Reviews for Orbit [With Headphones]

The average rating for Orbit [With Headphones] based on 2 reviews is 1.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-07-22 00:00:00 Alex Vanhecke This book was difficult for me. I found the basic idea fascinating, and the scenes with real action and tension all worked well for me. But the majority of the book I had real problems with. The use of present tense was fine for the previously mentioned action/tension scenes, but made the quiet and emotional scenes fall flat. I found Kip to be mostly obnoxious instead of as likable as the author clearly found him. All of the female characters in the book (all three of them) were one-dimensional and mostly shadows, except for the supposed 'love interest,' whose relationship with Kip I did not find believable at all. The set-up to get Kip into space was tortured, but, as I started with, the idea of him up alone in space and facing himself and his life is an interesting one. I just felt much of this book fumbled with that idea, though the inner workings of NASA felt like they were very realistic. I think the book would have been better off focusing more on that and less on the emotional subplots.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-02-04 00:00:00 William Wilson *POSSIBLE SPOILERS WITHIN* It is not often that I am embarrassed for a New York Times bestselling author, but this is one of those cases. An average concept (space tourist all alone in orbit) was squandered by Mr. Nance. A thriller this was not. The premise used to get to the concept was thin, the implementation weak, the characters shallow and the main character's impact on the world overexaggerated to the point of farce. Raised eyebrows and skipped pages were the norm for this read. The longer the book lasted, this effect snowballed for me, and I should have just quit reading it. A melancholy retrospective on a wasted life, perhaps this is. A chance for the author to indulge in a bit of autobiographical catharsis, perhaps this is also. A gripping science fiction novel this is not. On a personal note, if this book really is autobiographical, Mr. Nance, I feel sorry for you on another level. The plot was so telegraphed, I kept checking the book's spine for the name "Western Union." The "space bureaucracy/espionage" part of the story was boring and hollow. If you're looking for a cure for insomnia, this book is the trick. Nance put me to sleep no fewer than a dozen nights as I mindlessly skimmed pages and slogged my way to the book's inevitable, obvious, underwhelming conclusion. He almost took away my desire to read entirely. I'm really not sure what anyone saw in this book, but I advise you to summarily dismiss it on all levels and never read it.