What do you think?
Rate this book
Space Station Down
Hugo Award-winning author Ben Bova joins forces with Nebula Award finalist Doug Beason for an action packed technothriller with Space Station Down.“Think Die Hard happening two hundred and fifty miles above the earth...Will have you watching the skies overhead much more closely.”—Steve BerryWhen an ultra-rich space tourist visits the orbiting International Space Station, NASA expects a $100 million his visit will bring in much needed funding and publicity. But the tourist venture turns into a scheme of terror. Together with an extremist cosmonaut, the tourist slaughters all the astronauts on board the million-pound ISS—and prepares to crash it into New York City at 17,500 miles an hour, causing more devastation than a hundred atomic bombs. In doing so, they hope to annihilate the world’s financial system.All that stands between them and their deadly goal is the lone survivor aboard the ISS, Kimberly Hasid-Robinson, a newly divorced astronaut who has barricaded herself in a secure area.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2020
About the author
Ben Bova
666 books1,003 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
August 24, 2021
The quote on the cover says "Think Die Hard at 250 miles above the Earth." If you go into this book believing that, you're going to be very disappointed. For this book to be like Die Hard, John McClane would have had to hide in the air duct for the first 2/3 of the movie and drop his gun every time he saw a terrorist. A better comparison would probably be The Martian (the book) if it focused mainly on the stuff that was happening on Earth and at NASA and the only Mark Watney stuff was him making plans and doing inventories. Yes, Mark Watney growing potatoes would be too exciting for the majority of this book.
The book starts off strong, then goes completely off the rails and then slightly redeems itself at the end. For me, it started as a 4 star, went down to 1 or 2, then climbed back up to about a 2.5. I rounded down out of frustration. Here are my issues with it. First, the book should have ended around page 200. Apparently between pages 150-200, the main character Kimberly "butterfingers" Hadid-Robinson developed brain damage during something that happened off the page. The whole terrorist thing could have been easily ended and then the book could have picked back up with the current final 30 pages or so. Instead, we get about a hundred pages of dumb decisions and their consequences, but luckily some Wile E. Coyote physics stop the terrorists. Then the heroes have to deal with people on Earth, who apparently have all caught the brain damage causing virus. Then we get into about page 310 or so, when apparently a cure has been developed and everyone starts acting intelligent again.
Those were the plot issues, but there were a lot of writing style things that bugged me too. I feel like I kept reading the exact same thing over and over and over. Kimberly (don't call her Kim) must have searched the supply bags to do inventory at least 5 times and we were reminded that she had a space suit and experimental air lock in the module she was holed up in *at least* half a dozen times. I wonder if that will come into play. Most of the foreshadowing was about as subtle as a brick to the head. If you couldn't figure out what was going to happen, then you may have caught the brain damage virus too. Another minor thing, was apparently this book was rated PG. Seemed pretty unrealistic that nobody cursed. At all. The terrorists were frequently referred to as "SOBs" and FUBAR was defined as fouled up beyond all repair. Pretty sure that's not what the F usually stands for. Then the terrorists behavior just seemed really cartoony. Every time they got a scrape, they started thrashing and screaming and yelling. You'd think they'd have learned to power thru the pain somewhere in astronaut or terrorist training.
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. This really could have been a great book, but it feels like the authors quit trying after 100 pages. I really wonder if one of them wrote the majority of the beginning and ending and the other filled in the middle. That would almost explain how inconsistent this book was.
The book starts off strong, then goes completely off the rails and then slightly redeems itself at the end. For me, it started as a 4 star, went down to 1 or 2, then climbed back up to about a 2.5. I rounded down out of frustration. Here are my issues with it. First, the book should have ended around page 200. Apparently between pages 150-200, the main character Kimberly "butterfingers" Hadid-Robinson developed brain damage during something that happened off the page. The whole terrorist thing could have been easily ended and then the book could have picked back up with the current final 30 pages or so. Instead, we get about a hundred pages of dumb decisions and their consequences, but luckily some Wile E. Coyote physics stop the terrorists. Then the heroes have to deal with people on Earth, who apparently have all caught the brain damage causing virus. Then we get into about page 310 or so, when apparently a cure has been developed and everyone starts acting intelligent again.
Those were the plot issues, but there were a lot of writing style things that bugged me too. I feel like I kept reading the exact same thing over and over and over. Kimberly (don't call her Kim) must have searched the supply bags to do inventory at least 5 times and we were reminded that she had a space suit and experimental air lock in the module she was holed up in *at least* half a dozen times. I wonder if that will come into play. Most of the foreshadowing was about as subtle as a brick to the head. If you couldn't figure out what was going to happen, then you may have caught the brain damage virus too. Another minor thing, was apparently this book was rated PG. Seemed pretty unrealistic that nobody cursed. At all. The terrorists were frequently referred to as "SOBs" and FUBAR was defined as fouled up beyond all repair. Pretty sure that's not what the F usually stands for. Then the terrorists behavior just seemed really cartoony. Every time they got a scrape, they started thrashing and screaming and yelling. You'd think they'd have learned to power thru the pain somewhere in astronaut or terrorist training.
Overall, I'm pretty disappointed. This really could have been a great book, but it feels like the authors quit trying after 100 pages. I really wonder if one of them wrote the majority of the beginning and ending and the other filled in the middle. That would almost explain how inconsistent this book was.
August 13, 2020
This does exactly what it says on the box: A high-octane (literally rocket fuel) high-concept thriller that opens with a bang and does not let up for the next couple of hundred pages. The chapters are short and punchy, and the story takes a couple of unexpected turns, especially towards the end.
Speaking of the ending, I was not a huge fan, as I felt it ended a bit too abruptly – it was as if the authors had solved the science side of things, and then just dumped their characters as they got bored.
And speaking of science: the authors do a really impressive job of bringing the average reader up to speed on the layout and operation of the ISS. The science does not clutter the narrative at all. I loved the schematics with handwritten labels that precede each section (each counts for a day).
My only wish was that I had a physical copy of the layout in my hands while reading so I could track where everyone was, as zero gravity does tend to add an extra dimension. I also thought the authors took a few liberties with the science – especially with regard to fuel reserves – but this is ‘Diehard in Space’ after all, not ‘2001’. And wouldn’t all that spilt blood have clogged up the air filters or something?
A strange decision on the part of the writers is to tell the story from the sole viewpoint of the ISS crew, and not the terrorists, who only emerge as credible threats when the action demands it. Hence we get little insight into their dynamics or motivations.
There is a bit at the beginning when one of the bad guys delivers a speech (and ultimatum), and references Dabiq and Al-Qahhar. This sidetracked me into an Internet search about Isis eschatology. Dabiq in Syria is the Islamic equivalent of Meggido, where the End of Days will be fought before Judgement Day.
Al-Qahhar is one of the 99 names of God, and refers to His Old Testament penchant for smiting entire civilisations for misbehaviour. I am not unsure if Islamic State is even relevant in a geopolitical context anymore, so thought this a strange choice of bad guy. Hopefully my Internet search did not raise a red flag in some dim South African government department somewhere.
Still, this is a wonderfully diverting read. Weird to find enjoyment in a book about a super-911 scenario when the real world is to going to hell in a coronavirus mask around us, but hey, it is the ‘new normal’ …
Speaking of the ending, I was not a huge fan, as I felt it ended a bit too abruptly – it was as if the authors had solved the science side of things, and then just dumped their characters as they got bored.
