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keepsmiliing15's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Great audiobook/series that is a fun follow up to the tv series. It has the same feel to it and Tatiana Malslany does amazing character work as usual.
rafinator23's review against another edition
5.0
When Orphan Black was on BBC, I absolutely LOVED the show. Tatiana Maslany is an amazing actress and her portrayal of all the clones on that show was phenomenal. When I found out she was returning to Serial Box to provide her voice to the audio series, I immediately created an account and purchased the first season. Tatiana not only does every clone justice on this audiobook again, but she even does Delphine, Felix, and Art justice. I am so impressed with her talent that I can't get enough of this show and book series!
Returning to Orphan Black was a great idea as a book and audiobook series. The story for this season was really great and made me feel like I was watching the BBC series again. I hope they come out with a second season because I need more! I do not typically listen to audiobooks because I prefer to read, but this was a great read/audio each week!
Returning to Orphan Black was a great idea as a book and audiobook series. The story for this season was really great and made me feel like I was watching the BBC series again. I hope they come out with a second season because I need more! I do not typically listen to audiobooks because I prefer to read, but this was a great read/audio each week!
jaxonleerose's review against another edition
5.0
It's not the new TV season we all wished for, but I'm super happy to have a new story to see what happened to all of the sestras after the end of the show.
The sestras are back, Kira and Charolette have grown up, there's new biological crazy things happening and clones are not a thing of the past.
If you loved the show you'll really enjoy this, and season 2 has been teased!
The sestras are back, Kira and Charolette have grown up, there's new biological crazy things happening and clones are not a thing of the past.
If you loved the show you'll really enjoy this, and season 2 has been teased!
nisaak's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a great continuation to the TV show. This is why I watched the TV show. The first episode of The Next Chapter was my introduction to Clone Club. I’m really glad I listened! The next season will be out in October and that’s far too long to wait!!
xanderemrys's review
5.0
The first season was AMAZING. Listening to Tatiana narrate and do all the clone voices, even Delphine, was like balm to my soul. I loved the story, and the pacing was good. I binged it and the first couple episodes of season 2 in just a couple days. I'm so excited they're continuing the series into a franchise!
I will update this for how I feel about the second season (as I write this, episode 5 just dropped and I can't wait to listen to it.)
I will update this for how I feel about the second season (as I write this, episode 5 just dropped and I can't wait to listen to it.)
emrysmerlyn's review
3.0
This is an fascinating continuation that picks up some years after the conclusion of the television series.
Orphan Black is one of a handful of tv shows that truly changed my life. The premise was so ambitious, but somehow the production team and actors managed to pull it off. In the time since I first saw the show, I have discovered a deep and abiding love for weird fiction with odd storylines. It changed the way I view media and gave me a willingness to suspend my disbelief just a little bit further than I normally would whenever I give something new a try. Sometimes you’ll find some new that’s worth hearing about.
One of the highlights of this continuation is the fact that the formatting really allows Sarah to fade into the ensemble, rather than constantly being one of the most important driving forces for the plot. We start off with Cosima, Delphine, and Charlotte (Charlotte and Kira really shine here in a way that they couldn’t as children ). However, Charlotte has a dangerous preoccupation with making all clones go public while Kira on the other hand... falls into some high key stupid teenage rebellion that I could barely stand. She has complicated motivations, and she is trying her best to deal with the hand she’s been dealt, but after everything, I don’t think running away from home to join a sketchy genetics organization was even vaguely in the realm of good ideas. And that’s just where we meet her again! Now I get to spend the next 9 chapters (episodes?) worrying about how risky that was. She does so desperately want to be seen as an adult, in that truly confident way that all 17 year olds do.
I was glad to have a chance to take another step into this world—I suspect a little piece of my heart will always belong to clone club.
That being said, we do get some truly out-there coincidences and conspiracies in this one. My suspension of disbelief was hanging by some seriously precarious threads. I enjoyed reuniting with these characters even than I enjoyed the plot. Although, if I am going to read fiction about biological warfare and conspiracies to create genetically modified viral pandemics, 2020 was the year to do it. Perhaps it was good that I came to this continuation a year late.
