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in honour of this book's writing style, i am going to write in all lowercase for this review. satellite isn't your typical sci-fi. it's slow and very character-focused, and a lot more scientific than i was expecting; a lot of the actual science stuff went over my head. but it was good. it reminded me of a sort of reverse gravity, in fact.
satellite focuses on three teenagers - libra, orion, and the narrator leo, who were born in space and their quest to go back down to earth. as far as i could tell it was set in the near future, which was really interesting, but since it was so character-focused there really wasn't too much worldbuilding - just enough to get you situated, but it kept you fully focused on the characters. the characterization was really wonderful for almost everyone, especially leo. i really liked his character, and his personality, and he had a really strong voice - though that may be in part the writing style.
lake did a really good job of setting the tone, too - it was so wistful and nostalgic and soft, and there's a lot of waiting around but it really goes with the book. it might have been slow, but it wasn't boring.
now: the writing style. i know that a lot of people hated it, and it does take a bit to get into. my critique isn't that it was written in lowercase and text-speak, it's that it wasn't cohesive enough to sound authentic. proper nouns like names were capitalized, but "i" wasn't; abbreviations like "c" and "u're" felt clunky, because they're just ... not used. for me, who spends a lot of the time writing in lowercase, thinking in lowercase and internet vernacular - it just felt weird. and i couldn't figure out why it was written like that - though it did set the tone for the book from the start as one that was going to be softer than most sci-fi we think of.
satellite is a beautiful book. even if you're not a fan of sci-fi you might like this because it's so character driven that the sci-fi aspect isnt overwhelming.
satellite focuses on three teenagers - libra, orion, and the narrator leo, who were born in space and their quest to go back down to earth. as far as i could tell it was set in the near future, which was really interesting, but since it was so character-focused there really wasn't too much worldbuilding - just enough to get you situated, but it kept you fully focused on the characters. the characterization was really wonderful for almost everyone, especially leo. i really liked his character, and his personality, and he had a really strong voice - though that may be in part the writing style.
lake did a really good job of setting the tone, too - it was so wistful and nostalgic and soft, and there's a lot of waiting around but it really goes with the book. it might have been slow, but it wasn't boring.
now: the writing style. i know that a lot of people hated it, and it does take a bit to get into. my critique isn't that it was written in lowercase and text-speak, it's that it wasn't cohesive enough to sound authentic. proper nouns like names were capitalized, but "i" wasn't; abbreviations like "c" and "u're" felt clunky, because they're just ... not used. for me, who spends a lot of the time writing in lowercase, thinking in lowercase and internet vernacular - it just felt weird. and i couldn't figure out why it was written like that - though it did set the tone for the book from the start as one that was going to be softer than most sci-fi we think of.
satellite is a beautiful book. even if you're not a fan of sci-fi you might like this because it's so character driven that the sci-fi aspect isnt overwhelming.
Satellite is the first Nick Lake I’ve read and I was mainly drawn in by the simple premise – children born in space preparing for their first trip ‘home,’ to Earth.
The book is split into clearly-defined parts – starting in space days before Leo and his best friends Orion and Libra are due to go to Earth from the International Space Station, and the second act as they experience life on this planet. The third part deals with the consequences of the reality of their new life on Earth.
Satellite is beautifully written, describing the wonder of Earth as seen from space initially, and yet incorporating a lot of scientific language. The concept of the book really makes you think about your own existence here and the things we take for granted, like gravity and movement on this planet.
Nick Lake introduces us to the characters right at a crucial juncture, hours before Leo’s mother is due to return to the ISS from Earth and days before his leaving to go to Earth. Leo is a fascinating central character, a gentle soul with a simple dream to see his Grandpa and live on the farm in America. He is curious for knowledge and trying to live a full life, struggling with a mother who is cold, businesslike and distant. Leo’s relationship with Libra and Orion is heartwarming, having grown up on the space station together and knowing nothing else but the limited space of the station. They each have their own distinct personalities and interests, but share a common love and awe for the planet and its promise of so many dreams not yet realised for the trio.
There are several high-stakes action setpieces early on which left me with my heart in my mouth, one in space and one upon re-entry to Earth. The narrative slows down as Leo and his companions acclimatise to life on Earth. The writing takes on a lyrical tone as Leo is constantly in awe of simple concepts like rain falling, dogs running around, ball-throwing and most memorably, bacon-tasting.