And speaking of science: the authors do a really impressive job of bringing the average reader up to speed on the layout and operation of the ISS. The science does not clutter the narrative at all. I loved the schematics with handwritten labels that precede each section (each counts for a day).
My only wish was that I had a physical copy of the layout in my hands while reading so I could track where everyone was, as zero gravity does tend to add an extra dimension. I also thought the authors took a few liberties with the science – especially with regard to fuel reserves – but this is ‘Diehard in Space’ after all, not ‘2001’. And wouldn’t all that spilt blood have clogged up the air filters or something?
A strange decision on the part of the writers is to tell the story from the sole viewpoint of the ISS crew, and not the terrorists, who only emerge as credible threats when the action demands it. Hence we get little insight into their dynamics or motivations.
There is a bit at the beginning when one of the bad guys delivers a speech (and ultimatum), and references Dabiq and Al-Qahhar. This sidetracked me into an Internet search about Isis eschatology. Dabiq in Syria is the Islamic equivalent of Meggido, where the End of Days will be fought before Judgement Day.
Al-Qahhar is one of the 99 names of God, and refers to His Old Testament penchant for smiting entire civilisations for misbehaviour. I am not unsure if Islamic State is even relevant in a geopolitical context anymore, so thought this a strange choice of bad guy. Hopefully my Internet search did not raise a red flag in some dim South African government department somewhere.
Still, this is a wonderfully diverting read. Weird to find enjoyment in a book about a super-911 scenario when the real world is to going to hell in a coronavirus mask around us, but hey, it is the ‘new normal’ …
December 5, 2020
Space Station Down has to be the least thrilling, most humdrum sci-fi thriller I've ever read. Billed as Die Hard aboard the International Space Station, it soon becomes clear that whatever marketing genius made that comparison never actually saw Die Hard, and that absolutely nothing co-author Ben Bova and Doug Beason achieve over the course of this turgidly plodding exercise can live up to that simple and brilliant premise.
To their credit, the authors waste no time cutting to the chase. The action -- and I use this term loosely -- begins almost immediately, with the astronauts aboard the ISS preparing to meet and greet the return of a Kazakhstani astronaut and a billionaire space tourist. Unfortunately, both men are terrorists with sophisticated training, and they immediately kill nearly all of the handful of astronauts aboard the station and seize control of ISS. Only luck prevents Katherine Hadid-Robinson from meeting her demise, and she quickly realizes she's the only person capable of stopping the terrorists from hijacking the ISS and turning it into a massive suicide bomb capable of destroying a major metropolitan city.
Space Station Down has one hell of a crackling premise! Unfortunately, the narrative that follows is exceedingly uneventful, dull, and repetitive. The authors not only repeat the same information and tell us the direness of this threat over and over ad nauseam, they virtually rewrite the exact same scenarios repeatedly. Katherine spends the vast majority of the book in hiding, sequestering herself inside the pressurized Japanese Module, trying to psych herself up into facing the terrorists. On the few occasions she does venture out to confront the two terrorists and save not only America but the entire space program itself, she ultimately ends up back in hiding, incapable of doing anything responsibly. A gender-flipped John McClane Katherine Hadid Robinson is not! It pains me to say, she might be the least effective heroine I've ever had the displeasure of reading, and the schtick the authors saddle her with of getting the terrorists on the ropes only to lose her weapons and being forced back into hiding again and again quickly grows tiresome.
As for the terrorists themselves... Imagine every Arab Terrorist you've read about in popular fiction. Now strip them of any kind of personal history and definition, psychology to motivate them, take away any actual dialogue, and make them so bland that comparing them to cardboard cutouts would actually be complementary, and you have the two utterly forgetful guys Bova and Beason have imagined. For being the instigators of this book's central threat, they come across more like background extras. The authors gave them names, which I've forgotten, but they could just as easily have been named Man #1 and Man #2 for how distinguished they are from one another. We should be rooting against these two guys, but instead I found myself wishing somebody actually had seized the real-life ISS and was preparing to drop it directly onto my head so I wouldn't have to bother this tiresome book anymore. Neither terrorist has any kind of definition or personality to bring them to life, and I'm honestly not sure if Katherine is so leery of confronting them because they're supposed to be that imposing, or if it's because of her own incompetency. Bova and Beason certainly don't give us many reasons to believe their central casting stock Arab Terrorists are much of a threat. The authors weren't even willing to invest any time in these characters, and readers sure as hell won't be able to bother, either. It's hard to even call Katherine's confrontations with these terrorists a game of cat and mouse, given that she, the mouse, is constantly in hiding, and the cats themselves are rarely glimpsed.
Clearly, from their fondness of acronyms and displays of insider knowledge on the operations of NASA and D.C. politics, Bova and Beason have attempted to craft a Tom Clancy-like space thriller. They certainly succeed in filling page after page with acronyms, and obviously fell deeply in love with being able to refer to the vacuum access jumpers as VAJ, since we're repeatedly told of how Katherine has to constantly grab, clutch, remove, hose down, and attach her VAJ when she should be fighting the terrorists. What they forgot over the course of this inept Clancy knock-off, though, were the actual thrills.
To their credit, the authors waste no time cutting to the chase. The action -- and I use this term loosely -- begins almost immediately, with the astronauts aboard the ISS preparing to meet and greet the return of a Kazakhstani astronaut and a billionaire space tourist. Unfortunately, both men are terrorists with sophisticated training, and they immediately kill nearly all of the handful of astronauts aboard the station and seize control of ISS. Only luck prevents Katherine Hadid-Robinson from meeting her demise, and she quickly realizes she's the only person capable of stopping the terrorists from hijacking the ISS and turning it into a massive suicide bomb capable of destroying a major metropolitan city.
Space Station Down has one hell of a crackling premise! Unfortunately, the narrative that follows is exceedingly uneventful, dull, and repetitive. The authors not only repeat the same information and tell us the direness of this threat over and over ad nauseam, they virtually rewrite the exact same scenarios repeatedly. Katherine spends the vast majority of the book in hiding, sequestering herself inside the pressurized Japanese Module, trying to psych herself up into facing the terrorists. On the few occasions she does venture out to confront the two terrorists and save not only America but the entire space program itself, she ultimately ends up back in hiding, incapable of doing anything responsibly. A gender-flipped John McClane Katherine Hadid Robinson is not! It pains me to say, she might be the least effective heroine I've ever had the displeasure of reading, and the schtick the authors saddle her with of getting the terrorists on the ropes only to lose her weapons and being forced back into hiding again and again quickly grows tiresome.
As for the terrorists themselves... Imagine every Arab Terrorist you've read about in popular fiction. Now strip them of any kind of personal history and definition, psychology to motivate them, take away any actual dialogue, and make them so bland that comparing them to cardboard cutouts would actually be complementary, and you have the two utterly forgetful guys Bova and Beason have imagined. For being the instigators of this book's central threat, they come across more like background extras. The authors gave them names, which I've forgotten, but they could just as easily have been named Man #1 and Man #2 for how distinguished they are from one another. We should be rooting against these two guys, but instead I found myself wishing somebody actually had seized the real-life ISS and was preparing to drop it directly onto my head so I wouldn't have to bother this tiresome book anymore. Neither terrorist has any kind of definition or personality to bring them to life, and I'm honestly not sure if Katherine is so leery of confronting them because they're supposed to be that imposing, or if it's because of her own incompetency. Bova and Beason certainly don't give us many reasons to believe their central casting stock Arab Terrorists are much of a threat. The authors weren't even willing to invest any time in these characters, and readers sure as hell won't be able to bother, either. It's hard to even call Katherine's confrontations with these terrorists a game of cat and mouse, given that she, the mouse, is constantly in hiding, and the cats themselves are rarely glimpsed.
