Review of Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3
Computer Games are Deadly in PJ Haarsma’s New Science Fiction Book
May 13, 2009
Over the past two years, fifteen-year-old JT has put up with a lot. He’s had to endure being a “knudnik” slave on the Rings of Orbis, an alien world built on the backs of immigrants. He’s had to adjust to being a “Softwire,” a rare being who can control computers with his mind. And he’s had to survive many attempts on his life by Citizens who’d love to see JT and his ability destroyed.
This year though, things are different. Upon landing on Orbis 3, JT and his friends learn they’ve been bought by Charlie, a former human knudnik who recently acquired enough wealth to become a Citizen. Unwilling to keep the kids as slaves, Charlie sends them to school instead, where they learn their IQs surpass many Citizens – making them the targets of several mean-spirited alien bullies.
But that’s nothing compared to the real threat – a band of wormhole pirates has just infiltrated Orbis and entered a Quest-Nest tournament, a high-stakes virtual reality computer game that can leave the losers dead. To JT’s astonishment, Quest-Nest is similar to a computer game he and the other kids played on the ship that took them to Orbis, making his friends valuable commodities to the pirates and gambling Citizens.
As the date of the Quest-Nest tournament approaches, JT finds himself lured into the pirates’ plot by their leader, who knows more about JT than he lets on. To survive, JT will have to gamble not only with his softwire abilities but his friends’ lives as well. And that’s a dangerous game.
A Great Science Fiction Series for Online Gaming Fans
A wildly popular series of science fiction books for young adults, PJ Haarsma’s Softwire series combines classic science fiction motifs such as alien worlds and advanced technology with real life issues like teenage alienation, immigration, and discrimination. The result is a science fiction book series with characters kids can relate to and situations that introduce new readers to the sci fi genre.
With Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3, Haarsma raises the stakes of JT’s adventures even higher with Quest-Nest, a fast-paced computer game that allows competitors to enter a virtual reality environment and create multiple gaming settings. From underwater mazes to mechanical labyrinths full of deadly alien holographs, the threats JT must contend with easily rival those found in any big-budget science fiction movies.
Yet the action doesn’t distract from the characters' personal lives – as JT must also deal with his growing feelings for his friend Max, his friend Theodore’s problems with addiction, and his concern for his sister Ketheria’s mysterious illness. Like any good science fiction author, Haarsma knows how to balance the fantastical elements of his book with human elements – and the story becomes stronger for this.
New Computer Games Send Readers to the Rings of Orbis
Longtime fans of PJ Haarsma’s Softwire series know Haarsma learned video game design to create a popular online game companion to his science fiction series – The Rings of Orbis – which allows online gamers to become Citizens on Orbis, play computer games, establish an economic base with knudnik slaves, and chat with other Softwire fans.
Recently, Haarsma and his crew have designed new computer games – including an online version of Quest-Nest where players can compete in games similar to those in Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3 (with less fatal results). This innovative mix of online gaming with science fiction books for young adults makes The Softwire a unique entry in the field children’s literature as well as a welcome outgrowth of the sci fi genre.
Learn more about The Softwire science fiction book series and the Rings of Orbis by reading Young Adult Writer Excites Readers About Sci Fi, Sci Fi Author Creates New Kids Computer Games, and a review of The Softwire: Betrayal on Orbis 2.
And test your own skills at Quest-Nest by checking out the Rings of Orbis Online Game.
Haarsma, PJ. The Softwire: Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3. MA: Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7636-2711-9
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