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The Orpheus Files #2
Dissonance
The vibration of connection isn’t always harmonious. Sometimes, it distorts. Sometimes, it has teeth.
Eight months after punk guitarist Shins threw himself into the vortex behind Lingley research base, the rest of his band are searching for him in the hot Arizona desert.
Nate, Jack and the others must grapple with ghosts as they end up stepping into the jaws of the fame machine, unwitting pawns in a dangerous power game of quantum proportions. Meanwhile, back in London, Costas is beginning to understand the vastness of Dawn Chorus and its tangled web. Psychedelic dreamscapes and cosmic connections unfurl with Nothing In The Cage’s music but unseen puppeteers twist it into something hateful and violent. A discordant note. Dissonance rippling outwards across the Universe.
How do they discern what’s real and what are just echoes caught in the threads? Can they find their way back to themselves?An Urban Sci-Fi tale for fans of music and theoretical physics!
Eight months after punk guitarist Shins threw himself into the vortex behind Lingley research base, the rest of his band are searching for him in the hot Arizona desert.
Nate, Jack and the others must grapple with ghosts as they end up stepping into the jaws of the fame machine, unwitting pawns in a dangerous power game of quantum proportions. Meanwhile, back in London, Costas is beginning to understand the vastness of Dawn Chorus and its tangled web. Psychedelic dreamscapes and cosmic connections unfurl with Nothing In The Cage’s music but unseen puppeteers twist it into something hateful and violent. A discordant note. Dissonance rippling outwards across the Universe.
How do they discern what’s real and what are just echoes caught in the threads? Can they find their way back to themselves?An Urban Sci-Fi tale for fans of music and theoretical physics!
287 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2023
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Alice Ewens
7 books13 followersAlice Ewens is a storyteller and story collector, a certified worrier, queer fiction writer and poet, music nerd and wannabe rockstar. What might happen if Joan Jett and Stevie Nicks ran at each other really fast, then ate a lot of cake. Born in Medway, in the South-East of the UK in the mid-80s, Alice briefly attended Bath Spa University to study creative writing. It didn’t work out. She worked as a transport consultant engineer for 10 years but that stopped working out, too. She now lives in Bristol, in the South-West of the UK, with a husband and a cat, is an avid tea-drinker and a fan of a well-placed swear word. She now works part-time in marketing and devotes the rest of her time to artistic pining. Alice's work is often confessional and maximalist, peeling back the layers of society to peer at the goings-on beneath. She hopes you won’t hold this against her.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 3, 2023
I fell in love with The Orphus Files #1, Resonance, and told everyone I know to read it - it freaking blew me away - the diversity of the characters, the music, and the uber-creative storyline. Oh, and how can I not mention the brilliant writing of author Alice Ewens! How they are a not a best selling Times book seller is beyond me! And now, after reading The Orpheus Files #2, Dissonance, I know great things are in store for this artist. Music weaves deep in their veins and it spills out on the pages in such a dreamy way, you fall into the story and can't get out. Much like the characters - Sadie and Shins and Nate and Cora and Jack and Junk - these characters are a found family who care so deeply for one another, you MUST cheer them on whether they are on stage or fighting against the agency that uses them as a weapon. In the latter half of the novel, I felt sucked into what I can only describe as a Twin Peaks episode - I was literally in the vortex with these characters and felt so out of sorts. The story continues and I cannot wait to see how it concludes!!
August 12, 2023
While it's always difficult to review a sequel without spoiling what comes before, I think Dissonance takes the best aspects of Resonance and builds on them further. I really enjoyed seeing more from the variety of characters beyond Nate's story from Jack to Costas, and I was gripped by the mystery of how they would all save their friend throughout the course of the story. There was also a well developed sense of threat and that confused sense of being off-balance while reading, which made for a strong atmosphere. Great news that there's another instalment in The Orpheus Files to come!
March 4, 2023
Ever since *spoiler for book 1* disappeared into the vortex at the end of Resonance, I’ve been patiently waiting for book 2 and it certainly did not disappoint! I absolutely adore the way Ewens writes, and not once did I feel I’d hit a slow point, so the pacing was spot on for me.
We return to the characters that we’ve grown to love, but this time the story is set in a completely different location - the dusty landscape of Sedona, Arizona. I love that the environment is so far from what we saw in Resonance, and it immediately sets the tone for the book.