Clearly, from their fondness of acronyms and displays of insider knowledge on the operations of NASA and D.C. politics, Bova and Beason have attempted to craft a Tom Clancy-like space thriller. They certainly succeed in filling page after page with acronyms, and obviously fell deeply in love with being able to refer to the vacuum access jumpers as VAJ, since we're repeatedly told of how Katherine has to constantly grab, clutch, remove, hose down, and attach her VAJ when she should be fighting the terrorists. What they forgot over the course of this inept Clancy knock-off, though, were the actual thrills.
January 23, 2022
This was a true nail-biting story! I never knew that this author wrote stories like this, so I will definitely have to read more of his books. The action and danger is very high as are the stakes involved when two terrorists board the ISS (International Space Station). And one lone lady astronaut stands between them and certain doom. The problem is she doesn't have any weapons.
As soon as I started reading this yesterday, I was hooked! And luckily the book contains little drawings (maps) of the different segments of the ISS so you can better understand the story. The tension remains high throughout the story and it certainly gets higher at the very end too. In fact I was almost out of pages, just a few left, and doom was still very possible. I was doubtful if everything could be settled in like the remaining two or three pages. Yet somehow it was. But the thrills and very real doubt stick with you until the very end!
And in the last third of the book (or maybe the last fourth) the tension was so high on the ISS that I was actually getting annoyed at the little scenes that was taking place on Earth! I just didn't care what people at JSC or anywhere else was doing: what was going on at the space station?!
And if you want a story with a very powerful lead female character, this is it. Kimberly is the astronaut stuck on the station and she pretty much has to solve all the problems on her own. She risks her life multiple times doing crazy things just to stay alive. The majority of the story is from her viewpoint.
The only little thing I see unanswered is a very minor point (because I am curious). I do wonder how the astronauts clean up stuff that was released into the air, liquids and such, as Kimberly did that during the story. So will that stuff just keep floating about or stick to walls? I guess I will have to google it. Maybe they have a vacuum cleaner?
After finishing this book, I did google the ISS and the Soyuz rocket. Because I wanted to see these things. And to my surprise I was actually able to identify the JPM area on the photo of the ISS! So I actually knew which end was which from the map in this book. But the actual space station has these "wings" which I guess are solar panels and those are not on the diagram - probably to prevent confusion.
Very exciting story!
As soon as I started reading this yesterday, I was hooked! And luckily the book contains little drawings (maps) of the different segments of the ISS so you can better understand the story. The tension remains high throughout the story and it certainly gets higher at the very end too. In fact I was almost out of pages, just a few left, and doom was still very possible. I was doubtful if everything could be settled in like the remaining two or three pages. Yet somehow it was. But the thrills and very real doubt stick with you until the very end!
And in the last third of the book (or maybe the last fourth) the tension was so high on the ISS that I was actually getting annoyed at the little scenes that was taking place on Earth! I just didn't care what people at JSC or anywhere else was doing: what was going on at the space station?!
And if you want a story with a very powerful lead female character, this is it. Kimberly is the astronaut stuck on the station and she pretty much has to solve all the problems on her own. She risks her life multiple times doing crazy things just to stay alive. The majority of the story is from her viewpoint.
The only little thing I see unanswered is a very minor point (because I am curious). I do wonder how the astronauts clean up stuff that was released into the air, liquids and such, as Kimberly did that during the story. So will that stuff just keep floating about or stick to walls? I guess I will have to google it. Maybe they have a vacuum cleaner?
After finishing this book, I did google the ISS and the Soyuz rocket. Because I wanted to see these things. And to my surprise I was actually able to identify the JPM area on the photo of the ISS! So I actually knew which end was which from the map in this book. But the actual space station has these "wings" which I guess are solar panels and those are not on the diagram - probably to prevent confusion.
Very exciting story!
August 12, 2020
This book put you right on the ISS as we are following Kimberly Hasid-Robinson, who is doing everything she can to thwart a terrorist threat against the earth. This is a fast paced thriller that keeps you hooked until the very end.
April 8, 2021
Initially, I found it hard to get into the book. I'd never read a book by Ben Bova before, but, had heard many wonderful things. Once the story got going, it was very difficult to put the book down. Actually, I listened to it as an audio book, so, tough to turn it off on my cell phoe. I liked the main character of Kim and her "strong, tough woman" personna. Just an amazing story!
August 10, 2020
“Never give up, never give in,” Scott told himself. Up the ante until somebody folds.
This was a fun adventure thriller. I've read author Bova's books before and enjoyed most of them but this is my favorite.
Some readers have compared this book to the movie DIE HARD but I don't quite see that. I'd have to write that it reminds me more of the movie ARMAGEDDON about a deadly, huge asteroid head to crash into Earth.
Kimberly Hadid-Robinson is the senior ranking American astronaut serving on the International Space Station (ISS) at the moment. The crew is getting ready to welcome two visitors - a returning astronaut who is accompanying a civilian billionaire tourist. But events get deadly as soon as they dock at the ISS and Kimberly goes into hiding in one of the modules.
It seems that the pair are terrorists intent on crashing the ISS into the Earth.
This was an exciting book with a kicka** female main character who doesn't believe in "getting mad but getting even."
There was a lot about the workings of the ISS which was interesting to me. But the science never bogged down the story and seemed believable.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys space adventures or science fiction.
I received this book from Tor Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
This was a fun adventure thriller. I've read author Bova's books before and enjoyed most of them but this is my favorite.
Some readers have compared this book to the movie DIE HARD but I don't quite see that. I'd have to write that it reminds me more of the movie ARMAGEDDON about a deadly, huge asteroid head to crash into Earth.
Kimberly Hadid-Robinson is the senior ranking American astronaut serving on the International Space Station (ISS) at the moment. The crew is getting ready to welcome two visitors - a returning astronaut who is accompanying a civilian billionaire tourist. But events get deadly as soon as they dock at the ISS and Kimberly goes into hiding in one of the modules.
It seems that the pair are terrorists intent on crashing the ISS into the Earth.
This was an exciting book with a kicka** female main character who doesn't believe in "getting mad but getting even."
There was a lot about the workings of the ISS which was interesting to me. But the science never bogged down the story and seemed believable.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys space adventures or science fiction.
I received this book from Tor Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
October 13, 2020
Since I have read/enjoyed Ben Bova in decades past, I assume the reason Space Station Down is such a terrible read is because he's about 88 years old and Doug Beason is a bad writer.
The flaws which drove me away from finishing this book and from ever reading Beason or Bova ever again:
- Being treated like I have a terrible memory and forgot specific details which were already provided on pages earlier.
- Needing to review (and return to) a first-page sketched map of the space station while reading. Any competent writer can describe movement thru a series of rooms and corridors without confusing readers . . . not here.
