by Buzz Aldrin
First published 2000
Scott Blackstone watches his career crumble when a shuttle accident kills a celebrity basketball player during what should have been a publicity triumph for his Citizen Observer program. The media attacks him, lawyers demand a billion dollars, and his aerospace dreams seem finished. His brother Nick works as research chief for a major aerospace company and convinces Scott's ex-wife Thalia, a skilled attorney, to defend him. As Thalia digs deeper, she discovers the accident may have been deliberate sabotage. Then India and Pakistan go to war. Pakistan detonates a nuclear weapon in the upper atmosphere, creating a radiation storm that traps the International Space Station crew in mortal danger. All spacecraft remain grounded while radiation floods space. Only weeks remain before the astronauts die, and no rescue seems possible. Nick may hold the key with his secret project, but time runs out quickly. Scott must overcome his personal disasters to help save lives in orbit.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, race-against-time
Setting: International Space Station, Pakistan, India
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Hardcover · Forge Books
Content warnings: violence