No one in the central cast of characters feels like a side character. We really get a feel for what they’re all going through, and where their insecurities lie. We see them pull apart and come back together, driven by their friendship and love for each other - but manipulated by Dawn Chorus and the vortex energy, both of which seem to have their own agendas.
This series has everything I love - music, science, superpowers, and weirdness. Oh and crystals! And Sadie. She’s my fave. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 3, and I’ll be sure to keep recommending this series to everyone.
We return to the characters that we’ve grown to love, but this time the story is set in a completely different location - the dusty landscape of Sedona, Arizona. I love that the environment is so far from what we saw in Resonance, and it immediately sets the tone for the book.
No one in the central cast of characters feels like a side character. We really get a feel for what they’re all going through, and where their insecurities lie. We see them pull apart and come back together, driven by their friendship and love for each other - but manipulated by Dawn Chorus and the vortex energy, both of which seem to have their own agendas.
This series has everything I love - music, science, superpowers, and weirdness. Oh and crystals! And Sadie. She’s my fave. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 3, and I’ll be sure to keep recommending this series to everyone.
March 27, 2023
Dissonance follows the band as they go on a mission to save Shins, but very quickly find themselves in a trap, except they don't realize it until it's too late.
The beginning was a nice return to the group dynamic, and a solid reintroduction to the cast. We also get to have some fun with them as they give in to the vacation aspect of their search.
While the danger may be clear from the summary, the asides with Costas kept the plot fresh, along with the intrigue around Shins, as well as Naomi Task's complex arc.
The climax managed to be even more wild than last time, and I found the final quarter of the book hooking me so much I didn't want to put it down. Although all the magical trippy scenes could be a little confusing at times, the ideas did get across and I was never totally lost as to what was happening.
I'm patiently awaiting the next book in the series to see how the plots of Dawn Chrous will unfold.
The beginning was a nice return to the group dynamic, and a solid reintroduction to the cast. We also get to have some fun with them as they give in to the vacation aspect of their search.
While the danger may be clear from the summary, the asides with Costas kept the plot fresh, along with the intrigue around Shins, as well as Naomi Task's complex arc.
The climax managed to be even more wild than last time, and I found the final quarter of the book hooking me so much I didn't want to put it down. Although all the magical trippy scenes could be a little confusing at times, the ideas did get across and I was never totally lost as to what was happening.
I'm patiently awaiting the next book in the series to see how the plots of Dawn Chrous will unfold.
April 7, 2023
Dissonance, book 2 of The Orpheus Files, does not disappoint. It’s a mind-bending trip into the fantastical imaginative world of music and light created by Alice Ewens. Following the catastrophic events of Resonance (Book 1), this instalment takes us on a wild journey with the band, Nothing in the Cage, into the Arizona desert (and beyond) in search of their bandmate and friend Shins who disappeared through the vortex at Lingley research facility.
Dissonance reunites the reader with a cast of characters so real that you feel both the subtle and jarring emotions that drive each of them on their personal voyages of discovery. Sadie, Junk, Jack, Nate and Cora embark on a dangerous rescue mission into the heart of enemy Dawn Chorus’s territory. Nate and Cora’s presence near the vortex unleashes events that turn the world on its head.
The Arizona desert setting is a delightful backdrop to the tangled web the band find themselves in and I felt like I was right there with them enjoying the scenery, suffering the heat and brain fug, and looking up into the starry night sky.
An eloquent, gripping, synaesthetic page turner that drags you along for the ride and builds up the anticipation for book 3. The Orpheus Files is a unique approach to sci-fi fantasy. It reads like a movie and keeps you enthralled all the way through to the last page.
A magnificent, psychedelic, five stars for Dissonance.
Dissonance reunites the reader with a cast of characters so real that you feel both the subtle and jarring emotions that drive each of them on their personal voyages of discovery. Sadie, Junk, Jack, Nate and Cora embark on a dangerous rescue mission into the heart of enemy Dawn Chorus’s territory. Nate and Cora’s presence near the vortex unleashes events that turn the world on its head.
The Arizona desert setting is a delightful backdrop to the tangled web the band find themselves in and I felt like I was right there with them enjoying the scenery, suffering the heat and brain fug, and looking up into the starry night sky.
An eloquent, gripping, synaesthetic page turner that drags you along for the ride and builds up the anticipation for book 3. The Orpheus Files is a unique approach to sci-fi fantasy. It reads like a movie and keeps you enthralled all the way through to the last page.
