orb" by Tara Basi.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Tara Basi’s science fiction book, The Orb, pictures a world where most of humanity worships a giant alien artifact. This orb appeared out of nowhere in the middle of London, its apparition causing two world wars and the death of billions of people. Now with two companies in charge, the Orb Industry and the Church of the Orb, what is left of humanity might suffer another war that will end all life.

One of the best things about the book is its characters. Each is realistic, complex, and driven. They fight for different things, but ultimately their end goal is to stop the war. For example, Zip fights to keep her family safe, while the Quartermaster only wants to destroy the orb. I can see that the Tara Basi has a vast knowledge and understanding of human behavior. The characters are described vividly, their aspect as well as personality. It paints a perfect picture of them, the world they live in, and also their feelings and reactions. I was touched by Peter’s grief over the death of his daughter.

The author tells the story of many different people, but also the story of humanity. The two big forces take advantage of an event (the apparition of the orb) and get to control it and its pilgrims. Now they fight with each other to stay in power and destroy each other. In this whole dynamic, I am reminded of our world, those in power fight between them to keep it and the ones suffering and feeling the consequences are the ordinary people who just try to live their lives.

What I like the most about the book is the ending. It was nothing I expected, a major plot twist, and it said a lot about us as a race and how we react to things.

Even though the book is quite long, it is full of action, and description and brings together the story of multiple characters.

In my opinion, the book doesn’t have any negative aspects.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, first of all, because it is exceptionally well-edited and I liked everything about it. Also, it is an original idea, as I have not read or heard of anything similar.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction. I also advise keeping in mind that there is graphic description of war, murder, and not only.

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The Orb
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