The Interchange


Fiction - Science Fiction
106 Pages
Reviewed on 12/30/2021
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Greetings!
My pen name is Andrew Orange.
More info:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/andreworange

    Book Review

Reviewed by Natalie Soine for Readers' Favorite

Author Andrew Orange shares a unique story of the Holiest Zen Emperor of the world, Hautama, who makes contact with university student Tim Ivanov through Tim’s dream. In this era in Moscow, Tim is the only man with whom Hautama can talk through the eons of time between them. They are different people, but their souls are one, an eccentricity of reincarnation, hence The Interchange. Tim agrees to swop bodies with Hautama. Tim awakens in Hautama’s personal residence in the year 3500, in the body of the Emperor Hautama. His Eminence Hamesha, the supreme counselor of the Emperor, explains controlled reincarnation performed by the Exchange Machine. Their community is made up of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, and Clones. The ostracized Untouchables live outside the community. When Tim discovers Project Nirvana, he is compelled to end Hautama’s reign over the world.

The Interchange is an interesting, thought-provoking novel. The story gives the reader food for thought when it comes to the world in which we live and how it is ruled by current administrations. Andrew Orange does a great job of introducing the various characters including the teachers and academia as well as the futuristic people. The scenes and locations in the current world as well as the future are vividly described and come to life in the story. The Interchange is smooth flowing and comfortable to read, filled with action and suspense as Tim must use his skills to survive and prevent disaster. All-round, a great story that is highly recommended to all adults.

K.C. Finn

The Interchange is a work of fiction in the science fiction genre. It is aimed at the adult reading audience and was penned by Andrew Orange. The book follows a young Russian student of Jewish heritage named Tim as he is visited in his dreams by a mysterious figure from the future, offering him the opportunity to swap bodies with them in the future. Upon waking up, Tim dismisses his dream as a flight of fantasy but the longer he spends thinking about the offer and its implications, the more real the proposal seems to be. Is the offer genuine, and what could the small print be?

The Interchange contained a fascinating trope that I’ve seen in numerous places before; two people on very different paths swap bodies and get to experience how the other side lives. What keeps this version of the format fresh and exciting is Andrew Orange’s gift for infusing his work with a deep sense of unreality which keeps audiences and characters alike guessing about what is real and what isn’t. An interesting angle that the book also presented was giving Tim the offer of the body swap, then showing us his daily life, one in which he experiences hardship and prejudice because of his heritage. This is a serious social issue that The Interchange touches on and uses to create a lead character that we haven’t seen in a story like this before; one who has the option of turning down the call to adventure but whose harsh reality makes the prospect of someone else’s life deliciously tempting.

JC Minnaar

The Interchange by Andrew Orange asks the question: “What would you do if you were the unquestioned sovereign of the world?” Tim is a Russian student and on the lower rung of society. One night Tim hears a voice in his head asking if he wants to switch bodies. Dreary in his half-asleep state, Tim agrees. Has Tim sealed the deal of a lifetime or made a pact with the devil? He wakes up in a strange room, in a different body and a different era in the future. The voice spoke the truth – Tim switched bodies with Hautama, Holiest Zen Emperor of Earth. Bewildered, curious, and questioning everything around him, Tim soon finds out the sunshine and rainbows of paradise are only a grandiose illusion of hell on earth.

Andrew Orange’s The Interchange is one of the most unique concepts I have read in quite a while. Tim and Hautama showcase a dichotomy of wills and intentions extremely well and captivated my interest by showing how subtle differences in ideology and life circumstances can completely change a person for better or worse. The dystopian future Tim finds himself in is described in all its gory details with Andrew Orange holding back no punches. Just when the tragedies and crimes against the world seem to peak, a whole new layer is peeled open. A story that scrutinizes zealotry, the ways of human life, and the extremes a world can turn into when one person’s rule dictates all. The Interchange is a short but thought-provoking and enjoyable read that left me in awe numerous times.