A magnificent, psychedelic, five stars for Dissonance.
March 7, 2023
Dissonance is the perfect example of what all sequels should be like!
When sequels usually ruin what's been achieved in the first installment of the book/series/movie just for the sake of creating conflict, this book does the complete opposite: we see relationships grow stronger through hardship, and characters being developed even more while staying true to themselves.
I love how the author focuses on all the cast giving insight into their thoughts and their past. I particularly loved Sadie's perspective, while Cora remains a personal favorite of mine!
The setting was really fascinating, and I adored how hints of what was really going on beneath the surface were carefully placed here and there for the most attentive readers creating a "wait a minute, something's not right here" effect. It's like the reader is caught into the vortex energy just as much as the characters and it's absolutely brilliant.
When sequels usually ruin what's been achieved in the first installment of the book/series/movie just for the sake of creating conflict, this book does the complete opposite: we see relationships grow stronger through hardship, and characters being developed even more while staying true to themselves.
I love how the author focuses on all the cast giving insight into their thoughts and their past. I particularly loved Sadie's perspective, while Cora remains a personal favorite of mine!
The setting was really fascinating, and I adored how hints of what was really going on beneath the surface were carefully placed here and there for the most attentive readers creating a "wait a minute, something's not right here" effect. It's like the reader is caught into the vortex energy just as much as the characters and it's absolutely brilliant.
March 7, 2023
You need to have read book 1 Resonance for this book to make any sense, so go and read that first if you haven't already read it. (If you haven't already read it, what are you doing?! It will blow your mind in the best way possible)
HOLY SMOKES!
What a ride!
Unputdownable
The world and characters and narrative that Alice has created are spell-binding.
These characters are brimming with life. I want to meet them!
This story is intense. It is overpowering. It is huge. It feels like a glimpse of what our world is truly like if you really looked deeper.
Exquisitely crafted.
Amazingly written
I loved loved loved it!
10million stars!
I cannot WAIT for book 3 😁
HOLY SMOKES!
What a ride!
Unputdownable
The world and characters and narrative that Alice has created are spell-binding.
These characters are brimming with life. I want to meet them!
This story is intense. It is overpowering. It is huge. It feels like a glimpse of what our world is truly like if you really looked deeper.
Exquisitely crafted.
Amazingly written
I loved loved loved it!
10million stars!
I cannot WAIT for book 3 😁
April 11, 2024
*As copy editor for Dissonance, this is my honest review.
YOU AREN'T READY.
Part fever dream, part rock concert, part romance, part absolutely astounding sci-fi novel, Dissonance is the PERFECT second installment of The Orpheus Files. Ewens gives us everything and then some, including a creepy cult in the desert that will have you shivering as you chase them through realms of consciousness and layers of intrigue.
Book three is going to rock our world, I can already tell.
YOU AREN'T READY.
Part fever dream, part rock concert, part romance, part absolutely astounding sci-fi novel, Dissonance is the PERFECT second installment of The Orpheus Files. Ewens gives us everything and then some, including a creepy cult in the desert that will have you shivering as you chase them through realms of consciousness and layers of intrigue.
Book three is going to rock our world, I can already tell.
December 27, 2023
Second Book in This Series Blew Me Away!
I fell in love with author Alice Ewens' characters in Resonance (The Orpheus Files Book 1) — which for me, was one of the best reading experiences of 2023. The ending of that book intentionally left some important “loose ends” (understatement), and I couldn’t wait to find out how Ewens brought everything together in book 2 of the series, Dissonance.
I came to this book with some assumptions about how the storyline would play out. I was wrong! The author went in the opposite direction of what I expected, once again pulling me in with a compelling storyline that often had me reading “just a few more pages.” I did not want to put the book down. I needed to find out what would happen.
The story picks up with Nothing in the Cage bandmates in Arizona, looking for Shins, the guitarist they lost to the vortex in the English countryside. At the same time, the band is sucked into a whirlwind of fame, but it’s not destiny pulling the strings. There is a bigger force at work, and through its power to compel and control, it pulls the group of friends apart, interrupting their search and isolating them from each other.
As before, Ewens brings multiple POVs to her story. We’re swept along the nightmare, knowing that Nate, Jack, Cora, Sadie, and Junk are being horribly manipulated. We also know they have no clue. Mentally, they are shot; they are not in their right minds. Physically, they are failing (exhaustion), and yet unaware. The reader also knows what is happening to Shins, and he’s barely holding on under the abuse and exploitation of his captors. The person assigned to watch over him — who is actually concerned — is a total shocker. But it works.
