Duplex: A Micropowers Novel
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- Create Date：2021-08-08 07:18:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Orson Scott Card
- ISBN：B08YRZM3TP
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Ryan wakes up to find his contractor dad building walls to turn their big old house into a duplex。 The family that moves into the other side includes Bizzy Horvat， the pretty girl he has a crush on at school。 Bizzy claims her mother is a witch with the power to curse people with clumsiness or， in Bizzy’s case， astonishing beauty。
When a bee gets caught in Bizzy’s hair， Ryan acts so quickly and radically to save her from getting stung that he attracts the attention of a group of micropotents — people with micropowers。 He soon realizes that Bizzy and her mother also have such powers。 It becomes Ryan’s job， with the help of the other micropotents， to protect the Horvats from a group of witch hunters from their native country， who are determined to kill Bizzy， her mother， and all the other “witches” — micropotents — who have gathered to protect them
When a bee gets caught in Bizzy’s hair， Ryan acts so quickly and radically to save her from getting stung that he attracts the attention of a group of micropotents — people with micropowers。 He soon realizes that Bizzy and her mother also have such powers。 It becomes Ryan’s job， with the help of the other micropotents， to protect the Horvats from a group of witch hunters from their native country， who are determined to kill Bizzy， her mother， and all the other “witches” — micropotents — who have gathered to protect them
Reviews
Casey Wheeler
，
I have found this author in the past to be either very good or not so good。 This is a not so good one。 The basic premise of the novel is good teenagers with micropowers with one of them pursued by witch hungers。 Unfortunately， the writing， dialogue and pace of the book made it a slog for me to read。 In fairness， other reviewers raved about the book。 I will let you decide which it is for you。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding I have found this author in the past to be either very good or not so good。 This is a not so good one。 The basic premise of the novel is good teenagers with micropowers with one of them pursued by witch hungers。 Unfortunately， the writing， dialogue and pace of the book made it a slog for me to read。 In fairness， other reviewers raved about the book。 I will let you decide which it is for you。I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog。 。。。more
MizzyRed
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I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I wasn't sure I was going to like this right in the beginning because I found Ryan to be a bit too cheeky， talking back to his teachers/parents and all。 That completely changed when Bizzy came onto the scene。 Then it was nonstop excitement and danger as we learned about micropots and those were hunting them。 I really like the idea of micropots！ They are quite believable and I think it would be cool if t I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。I wasn't sure I was going to like this right in the beginning because I found Ryan to be a bit too cheeky， talking back to his teachers/parents and all。 That completely changed when Bizzy came onto the scene。 Then it was nonstop excitement and danger as we learned about micropots and those were hunting them。 I really like the idea of micropots！ They are quite believable and I think it would be cool if they were real for this world。 They almost could be， some of them anyways and just be explained as quirks that some people have。 This was a good story and even though it reads as a standalone， I would not mind reading more about this world！ 。。。more
Cmadler
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This book had two interwoven storylines， one about teenagers with micropowers -- small powers， like the ability to make people yawn， the ability to make facial hair grow faster， and the ability to tell whether a belly button is an innie or an outie -- the other about one such teenager （Ryan） trying to come to terms with his parents' separation。I liked the basic micropower idea。 I also liked the idea of a group of people with such powers banding together to try to find creative ways to make bette This book had two interwoven storylines， one about teenagers with micropowers -- small powers， like the ability to make people yawn， the ability to make facial hair grow faster， and the ability to tell whether a belly button is an innie or an outie -- the other about one such teenager （Ryan） trying to come to terms with his parents' separation。I liked the basic micropower idea。 I also liked the idea of a group of people with such powers banding together to try to find creative ways to make better use of their micropowers。 I was onboard with the idea of "witch hunters" coming after them。 I also liked Card's illustration of the family dynamics in Ryan's home， and the struggles of having the house suddenly converted into a duplex。