The plot picks up again as Leo struggles to adapt in a near-future world, where water is ever more scarce and overpopulation has become problematic. There’s an overarching plot with hints of conspiracy theories, involving the corporatisation of space, but the plot stays tightly focused on Leo’s story.
Satellite is really a joy to read, from its descriptions of everyday life for us to its perilous setpieces in which human life seems so fragile. There’s also more than an allusion to the concept of these kids as ‘other,’ something to be feared and misunderstood. They’re painted as aliens, making us question our own welcome to ‘others’ in society.
This book is a wonderful and emotional novel, with a magical quality that emerges from the simplicity of describing the freedom of movement in space, the restrictions and beauty of Earth, and everything in between.
The book is split into clearly-defined parts – starting in space days before Leo and his best friends Orion and Libra are due to go to Earth from the International Space Station, and the second act as they experience life on this planet. The third part deals with the consequences of the reality of their new life on Earth.
Satellite is beautifully written, describing the wonder of Earth as seen from space initially, and yet incorporating a lot of scientific language. The concept of the book really makes you think about your own existence here and the things we take for granted, like gravity and movement on this planet.
Nick Lake introduces us to the characters right at a crucial juncture, hours before Leo’s mother is due to return to the ISS from Earth and days before his leaving to go to Earth. Leo is a fascinating central character, a gentle soul with a simple dream to see his Grandpa and live on the farm in America. He is curious for knowledge and trying to live a full life, struggling with a mother who is cold, businesslike and distant. Leo’s relationship with Libra and Orion is heartwarming, having grown up on the space station together and knowing nothing else but the limited space of the station. They each have their own distinct personalities and interests, but share a common love and awe for the planet and its promise of so many dreams not yet realised for the trio.
There are several high-stakes action setpieces early on which left me with my heart in my mouth, one in space and one upon re-entry to Earth. The narrative slows down as Leo and his companions acclimatise to life on Earth. The writing takes on a lyrical tone as Leo is constantly in awe of simple concepts like rain falling, dogs running around, ball-throwing and most memorably, bacon-tasting.
The plot picks up again as Leo struggles to adapt in a near-future world, where water is ever more scarce and overpopulation has become problematic. There’s an overarching plot with hints of conspiracy theories, involving the corporatisation of space, but the plot stays tightly focused on Leo’s story.
Satellite is really a joy to read, from its descriptions of everyday life for us to its perilous setpieces in which human life seems so fragile. There’s also more than an allusion to the concept of these kids as ‘other,’ something to be feared and misunderstood. They’re painted as aliens, making us question our own welcome to ‘others’ in society.
This book is a wonderful and emotional novel, with a magical quality that emerges from the simplicity of describing the freedom of movement in space, the restrictions and beauty of Earth, and everything in between.
"Nothing in the universe loves like the moon loves the earth."
This book had so many chances to go off the rails, or to outer space, if you will - but it didn't. Just fantastical enough to be believed, and a really fun read. Hit every peak on the emotional roller coaster. When are they making the movie?
This book had so many chances to go off the rails, or to outer space, if you will - but it didn't. Just fantastical enough to be believed, and a really fun read. Hit every peak on the emotional roller coaster. When are they making the movie?
Thank you to the publisher (Random House) for providing me with an ARC at the 2017 American Library Association Conference. (It was so awesome chatting with their rep about upcoming YA books!)
I waffled a bit on how exactly I should rate Satellite. I believe I'm at a solid 3.5, but rounding up to be fair. I think Nick Lake has such an interesting way of writing this story, I've described it to a few people as a "quiet suspense." The idea is captivating, and the descriptions are lyrical, but they are also paired with a lot of technical jargon relating to space and physics. Its a noteworthy juxtaposition, however the technical aspect was not interesting to me. I could definitely see how others, who like that, would enjoy those parts. I think it slams together two different versions of a sci-fi/space adventure: the cold, adventure-driven, technical classics and the more modern descriptive, human-emotion driven novels found in YA/Teen. So for that alone, I applaud Lake.
I particularly enjoyed Lake's descriptions of both what it was like to be in space, and of Leo learning how to live with gravity. I think it was a good way to experience what I have always known, and see it from a rare perspective. Lake did an excellent job using the senses (taste, sight, touch, smell, hearing) to reinforce Leo's experience of being on Earth for the first time. It seems elementary, but I truly did like the way he did it.