- Highschool-level, clunky, foreshadowing; with all the subtle ways to insinuate and hint, these authors chose to bludgeon the reader with a page 2 zoom close-up.
- Cliched adjectives, bland descriptors, outdated/sophomoric poor-quality writing.
- The worst offense of all was the author(s) constantly using the words 'she thought to herself' or 'she reminded herself' or many other unnecessary phrases which ALWAYS pull/throw the reader out of the scene. She thought. Full stop. Why constantly include 'to herself'? Because this book was never edited before it was published.
The flaws which drove me away from finishing this book and from ever reading Beason or Bova ever again:
- Being treated like I have a terrible memory and forgot specific details which were already provided on pages earlier.
- Needing to review (and return to) a first-page sketched map of the space station while reading. Any competent writer can describe movement thru a series of rooms and corridors without confusing readers . . . not here.
- Highschool-level, clunky, foreshadowing; with all the subtle ways to insinuate and hint, these authors chose to bludgeon the reader with a page 2 zoom close-up.
- Cliched adjectives, bland descriptors, outdated/sophomoric poor-quality writing.
- The worst offense of all was the author(s) constantly using the words 'she thought to herself' or 'she reminded herself' or many other unnecessary phrases which ALWAYS pull/throw the reader out of the scene. She thought. Full stop. Why constantly include 'to herself'? Because this book was never edited before it was published.
August 17, 2020
I genuinely enjoy Ben Bova and all his many works. I’m not familiar with his co-author this time around (totally on me, I’m looking into him more now). This is a great read. Like one of the reviewers stated it is “made for the big screen” (remember movie theaters? I miss those things). The story is quick, fun, and enjoyable. That said, by default of clearly aiming for, and hitting, Big-Screen-Appeal, as well as being co-authored, it lacked the overall appeal of the Bova books I’ve enjoyed in the past. This is a personal impression in comparison to those. If you’re a fan of space-based action, like Gravity (super-fun movie!) you should enjoy this too. Extra points for letting the lead be female. Extra-extra points for making a pointed effort to call out she required no confirmation or validation from any of the male characters, and extra-extra-extra points for utilizing a racially diverse cast without being overly heavy-handed about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2020
Classic Ben Bova; this really is like Die Hard in space. My heart pounded a few times; it really could be a movie. This was comparable to the Martian for me; not as overly technical but just enough to visualize. Bova is the reason I started enjoying reading long ago and he didn’t disappoint with this riveting heart pounder.
August 17, 2020
3.5 Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.
August 1, 2020
Space Station Down by Ben Bova, Doug Beason | Aug 4, 2020 | Tor Books
In space, when terrorists gain access to the ISS and kill almost everyone aboard and cut all ground communication. no one can hear you scream.
Unless you’re Kimberly Hasid-Robinson, ISS Commander, resourceful astronaut, and the only member of the crew that managed to stop and think her way through the problem, rather than rushing at a pair of highly trained terrorists. The authors don’t come out and say it, but testosterone claims more victims.
Kimberly’s not screaming in panic, but maybe from frustration and anger. If the terrorists get their way they’ll deorbit the ISS over America (they’d like to hit NYC) and leave a plutonium cloud in its wake. If she can’t find a way to contact the ground and get around their hack, millions will be doomed, and the space program as well. Unless the President decides to just shoot down the station first.
More: http://www.e357.net/beingernest/?p=60...
In space, when terrorists gain access to the ISS and kill almost everyone aboard and cut all ground communication. no one can hear you scream.
Unless you’re Kimberly Hasid-Robinson, ISS Commander, resourceful astronaut, and the only member of the crew that managed to stop and think her way through the problem, rather than rushing at a pair of highly trained terrorists. The authors don’t come out and say it, but testosterone claims more victims.
Kimberly’s not screaming in panic, but maybe from frustration and anger. If the terrorists get their way they’ll deorbit the ISS over America (they’d like to hit NYC) and leave a plutonium cloud in its wake. If she can’t find a way to contact the ground and get around their hack, millions will be doomed, and the space program as well. Unless the President decides to just shoot down the station first.
More: http://www.e357.net/beingernest/?p=60...
October 29, 2022
A great story from a great story teller. There is s ghost writer attribution so I don't know how much they contributed but it is classic Bova form and excellence.
With tow terrorists on the International Space Station trying to crash it into Earth. New York City is their target but you can't really drive the ISS to that specific a target. One on the astronauts survived the attack and now they are trying to save the ISS and themselves.
Great action and a non stop story arc make this a joy to read.
Highly recommended
With tow terrorists on the International Space Station trying to crash it into Earth. New York City is their target but you can't really drive the ISS to that specific a target. One on the astronauts survived the attack and now they are trying to save the ISS and themselves.
Great action and a non stop story arc make this a joy to read.
Highly recommended
July 19, 2020
This pairing of authors produced a very good novel. As the title notes, it is about the International Space Station. The primary plot is that two terrorists attempt to take over the station after killing everyone except for one woman who works to foil their attempt to spread fear and panic. It is well written and a fast read (two days for me).
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.
June 19, 2020
This near-future sci-fi terrorism thriller dives right into the action after just a bit of technical description to set the scene in the space station. The story is rich in these technical details, which helped me feel like I was right there. A couple of times the acronyms did get a little dense but those parts were short and didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book.
I liked that the main character Kimberly is a scientist and uses her ingenuity to devise means of self-defense and formulate countermoves in her struggle to thwart the terrorists’ plans. Suspense builds throughout the book as threat piles on threat, and the scenes have the feel of an exciting action-thriller movie. The fast-paced story drew me in and kept me reading as the clock ticked closer and closer to a disaster with the potential to kill millions – and Kimberly herself.
A very entertaining, diverting read!
(I received a free advance copy of this book with no obligation to post a review. The opinions in this review are my own.)
I liked that the main character Kimberly is a scientist and uses her ingenuity to devise means of self-defense and formulate countermoves in her struggle to thwart the terrorists’ plans. Suspense builds throughout the book as threat piles on threat, and the scenes have the feel of an exciting action-thriller movie. The fast-paced story drew me in and kept me reading as the clock ticked closer and closer to a disaster with the potential to kill millions – and Kimberly herself.
A very entertaining, diverting read!
(I received a free advance copy of this book with no obligation to post a review. The opinions in this review are my own.)
August 24, 2020
When the space station is taken over by terrorists, all astronauts are killed but for one, and now she must act quickly to foil their evil plot while her also-an-astronaut ex-husband works amidst political fears on earth to save the space program and his former love.
Yawn. Jargon filled, flat characters, Little happens even though we are constantly reminded that every second counts. Cannot recommend.
Yawn. Jargon filled, flat characters, Little happens even though we are constantly reminded that every second counts. Cannot recommend.
July 10, 2021
Last year we sadly lost Ben Bova, one of my original go-to authors when I first started reading “grown-up” SF in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Because of his reputation as an editor of Astounding and Omni as well as a writer of solidly science-based novels, I grabbed anything I could get. They felt real.
So it is with a little sadness that I picked this one up, one of Ben’s last to be published, I assume. Ben has worked with scientist and Nebula Award nominated author Doug Beason here* and written a cracking technothriller.
