Take a photo of a barcode or cover
"Satellite" takes place in the future, and the main character, Leo, and his two friends, twins Libra and Orion, were born and raised on Moon 2, a space station that orbits the Earth. They are finally allowed to go to Earth, and Leo goes to stay with his grandfather. However, there are many complications due to their bodies being used to the 0g of the space station, and the rest of the book follows Leo's struggle on being on Earth, on "being home". I loved this book, and would recommend it for anyone who is interested in sci-fi, or space, however, the book is formatted in text speak, with no capitalization, 'you' as 'u', and other shorthand spellings, so it may bother some people. Personally, I thought it made it seem more realistic, like Leo was actually writing it.
[Gifted]
The voice in this book is going to be the main factor that effect whether people enjoy this book, I think - it's distinctly unusual, imitating the situation of the main character, who grew up on the ISS, and so learnt to speak from shortened NASA communications. It is annoying at first, but I found I didn't notice it after I'd been reading for a long time. I read this in one sitting - I imagine it's more noticeable if you dip in and out of it.
I loved the characters - Leo is struggling with his sexuality when he only knows two people his own age, who feel like siblings to him - and I'd happily read another book set in this world.
The voice in this book is going to be the main factor that effect whether people enjoy this book, I think - it's distinctly unusual, imitating the situation of the main character, who grew up on the ISS, and so learnt to speak from shortened NASA communications. It is annoying at first, but I found I didn't notice it after I'd been reading for a long time. I read this in one sitting - I imagine it's more noticeable if you dip in and out of it.
I loved the characters - Leo is struggling with his sexuality when he only knows two people his own age, who feel like siblings to him - and I'd happily read another book set in this world.
adventurous
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found that this book didn't deliver what it promised. The themes it offers in the blurb felt underexplored or even fully unacknowledged, and I found that the writing made it difficult to engage with any of the characters. For such a long book, I was disappointed with the lack of drive to the character's motivations, and how much of it was spent leading up to barely veiled "plot twists". It felt cliched and unoriginal, which very much disappointed me as I was looking forward to something fresh and exploratory. The attempts at world-building left me confused about the time period it was set in, and even more confused by the apparent contradictions created in the obstacles the characters faced. It felt poorly plotted with poorly developed characters and sparsely considered consequences for the actions and decisions they choose. Disappointing.
4.5 stars: part of me didn't like this book but part of me absolutely loved it, mostly because I'm a bit of a space geek
Leo, Orion and Libra have lived on a satellite in space for their entire lives. Born and raised there, it’s all they’ve ever known of the universe. Sure, they’ve seen images and videos of earth and life there, but soon it’ll all become real for them. They’re finally going to earth, the home they’ve never known.
“i wonder what it's like. it's impossible to imagine. when u have only known the absence of a thing, how do u construct its feeling in ur mind?”
Satellite was definitely an interesting book. Whether I mean that in a good or bad way, I’m not even sure. There were things I liked and others that had me bored.
This entire book is told by fifteen year old Leo, and the narration is done in text speech. For example, “i c u over there.” I know that most people weren’t a fan of this, and neither was I. There was a little bit of hope it would grow on me, but the narration didn’t.
I enjoyed Leo, Libra and Orion, and the plot twist did catch me by surprise, but I was skimming through a lot of the second half of this book. I don’t think it was necessary for this to be 450 pages long.
There isn’t much else I can say about Satellite. I wouldn’t recommend it, though I can definitely see how it would appeal to others.
“i wonder what it's like. it's impossible to imagine. when u have only known the absence of a thing, how do u construct its feeling in ur mind?”
Satellite was definitely an interesting book. Whether I mean that in a good or bad way, I’m not even sure. There were things I liked and others that had me bored.
This entire book is told by fifteen year old Leo, and the narration is done in text speech. For example, “i c u over there.” I know that most people weren’t a fan of this, and neither was I. There was a little bit of hope it would grow on me, but the narration didn’t.
I enjoyed Leo, Libra and Orion, and the plot twist did catch me by surprise, but I was skimming through a lot of the second half of this book. I don’t think it was necessary for this to be 450 pages long.
There isn’t much else I can say about Satellite. I wouldn’t recommend it, though I can definitely see how it would appeal to others.
Satellite is the new book by Nick Lake, the book follow Leo a 15-year-old boy born on Moon 2 a Satellite orbiting space.