The pace is pretty decent, some parts seemed slower but that could also be due to the technical descriptions.
For a person to really enjoy this book to its full capacity, I think you would have to be a) very interested in space/technical things b) love great descriptions c) enjoy character development and a lot of philosophical type POV thinking. I don't think every space/sci-fi lover will be into this. I don't think everyone who likes YA "kind of realistic fiction" will like this. It's not a romance, but there are allusions to it, and sexuality. I realize this seems like a narrow category of interested readers, and it is, but I want whoever reads it, to be able to enjoy it! Because I think Nick Lake as an author deserves the recognition, just make sure you as a reader, are ready to be into it.
Perfectly appropriate for teens of all ages content wise, but full comprehension (and ability to enjoy) is probably better suited to 16+.
I waffled a bit on how exactly I should rate Satellite. I believe I'm at a solid 3.5, but rounding up to be fair. I think Nick Lake has such an interesting way of writing this story, I've described it to a few people as a "quiet suspense." The idea is captivating, and the descriptions are lyrical, but they are also paired with a lot of technical jargon relating to space and physics. Its a noteworthy juxtaposition, however the technical aspect was not interesting to me. I could definitely see how others, who like that, would enjoy those parts. I think it slams together two different versions of a sci-fi/space adventure: the cold, adventure-driven, technical classics and the more modern descriptive, human-emotion driven novels found in YA/Teen. So for that alone, I applaud Lake.
I particularly enjoyed Lake's descriptions of both what it was like to be in space, and of Leo learning how to live with gravity. I think it was a good way to experience what I have always known, and see it from a rare perspective. Lake did an excellent job using the senses (taste, sight, touch, smell, hearing) to reinforce Leo's experience of being on Earth for the first time. It seems elementary, but I truly did like the way he did it.
The pace is pretty decent, some parts seemed slower but that could also be due to the technical descriptions.
For a person to really enjoy this book to its full capacity, I think you would have to be a) very interested in space/technical things b) love great descriptions c) enjoy character development and a lot of philosophical type POV thinking. I don't think every space/sci-fi lover will be into this. I don't think everyone who likes YA "kind of realistic fiction" will like this. It's not a romance, but there are allusions to it, and sexuality. I realize this seems like a narrow category of interested readers, and it is, but I want whoever reads it, to be able to enjoy it! Because I think Nick Lake as an author deserves the recognition, just make sure you as a reader, are ready to be into it.
Perfectly appropriate for teens of all ages content wise, but full comprehension (and ability to enjoy) is probably better suited to 16+.
This book totally surprised me. An enjoyable read.
Will do a better review when I can be bothered, because i have a lot of things to say.
Will do a better review when I can be bothered, because i have a lot of things to say.
kinda like an andy weir book with all the science but weird writing style. I liked it
DNF at 30%. The writing style was entirely unnecessary, and it was just super boring. I couldn’t push myself through it.
Before you buy or read this book, YOU NEED TO KNOW - This book is written entirely in text speak
Now despite the fact that it's kind of atrocious how much text speak is in this book... I still really enjoyed it. Let me explain.
There are NO capital letters in this book except for in people and place names. Every 'and' is replaced with '&'. There are also lots of text-like acronyms. For example:
"sketches of towns. u don't c them so well in the daytime,"
"i just say over the ocean & usually i'm right."
"he says when the soil is warm from the sun & u hold it in ur hands, let it run thru ur fingers,"
These are just of few of the many examples that can be found on page one alone. If this annoys you, you will not enjoy reading this book. It will be painful.
However, I decided to power through a couple pages to see if I could get used to it and, surprisingly, I did. The author's writing style is actually quite beautiful and wonderfully introspective. I believe the text-speak is a vehicle for his writing to illustrate how disconnected Leo is from the rest of society and how he grew up surrounded by technology and had little access to conventional writings and speakers. I also got sucked into the story pretty quickly being the space/sci-fi loving book nerd that I am. I ended up really enjoying the story and all the space elements, although there were a couple 'facts' in there that I questioned a lot. I've also read (and re-read) [b: The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181] by Andy Weir which is infamous for its real science (read a story about that here: http://www.businessinsider.com/andy-weir-the-martian-science-crowdsourcing-2015-10). There were some situations that, even in passing, felt off compared to what (admittedly little) I've learned from reading The Martian.