Where I found this book weak was in the thought process and dialogue of the children。 These teenagers -- supposedly normal aside from their micropowers -- have the reasoning ability of Sherlock Homes， and they speak in fully punctuated sentences （semicolons and all）。 I've read a lot of Card's work （almost every novel he's published， including multiple versions where they've been published）， so I know he can do better than this， and that's what makes this really disappointing。 I don't know if he was distracted by another project or if he thought this would be good enough for a book that will be marketed as "young adult"， but either way， the dialogue and thoughts of the children here are distractingly unrealistic （when they're supposed to be mostly ordinary kids）。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Daniel Rose
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Ryan is a kid that you would call a nerd his best friend is defense also a nerd。 When Ryan's dad and mom separate and Ryan's dad turn there house into a duplex Ryan meets his new neighbor bizzy。 The story spun by Orson Scott card is well written with some fantasy themes that make the story interesting。 I really enjoyed the story I felt like I could relate to some of the characters and how they acted as well as the decisions they made。 Ryan is a kid that you would call a nerd his best friend is defense also a nerd。 When Ryan's dad and mom separate and Ryan's dad turn there house into a duplex Ryan meets his new neighbor bizzy。 The story spun by Orson Scott card is well written with some fantasy themes that make the story interesting。 I really enjoyed the story I felt like I could relate to some of the characters and how they acted as well as the decisions they made。 。。。more
Kate
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I was excited to receive this ARC since I am a big Orson Scott Card fan， and this book did not disappoint！ I didn't realize until I started reading it that it tied into Lost and Found， another book he published a couple of years ago。 Both books have characters with "micropowers" and while different from his previous books， I find them to be witty and entertaining。 The characters are rich and complex， the plot is intriguing， and the book is a really great "coming of age" read the covers some deep I was excited to receive this ARC since I am a big Orson Scott Card fan， and this book did not disappoint！ I didn't realize until I started reading it that it tied into Lost and Found， another book he published a couple of years ago。 Both books have characters with "micropowers" and while different from his previous books， I find them to be witty and entertaining。 The characters are rich and complex， the plot is intriguing， and the book is a really great "coming of age" read the covers some deep topics in a different way than many other books do。 I thought this book was quite interesting and thought provoking。 。。。more
Kristine
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This book takes a little bit of time to get used to the style of writing - or at least it did for me。 It is very apparent from the beginning that this book is a YA book。 I'm only mentioning this because I have found recently that some of the books in this YA genre should REALLY not be in this genre。 We get introduced to Ryan and then eventually to his new neighbor Bizzy。 As I began to read this， I was thinking that the writing style was reminding me of something familiar。 When I began to try to This book takes a little bit of time to get used to the style of writing - or at least it did for me。 It is very apparent from the beginning that this book is a YA book。 I'm only mentioning this because I have found recently that some of the books in this YA genre should REALLY not be in this genre。 We get introduced to Ryan and then eventually to his new neighbor Bizzy。 As I began to read this， I was thinking that the writing style was reminding me of something familiar。 When I began to try to figure that out， I realized that there are some things that remind me of the writing of TJ Klune。 I mean this as the most utmost compliment because I LOVE TJ Klune and his writing is always so amazing。 Sometimes innocent， sometimes quirky。 That was what was resonating with me。This book IS quirky。 It does take a while to settle down and there were times in the beginning that I wasn't sure if I was going to continue， but I did and I'm glad that I did。Be patient and the you will get to meet some unusual but interesting characters who end up making this story original and one to resonate with you as a reader。Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC。 The opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone。 。。。more
Carolyn Bragg
