Official Review: The Orb by Tara Basi

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kandscreeley
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Official Review: The Orb by Tara Basi

Post by kandscreeley »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Orb" by Tara Basi.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Since a huge Orb appeared over London, the world has been divided. Some believe the Orb is god; others think it's an alien artifact. There have even been wars over it - one in which Artificial Intelligence tried to destroy humans. Just when the world has reached some semblance of peace, everything is about to change.

Peter works for Orb Industries creating new technology. Right now, he's obsessed with finding out who killed his daughter, Kiki. They say she committed suicide, supposedly hiring someone to kill her. He knows that's not true. He hires Zip, a private investigator, to find out what really happened to Kiki. Zip, though, has a few problems of her own. She allegedly took her own life before her consciousness was transferred to a new body. She's missing the week of time leading up to her suicide, though. It seems that her missing week, the Orb and Kiki's murder are all connected. But how?

Ms. Basi does a brilliant job of creating a new world slightly in the future that is not so dissimilar from our own. There are new technologies - artificial intelligence, virtual reality, holographic clothes - but humanity is still divided. The technology is not so foreign that it is hard to understand. Neither was the science obscenely complex. There were, though, just enough details to immerse yourself in the story line. To me, it was the right mix of background information, technological knowledge and plot. It all flowed seamlessly together.

What was even more fascinating to me was that there were themes that are very applicable to our world. If we aren't careful, this might be our future, whether or not an Orb appears out of the sky. There are lessons to be learned here but all while reading an engaging story.

While the book falls firmly in the science fiction genre, there was an enigma to be puzzled out. We aren't given the full scope of the story upfront. But rather, the author lays down breadcrumbs guiding us along the path toward the answers. The answers we seek aren't fully revealed until the ending, leaving us eagerly turning pages. The mystery starts almost immediately, so there is no slow build-up or boring pages waiting to see when the action will start. It hooks you right away.

At just over 400 pages, the book is somewhat long. However, the reading went quickly because I was curious about what would happen next. The ending sets the story up for another book, but the plot of this book is sufficiently resolved.

There really was nothing I didn't like about The Orb. The plot is solid, the world building is on point and there were no excessive errors to be found. I love taking a glimpse into a possible future through the mind of the author. For these reasons, I gladly award this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a futuristic science fiction novel. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

******
The Orb
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Debjani Ghosh
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Post by Debjani Ghosh »

But rather, the author lays down breadcrumbs guiding us along the path toward the answers.
I liked this phrase. I have heard rave reviews of Tara Basi's other works as well. This book also seems to be an engaging one. I will check it out for sure. Thanks for the review.
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Post by fredrick otieno »

Futuristic science fiction is my favourite, especially when the writer creates a curious desire in you that you keep on yearning for more as you read on and on.
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Post by Georgia Lyonhyde »

I wasn't expecting to like this book. The first part of your review made the book sound too sci-fi for my liking. I read until the end and discovered I had perhaps been too hasty.

I like that you saw parallels with today's world and its state, the characters have some cool sounding names, and I want to know how Kiki met her demise. I will definitely give this book a chance.
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Post by Bianka Walter »

Ooooh, this sounds great. I love it when a cool premise like this one gets a 4-star review. It does the idea justice :)
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Post by fernsmom »

After reading your review I really think I would enjoy this book. :tiphat:

I am a science fiction fan anyway but like the ones that aren't so far from reality that they are hard to imagine.

Your comment below is what I like to take away after reading some of these. Not only lessons, but also I feel sometimes that the author writes them so realistic that when reading them they aren't that hard to imagine, hence the fun in them I guess for me.

"If we aren't careful, this might be our future, whether or not an Orb appears out of the sky. There are lessons to be learned here but all while reading an engaging story."
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Post by T_stone »

The plot of this book seems quite interesting, hence, making the book a fascinating read. Will definitely like to read this book; although it's a not long, your review has piqued my interest in this. Thank you for the review.
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Post by kdstrack »

This sounds like a unique twist on the science fiction genre. You say that the 400 pages went by quickly. That is high praise for the author! Great review. Thanks.
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Post by Cecilia_L »

While the book falls firmly in the science fiction genre, there was an enigma to be puzzled out. We aren't given the full scope of the story upfront. But rather, the author lays down breadcrumbs guiding us along the path toward the answers. The answers we seek aren't fully revealed until the ending, leaving us eagerly turning pages. The mystery starts almost immediately, so there is no slow build-up or boring pages waiting to see when the action will start. It hooks you right away.
While this isn't my preferred genre, your review really piques my interest. Great review!
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Post by kandscreeley »

Debjani Ghosh wrote: 27 Oct 2018, 07:57
But rather, the author lays down breadcrumbs guiding us along the path toward the answers.
I liked this phrase. I have heard rave reviews of Tara Basi's other works as well. This book also seems to be an engaging one. I will check it out for sure. Thanks for the review.
It was definitely engaging. Tara Basi it's a fabulous author. Thanks.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

fredrick otieno wrote: 27 Oct 2018, 08:26 Futuristic science fiction is my favourite, especially when the writer creates a curious desire in you that you keep on yearning for more as you read on and on.
You would love this one then! I hope you enjoy.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

Georgia Lyonhyde wrote: 27 Oct 2018, 09:44 I wasn't expecting to like this book. The first part of your review made the book sound too sci-fi for my liking. I read until the end and discovered I had perhaps been too hasty.

I like that you saw parallels with today's world and its state, the characters have some cool sounding names, and I want to know how Kiki met her demise. I will definitely give this book a chance.
It is futuristic with interesting technological, but there's a great mystery in there too. It's not too scientific as to be overwhelming. It's worth a try. Thanks.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

Bianka Walter wrote: 27 Oct 2018, 15:51 Ooooh, this sounds great. I love it when a cool premise like this one gets a 4-star review. It does the idea justice :)
It was worth the four stars. Thanks for commenting.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

fernsmom wrote: 27 Oct 2018, 16:25 After reading your review I really think I would enjoy this book. :tiphat:

I am a science fiction fan anyway but like the ones that aren't so far from reality that they are hard to imagine.

Your comment below is what I like to take away after reading some of these. Not only lessons, but also I feel sometimes that the author writes them so realistic that when reading them they aren't that hard to imagine, hence the fun in them I guess for me.

"If we aren't careful, this might be our future, whether or not an Orb appears out of the sky. There are lessons to be learned here but all while reading an engaging story."
There are definite parallels. It's scary to think about. Thanks for the kind words.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

T_stone wrote: 27 Oct 2018, 18:58 The plot of this book seems quite interesting, hence, making the book a fascinating read. Will definitely like to read this book; although it's a not long, your review has piqued my interest in this. Thank you for the review.
I enjoyed it, and I hope you do too!
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
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