Putting these small things aside, I also loved the story itself. We follow Leo as he finally gets to travel to Earth after having lived on a space station for his entire, 16-year life. Of course, many complications ensue both with physically adapting to life with gravity and with the emotional wreckage that comes with extreme life changes and distant parents. There is also a lot of commentary on things like climate change and large corporations/governments. The book is set somewhere between 50-60 years into the future - there aren't any apparent amazing new machines (except for "screens" which are basically a cross between holograms and smartphones) but there is a large conglomarate, "The Company", which seems to run most everything in one way or another and fresh water is scarce. The Company's plan is to figure out how to send people out into space and learn what happens to people when they live there in order to escape the dying planet.
And through all of this comes Leo, he may have been born in space but he's still trying to figure the world out just like everyone else. This is still a story about burgeoning adulthood like every great YA novel but in this case, the coming-of-age is echoed by Leo's journey to learn how to do simple things like walk or even sleep, just like a baby. The story was focused on Leo's journey as a person dealing with all this crazy stuff instead of just being a cool space tale.
TL;DR: This book is full of annonying text-speak but if you can get past that it is a wonderful, contemporary-style coming-of-age story that just happens to be set in space. Beautiful writing and ideas combine with the fun of space to create a story that draws you in and has you deeply caring about all the characters by the end.
Now despite the fact that it's kind of atrocious how much text speak is in this book... I still really enjoyed it. Let me explain.
There are NO capital letters in this book except for in people and place names. Every 'and' is replaced with '&'. There are also lots of text-like acronyms. For example:
"sketches of towns. u don't c them so well in the daytime,"
"i just say over the ocean & usually i'm right."
"he says when the soil is warm from the sun & u hold it in ur hands, let it run thru ur fingers,"
These are just of few of the many examples that can be found on page one alone. If this annoys you, you will not enjoy reading this book. It will be painful.
However, I decided to power through a couple pages to see if I could get used to it and, surprisingly, I did. The author's writing style is actually quite beautiful and wonderfully introspective. I believe the text-speak is a vehicle for his writing to illustrate how disconnected Leo is from the rest of society and how he grew up surrounded by technology and had little access to conventional writings and speakers. I also got sucked into the story pretty quickly being the space/sci-fi loving book nerd that I am. I ended up really enjoying the story and all the space elements, although there were a couple 'facts' in there that I questioned a lot. I've also read (and re-read) [b: The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181] by Andy Weir which is infamous for its real science (read a story about that here: http://www.businessinsider.com/andy-weir-the-martian-science-crowdsourcing-2015-10). There were some situations that, even in passing, felt off compared to what (admittedly little) I've learned from reading The Martian.
Putting these small things aside, I also loved the story itself. We follow Leo as he finally gets to travel to Earth after having lived on a space station for his entire, 16-year life. Of course, many complications ensue both with physically adapting to life with gravity and with the emotional wreckage that comes with extreme life changes and distant parents. There is also a lot of commentary on things like climate change and large corporations/governments. The book is set somewhere between 50-60 years into the future - there aren't any apparent amazing new machines (except for "screens" which are basically a cross between holograms and smartphones) but there is a large conglomarate, "The Company", which seems to run most everything in one way or another and fresh water is scarce. The Company's plan is to figure out how to send people out into space and learn what happens to people when they live there in order to escape the dying planet.
And through all of this comes Leo, he may have been born in space but he's still trying to figure the world out just like everyone else. This is still a story about burgeoning adulthood like every great YA novel but in this case, the coming-of-age is echoed by Leo's journey to learn how to do simple things like walk or even sleep, just like a baby. The story was focused on Leo's journey as a person dealing with all this crazy stuff instead of just being a cool space tale.
TL;DR: This book is full of annonying text-speak but if you can get past that it is a wonderful, contemporary-style coming-of-age story that just happens to be set in space. Beautiful writing and ideas combine with the fun of space to create a story that draws you in and has you deeply caring about all the characters by the end.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 stars :)
This book was a lovely story about family relationships, building your own home, and the definition of love. This was told through a lovely science fiction setting in which that "home" was in space. It also contained numerous moments of pure emotions such as love, rejection, loss, and separation, which the author perfectly encapsulated in this novel.
This book was a lovely story about family relationships, building your own home, and the definition of love. This was told through a lovely science fiction setting in which that "home" was in space. It also contained numerous moments of pure emotions such as love, rejection, loss, and separation, which the author perfectly encapsulated in this novel.