As it stands, the text on its own makes for a pretty fun story, but I will definitely keep an eye out for the audiobook—I expect Tatiana Maslany’s narration adds a delightful layer to the ebook. (Edited to add: I checked the Serial Box website, and the first episode/chapter is available for free! Go, go now and listen. Tatiana Maslany is, predictably, a delight)
Thank you to NetGalley and Serial Box for approving my request for a review copy of this book!
Orphan Black is one of a handful of tv shows that truly changed my life. The premise was so ambitious, but somehow the production team and actors managed to pull it off. In the time since I first saw the show, I have discovered a deep and abiding love for weird fiction with odd storylines. It changed the way I view media and gave me a willingness to suspend my disbelief just a little bit further than I normally would whenever I give something new a try. Sometimes you’ll find some new that’s worth hearing about.
One of the highlights of this continuation is the fact that the formatting really allows Sarah to fade into the ensemble, rather than constantly being one of the most important driving forces for the plot. We start off with Cosima, Delphine, and Charlotte (Charlotte and Kira really shine here in a way that they couldn’t as children ). However, Charlotte has a dangerous preoccupation with making all clones go public while Kira on the other hand... falls into some high key stupid teenage rebellion that I could barely stand. She has complicated motivations, and she is trying her best to deal with the hand she’s been dealt, but after everything, I don’t think running away from home to join a sketchy genetics organization was even vaguely in the realm of good ideas. And that’s just where we meet her again! Now I get to spend the next 9 chapters (episodes?) worrying about how risky that was. She does so desperately want to be seen as an adult, in that truly confident way that all 17 year olds do.
I was glad to have a chance to take another step into this world—I suspect a little piece of my heart will always belong to clone club.
That being said, we do get some truly out-there coincidences and conspiracies in this one. My suspension of disbelief was hanging by some seriously precarious threads. I enjoyed reuniting with these characters even than I enjoyed the plot. Although, if I am going to read fiction about biological warfare and conspiracies to create genetically modified viral pandemics, 2020 was the year to do it. Perhaps it was good that I came to this continuation a year late.
As it stands, the text on its own makes for a pretty fun story, but I will definitely keep an eye out for the audiobook—I expect Tatiana Maslany’s narration adds a delightful layer to the ebook. (Edited to add: I checked the Serial Box website, and the first episode/chapter is available for free! Go, go now and listen. Tatiana Maslany is, predictably, a delight)
Thank you to NetGalley and Serial Box for approving my request for a review copy of this book!
amandavalrose's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dr_matthew_lloyd's review
4.0
This review will contain spoilers for the television series Orphan Black throughout, literally starting with the final episode, "To Right the Wrongs of Many". It's been more than two years and you're reading reviews of the sequel series, but I thought it fair to warn you anyway.
One thing that I've loved about the finale of Orphan Black since I watched it two years ago, which was re-kindled as I re-watched it while listening to this series, is that the conspiracy storyline wraps up pretty much halfway through the episode, and is then just... done. Helena gives birth, and then we see where these characters go next - Helena, raising her babies; Alison's music; Cosima and Delphine travelling the world to cure the Ledas; Sarah continuing to mess up raising Kira. Once all this was over with, they still had lives to go back to - well, except Rachel - and that life continued. With some sequel series or expanded universes, you do have to wonder if it's necessary. With Orphan Black, the finale set the stage for it to work.
It's eight years later. Cosima and Delphine, now married, live in Toronto where Delphine has a high-profile medical ethics job while Cosima's career has stalled as a result of her paranoia about the limelight. They play occasional host to junior clone, Charlotte, and undergrad at U of T, and seventeen-year-old Kira when she runs away from her Mom who has moved out of town. In a bid to kick-start her career, Cosima attends an interview at GRIT - the Genetics Research Institute of Toronto - with Dr Nathaniel Sturgis. Unbeknownst to Cosima, Sturgis is under surveillance by CIA operative Vivi Valdez - a woman to whom she bears a striking resemblance....
