Scan barcode
oviyabalan's review against another edition
5.0
The first ever sci-fi novel that I ever liked. I usually have a hate relationship with Sci-fi stories. Either I won't understand or I won't like the writing. This one was simple and a fine read...
carriehaven's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
mrschy's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good read. Medical suspense, felt realistic, and really well executed. All the characters were well written, the series of events came together nicely, and while there were terms I wasnt familiar with I never felt lost. This was my first book by this author and I'm going to have to keep an eye out for more of her work.
storymi's review against another edition
3.0
3 sterren: liked it!
+:
- Tof dat het heel anders is dan andere thrillers, doordat het helemaal rond ruimtevaart draait.
- Spannend en zit gewoon prima in elkaar. Ik kreeg door dit boek zeker de neiging om sneller door te lezen,
+/-:
- De karakters zijn niet super extreem diepgaand, maar... wel genoeg voor een thriller.
- Men... wat is dit boek vies! Haha ik dacht dat ik alles wel had gehad qua viezigheid, maar dit boek bewees dat het erger kon. Een beeld bleef een hele nacht op mijn netvlies staan:
-:
- Er zaten wel wat typische 'ga-niet-naar-de-zolder-momenten' in en dan toch gaan. Op zich komt dat natuurlijk vaker voor in een triller, maar... soms was het wel heel onlogisch. Vooral toen.
- Voor de rest geen discriminatie, maar het boek komt uit 1999 en het N-woord wordt er een keer in gebruikt op een manier die in 2021 denk ik niet meer gekozen zou worden.
+:
- Tof dat het heel anders is dan andere thrillers, doordat het helemaal rond ruimtevaart draait.
- Spannend en zit gewoon prima in elkaar. Ik kreeg door dit boek zeker de neiging om sneller door te lezen,
+/-:
- De karakters zijn niet super extreem diepgaand, maar... wel genoeg voor een thriller.
- Men... wat is dit boek vies! Haha ik dacht dat ik alles wel had gehad qua viezigheid, maar dit boek bewees dat het erger kon. Een beeld bleef een hele nacht op mijn netvlies staan:
Spoiler
iets met ontploffende lijken, lichaamssappen inademen, larven die onder je huid bewegen en tongen die worden afgebeten: echt iel!-:
- Er zaten wel wat typische 'ga-niet-naar-de-zolder-momenten' in en dan toch gaan. Op zich komt dat natuurlijk vaker voor in een triller, maar... soms was het wel heel onlogisch. Vooral toen
Spoiler
Emma terugging om een zwaar besmettelijke patiënt te reanimeren in een onzekere/gevaarlijke situatie, terwijl er al helemaal duidelijk was dat ze niet gered konden worden- Voor de rest geen discriminatie, maar het boek komt uit 1999 en het N-woord wordt er een keer in gebruikt op een manier die in 2021 denk ik niet meer gekozen zou worden.
leannaaker's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second of her books I've read....what a page turner! This was non-stop suspense, and I finished this book in a little over a day. If you like medical/science thrillers, you will love this.
snoukie95's review against another edition
I could not get into it, because I was not interested in the space travel aspects
abalvarez's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book I've picked up by veteran author Tess Gerritsen and I have to say she did not disappoint. I enjoyed the details of this very-techo-thriller and her characters were all strong, intelligent, and with agency to spare. I look forward to reading one of her other books soon!
marco5599's review
2.5
In space we go with Gravity. The movie you never saw (no, that's a different Gravity), because it was never made, but you can see it right in front of you when reading this book. All the ingredients you've come to expect from a Hollywood blockbuster are present, so, unfortunately, the not so tasty ones as well.
Oh yes, indeed, there are couples. One especially. On the brink of divorce, but still a couple. And they act like a couple on the brink of divorce. Jack and Emma. Emma and Jack. Jack. Dr. Jack. Sentimental Jack. Jackass. God, do I hate couples in stories like this. That and unprofessionalism. They usually go hand-in-hand, don't they? Couples. A bigger threat than asteroids out of control, nasty viruses or hungry aliens. Couples. They even spoil the ending. Not happy. RIP Luther. Never forget the Luthers of these books. They matter.
