Virus on Orbis 1

In this middle grade science fiction story, all the adults died on the spaceship that was taking them to Orbis. That left two hundred embryos. The computer - Mother - brought them to birth in two batches. Johnny, or JT as he's known to his friends, is the only one who has a younger sister who was part of the second batch. JT is also the only one who can talk to Mother without being at a computer terminal.

When they ship arrives at Orbis, the kids find out that they are going to be slaves for a variety of aliens until they have paid off their debt. Orbis is an interesting society which is managed by a supercomputer. After JT and the other kids arrive, the computer begins experiencing glitches. Because JT has been identified as a softwire show more - someone who can communicate with computers without an implant - many want to blame him for the glitches.

The kids all find that they have landed in a complex political situation. There are traders who manage businesses and Keeper who monitor travel, create the rules for Orbis, and grant citizenship. It is supposed to be a balanced system but someone is trying to tip the balance.

This was an exciting science fiction story. JT's talent lets him go inside the supercomputer where he finds an alien who might be the one causing all of the glitches. He also has to deal with the possibility that the Keepers will make him live in the computer forever and let his body die. Of course, the story wouldn't be complete without friends and enemies. HIs best friend is his little sister Ketheria but he he is also good friends with Max who is a girl who is a good hacker and Theodore who is his roommate. The resident bully is Randall Switzer who delights in picking on JT and making trouble for him. I enjoyed the variety of aliens in this story from the two-headed Keepers to Weegin who is the scavenger who buys up some of the kids' contracts and has them picking junk.

This is the first book in a four book series. show less

The Software is a great addition to an area of young adult literature that can be a bit sparse: science fiction. Not fantasy, of which there is a plethora available, but genuine scifi. Haarsma creates an intriguing new universe far in the future and populates it with smart and resourceful characters. The plot is interesting and quick.

That said, I think the book falls short in a few areas. I felt the main character was inconsistent in places, and too much of the plot resolves itself off stage. Some of the dialogue is stilted, and, unlike many young adult books recently published, I think the language is a bit oversimplified. It feels more like a young adult book than many others supposedly written for that audience. That said, I'd show more recommend this to any young reader interested in science fiction but not ready for adult works. show less

"The Software is a great addition to an area of young adult literature that can be a bit sparse: science fiction. Not fantasy, of which there is a plethora available, but genuine scifi. Haarsma creates an intriguing new universe far in the future and populates it with smart and resourceful characters. The plot is interesting and quick.[return][return]That said, I think the book falls short in a few areas. I felt the main character was inconsistent in places, and too much of the plot resolves itself off stage. Some of the dialogue is stilted, and, unlike many young adult books recently published, I think the language is a bit oversimplified. It feels more like a young adult book than many others supposedly written for that audience. That show more said, I'd recommend this to any young reader interested in science fiction but not ready for adult works." show less

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 show more 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. show less

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

I'm the first to admit that science fiction has never been my favorite genre, but I wanted to give VIRUS ON ORBIS 1 a try. I have to say that I'm very glad I did. Besides having an interesting and entertaining story, the true beauty of the book, at least for me, is the fact that I never felt so overwhelmed with the new world the author created that I wanted to give up. There weren't a thousand crazy names I had to figure out how to pronounce, or a million-and-one gizmos and gadgets that made no sense. With this book, Mr. Haarsma has created a world that even young teens will relate to, and that adult fans of science fiction are sure to enjoy, as well.

Johnny Turnbull, thirteen, is a resident of the seed show more ship Renaissance, along with his eight-year-old sister, Ketheria, and about two hundred other children. Children, and no adults, since all of them died and left the children as orphans. In Johnny and Ketheria's case, their parents had signed a contract to work on the Rings of Orbis (four rings surrounding a wormhole) for four years. Unfortunately, since the children have been on a ship with only a computer called Mother supervising them, no one knows what will happen once they finally arrive at the Rings of Orbis. They do know, though, that they'll be at the mercy of its citizens.

There's a problem, though, as there usually is. Johnny has recently discovered that he's a human Softwire - the very first human able to directly communicate with any computer using just his mind. He's been trying to warn the citizens of Orbis that a virus is attacking their central computer, but few are willing to listen. Actually, few are willing to even take the fact of his being a Softwire seriously at all. But it is that fact that could possibly be the only thing that will spare Orbis -and its inhabitants, including the orphans - from destruction.

VIRUS ON ORBIS 1 is the first book in THE SOFTWIRE series, and it will be interesting to see where the author takes Johnny next. The majority of this story features him battling both the Trading Council and Orbis's rulers, the Keepers. After reading this great first installment, you'll definitely be ready for the next book in the series. I know I am, and I'm not even a science fiction fan! show less

Johnny and a large group of children have grown up alone on a seed ship. All the adults died in stasis. When the reach their destination, the Rings of Orbis, they are expected to fulfill the work contracts their parents signed. Then Johnny discovers that he is a softwire, a human that can interact with any computer just using the power of his mind. This puts him right in the middle of a power struggle between the Keepers and the Trading Council.

Okay I admit to picking this title up because it was Nathan Fillion’s choice for his READ poster, but I enjoyed this story more than I expected. It’s an intriguing premise. The pace was a little uneven-it moves along pretty quickly and then lags at times, but I liked Johnny and his sister so show more I stuck with it. I will probably read the next book because it has potential to be a fun kid’s sci-fi series. show less

Johnny Turnbull, his sister Ketheria, his friends Max and Theodore, and a couple hundred other 13 year olds and eight year olds, after spending about 250 years in suspended animation have finally arrived at the rings of Orbis. They owe several years of service to their Guarantors because their parents were indebted to them, but died on the journey. Johnny finds out that he is something called a softwire, which means he can link to any computer with only his mind. As a softwire, he is very valuable. While linked to the central computer that controls the entire city, Johnny encounters a virus, in the form of a young girl, who is actually an alien who has come from light years away. After figuring out how to communicate with her, he uses show more her to save the city from Madame Lee. This is only book one, and does a good job of establishing the characters and creating the world. show less