Here are some things that I loved about Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. The continuing story admits that there are difficulties to surviving in a heavily surveilled world when you are one of 274 genetically identical clones that extend beyond the convoluted conspiracy theories surrounding your creation. The story shifts focus from the four central clones of the television series to focus more on Kira and Charlotte, the children who have grown up with their own problems connected to their clone families, and who have very different perspectives on how they should exist in the world. The bit-parts played by other clones from the series (Krystal but especially Rachel ), and how they react to events in this continuation. And, of course, that it was narrated by Tatiana Maslany, who does fantastic versions of Delphine and Art, can still do all the voices of the clones she played, and is only let down by her complete inability to do Felix. It's impossible to imagine this story continuing without her in some capacity, although the coda was very cool too .
I was less keen - or perhaps better to say, not completely sold - on certain other aspects.I'm not sure that there needed to be a second generation of CIA created clones, given the huge difficulties established in the show with repeating the experiment that created projects Leda and Castor. Had Dana and her 'cousins' played more of a role, perhaps I wouldn't have minded, but it did seem for the most part like these could have all been Leda clones. Then there's my on-going difficulty with the character of Helena, whose sestras always seem to have liberated her from her abusive upbringing as a cold-blooded assassin so that they could use her as their own cold-blooded assassin. I feel like Helena needs a more complicated redemption arc than she's even been granted, but instead she's raising her eight-year-old twins in the wilderness as hunter killers, so I guess that's not going to happen.
The weird thing about the story is that I followed it and it made sense. The labyrinthine double-crossing conspiracies upon conspiracies of the television show have been replaced by the kind of plot you might expect from a group of science fiction writers interested in tech ethics, the ramifications of bioengineering, and good storytelling. A couple of things from the television show seem to have been dropped (Kira's psychic connection to all of the Leda clones, for example), but maybe they'll show up in the next series.
Fundamentally, Orphan Black TNC maintains the feel of the show (assisted by the narration and the soundtrack, to be fair), respects and cares about the characters, while also taking the story in new and interesting directions. It's about all you could want from a continuation of a beloved television series.
One thing that I've loved about the finale of Orphan Black since I watched it two years ago, which was re-kindled as I re-watched it while listening to this series, is that the conspiracy storyline wraps up pretty much halfway through the episode, and is then just... done. Helena gives birth, and then we see where these characters go next - Helena, raising her babies; Alison's music; Cosima and Delphine travelling the world to cure the Ledas; Sarah continuing to mess up raising Kira. Once all this was over with, they still had lives to go back to - well, except Rachel - and that life continued. With some sequel series or expanded universes, you do have to wonder if it's necessary. With Orphan Black, the finale set the stage for it to work.
It's eight years later. Cosima and Delphine, now married, live in Toronto where Delphine has a high-profile medical ethics job while Cosima's career has stalled as a result of her paranoia about the limelight. They play occasional host to junior clone, Charlotte, and undergrad at U of T, and seventeen-year-old Kira when she runs away from her Mom who has moved out of town. In a bid to kick-start her career, Cosima attends an interview at GRIT - the Genetics Research Institute of Toronto - with Dr Nathaniel Sturgis. Unbeknownst to Cosima, Sturgis is under surveillance by CIA operative Vivi Valdez - a woman to whom she bears a striking resemblance....
Here are some things that I loved about Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. The continuing story admits that there are difficulties to surviving in a heavily surveilled world when you are one of 274 genetically identical clones that extend beyond the convoluted conspiracy theories surrounding your creation. The story shifts focus from the four central clones of the television series to focus more on Kira and Charlotte, the children who have grown up with their own problems connected to their clone families, and who have very different perspectives on how they should exist in the world. The bit-parts played by other clones from the series (
I was less keen - or perhaps better to say, not completely sold - on certain other aspects.
The weird thing about the story is that I followed it and it made sense. The labyrinthine double-crossing conspiracies upon conspiracies of the television show have been replaced by the kind of plot you might expect from a group of science fiction writers interested in tech ethics, the ramifications of bioengineering, and good storytelling. A couple of things from the television show seem to have been dropped (Kira's psychic connection to all of the Leda clones, for example), but maybe they'll show up in the next series.