But enough complaining. There's enjoyable stuff too. Like geeky rocket science and things get pretty gruesome with whatever the hell it is that is infecting the astronauts. Medical thriller, my ass, that's pure horror. Loved those bits. Reminded me of what was going on in Richard Preston's spine-chiller The Hot Zone.
Oh yes, indeed, there are couples. One especially. On the brink of divorce, but still a couple. And they act like a couple on the brink of divorce. Jack and Emma. Emma and Jack. Jack. Dr. Jack. Sentimental Jack. Jackass. God, do I hate couples in stories like this. That and unprofessionalism. They usually go hand-in-hand, don't they? Couples. A bigger threat than asteroids out of control, nasty viruses or hungry aliens. Couples. They even spoil the ending. Not happy. RIP Luther. Never forget the Luthers of these books. They matter.
But enough complaining. There's enjoyable stuff too. Like geeky rocket science and things get pretty gruesome with whatever the hell it is that is infecting the astronauts. Medical thriller, my ass, that's pure horror. Loved those bits. Reminded me of what was going on in Richard Preston's spine-chiller The Hot Zone.
joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
4.0
Review first published on my blog The Fictional Reader
I picked this up when I was in a reading slump. Usually when I’m in a slump, I resort to re-reading some of my favorite books. But I didn’t really feel like doing that either! So I decided to use a completely different tactic this time: read from genres I don’t often read. This book had been on my shelf for a while, and I used to love Tess Gerritsen’s murder mysteries. This is a mystery and thriller, but also a science fiction read. So I decided to give it a go. Man, am I happy I did!
PLOT/MYSTERY
I was hooked from the first chapter. I saw some Goodreads reviews saying that they had a hard time getting into it at first. I was the complete opposite: captivated from the first page. I felt like the pacing was great. I read it in one day I think (or maybe 2) because I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what would happen next. Which development would arise now? What horrible thing would happen to the astronauts now?
So this story plays out partly in space, and partly on Earth. We follow Emma and her ex-husband (Jake?). They have both been dreaming of being in space for as long as they can remember. But Jack will never be able to be an astronaut. Why? A kidneystone was discovered. While not harmful in itself, it could be more dangerous in space. So while Jack can’t fulfill the dream, Emma can. That’s a giant strain on a marriage, which is why they are getting divorced.
At the start, Emma is training for a space mission in a few months. However, an accident happens to the wife of an astronaut currently in the ISS (International Space Station). So NASA decides to get said astronaut back, and send Emma in his place. That’s where it all starts going wrong. One of the astronauts gets sick. Really, really sick. And then he dies. What do you do with a decomposing body in a space station?
I loved that we got to follow the virus from the first moment. Because you know that astronauts will start dying, you can spot the moment the danger first arrives. That’s when you think: “uh oh”. And the dread settles in your stomach. Afterwards, you follow each new development with growing dread. It was amazing. I was flipping pages like crazy!
I have to admit that I didn’t see the twist at the end coming. Well, either of the two big twists. They were both a complete surprise to me, which is great!
CHARACTERS
I grew to like so many of the characters, not just Jack and Emma. Because an astronaut is really never alone in space, you get attached to the entire crew. And the crew on the ground as well. I loved how they fought for their astronauts, for their well being and safety. There was really only one perspective I didn’t care for, but that person only got like 2 mini chapters. I understood why the chapters were necessary, but I still didn’t care for them.
Emma is such an amazing person! She’s caring, but smart as well. When the virus starts spreading, she knows what has to be done. It may not be pretty, but it’s reality. In that moment, you have to shut off the emotions and be a scientist instead. She was an amazing main character.