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Ryan is in the 8th grade; 15 years old， and his life stinks。 He fights with his family， his best friend is an idiot who's hobby is goading “deserving” people into a rage， and his parents are splitting up。 His dad， a contractor， is building walls to split their large house into a duplex to bring in money; eliminating （their side of） the bathroom with a shower and Ryan’s bedroom！The only thing he has going for him is school; his good grades。 And he maintains those while sleeping through some class Ryan is in the 8th grade; 15 years old， and his life stinks。 He fights with his family， his best friend is an idiot who's hobby is goading “deserving” people into a rage， and his parents are splitting up。 His dad， a contractor， is building walls to split their large house into a duplex to bring in money; eliminating （their side of） the bathroom with a shower and Ryan’s bedroom！The only thing he has going for him is school; his good grades。 And he maintains those while sleeping through some classes and zoning out when he should be listening。 Although school receives his only responsible efforts， it’s easy for him， and he's likable， so most teachers don't hassle him about his bad example as long as he keeps up， and his test scores are high。 A new girl in school catches his attention。 Typical story， right？ Except。。。he gets home， and the girl and her family are moving into the other half of his house。 The good half。 She has her good points; she's super smart， nice， a bit tough， and beautiful。 And she seems to like Ryan。 But her mom is a witch who curses people。 Well， you can't choose your relatives， right？Bizzy （with a "y"） is the new girl in school， and she's hoping to fill an empty spot in her "friend zone" while keeping a fairly low profile。 Ryan is fun and smart， but meeting her has given him goofy ideas about future marriage and breaking through the friend zone。 This will take some effort he isn’t used to， but he feels unusually motivated。What neither of them knows quite yet， is that they share one more thing。 They call the people micropotents， and they have a special talent or power。 Nothing as helpful as super strength; the talents are random and scattered among people in nearby areas。 Fledgling powers may seem silly or trivial， but Bizzy's ability attracts attention， and Ryan's can save a life， or take one。Ryan is waking up to a couple of harsh realities about life and himself。 His choices will change the lives of dozens of people。I wasn’t aware that Orson Scott Card， the author of Ender’s Game （a personal favorite）， was still writing for teens and YA。 So I was very interested to read this comparatively short fantasy book。 The two books should not be compared except that both stories are about young males who saw their worlds and realities on way， but made important moral and personal choices as they discovered that life was not as it had seemed。Duplex is real life plus minor fantasy abilities。 Which I assume is why the talented are called micro-potent （micropotent， micropots）。 It’s an obvious “Don’t worry， folks！ These are tiny abilities， so they’re not superheroes！” The author， well-known for his character-driven work， writes characters with flaws and insecurities， and even walk-ons rate some depth in his books （in my experience）。I read this book with no preconceptions， and enjoyed the ride。 Although I reserved some doubts about some individuals， （and I believe strongly that kids under 18–especially under 16–are too emotionally immature for romantic kissing and the rejections and rollercoasters of paired relationships）， I enjoyed this book， and I look forward to reading other books in the Micropower series！ I recommend this story to teens or adults looking for something unusual yet familiar， with some very tense scenes！4/5 StarsThanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the preview of this adventure！#Duplex #NetGalley 。。。more
Kathreadya
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Really enjoyed this "micropwers" YA fantasy book！I've been a fan of author Orson Scott Card for a long time， so was excited to hear he had a new book coming out， and really enjoyed Duplex！The idea of Micropowers- small， often silly super powers certain people have was delightfully played out， and really caught my interest right away！ I liked Ryan as the hero， but Bizzy stole my heart with her wit and humor。 This is a fun， engaging fantasy with likable characters and fantastic world building。 Dup Really enjoyed this "micropwers" YA fantasy book！I've been a fan of author Orson Scott Card for a long time， so was excited to hear he had a new book coming out， and really enjoyed Duplex！The idea of Micropowers- small， often silly super powers certain people have was delightfully played out， and really caught my interest right away！ I liked Ryan as the hero， but Bizzy stole my heart with her wit and humor。 This is a fun， engaging fantasy with likable characters and fantastic world building。 Duplex proves that author Orson Scott Card continues to create original fantasy worlds that could be right next door。 Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc。 。。。more
Jim
，
