Dark Orbit

Reviews

“Dark Orbit is intellectually daring, brilliantly imagined, strongly felt. This one’s a winner.”

“In Dark Orbit exoethnologist Sara Callicut joins a team of scientists on a mission to a newly discovered, possibly habitable planet dubbed Iris, where things go wonky in a terrible hurry…Gilman manages to tie it all together in a satisfying way though, thanks mainly to a thrilling plot structured around the conflict between science and more intuitional ways of thinking.”

“Gilman has artfully conceived and depicted her world, from the futuristic society marked by tensions among various planets, social castes, and corporations; to the planet of Iris, with its mesmerizing, crystalline botanical life forms and strange gravitational disturbances; to the intricate way of life of the native inhabitants…It’s riveting and has a lot of promise…The ethical, philosophical, and scientific dilemmas presented in this book are fascinating.”

“Consistently gripping and moving. Gilman manages to both dig deep into some pretty abstract and philosophically compelling ideas while writing a hell of a ‘first contact’ narrative and also touching on issues that are very much alive in our lives today.”

“Gripping…Gilman has created a breathtakingly strange new world, and she’s populated it with vivid, compelling characters. A thoroughly engrossing story with a fast-paced plot, memorable characters, and big ideas, this book is science fiction at its very best.”

“Blending mystery, philosophy, and science gracefully in a twisty plot, Gilman has written a challenging but ultimately satisfying space adventure that explores how the most basic preconceptions can distort our outlook. It’s a winner for any sf fan, of special appeal to those with interests in epistemology, ethics, or physics.”

“The delight of discovery should be what all SF is about, but few authors are ambitious enough to tackle a theme that big. Gilman is, she does, and the result is a masterpiece.”

“What a breath of fresh, invigorating air this novel is, full of surprises, delights, and challenging perspectives at every turn.”

“Dark Orbit does what good science fiction should do: it tells readers of a distant future in which we see our present…Gilman’s characters are delightfully imagined. The cultural wellspring from which Gilman drafts the future of humanity is deep and lush. She delves into thought-provoking speculative science one expects alongside philosophy as ancient as Plato’s cave. Dark Orbit is a stimulating and absorbing story.”

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