Moon 2 is all that Leo and twins Libra and Orion have every known, born in space to astronauts mothers. Leo has been waiting till his sixteen birthday when he is strong enough to go back home to earth. After all his dreaming of earth, will Leo have the ability to cope with all the new experiences once he is one earth. Leo thought living in space was dangerous but nothing is a dangerous as a planet full of billion of people with their own agenda. Now Leo, Libra and Orion will have to survive and defy all odds.
Nick Lake has beautifully written this story, but my favourite parts are Leo reactions to his new experiences on earth. Things that we take for granted, I wish I could remember my first experiences of snow and sunsets.
This book got me on a more of an emotional level, than I thought when I read the book descriptions. The book is an emotional adventure, that take an interesting take on the Young Adult Space fiction.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5.
Thank to Netgalley for allowing me to read and advanced copy.
Moon 2 is all that Leo and twins Libra and Orion have every known, born in space to astronauts mothers. Leo has been waiting till his sixteen birthday when he is strong enough to go back home to earth. After all his dreaming of earth, will Leo have the ability to cope with all the new experiences once he is one earth. Leo thought living in space was dangerous but nothing is a dangerous as a planet full of billion of people with their own agenda. Now Leo, Libra and Orion will have to survive and defy all odds.
Nick Lake has beautifully written this story, but my favourite parts are Leo reactions to his new experiences on earth. Things that we take for granted, I wish I could remember my first experiences of snow and sunsets.
This book got me on a more of an emotional level, than I thought when I read the book descriptions. The book is an emotional adventure, that take an interesting take on the Young Adult Space fiction.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5.
Thank to Netgalley for allowing me to read and advanced copy.
Satellite is one of those books that surprise you - to be completely honest, I don’t have a lot to say about the book, but I also kind of loved it. It’s one of those reads that sneaks up on you, that you think might just be an okay read, but actually turns out to be amazing, a read that makes you emotional and a read that even makes you cry. (And not because of the horrific way the book is written, but I’ll get to that.) It’s like a contemporary space book, if there’s such a thing. It isn’t a fantasy, it isn’t a space-opera, it’s just a contemporary book that happens to be set (partly) in space.
Satellite is actually an incredibly simple read, and an incredibly simple concept: Three teens were born in space, told they couldn’t come to Earth until they were 16, when they would be deemed strong enough to complete the journey home, and it’s about their adjustment back to Earth. It’s narrated entirely by Leo, and while it spends ages actually getting to the main crux of the plot, I was never actually bored. I loved reading about Moon 2, the space station where Leo, Orion and Libra live. I love the idea of being able to view Earth from space, even if it also kinda creeps me out because YOU ARE NOT ON EARTH. That is just genuinely terrifying. I love the *idea* of space, but could I actually go there? Probably not. I’d be too chicken, all things considered. But I’m OK with that.
It was also fascinating to see how Leo adjusts to being on Earth - his whole life has been in zero gravity, where he can swim in the air to get where he wants to go, where there’s no concept of down; so to have to relearn everything, simple things like walking while gravity is pulling you down was fascinating, especially since I know no different. Walking, sleeping, moving, it’s how I’ve always lived so to see it through Leo’s eyes was incredible. You don’t really appreciate how beautiful the Earth is, on a daily basis, but seeing it through Leo was something else. Small little things amazed him, and his love for bacon made me laugh. It was those small little things that made me pause whilst reading this book. And I can’t even talk about Comet. Nope, I am not doing it.
The thing that bugged me most about Satellite is the writing. I don’t know if this is how Nick Lake always writes, Satellite is my first book by him, but for some bizarre, unknown reason Leo only ever used capital letters for people’s names. And he never used the full version of you, instead he used u/u’re/ur. Ditto c for see. And thru for through. And, the worst of all, because it’s so distracting to the eye, he used the & sign instead of and. AND IT’S NEVER EXPLAINED. There is no explicit reason for why the book is written in this way. It’s not like that’s how Leo learned to write, and he managed to capitalise names, so why did Nick Lake write like that? WHY, WHY, WHY? I genuinely didn’t understand it. Unless there’s a good reason for it, it comes across as lazy.
