A review by rottingintheplot
Orbital by Samantha Harvey

adventurous challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

“Could they see into a human’s mind? Could they know she was a young woman in love? Could they tell from this dip and rise in the EEG’s pattern that she was thinking simultaneously of earth and lover as if the two were continuous?”

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I read and digested Orbital over many days, as I do with most short but dense sci-fi novels. The writing waaaaaas beautiful. 

If the novel wasn’t titled Orbital, it could have been “Crestfallen”.

It’s less about *WHAT happens* and more about *HOW it FEELS* to see Earth from space. The astronauts’ detachment mirrors humanity’s paradoxical power/helplessness. A feeling I think we all drown in, we’re able to observe destruction but not stop it. 

If you wanted a thriller about astronauts, this isn’t it. If you want to feel sad about our environment, get on the ship.