At first, I didn’t like Jack at all. But he really grew on me. It was obvious that he cared for Emma. And I can imagine how losing your life long dream can be devastating. Yet he fought for the astronauts as well. He’s a doctor after all, so when things start going wrong medically, he knows he needs to help.
Overall, I’d highly recommend this book! Even if you don’t often read science fiction or mysteries, this is a great place to start. I’m so glad I decided to pick it up after all!
I picked this up when I was in a reading slump. Usually when I’m in a slump, I resort to re-reading some of my favorite books. But I didn’t really feel like doing that either! So I decided to use a completely different tactic this time: read from genres I don’t often read. This book had been on my shelf for a while, and I used to love Tess Gerritsen’s murder mysteries. This is a mystery and thriller, but also a science fiction read. So I decided to give it a go. Man, am I happy I did!
PLOT/MYSTERY
I was hooked from the first chapter. I saw some Goodreads reviews saying that they had a hard time getting into it at first. I was the complete opposite: captivated from the first page. I felt like the pacing was great. I read it in one day I think (or maybe 2) because I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what would happen next. Which development would arise now? What horrible thing would happen to the astronauts now?
So this story plays out partly in space, and partly on Earth. We follow Emma and her ex-husband (Jake?). They have both been dreaming of being in space for as long as they can remember. But Jack will never be able to be an astronaut. Why? A kidneystone was discovered. While not harmful in itself, it could be more dangerous in space. So while Jack can’t fulfill the dream, Emma can. That’s a giant strain on a marriage, which is why they are getting divorced.
At the start, Emma is training for a space mission in a few months. However, an accident happens to the wife of an astronaut currently in the ISS (International Space Station). So NASA decides to get said astronaut back, and send Emma in his place. That’s where it all starts going wrong. One of the astronauts gets sick. Really, really sick. And then he dies. What do you do with a decomposing body in a space station?
I loved that we got to follow the virus from the first moment. Because you know that astronauts will start dying, you can spot the moment the danger first arrives. That’s when you think: “uh oh”. And the dread settles in your stomach. Afterwards, you follow each new development with growing dread. It was amazing. I was flipping pages like crazy!
I have to admit that I didn’t see the twist at the end coming. Well, either of the two big twists. They were both a complete surprise to me, which is great!
CHARACTERS
I grew to like so many of the characters, not just Jack and Emma. Because an astronaut is really never alone in space, you get attached to the entire crew. And the crew on the ground as well. I loved how they fought for their astronauts, for their well being and safety. There was really only one perspective I didn’t care for, but that person only got like 2 mini chapters. I understood why the chapters were necessary, but I still didn’t care for them.
Emma is such an amazing person! She’s caring, but smart as well. When the virus starts spreading, she knows what has to be done. It may not be pretty, but it’s reality. In that moment, you have to shut off the emotions and be a scientist instead. She was an amazing main character.
At first, I didn’t like Jack at all. But he really grew on me. It was obvious that he cared for Emma. And I can imagine how losing your life long dream can be devastating. Yet he fought for the astronauts as well. He’s a doctor after all, so when things start going wrong medically, he knows he needs to help.
Overall, I’d highly recommend this book! Even if you don’t often read science fiction or mysteries, this is a great place to start. I’m so glad I decided to pick it up after all!
andrew_russell's review against another edition
3.0
Pros: Great concept, very well written, brilliant characters and a well researched book
Cons: Lost some credibility towards the end (won't spoil it for other readers) and therefore became a bit more like a Hollywood movie than a credible novel.
Overall: Well worth a read. Kept me on the edge of my seat until the conclusion. Very graphically detailed scenes of death throughout the book which I felt added to the realism but may put other readers off.
Cons: Lost some credibility towards the end (won't spoil it for other readers) and therefore became a bit more like a Hollywood movie than a credible novel.
Overall: Well worth a read. Kept me on the edge of my seat until the conclusion. Very graphically detailed scenes of death throughout the book which I felt added to the realism but may put other readers off.