I actually really enjoyed Satellite, text speak aside. I thought this was an emotional read. It made me wonder how I would cope if I had been born in space. (Hint: probably not well.) It made me think about what we take for granted. Everyday things like walking. Seeing a beautiful sunset or sunrise. Appreciating the beauty all around us. And I know that’s twee and airy and all those things, but we don’t appreciate our Earth enough, we’re too busy raging at everyone and everything. I would definitely read more from Nick Lake, because this kept me reading pretty much from start to finish. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew it had to be my next read and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was gripping, and incredibly emotional so keep the bloody tissues handy.
I will say right off the bat that this book is not for everyone. If you want a high-action sci-fi novel I suggest going somewhere else--or even if you want a story that gives you all the answers. However, even though I came in expecting these things, I still found that I really enjoyed this book. It's an incredibly unique story, in spite of the fact that it sounds a little like "The Space Between Us". Satellite is a story about moral quandaries, about forgiveness and love, and about breaking away from the past in order to be who we want to be. Leo is the best kind of protagonist; soft and thoughtful, but not afraid to take risks and do what's right. I loved this book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a science fiction book unlike any seen in recent years.
Disclaimer: I received this free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Leo, along with Orion and Libra, were not born on Earth. They were born in space, on the Moon 2 Space Station. They’ve never had to walk with gravity and they aren’t deemed strong enough to go back to Earth until they are 16 years old. However, when they make it to Earth, there are unexpected consequences to their arrival.
Satellite is a book that I think will be either a hit or miss to a lot of people depending on how they take to the writing style. It is written in text speak, narrated by Leo. There is no capital letters, little punctuation, and abbreviated words. I’m not sure on why this type of writing style was chosen, perhaps to highlight Leo’s youth and perhaps his distance and unfamiliarity to Earth?
I do have to say though, I am slightly disappointed in this read. I was expecting a science fiction read full of thrilling survivalist scenes in space. I was expecting something like The Martian for teens, a ‘ highly original space thriller’. Satellite had a promising opening full of science and intense scenes. However, after about the 20% mark, they made their way to Earth, and then the action stopped and the pacing lagged. Little happened and the mystery and ‘conspiracy’ was hardly there and I guessed it from the get-go.
The characters were a highlight of this book. Leo is a dreamer and a thinker. He wants nothing more than to follow in his mother’s footsteps to be an astronaut. Libra is an aspiring botanist, who longed for the day she could step onto Earth and tend to her own garden. Orion was a favourite; a music and poetry lover. I do really wish we saw more of their relationship and friendship though. Also, it was never stated on-page, but Leo is gay and showed romantic interest in Orion.
Overall, definitely not a bad book just not the book for me. I loved the science, and loved the premise, was fond of the characters but wasn’t overly fond of the pacing or the plot of the book. If it seems like your thing then go for it, I believe it will work for some people, and not for others.
Leo, along with Orion and Libra, were not born on Earth. They were born in space, on the Moon 2 Space Station. They’ve never had to walk with gravity and they aren’t deemed strong enough to go back to Earth until they are 16 years old. However, when they make it to Earth, there are unexpected consequences to their arrival.
Satellite is a book that I think will be either a hit or miss to a lot of people depending on how they take to the writing style. It is written in text speak, narrated by Leo. There is no capital letters, little punctuation, and abbreviated words. I’m not sure on why this type of writing style was chosen, perhaps to highlight Leo’s youth and perhaps his distance and unfamiliarity to Earth?
I do have to say though, I am slightly disappointed in this read. I was expecting a science fiction read full of thrilling survivalist scenes in space. I was expecting something like The Martian for teens, a ‘ highly original space thriller’. Satellite had a promising opening full of science and intense scenes. However, after about the 20% mark, they made their way to Earth, and then the action stopped and the pacing lagged. Little happened and the mystery and ‘conspiracy’ was hardly there and I guessed it from the get-go.
The characters were a highlight of this book. Leo is a dreamer and a thinker. He wants nothing more than to follow in his mother’s footsteps to be an astronaut. Libra is an aspiring botanist, who longed for the day she could step onto Earth and tend to her own garden. Orion was a favourite; a music and poetry lover. I do really wish we saw more of their relationship and friendship though. Also, it was never stated on-page, but Leo is gay and showed romantic interest in Orion.
Overall, definitely not a bad book just not the book for me. I loved the science, and loved the premise, was fond of the characters but wasn’t overly fond of the pacing or the plot of the book. If it seems like your thing then go for it, I believe it will work for some people, and not for others.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes