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A review by bites_of_books
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Orbital is a beautiful work of writing that gives a unique perspective on Earth from the point of view of 6 cosmonauts traveling on the ISS around Earth. We also get snippets of a group of astronauts heading to the moon at the same time.
It's a book that made me stop and think about our place on this Earth and the universe at large. The writing is exquisite, potentially too much so for some but for me it was intoxicating in the best way. I loved the snippets of the cosmonauts thinking about the Earth and the way that looking at it from such a long distance can create a different perspective on pretty much everything. Things like a falling tear and even them falling asleep to a movie about space can create beautiful scenes that showcase what humans are all about.
The social commentary throughout was also spot on, touching on things like climate change, political borders, technology, etc.
This could already very well be at the top of my favorite books of 2025, and it's the first one I read!
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves intricate and beautiful writing, space, philosophy, and just a unique perspective on humans.
It's a book that made me stop and think about our place on this Earth and the universe at large. The writing is exquisite, potentially too much so for some but for me it was intoxicating in the best way. I loved the snippets of the cosmonauts thinking about the Earth and the way that looking at it from such a long distance can create a different perspective on pretty much everything. Things like a falling tear and even them falling asleep to a movie about space can create beautiful scenes that showcase what humans are all about.
The social commentary throughout was also spot on, touching on things like climate change, political borders, technology, etc.
This could already very well be at the top of my favorite books of 2025, and it's the first one I read!
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves intricate and beautiful writing, space, philosophy, and just a unique perspective on humans.