A compelling and suspenseful novel of first contact.
Carolyn Ives Gilman is a Nebula and Hugo Award-nominated writer of science fiction and fantasy. Her novels include Halfway Human and the two-volume novel Isles of the Forsaken and Ison of the Isles. Her short fiction appears in many Best of the Year collections and has been translated into seven languages. She lives in Washington, D.C., and works for the National Museum of the American Indian.
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"Wonderfully rich" -Portland Book Review "Gilman intriguingly
weaves together two plotlines: The scientific, theological, and
political point of view on the Escher, as well as the sense of
community under the surface of Iris. Thora's metaphysical point of
view is narrated through her audio diary as we learn about her
past, the stress of adapting to total darkness, and the valuable
skills she learns from the natives. Both plots are
thought-provoking and play well off of each other. The satisfying,
yet open-ended conclusion left me wanting more." --The Nameless
Zine "DARK ORBIT is old school in ways that fans of classic sci-fi
will find delightful: new planets! Weird spaceships! Strange
societies! Alien flora and fauna! Reality-warping space! But it
also feels modern--uncalcified and unfussy, bold and unexpected."
--The Portland Mercury "Regardless of what type of science fiction
enthusiast you are, you will find something wonderful in Dark Orbit
... Add into that incredibly unique and wonderfully realized
challenges that really push the boundaries of
where-no-one-has-gone-before, and you have a book that's well worth
the read, even if you aren't a hardened science fiction fan."
--LitStack "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." -Shelf Awareness "The
story jumps from espionage to murder to first contact to philosophy
at dizzying speeds" --Publishers Weekly
"Dark Orbit is a peculiar novel, by turns sharp and gentle, cynical
and idealistic, empiricist and mystical. But its characters are
strongly drawn, its universe is richly sketched, and its prose is
sheer delight. It is deeply compelling in its peculiarities, and
probably one of the best novels of science fiction that I've read
in the last few years. And it's fascinating." --Tor.com "Dark Orbit
is set in the same Twenty Planets universe as Gilman's 2010 novel
Halfway Human. Comparisons to Ursula K. LeGuin are inevitable (and
not unwarranted), but Dark Orbit has a strong thread of
thriller-like suspense that keeps one turning the pages. I think a
more apt comparison is to the work of James Tiptree, Jr." --Analog
"Dark Orbit is a well-paced and engaging story that doesn't
disappoint. The mystery and intrigue builds to a climactic ending
with several surprises along the way." -Science Fiction Book Club
"Dark Orbit is a fast-paced and grippingly written sci-fi thriller,
full of interesting ideas." -Open Letters Monthly "Not only did I
find it highly original in some of its concepts, it also left me
feeling a bit nostalgic for the science fiction heyday of authors
like Harry Harrison and James E. Gunn." --SF Revu
"thought-provoking science-fiction" -Bibliosanctum "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 ..." --Library
Journal "Dark Orbit is a striking work of science fiction, and
knowledge--self-knowledge, and how the knowledge ofother people can
shape a person--is at its heart. It is sharp and glittering and
rather more interested in the philosophy of its physics than it is
in the science. It's also a novel about First Contact and the
limits of science's ability to classify data that cannot be seen.
And damn, is it one hell of a novel." --Tor.com " A novel that will
make you think about perception, human nature--even the nature of
reality--while remaining 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. The ending may leave you wanting more,
but even on its own, Dark Orbit remains thought-provoking days
later." --RT Book Reviews Top Pick, 4 1/2 stars "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." --Kirkus (starred review)
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