Review of The Orb
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Ana Chao
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Review of The Orb
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Orb" by Tara Basi.]
The Orb by Tara Basi is set in a war-forged world that hypothesizes how society would react if faced with an unexplainable alien anomaly, such as a giant blue floating Orb. Peter Morris is a man lost in grief, attempting to put together the pieces left of his daughter Kiki, banding together with eccentric detective Zip in the hopes of finding who murdered Kiki and why. As the novel continues, it weaves a web of intrigue with discoveries about the moments leading to Kiki’s death, Zip’s lost memories, and the mystery of The Orb. Only time will tell if justice is found and the Orb’s purpose as a mystical God or something else.
One of the best aspects of The Obr is the character of Zip, specifically her personal growth throughout the novel. Instead of remaining stagnant in her escapist mentality, Zip grows back into who she was when she lived as Colonol Zara. Another positive point is Quattro’s ability to make you question how much of a person remains if their subconscious is uprooted into a machine. Moreover, if that new being considers itself separate from the original person, how can there be the expectation of them being the same? Also, Basi depicts how humans tend to create and rally behind the two significant institutions of religion and industry. Specifically, Basi explores how greed will manipulate and change an organization's original purpose.
My most significant critique of the novel is Peter. Despite Basi’s attempt to make him personable and raise sympathy for him by emphasizing how his daughter’s death has affected him, it only comes across as a person throwing a tantrum at a lost toy. Additionally, Peter never appears to come to terms with his role in the loss he’s experienced, instead continuing to blame outside forces rather than see how his actions could have led to his fate. This is proven further by how quickly Peter attempts to fill the void of his loss when the opportunity presents itself. Another negative aspect of the novel is its ending, where Basi uses Zip as a mouthpiece to tie in a previous moment in the book to its end, rather than relying on the strength of its storytelling.
In my opinion, The Orb is 4 out of 5 stars. The novel's premise is interesting, and the worldbuilding is complex and falls in line with what would be after two consecutive World Wars. In spite of this, the novel falls short; as the reader and protagonists unravel more of the truth, the plot becomes more entangled, bordering on the improbable. The only reasoning offered to the reader is that the sequence of events was made possible by the genius of AI processing prowess. This use of AI appears to be a plot device rather than something that fits into the scope of the world. Furthermore, I found the easy acceptance by Kiki of her fate untrue to her character or personal growth. There’s also the fact that Basi appears to have ignored how the gap in Kiki’s memory before her death is never addressed. Instead, that chapter is seemingly closed since a physical person is to blame for Kiki’s death. I can only hope this plot hole is on purpose and meant to be answered in the sequel.
I recommend this to those who like studying wars and human nature. There are various details in the book about the effects of the war, the weapons utilized, and the strategies employed. Moreover, it remains fundamentally a science fiction novel with exciting technology that highlights how this world developed. I recommend The Orb to a mature audience because of its violent themes and the inappropriate seduction attempt by Kiki’s AI to her father, Peter.
******
The Orb
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Orb by Tara Basi is set in a war-forged world that hypothesizes how society would react if faced with an unexplainable alien anomaly, such as a giant blue floating Orb. Peter Morris is a man lost in grief, attempting to put together the pieces left of his daughter Kiki, banding together with eccentric detective Zip in the hopes of finding who murdered Kiki and why. As the novel continues, it weaves a web of intrigue with discoveries about the moments leading to Kiki’s death, Zip’s lost memories, and the mystery of The Orb. Only time will tell if justice is found and the Orb’s purpose as a mystical God or something else.
One of the best aspects of The Obr is the character of Zip, specifically her personal growth throughout the novel. Instead of remaining stagnant in her escapist mentality, Zip grows back into who she was when she lived as Colonol Zara. Another positive point is Quattro’s ability to make you question how much of a person remains if their subconscious is uprooted into a machine. Moreover, if that new being considers itself separate from the original person, how can there be the expectation of them being the same? Also, Basi depicts how humans tend to create and rally behind the two significant institutions of religion and industry. Specifically, Basi explores how greed will manipulate and change an organization's original purpose.
My most significant critique of the novel is Peter. Despite Basi’s attempt to make him personable and raise sympathy for him by emphasizing how his daughter’s death has affected him, it only comes across as a person throwing a tantrum at a lost toy. Additionally, Peter never appears to come to terms with his role in the loss he’s experienced, instead continuing to blame outside forces rather than see how his actions could have led to his fate. This is proven further by how quickly Peter attempts to fill the void of his loss when the opportunity presents itself. Another negative aspect of the novel is its ending, where Basi uses Zip as a mouthpiece to tie in a previous moment in the book to its end, rather than relying on the strength of its storytelling.
In my opinion, The Orb is 4 out of 5 stars. The novel's premise is interesting, and the worldbuilding is complex and falls in line with what would be after two consecutive World Wars. In spite of this, the novel falls short; as the reader and protagonists unravel more of the truth, the plot becomes more entangled, bordering on the improbable. The only reasoning offered to the reader is that the sequence of events was made possible by the genius of AI processing prowess. This use of AI appears to be a plot device rather than something that fits into the scope of the world. Furthermore, I found the easy acceptance by Kiki of her fate untrue to her character or personal growth. There’s also the fact that Basi appears to have ignored how the gap in Kiki’s memory before her death is never addressed. Instead, that chapter is seemingly closed since a physical person is to blame for Kiki’s death. I can only hope this plot hole is on purpose and meant to be answered in the sequel.
I recommend this to those who like studying wars and human nature. There are various details in the book about the effects of the war, the weapons utilized, and the strategies employed. Moreover, it remains fundamentally a science fiction novel with exciting technology that highlights how this world developed. I recommend The Orb to a mature audience because of its violent themes and the inappropriate seduction attempt by Kiki’s AI to her father, Peter.
******
The Orb
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Luray by Dennis Haupt