From the publisher: When an ultra-rich space tourist visits the orbiting International Space Station, NASA expects a $100 million win-win: his visit will bring in much needed funding and publicity. But the tourist venture turns into a scheme of terror. Together with an extremist cosmonaut, the tourist slaughters the astronauts on board the million-pound ISS and prepares to crash it into New York City at 17,500 miles an hour, causing more devastation than a hundred atomic bombs. In doing so, they hope to annihilate the world’s financial system.
All that stands between them and their deadly goal is the lone survivor aboard the ISS, Kimberly Hasid-Robinson, a newly divorced astronaut who has barricaded herself in a secure area.
I didn’t know what was going to happen before I started to read, although the title and cover pretty much give you the focus of the plot. The initial attack is shocking, because most of Bova’s books have dealt with how well the astronauts (mostly) get on with each other whilst on the ISS.
The book is nicely contemporary as it involves the Dragon spaceships and the Boeing Starliner. No sign of Branson or Bezos, though. But it is interesting to see how the ‘new’ modern NASA deals with the new kids on the block, as well as all of the usual political shenanigans on such matters.
Whilst the terrorists are your standard template “bad-guys”, this stereotype becomes less important as the tension ramps up through the novel. The possibility that the ISS could be turned into a bomb seems plausible as the science explains it all along the way, as too the ways in which the ISS could be stopped should such an event happen.
Unlike some recent popular SF novel writers (mentioning no names!) the authors are careful to avoid dropping huge dollops of science into the plot to show they’ve done their homework. Whilst there is undoubtedly a lot of shorthand codes, enough guidance is given for the layman (like me!) to follow without impeding the pace of the plot. Most of my original ideas – leak the air out, cut off the power – are explained why they can’t happen, and some others as well.
The drama of Kimberley surviving in the ISS – an enclosed space with nowhere else inside to go whilst terrorists try to kill her – is also well done. Most of all, this novel is a series of problem-solving exercises as experienced through the characters and much of the fun is seeing how they, and especially Kimberley, cope with the challenges.
We have the usual personal drama too – Kimberley’s CapCom just so happens to be her recently divorced husband, who still cares for her whilst dealing with all the complications such an event could cause. This part of the story is less effective, and feels less convincing. But this is a minor aspect of the plot, thankfully.
In short, whilst this is nothing particularly new, Space Station Down is a solidly science-based technothriller that makes the impossible seem plausible and gives the reader a hell of a ride until the end. Might just get you looking at the ISS as it passes over your head in a whole new light…
It’s also a well-written story that shows that Ben’s skills as a writer were there to the end. RIP Ben.
* As well as a physicist and a writer, Beason has a background as once being the Associate Laboratory Director for Threat Reduction at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which I guess may give him credentials here too.
So it is with a little sadness that I picked this one up, one of Ben’s last to be published, I assume. Ben has worked with scientist and Nebula Award nominated author Doug Beason here* and written a cracking technothriller.
From the publisher: When an ultra-rich space tourist visits the orbiting International Space Station, NASA expects a $100 million win-win: his visit will bring in much needed funding and publicity. But the tourist venture turns into a scheme of terror. Together with an extremist cosmonaut, the tourist slaughters the astronauts on board the million-pound ISS and prepares to crash it into New York City at 17,500 miles an hour, causing more devastation than a hundred atomic bombs. In doing so, they hope to annihilate the world’s financial system.
All that stands between them and their deadly goal is the lone survivor aboard the ISS, Kimberly Hasid-Robinson, a newly divorced astronaut who has barricaded herself in a secure area.
I didn’t know what was going to happen before I started to read, although the title and cover pretty much give you the focus of the plot. The initial attack is shocking, because most of Bova’s books have dealt with how well the astronauts (mostly) get on with each other whilst on the ISS.
The book is nicely contemporary as it involves the Dragon spaceships and the Boeing Starliner. No sign of Branson or Bezos, though. But it is interesting to see how the ‘new’ modern NASA deals with the new kids on the block, as well as all of the usual political shenanigans on such matters.
Whilst the terrorists are your standard template “bad-guys”, this stereotype becomes less important as the tension ramps up through the novel. The possibility that the ISS could be turned into a bomb seems plausible as the science explains it all along the way, as too the ways in which the ISS could be stopped should such an event happen.
Unlike some recent popular SF novel writers (mentioning no names!) the authors are careful to avoid dropping huge dollops of science into the plot to show they’ve done their homework. Whilst there is undoubtedly a lot of shorthand codes, enough guidance is given for the layman (like me!) to follow without impeding the pace of the plot. Most of my original ideas – leak the air out, cut off the power – are explained why they can’t happen, and some others as well.
The drama of Kimberley surviving in the ISS – an enclosed space with nowhere else inside to go whilst terrorists try to kill her – is also well done. Most of all, this novel is a series of problem-solving exercises as experienced through the characters and much of the fun is seeing how they, and especially Kimberley, cope with the challenges.
We have the usual personal drama too – Kimberley’s CapCom just so happens to be her recently divorced husband, who still cares for her whilst dealing with all the complications such an event could cause. This part of the story is less effective, and feels less convincing. But this is a minor aspect of the plot, thankfully.
In short, whilst this is nothing particularly new, Space Station Down is a solidly science-based technothriller that makes the impossible seem plausible and gives the reader a hell of a ride until the end. Might just get you looking at the ISS as it passes over your head in a whole new light…
It’s also a well-written story that shows that Ben’s skills as a writer were there to the end. RIP Ben.
* As well as a physicist and a writer, Beason has a background as once being the Associate Laboratory Director for Threat Reduction at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which I guess may give him credentials here too.
December 22, 2021
Besides it attractive red cover, the main reason I was drawn to this book was the fact the review on the top of the book is “Think Die Hard happening two hundred fifty miles above the earth.”-Steve Berry, and being a big Die Hard fan myself, thought this could be interesting as the first fiction book I’ve read since the start of December. And while I would say it is a small stretch making that comparison for this book, I did like it overall. The book starts off strong right off the bat and keeps pace for the first 50ish pages before it slows WAY down and encounters a bit of a pacing issue that I found plagued the middle of the book. I found most of the on-earth moments were highly unneeded and over-explained the scientific or militaristic components surrounding the main event/plot, taking away from the tension and the parts I, the reader, wanted more of. Most people know that I LOVE “The Martian” by Andy Weir, and while I don’t compare every sci-fi/space-centered book to it, I found it very comparable on its believability and explanations of the science and things happening around the main character. I felt more and more in reading the similarities and thus felt that much more displeased with the on-earth segments as they didn’t help the actual character directly or quickly enough and were only to build up a different side of tension, that I felt didn’t come to fruition until the last 30-50 pages but by that point, the book is at a breakneck pace that those 30-50 pages are read in the span of only 10-15 minutes. Which I liked as stuff was finally happening and consistently as well, but still felt repetitious and tacky. Granted, I can’t fully fault the need to pad out the book as it seems to be redundantly written/stated, there isn’t a whole lot the main character can do stuck up on the ISS (International Space Station) and especially with her quick-thinking way of doing things. …which then brings in my gripe with how quickly time seems to pass in the book. Especially when you have some characters on the ground on earth and another on the ISS that orbits the earth 16 times a day. So little attention was given to the proper passing of time that I kept finding it hard to believe that some people just sat/stood/floated around for several long hours/days doing absolutely nothing, especially our main character who is in the most danger, something we learn incredibly early on that she is anything but patient. They even say that 2 whole days just pass with nothing happening in between. NOTHING! And for how much does happen on the ISS, they have the smallest, no detail, pencil sketched diagram of the ISS, that shows up at the start of each “Day” or part but is the same drawing each time. Nothing changes about but would love to have gotten a larger/more detailed schematic to better gain a sense for how bit or actually small it was, especially when more of it is used in the last 100 pages. There’s also two quick flashback chapters that could have easily been cut out and nothing would be missed. I’d also argue that they set up FAR too many characters that never show up in more than one chapter (most of these chapters being ones that over explain things that happen on earth that the reader won’t much care about). Overall, I quite liked the idea and premise of the book, even like the more realistic writing similar to The Martian, but found the execution lacking in multiple regards (which also seemed odd when they list all the many dozens of books the two authors have written previously). I might recommend it to some but a “meh”/mediocre book.
September 3, 2022
While it falls apart a bit upon any sort of deeper reflection, with too many things left unexplained or glossed over, there’s no denying that Space Station Down was a fun. dramatic, action-packed read that I blew through in an afternoon. It’s a popcorn sci-fi thriller that would work beautifully on the big screen.
It was the “Die Hard happening two hundred and fifty miles above the earth” reviewer blurb from Steve Berry that drew me to this, and if you add “with nods to The Martian,” that is precisely what you get. Ben Bova and Doug Beason waste no time getting started, killing off astronauts and isolating Kimberly in a matter of chapters, and from then on in it’s just one dramatic rescue, one dramatic escape, and one dramatic pause from beginning to end. She’s a tough, brave, courageous woman who takes her father’s advice of “Don’t get mad, get even,” to heart, but she’s also a brilliant woman with an almost bewildering knowledge of science and spaceflight. She can hold her own when it comes to zero-gravity grappling, but the real appeal here is her MacGyver-like ingenuity in beating the terrorists at their own game.
I was a bit concerned when her ex-husband (and fellow astronaut) kept pushing to be part of a rescue mission but, without getting into spoiler territory, Kimberly is no damsel-in-distress and she doesn’t need anybody to rescue her. This is her story, from beginning to end, and everything – from hacking computer systems, to weaponizing school kids’ experiments, to spacewalking and avoiding killer missiles – falls solely on her shoulders. Fortunately, as banged up, battered, and bruised as she becomes, even when facing oxygen deprivation and the bends, she’s still up to the task.
This was a fun, fast read, and so long as I was racing from chapter to chapter, I was wholly immersed, enthusiastically rooting for Kimberly to succeed. Once I finished . . . that’s when the thinness of certain parts and the holes in others began to become apparent. We never really do get a proper explanation for the terrorist’s true motives, and the whole issue of a powerful nation-state backing them is left unresolved. There’s something fishy with the Chinese involvement, but that’s never fully explored either. And given Kimberly’s background, there’s a huge missed opportunity to talk about racism and religion, relegating the subject to one offhand Presidential comment and a single silent scene of her parents (Japanese and Saudi) watching the civil unrest on television.
With a plethora of government agencies to credit, a lot of things happen just because they need to, not because they make sense or are justified within the narrative. And, the more I think back on it, the more I begin asking questions like why didn’t the terrorists just disable or block the hatch on the Japanese Module (like Kimberly did theirs later), or turn off her power sooner, or lure her into a trap (as she does to them so many times), or so many other simple things.
Nagging, nitpicky questions aside, Space Station Down was a fun read with a racially diverse female protagonist who doesn’t need a man to rescue her or tell her she did a good job.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/...
It was the “Die Hard happening two hundred and fifty miles above the earth” reviewer blurb from Steve Berry that drew me to this, and if you add “with nods to The Martian,” that is precisely what you get. Ben Bova and Doug Beason waste no time getting started, killing off astronauts and isolating Kimberly in a matter of chapters, and from then on in it’s just one dramatic rescue, one dramatic escape, and one dramatic pause from beginning to end. She’s a tough, brave, courageous woman who takes her father’s advice of “Don’t get mad, get even,” to heart, but she’s also a brilliant woman with an almost bewildering knowledge of science and spaceflight. She can hold her own when it comes to zero-gravity grappling, but the real appeal here is her MacGyver-like ingenuity in beating the terrorists at their own game.
I was a bit concerned when her ex-husband (and fellow astronaut) kept pushing to be part of a rescue mission but, without getting into spoiler territory, Kimberly is no damsel-in-distress and she doesn’t need anybody to rescue her. This is her story, from beginning to end, and everything – from hacking computer systems, to weaponizing school kids’ experiments, to spacewalking and avoiding killer missiles – falls solely on her shoulders. Fortunately, as banged up, battered, and bruised as she becomes, even when facing oxygen deprivation and the bends, she’s still up to the task.
This was a fun, fast read, and so long as I was racing from chapter to chapter, I was wholly immersed, enthusiastically rooting for Kimberly to succeed. Once I finished . . . that’s when the thinness of certain parts and the holes in others began to become apparent. We never really do get a proper explanation for the terrorist’s true motives, and the whole issue of a powerful nation-state backing them is left unresolved. There’s something fishy with the Chinese involvement, but that’s never fully explored either. And given Kimberly’s background, there’s a huge missed opportunity to talk about racism and religion, relegating the subject to one offhand Presidential comment and a single silent scene of her parents (Japanese and Saudi) watching the civil unrest on television.
With a plethora of government agencies to credit, a lot of things happen just because they need to, not because they make sense or are justified within the narrative. And, the more I think back on it, the more I begin asking questions like why didn’t the terrorists just disable or block the hatch on the Japanese Module (like Kimberly did theirs later), or turn off her power sooner, or lure her into a trap (as she does to them so many times), or so many other simple things.
Nagging, nitpicky questions aside, Space Station Down was a fun read with a racially diverse female protagonist who doesn’t need a man to rescue her or tell her she did a good job.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/...
January 21, 2021
The most unthinkable event has happened. Murder on the International Space Station (ISS). A radicalized cosmonaut and a wealthy Qatari space tourist are killing the crew one-by-one, but why? It is up to the senior ranking American astronaut, Kimberly Hadid-Robinson, to stop them from using the ISS as a weapon to not only destroy New York City, but spread radiation throughout the East Coast of America from the debris. Meanwhile, back at the Johnson Space Center, her former husband and fellow astronaut, Lt. Colonel Scott Robinson marshals NASA's resources to get her help.
Talk about a closed circle thriller! And, I have to say, a situation many have quietly discussed, especially with the wealth of money brought into two struggling space programs, that of the US and Russia. How much vetting is done on the space tourists? And are there continuing investigation into astronauts and cosmonauts already in the program? Best guess is no.
The story has layers and combinations of genres. It is science fiction, by location and categorization. It is also a modern day thriller involving a lone survivor of a massacre in a place where outside help is almost impossible to get. Then there is the failed romance between Scott and Kim. It was a nice touch to have Scott regret allowing his archaic macho test pilot astronaut bullshit for helping destroy their marriage.
This is chockful of acronyms, so be prepared. Lots and lots of acronyms. As bad as the military and the federal government are about using them, NASA and the Space Program were (and are) worse! Needless to say, there is a continuing level of violence, but it mostly isn't too graphic.