What readers will learn in this book is that Dawn Chorus is frighteningly huge. And…there are others like Nate, Cora, and Shins. You will meet one or two of them — for better or worse — in this installment. You will also meet some truly horrible characters that have no humanity. There were a few side characters that added more layers of mystery and complexities to the story, such as a Native American named Pauly who talked about a sacred thin place out in the desert — but also how the “juice all dried up in the rocks.”
The author creates compelling imagery alongside a frequently disturbing scene or chain of events. It is surreal. Dissonance is a deep book, which probably should be read more slowly than I consumed it. Then again, maybe I was compelled to keep going and not stop, too. Oh, book magic at work!
There is so much more I would like to share — but they are spoilers!
I was worried about how the author would handle the ending, and there were some unsettling moments, but it was written in the way the story needed to go. There were definitely big surprises in this book, and I know the future for the members of Nothing in the Cage is going to be dark, but I was completely satisfied with how the book ended. Of course, the author lets the reader get an idea of what’s coming. It’s going to be a tough journey for these characters. I’m curious as to their fates. Bring on book number three!
Once again, Ewens writing is perfect. For lovers of urban fantasy, sci-fi-fantasy, the interconnectedness of everything, and a hard-driving beat, The Orpheus Files series needs to be on your bookshelf.
Five loud-and-clear stars to Alice Ewens and Dissonance! If you haven’t started this series yet, please pick up a copy of Resonance (the first book in the series). You’ll be hooked.
I fell in love with author Alice Ewens' characters in Resonance (The Orpheus Files Book 1) — which for me, was one of the best reading experiences of 2023. The ending of that book intentionally left some important “loose ends” (understatement), and I couldn’t wait to find out how Ewens brought everything together in book 2 of the series, Dissonance.
I came to this book with some assumptions about how the storyline would play out. I was wrong! The author went in the opposite direction of what I expected, once again pulling me in with a compelling storyline that often had me reading “just a few more pages.” I did not want to put the book down. I needed to find out what would happen.
The story picks up with Nothing in the Cage bandmates in Arizona, looking for Shins, the guitarist they lost to the vortex in the English countryside. At the same time, the band is sucked into a whirlwind of fame, but it’s not destiny pulling the strings. There is a bigger force at work, and through its power to compel and control, it pulls the group of friends apart, interrupting their search and isolating them from each other.
As before, Ewens brings multiple POVs to her story. We’re swept along the nightmare, knowing that Nate, Jack, Cora, Sadie, and Junk are being horribly manipulated. We also know they have no clue. Mentally, they are shot; they are not in their right minds. Physically, they are failing (exhaustion), and yet unaware. The reader also knows what is happening to Shins, and he’s barely holding on under the abuse and exploitation of his captors. The person assigned to watch over him — who is actually concerned — is a total shocker. But it works.
What readers will learn in this book is that Dawn Chorus is frighteningly huge. And…there are others like Nate, Cora, and Shins. You will meet one or two of them — for better or worse — in this installment. You will also meet some truly horrible characters that have no humanity. There were a few side characters that added more layers of mystery and complexities to the story, such as a Native American named Pauly who talked about a sacred thin place out in the desert — but also how the “juice all dried up in the rocks.”
The author creates compelling imagery alongside a frequently disturbing scene or chain of events. It is surreal. Dissonance is a deep book, which probably should be read more slowly than I consumed it. Then again, maybe I was compelled to keep going and not stop, too. Oh, book magic at work!
There is so much more I would like to share — but they are spoilers!
I was worried about how the author would handle the ending, and there were some unsettling moments, but it was written in the way the story needed to go. There were definitely big surprises in this book, and I know the future for the members of Nothing in the Cage is going to be dark, but I was completely satisfied with how the book ended. Of course, the author lets the reader get an idea of what’s coming. It’s going to be a tough journey for these characters. I’m curious as to their fates. Bring on book number three!
Once again, Ewens writing is perfect. For lovers of urban fantasy, sci-fi-fantasy, the interconnectedness of everything, and a hard-driving beat, The Orpheus Files series needs to be on your bookshelf.
Five loud-and-clear stars to Alice Ewens and Dissonance! If you haven’t started this series yet, please pick up a copy of Resonance (the first book in the series). You’ll be hooked.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews