SFF

Dark Orbit

by Carolyn Ives Gilman
Tor. Jul. 2015. 304p. ISBN 9780765336293. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466827691. SF
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Exoethnologist Sara Callicot is a waster, a traveler by light beam to distant space, unable to maintain normal relationships with other humans because she ages decades during each of her missions. When a questship reports discovery of a planet that may support life, Sara is recruited to go, not just as a scientist but to watch secretly Thora Lassiter, a mission member with a history of instability and the daughter of a powerful man. Arriving on questship Escher, Sara finds a welter of problems: philosophically opposed crewmates, hints of espionage, a maze-like habitat, and the beautiful but hostile surface on planet Torobe. Complications thicken with a shipboard murder, Thora's disappearance, and the unexpected discovery of alien residents.
VERDICT Blending mystery, philosophy, and science gracefully in a twisty plot, Gilman (Ison of the Isles) 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.
Reviewed by Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA , Jul 01, 2015
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