The strengths are the knowledge of the ISS and how NASA works or would possibly work in a situation like this. The weakest part is, in my romance fiction loving heart, the romantic elements. Sadly, I just didn't see much chemistry between Scott and Kim. Frankly, it could've been skipped entirely and not hurt the story. Overall, the story is fast paced, has strong characters, and an air of authenticity. 4 out of 5.
Talk about a closed circle thriller! And, I have to say, a situation many have quietly discussed, especially with the wealth of money brought into two struggling space programs, that of the US and Russia. How much vetting is done on the space tourists? And are there continuing investigation into astronauts and cosmonauts already in the program? Best guess is no.
The story has layers and combinations of genres. It is science fiction, by location and categorization. It is also a modern day thriller involving a lone survivor of a massacre in a place where outside help is almost impossible to get. Then there is the failed romance between Scott and Kim. It was a nice touch to have Scott regret allowing his archaic macho test pilot astronaut bullshit for helping destroy their marriage.
This is chockful of acronyms, so be prepared. Lots and lots of acronyms. As bad as the military and the federal government are about using them, NASA and the Space Program were (and are) worse! Needless to say, there is a continuing level of violence, but it mostly isn't too graphic.
The strengths are the knowledge of the ISS and how NASA works or would possibly work in a situation like this. The weakest part is, in my romance fiction loving heart, the romantic elements. Sadly, I just didn't see much chemistry between Scott and Kim. Frankly, it could've been skipped entirely and not hurt the story. Overall, the story is fast paced, has strong characters, and an air of authenticity. 4 out of 5.
March 4, 2023
This is a fun romp through a space opera, and it’s not much more. I blew through it on a Saturday morning. My sincere appreciation for the talent of the narrator kept me reading to the back cover.
If you like strong female leads, you’ll enjoy Kimberly Hasid-Robinson. And yet, there’s something cookie-cutter flat about her. She and fellow astronaut Scott Robinson have recently divorced. There reasons for doing so as presented by the authors seem juvenile by every measure to me, and that was one of the things that put me off about this book.
Scott is helping run communications from the ground to support the International Space Station. His ex-wife Kimberly is on the space station working with some experiments in the Japanese module. She knew additional astronauts would join her soon brought up on a Russian craft.
Apparently, the new kids, a rich tourist and a Kazakhstani former astronaut skilled in all things computer weren’t happy with their Welcome Wagon packets they may or may not have received upon move-in. They proceed to kill all the astronauts onboard except Kimberly, and they’re coming after her, too. She outwits them and manages to stay alive.
The two new kids on the station want to turn it into a dirty bomb that would fall from the sky and obliterate Manhattan including its all-important financial district.
Any more of a setup and you’ll get spoilers, so I’m done. This is simple science fiction for simple-minded people like me. It was a fun read; the narrator, Samantha Desz, was a treasure in every sense of the word. But there are parts of this I found hard to buy into. But here’s the thing: If you crank this up to 2.87X, you’re done in a leisurely morning listening session.
If you like strong female leads, you’ll enjoy Kimberly Hasid-Robinson. And yet, there’s something cookie-cutter flat about her. She and fellow astronaut Scott Robinson have recently divorced. There reasons for doing so as presented by the authors seem juvenile by every measure to me, and that was one of the things that put me off about this book.
Scott is helping run communications from the ground to support the International Space Station. His ex-wife Kimberly is on the space station working with some experiments in the Japanese module. She knew additional astronauts would join her soon brought up on a Russian craft.
Apparently, the new kids, a rich tourist and a Kazakhstani former astronaut skilled in all things computer weren’t happy with their Welcome Wagon packets they may or may not have received upon move-in. They proceed to kill all the astronauts onboard except Kimberly, and they’re coming after her, too. She outwits them and manages to stay alive.
The two new kids on the station want to turn it into a dirty bomb that would fall from the sky and obliterate Manhattan including its all-important financial district.
Any more of a setup and you’ll get spoilers, so I’m done. This is simple science fiction for simple-minded people like me. It was a fun read; the narrator, Samantha Desz, was a treasure in every sense of the word. But there are parts of this I found hard to buy into. But here’s the thing: If you crank this up to 2.87X, you’re done in a leisurely morning listening session.
November 12, 2021
The cover of this book said it's "Die Hard at 250 miles above the Earth". That pretty much sums up Space Station Down. An International Space Station is floating in space just over the Earth, and is manned by six astronauts; some Russian and some American. An astronaut from a previous mission on the space station is flying on something called a "Soyuz" and it attaches to the station. He is accompanied by a billionaire friend with no space experience. The astronauts are expecting a routine visit, but as soon as the Soyuz docks on the station, its captain floats out dead and the old astronaut and rich guy (we will refer to them as terrorists) kill one of the Russian astronauts immediately. The terrorists make short work of four other crew members, leaving Kimberly Hadid-Robinson as the only surviving crew member.
The next 200 pages follow Kimberly as she locks herself in one of the space station's rooms and tries to figure out how to overpower two male killers by herself. She has a laptop with a powerful software interface to control the station, but one of the terrorists is a computer whiz who locks her out of many functions. First she has no contact with NASA on Earth, then she does. One of the scientists on the ground happens to be Kimberly's ex-husband.
A decent, but certainly not great novel. It does indeed borrow many elements of Die Hard and so the plot feels stale. Also it overdoses the reader with acronyms. The SVO contacted the FRS for a BRU, that kind of thing. There were so many acronyms I couldn't keep track of what most of them stood for.
The next 200 pages follow Kimberly as she locks herself in one of the space station's rooms and tries to figure out how to overpower two male killers by herself. She has a laptop with a powerful software interface to control the station, but one of the terrorists is a computer whiz who locks her out of many functions. First she has no contact with NASA on Earth, then she does. One of the scientists on the ground happens to be Kimberly's ex-husband.
A decent, but certainly not great novel. It does indeed borrow many elements of Die Hard and so the plot feels stale. Also it overdoses the reader with acronyms. The SVO contacted the FRS for a BRU, that kind of thing. There were so many acronyms I couldn't keep track of what most of them stood for.
October 17, 2024
Ben Bova is one of my favourite SF authors, so I snatched this book right off the library shelf when I saw his name on the cover. “Space Station Down” is co-written with Doug Beason, a retired US Air Force colonel, and an expert in national defence. It’s safe to assume that a lot of the Earth defence systems described in detail in this book come from his great store of knowledge. There is a lot of technical detail in the novel that may dissuade some readers, but it’s easy enough to skim a lot of that without losing track of what is going on.
“Space Station Down” is a close-to-reality story about the International Space Station – the same ISS that currently orbits the Earth. Imagine if you can what would happen if a couple of radicalised individuals – an experienced astronaut and a commercial passenger – attempted to take over the ISS and used it as a weapon in their own private holy war against the Western imperialists. Scarily, it’s not so far-fetched as a lot of SF scenarios I’ve read. Those already aboard the station suddenly find themselves under attack, and it comes down to Kimberly Hadid-Robinson to prevent a disastrous outcome.
Not only does Kimberly have the high jackers to contend with, but the security people back on Earth are looking at prevention measures that, while saving the planet, would necessitate the destruction of the ISS – and anyone left on board it. It’s exciting and all too plausible, and hopefully not prophetic in any way!
