The Orbital Review
The Orbital Review is a literary journal under Orbital Press that delves into a wide range of topics. Featuring insightful book reviews by D.J. Hoskins, the journal also includes chess analyses, personal essays, reflective pieces, and poems, offering readers a thoughtful blend of literary critique and creative exploration.
Essays
Book Reviews
Poetry
Chess
Short Stories
Book Samples
Photography
Videos
A Message For President Trump
Antietam National Battlefield - Winter
Time
Greenbrier State Park - Winter
Time
Sacrificing Chess for Go
It’s over…
Spartan Anthem - Epic Music Genre
Roxy’s Night Club - Wave, Trance Genre
Sidewalk Shadows - Dark Wave, Gothic Genre
Sun Shroud - Wave, Trance Genre
Encantis - Epic Music Genre
Life After Writing 30 Books
On the other side of success lies emptiness.
I once thought that after writing 30 books with my brother, I would be imbued with a profound sense of fulfillment, a distinct notion of accomplishment that would be coupled with achievement.
Week 3 Reflections in the Snow
The rigor is here! And I feel like I am veritably dying in my classes, metaphorically. It can’t be denied that being at Princeton as a student is a privilege. Although it’s very easy to become out of touch with the outside world when walking around the very safe pedestrian campus commonly referred to as “the orange bubble.”
Book Review: Spare by Prince Harry
The story of someone’s life has always been complicated. Pressed with ups and downs, trials and tribulations despite being born into a royal ancient family—or indeed because of it—Prince Harry’s memoir Spare is a painful, open, and honest rendition of a life explicitly lived under the public eye.
The Sorrows of Young Werther Book Review
Be on your guard … and take care not to fall in love!"
Visiting an idyllic German village, Werther, a sensitive and romantic young man, meets and falls in love with sweet-natured Lotte. Although he realizes that Lotte is to marry Albert, he is unable to subdue his passion for her and his infatuation torments him to the point of absolute despair. The first great ‘confessional’ novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther draws both on Goethe’s own unrequited love for Charlotte Buff and on the death of his friend Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem. The book was an immediate success and a cult rapidly grew up around it, resulting in numerous imitations as well as violent criticism and even suppression for its apparent recommendation of suicide.
Flash Boys Book Review
"Guaranteed to make blood boil." ―Janet Maslin, New York Times
In Michael Lewis's game-changing bestseller, a small group of Wall Street iconoclasts realize that the U.S. stock market has been rigged for the benefit of insiders. They band together―some of them walking away from seven-figure salaries―to investigate, expose, and reform the insidious new ways that Wall Street generates profits.
The Power of Libraries
"You could destroy all the other Harvard buildings and, with Widener left standing, still have a university." G.L. Kittredge
First Week of Spring Classes at Princeton
How to describe my first week of spring classes? Easy?
It is only so for now. Princeton’s add/drop period, which many students dub our “shopping” period, is a time when you can “try out” a potential class or classes that you’re including in your schedule. Due to the lower level of commitment, the workload is fairly light for the first two weeks. Once the third week begins, many classes get harder, and the true rigor sets in.
A Co-Author of 30 Books at Princeton
What is it like being a 30-book author at Princeton?
Quite strange. Perhaps historic. I came to Princeton for a couple of reasons: a) safety, b) academics.
What do I mean by safety? Princeton, both the university and the town, are very safe. While I was considering applying to transfer to Ivy League schools, making sure I was in a safe area was a high priority. What was the point of undergoing a rigorous and prestigious education if I ended up dead?
Einstein: His Life and Universe Book Review
I ended up reading this book shortly after watching the movie Oppenheimer. Since I was curious as to what Einsteins involvement with the atomic bomb was.
My Life As Death: Sample Chapter
"Maria Castus, Age 22, Car Accident."
Closing the notebook, the man slips it into his long black cloak.
"I always find those who die tragically, the most amusing." Death mutters, standing on the side of the road.
A dim light flickers in the middle of the highway as the firemen go about their work. Emergency vehicles litter the area, while traffic is escorted around the accident.
War Mice: Sample Chapter
"In war...death is what always happens." Private Eaton's words echo in his own haunted mind. Plagued by the memories of previous tours and dead friends, he strides, eyes closed and unwilling, back onto the battlefield — this time, on a rescue mission. Assault rifle in paw, he is pressured to hold the line for himself and fellow comrades.