Yeah, I haven't done these in a while but from now on, I will probably start doing more of these. Anyways, the first (technically second, as I reviewed @batkevin74 Jason Voorhees series, but that was like a year ago) Fan-Fic review I'll be reviewing is Splicer's The Orwells. The story centers around a world where babies can be genetically created/engineered. Many of these children share the DNA of celebrities like Rafael Nadal, Steven Spielberg and even Justin Bieber (No, I am not kidding) Anyway, this centers around a family sharing the DNA of George Orwell; or at least, adopted by a man who shares DNA with Orwell by the name of Thomas Orwell. After a series of unfortunate events, Thomas Orwell is framed as a terrorist, and the Orwell family becomes outlaws. Hunted by not only the U.S, but a slew of other countries as well, they have to rely on each other for survival.
I'm a lot more used to batkevin74 as a horror writer, but The Orwells proves that he can definitely write lighter material. Splicer's The Orwells reminds me of one of those classic 80's adventure/family films like The Goonies; where you have a group of mischievous kids going on some kind of adventure. Admiteddly, The Orwells has a bit more of a darker tone, but the charm of those movies remains here. The whole Orwell family has distinct personalities, are all generally likable, and very well developed for 14 chapters. My personal favorite would have to be Blair, I think @joygirl can back me up on this. They all have some great comedy moments, and the alot of the humor in the series is really well done. batkevin74 also manages to keep these stories very tension and suspense filled as he throws the Orwell family in pretty dark and life-threatening situations. Maybe it's his experience with horror, but he really gets the reader to root for these characters to get out.
Admittedly, while The Orwells is good, there is still room for improvement. The villains feel a little bit stale, the classic "I hate superhumans because I fear them" government pointy heads. I feel with a story like this you could really add some frightening, dark and memorable antagonists, maybe they'll show up later in the series. Also, it would be nicer for more side characters to be introduced, as 98% of the focus is on the Orwell family and it would be nice to see some more side characters for a change of pace.
Overall, Splicer's The Orwell's is a fun, entertaining and often humorous ride that is definitely worth taking. I look forward to reading more of @batkevin74's work in the future.
RATING
B/B+
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