My appreciation to Blackstone Publishing， NetGalley， and indirectly to Orson Scott Card for an early-access digital copy in return for an unbiased review。Like many of my generation， I was floored by Ender's Game in the mid 1980s。 It was a story about an exceptional child doing exceptional things and understanding that with those powers comes exceptional responsibility。Two concepts remained with me。 First， that Card went into great detail to explain what it was inside Ender that made him who he w My appreciation to Blackstone Publishing， NetGalley， and indirectly to Orson Scott Card for an early-access digital copy in return for an unbiased review。Like many of my generation， I was floored by Ender's Game in the mid 1980s。 It was a story about an exceptional child doing exceptional things and understanding that with those powers comes exceptional responsibility。Two concepts remained with me。 First， that Card went into great detail to explain what it was inside Ender that made him who he was。 It was very easy to identify with Ender， even though I was never a candidate to become a genius military strategist。 And second， the story of his two siblings was an idealized snapshot of what， eventually， has turned into places like Reddit and local message boards。 The only pieces Card missed were that anonymity invariably turns people into narcissistic jerks and no one seems to read anything written with nuance or longer than 280 characters。Point Dorsey。 Sadly。But here we are 36 years after the publication of the full version of Ender's Game。 Card is still writing young adult novels - there have been 19 in the Ender series alone， along with dozens of short stories。 I haven't kept up。 I tried in the '80s and didn't find the subsequent work as interesting。This isn't a review of the Ender series， however。 Card has written a lot of other young adult fiction。 Duplex， which will be released in September， is apparently part of a new fantasy world。 I don't know if Card is planning other novels for this series or whether it will catch on。Duplex begins as a 15-year-old boy， Ryan Burke， comes down to breakfast one morning and finds his father dividing the family home into two。 Dad's moving out and a new family will move into the new half-house。Later， at school， Ryan meets a new student， Bizzy Horvat， and it's clear to him and everyone around him that he is in love。 Inevitably， it seems， because two such notable events must be intricately connected （it's not like we're delving into James Joyce style stream-of-consciousness here）， Ryan comes home from school to find Bizzy and her family moving into the freshly walled side of his home。 Bizzy's parents are from Slovenia， though she was born in the US。Soon， we learn something important about Ryan and Bizzy。 They are both "Micropotents"， which means they have one unusual superpower。 If you've seen the first season of the television series Heroes - yes， precisely that。 Bizzy's power attracts a lot of attention， which connects them to a group of Micropotents led by a local professor。An element of danger is added in the form of Bizzy's mother， who has her own power and claims people are trying to kill her because those with unusual powers are considered witches in Slovenia and have been trying to track her down for decades。That's how the novel is set up。 Ryan and his parents' marital difficulties。 Ryan and his crush on the girl next door。 The potential life-threatening danger facing Bizzy。 And this group of heroes with unusual powers。I found two themes within the novel notable。First， from a stylistic perspective， dialogue in this novel is not typical high-school dialogue。 Characters speak without superfluous thoughts。 They are extraordinarily eloquent。 Adults and teens speak with the same voice。 Everyone is similarly mildly sarcastic and somewhat self-deprecating。 You can almost hear a faint fake British accent as they verbally joust with each other。 Tally-Ho。They instantly understand situations with a maturity far beyond their years。 When the Micropotents assemble to discuss their powers， they solve problems efficiently with deductions and insights that reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and Dr。 Watson working a difficult puzzle based on arcane knowledge and lightning-fast reasoning。You， as the reader， cannot possibly track this or even understand it。 In this sense， I didn't enjoy Duplex the way I enjoyed Ender's tale。 It is very well written， but Card works too hard to stay ahead of us。 Even Ryan's younger sister， Dianne， understands small details in her parents' behavior and makes deductions that should require many years of relationship experience。Vasco de Gama High School is not a high school you or I would ever attend。 Not that most high schools are named after 15th Century explorers most notable for amazing cruelty in their conquests。 Second， I found Ryan's development during the course of the novel more interesting than his story。 When the novel begins， he is simply an eloquent valedictorian-level student who is mildly sarcastic to friends， teachers and parents alike。 His love for Bizzy transforms him into someone with far greater depth。 