Fundamentally, Orphan Black TNC maintains the feel of the show (assisted by the narration and the soundtrack, to be fair), respects and cares about the characters, while also taking the story in new and interesting directions. It's about all you could want from a continuation of a beloved television series.
carriegessner's review
5.0
Finished this on a long car ride today, and it was so, so good. I loved revisiting the world of one of my favorite TV shows, and it was even more special because Tatiana Maslany (Sarah and all the other clones) narrated all the episodes and Jordan Gavaris (Felix) narrated the epilogue!
We got to catch up with all our favorite characters and meet new ones. There were laugh-out-loud moments juxtaposed with high stakes. And this very much leaves room for a sequel series, so I hope that's in Serial Box's plan.
And I want to live in Cophine's house.
We got to catch up with all our favorite characters and meet new ones. There were laugh-out-loud moments juxtaposed with high stakes. And this very much leaves room for a sequel series, so I hope that's in Serial Box's plan.
And I want to live in Cophine's house.
whatmattersmost's review
4.0
I was audibly excited when I heard that there was going to be a continuing story arc and that the audio would be narrated by Ms Maslany herself. The platform that was used for this retelling - set ten years after the closing events of the series, is a service called SerialBox which releases books one chapter at a time and makes us listeners wait excrutiating periods of time between chapters (ok so it was actually only a week in between but....) Luckily for you, all ten episodes have been released now so you can spare yourself the wait. Each chapter has written as well as audio launched at the same time and your subscription includes both formats which is a really interesting format. I found myself reading and listening at the same time like those read along books from childhood with the tapes that narrated.
As far as the story goes, this was definitely written with fans of the series in mind. All of the beloved core clone characters were back and I was so excited to hear their voices again through Tatiana's narration. This new story brought in a whole new set of "sestras" who are self aware. Although it was refreshing to have new characters, I feel like the origin story for those ladies was not as fully realized as I wanted them to be. I really wanted to know who was behind that experiment, how many cousins there were and how it linked back to Leda. Instead, the action focused more on a targeted bio-weapon that was set to be unleashed and the effects that they had on clones. The new "cousins" were simply a plot vector by which this weaponized virus was introduced to the plot. I wanted MORE from this younger set of clones.
I loved how they brought up the two younger characters from the original storyline who were only 8 or 9 at the time the series wrapped and framed their clone life through the lenses of teenage girls who are trying to balance their parent's experience with the one they wanted to see. Watching them come into their own over the course of the story added a satisfying layer to the evolution of all of the main characters as well as the change of perspective that time and technology can bring about.
The epilogue of this serial was narrated by none other than Jordan Gervais who played Felix in the series and left a delicious little opening through which another chapter could creep out if the authors and powers that be will allow it. I'll gladly hand over my $9.99 to continue in the tidy little Orphan Black Universe.
As far as the story goes, this was definitely written with fans of the series in mind. All of the beloved core clone characters were back and I was so excited to hear their voices again through Tatiana's narration. This new story brought in a whole new set of "sestras" who are self aware. Although it was refreshing to have new characters, I feel like the origin story for those ladies was not as fully realized as I wanted them to be. I really wanted to know who was behind that experiment, how many cousins there were and how it linked back to Leda. Instead, the action focused more on a targeted bio-weapon that was set to be unleashed and the effects that they had on clones. The new "cousins" were simply a plot vector by which this weaponized virus was introduced to the plot. I wanted MORE from this younger set of clones.
I loved how they brought up the two younger characters from the original storyline who were only 8 or 9 at the time the series wrapped and framed their clone life through the lenses of teenage girls who are trying to balance their parent's experience with the one they wanted to see. Watching them come into their own over the course of the story added a satisfying layer to the evolution of all of the main characters as well as the change of perspective that time and technology can bring about.
The epilogue of this serial was narrated by none other than Jordan Gervais who played Felix in the series and left a delicious little opening through which another chapter could creep out if the authors and powers that be will allow it. I'll gladly hand over my $9.99 to continue in the tidy little Orphan Black Universe.