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Tarfumes.com - Orphans of Chaos
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List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $6.99
Your Save: $ 7.01 ( 50% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Kindle Edition
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
Format: Kindle Book
Label: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 1905-06-28
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: 2008-06-03
Studio: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Editorial Reviews:
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In the first installment of the Chronicles of Chaos series, common associations of high school with prison prove spectacularly well founded. The five teen protagonists are hostages in a British boarding school run by pagan gods. Sustaining themes of lost identity from Wright's respected Golden Age trilogy and heavily borrowing from the work of Roger Zelazny, the narrative charts the teens' discovery of their true identities--they're shape-shifters who hail from Chaos--then pits their budding powers against school authorities who have proceeded from acting in loco parentis to being ominous and occasionally lascivious oppressors. Phaethusa, who goes by Amelia after her aviatrix role model, narrates the rich and frequently comic intrigue, which takes full advantage of the alluring juxtapositions that arise when the soul of a "montrosity from beyond the edge of space and time" is trapped in a nubile teen's heaving breast. Mythological references and discursions on the nature of reality may prove substantial barriers for some; Wright's growing fandom will revel in his overlapping frames of reference
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Beginning of an Amazing Trilogy
Comment: Okay, I pursued obtaining this book (and not only this book, but the entire trilogy) after finishing Wright's The Golden Age (The Golden Age, Book 1) trilogy and loving just about every second of it. Wright combines truly visionary creativity with compelling characters set in rather peculiar but completely intriguing situations. All these elements come together for books that are not only intricate in their complexity, but also unrelenting in their character development, the pace of the narrative, and the utilization of very abstract concepts to add layers of complexity to the already inherent tensions and conflicts of the story.
That previous paragraph describes every book of his I've read. This book, in particular, launches yet another visionary and truly creative trilogy. Five orphans of an orphanage begin to discover that they are not, in fact, normal in any sense of the word. Four of them realize abilities of four opposing paradigms of power/perception/reality, while the fifth's powers and abilities lie as far from and against the powers of the others as theirs do against each other's. This only begins to explain why the teachers of this orphanage outnumber the students - and these teachers are all mythological demigods. In the end they are not orphans at all, but rather captives - not only from their homes and families, but from who they truly are and the powers and abilities which come with that identity.
Some readers might be disturbed by a specific "spanking" scene, as another reviewer has noted. Cultural differences could probably be designated as the root of this discomfort. That said, the scene did not seem to me to be inconsistent with either the characters involved or the cultural and sociological context of the narrative.
An advanced understanding of fourth dimensional physics as well as a thorough grasp of mythology would probably complement any reading of this book, as Wright never shirks from diving headfirst into rather deep scientific or mythological explorations - but such learning isn't essential to enjoy and partake of the story in general. But be forewarned, sometimes the intellectual waters can get deep rather quickly, so be ready to drink in and digest some rather abstract and intellectual concepts.
So if you are in any way a fan of science fiction and/or fantasy, don't hesitate to pick up this book. I'd just advise trying to get my hands on all of 'em first - Wright truly can't write a novel-size story (I think is creative vision is just too big), so his publishers break his stories down. If you only have this book, you are going to be extremely frustrated when you reach the last page - the story doesn't end or conclude, it just stops. It stops at a logical break in the storyline, mind you, so there is some level of resolution, but only on a minor level which only drives the narrative forward even more.
Overall, an incredible book written by an amazing author. I really do not hesitate to recommend this book/trilogy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Obnoxious, yet surprisingly likeable
Comment: What a strange, strange book. Some comparisons were made to it with Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter, and I have to say both yes and no. This is truly something original, though certainly reminiscent of all great fantasy.
The weird thing is, and probably my biggest critique, is this was almost too weird for me to get into. Which is saying something, as I like weird. The first half of the book was random, confusing, and rather obnoxious.
Then came the second half, and that is where I became hooked. Wright keeps the novel random and twisting, but I suppose that is how it's intended. Here is a delicious whirlwind of Greek mythology, religion, science, fantasy, mixed with a healthy dose of teenagers. That is something I liked... the craziness of this novel--where very real teenagers (or whatever they are) lead the story. Good blend.
It is still in many ways obnoxious and confusing, but it is very well-done. The right audience will devour this. I can't wait to read more.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worthwile!
Comment: This was definately a novel worth reading. I look forward to gettibg my hands on the next installment. Mr. Wright has a way with words that i found delighful, though I did have to stop and look a few of them up.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting premise but...
Comment: I love the premise but I'm not so sure about the execution. The writer never really engaged me, other than some occasional flashes. I liked the book enough to finish it, but nowhere near enough to go out and buy the next in the series. The main characters have a very focused outlook (one's the science type, one's metaphysical, etc)and the author does an excellent job of adapting his writing for each. I felt out of my depth with some of the dialogue from the science type, and there was so much of it that I was often tempted to skip it completely, but who knows what I would have missed if I had. In the end, it's a toss up. I think it's worth it to give the author a shot, but for me it wasn't worth it to keep on with the series.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Well Written but Disappointing
Comment: On the one hand, I found the author's writing style to be very mature and easy to read. The story was narrated by the main character, a teenage girl, and she lent a very charming voice to the novel.
On the other hand, every character was one-dimensional, there was no character development or maturity, the plot didn't develop much (in 300-some pages!), and the almost constant dominant/submissive sexual play with our youthful heroine was both annoying and off-putting.
The cast of characters was another disappointment. It began as a small, intimate group of friends, which I rather liked, but then quite suddenly grew into a huge gaggle of oddballs with multiple names, intertwining relationships, and even flatter personalities than our main characters.
The magic system was an interesting concept -- It used hyperspace physics as a form of magic -- but I don't feel that it worked very well in practice. The lengthy explanations in the middle of the action sequences were a little annoying. It was also silly because the physics babble was really just a thin veneer for whatever struck the author's fancy.
The ending was abrupt and unresolved, but I wouldn't exactly call it a cliffhanger. Generally a cliffhanger leaves you in suspense, excited to read on. This book just left me shrugging and thinking, "Well... that went absolutely nowhere."
So there you have it. This review is one part praise and four parts criticism, and that seems like just the right ratio for this book. Not without its charm, but I certainly won't be reading the rest of the series.
Your mileage may vary.
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