And the challenges he faces in learning about his own power teach him， as similar circumstances taught Ender， that power creates extraordinary responsibility。 We feel for Ryan in a way that we wouldn't if he didn't distinguish himself from his monotonous collection of glib and scarily intelligent peers。In that sense， Ryan's unusual and impossible challenge becomes something else。 Readers can gain inspiration from the way he tries to better himself。 We all have micropowers， it seems， and we all are responsible for making the world just a little bit better。 This is what makes Duplex far better than the average young adult novel， though it doesn't have the depth （well， nothing else does in this genre） of the Harry Potter series。While I liked Duplex， I didn't love it。 I'm not sure I would want the Micropotents to assemble once again， with new challenges awaiting。 Young Dahlia's power to make anyone yawn might， then， become Card's own special ability。 But I'm giving Duplex a thumbs up。 。。。more
Megan Forrest
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This is another Micropowers novel from Orson Scott Card （so watch out for some of the recurring characters）， and as with 'Lost and Found'， this is an exploration of a new aspect of 'power' in maturing from a teenager to a young adult， exploring the idea of a 'tiny' power （rather than a superpower）。 Orson Scott Card designs a teenage love story with a twist。 Ryan is coping with his parents separation and their own secrets， as well as falling in love with the girl next door。 It is a delightful sto This is another Micropowers novel from Orson Scott Card （so watch out for some of the recurring characters）， and as with 'Lost and Found'， this is an exploration of a new aspect of 'power' in maturing from a teenager to a young adult， exploring the idea of a 'tiny' power （rather than a superpower）。 Orson Scott Card designs a teenage love story with a twist。 Ryan is coping with his parents separation and their own secrets， as well as falling in love with the girl next door。 It is a delightful story that will enthrall all ages of readers。 I would buy these books without hesitation for any reader from Middle School up - as an adult I enjoyed it just as much as they will！ 。。。more
Tales Untangled
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you for this opportunity！I haven't read anything from Orson Scott Card in a long time and wondered if he would catch me with this book。 I was surprised by Duplex。 I really enjoyed it！There are lots of funny and smart conversations， but there are also moral dilemmas。The beginning is so well-grounded in the real world， and the thread of Ryan's family problems continues through to the end， making the novel feel very real。 Then I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you for this opportunity！I haven't read anything from Orson Scott Card in a long time and wondered if he would catch me with this book。 I was surprised by Duplex。 I really enjoyed it！There are lots of funny and smart conversations， but there are also moral dilemmas。The beginning is so well-grounded in the real world， and the thread of Ryan's family problems continues through to the end， making the novel feel very real。 Then combine this angsty mundane vibe with the discovery of a micropower （superpower）， creating a twist on superheroes。Have you ever known a stunningly beautiful woman？ I've met one or two。 Women tend to be jealous of them， and men turn into idiots around them。 I bring this up because a theme in this novel could be described as how are we affected by beauty？ How is the beautiful one's life changed？ Another theme is how does violence affect us？ And the third theme I would describe as being what do we do with our choices？I think this book with be loved by both YA and adult readers。I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Goran
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This is a solid YA book。 You’ve got the typical hyperintelligent teen as is common in many of Card’s most popular works， mixed with a more down-to-earth urban fantasy story compared to the actual sci-fi we usually get。 It’s mostly a very twee romance story between two kids， mixed with some superpower （“micropower”） stuff。 It’s a fun book for kids， but that’s about it。 You won’t find anything here Card hasn’t done better in other books。 I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing fo This is a solid YA book。 You’ve got the typical hyperintelligent teen as is common in many of Card’s most popular works， mixed with a more down-to-earth urban fantasy story compared to the actual sci-fi we usually get。 It’s mostly a very twee romance story between two kids， mixed with some superpower （“micropower”） stuff。 It’s a fun book for kids， but that’s about it。 You won’t find anything here Card hasn’t done better in other books。 I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC。 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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