“Space Station Down” is a close-to-reality story about the International Space Station – the same ISS that currently orbits the Earth. Imagine if you can what would happen if a couple of radicalised individuals – an experienced astronaut and a commercial passenger – attempted to take over the ISS and used it as a weapon in their own private holy war against the Western imperialists. Scarily, it’s not so far-fetched as a lot of SF scenarios I’ve read. Those already aboard the station suddenly find themselves under attack, and it comes down to Kimberly Hadid-Robinson to prevent a disastrous outcome.
Not only does Kimberly have the high jackers to contend with, but the security people back on Earth are looking at prevention measures that, while saving the planet, would necessitate the destruction of the ISS – and anyone left on board it. It’s exciting and all too plausible, and hopefully not prophetic in any way!
November 23, 2021
Do I like books about space? Yes.
Do I like schlocky action movies like die hard? Yes
Is this book great version of both of those things? No
Was it a fun time? Yeah
This is a book about terrorists taking over a space station. It does ring pretty true of die hard. I think the problem is it trying to air a bit too far on the realistic side but I don't know if it aired quite far enough to be actually realistic.
What's fun about die hard is he totally indestructible and he does wild stuff. And the whole genre of like Air Force One The one person trapped and has to retake a thing is a tough path to walk. You have to find an interesting enough place which I think the international space station is. You also have to have enough different places to be able to carry a story within it. This is where I think the space station is a little bit more difficult.
This book holds up. It definitely rings kind of dumb in some places with the decision making of some of the characters. It makes a little harder to read after reading the book about the Apollo 13 disaster and how differently they reacted in the face of that.
I almost wish this book leaned a little harder into the the wackiness but it was a fun time and I read it like a day so ehh.
If you want a good Beach read this is not a bad choice.
Do I like schlocky action movies like die hard? Yes
Is this book great version of both of those things? No
Was it a fun time? Yeah
This is a book about terrorists taking over a space station. It does ring pretty true of die hard. I think the problem is it trying to air a bit too far on the realistic side but I don't know if it aired quite far enough to be actually realistic.
What's fun about die hard is he totally indestructible and he does wild stuff. And the whole genre of like Air Force One The one person trapped and has to retake a thing is a tough path to walk. You have to find an interesting enough place which I think the international space station is. You also have to have enough different places to be able to carry a story within it. This is where I think the space station is a little bit more difficult.
This book holds up. It definitely rings kind of dumb in some places with the decision making of some of the characters. It makes a little harder to read after reading the book about the Apollo 13 disaster and how differently they reacted in the face of that.
I almost wish this book leaned a little harder into the the wackiness but it was a fun time and I read it like a day so ehh.
If you want a good Beach read this is not a bad choice.
October 11, 2020
TITLE: Space Station Down
AUTHOR(S): Ben Bova and Doug Beason
GENRE: Science Fiction/Thriller
PAGES: 341
FORMAT: E-book
I am a huge fan of Ben Bova’s books, and I also enjoy the works of Doug Beason. When I heard the two were teaming up for a novel I was all kinds of excited. When I heard the premise of the books, I did a happy dance.
Two terrorists make their way onto the International Space Station and want to send it crashing down into New York’s financial district. Like I said, the premise is fantastic, so much so that my mind yelled “cue the movie!”. I was ready to roll.
Then I started reading the book. At first, it is fantastic. The pieces were set in place to make the mayhem happen, which it does. The taking of the International Space Station happens as fast as a lightning bolt. Solutions are sought on the space station and on the ground at NASA ground control. For me, this is where the problems began. At this point, the book becomes lousy with acronyms. It becomes a veritable alphabet soup that bogged me down and took away from the overall enjoyment of the book. At times I felt like I needed an advanced degree just to keep up with the acronyms.
I give this book 3 bookmarks out of 5.
AUTHOR(S): Ben Bova and Doug Beason
GENRE: Science Fiction/Thriller
PAGES: 341
FORMAT: E-book
I am a huge fan of Ben Bova’s books, and I also enjoy the works of Doug Beason. When I heard the two were teaming up for a novel I was all kinds of excited. When I heard the premise of the books, I did a happy dance.
Two terrorists make their way onto the International Space Station and want to send it crashing down into New York’s financial district. Like I said, the premise is fantastic, so much so that my mind yelled “cue the movie!”. I was ready to roll.
Then I started reading the book. At first, it is fantastic. The pieces were set in place to make the mayhem happen, which it does. The taking of the International Space Station happens as fast as a lightning bolt. Solutions are sought on the space station and on the ground at NASA ground control. For me, this is where the problems began. At this point, the book becomes lousy with acronyms. It becomes a veritable alphabet soup that bogged me down and took away from the overall enjoyment of the book. At times I felt like I needed an advanced degree just to keep up with the acronyms.
I give this book 3 bookmarks out of 5.
October 24, 2021
I think this posthumously-published work by Ben Bova is based on some of his early notes, updated and filled out by Doug Beason. The story reminds me of Powersat, the first book in Bova's Grand Tour series and the male lead reminds me of Dan Randolph. The outdated treatment of the gender tension between the two main characters, while necessary to the novel's progression, is classic early Bova and this author did have a thing for cardboard terrorists. You will probably enjoy this book more if you *haven't* read much by Bova. I am unfamiliar with Doug Beason but he seems to have co-written a number of books with Kevin J. Anderson, the guy who propped up Brian Herbert for the Dune continuation books.
The story is good, moderately engaging in that I finished the novel but not so interesting that I read it in 3 days. I can't speak to the science of space stations or the feasibility of programming flight adjustments on the fly but this is a relatively tech-heavy narrative. I enjoyed the MacGyver moments (this is actually invoked in one spot) the female lead character had to solve. And there's an interesting underlying theme: if you were trapped with suicide-mission terrorists would you be able to kill them without a thought (and what does that say about you?).
The story is good, moderately engaging in that I finished the novel but not so interesting that I read it in 3 days. I can't speak to the science of space stations or the feasibility of programming flight adjustments on the fly but this is a relatively tech-heavy narrative. I enjoyed the MacGyver moments (this is actually invoked in one spot) the female lead character had to solve. And there's an interesting underlying theme: if you were trapped with suicide-mission terrorists would you be able to kill them without a thought (and what does that say about you?).
August 29, 2020
This was a very thrilling audiobook. The story flows very very well and kept me guessing all along the way. The authors had to do a lot of research and it definitely paid off. My one criticism of this book is that sometimes the science bog down the story a little bit, however, I know that sometimes there needs to be explanations behind some things. The characters were developed well enough without getting tremendously deep into the background story and the storyline paid more attention to the thrill ride which was awesome. I actually never knew where the story was going next and that was very refreshing. I was also very happy overall, with the ending. The narration was done quite well in this book. The performer gave distinct voices to each character so you always knew who was talking. I think the one criticism I would have about the performance was there could’ve been more urgency in the tone of her voice during those really tense scenes were you didn’t know what was going to happen. Other than that, it was very well done and her voice fit the characters perfectly. A pretty good listen and I hope this makes it to the big screen as a movie one day soon.
September 22, 2020
I am a retired NASA engineer and also have met and listened in 0n panels at Florida scifi cons Mr. Bova attends. He has a long history of science and scifi and is interesting to listen to. So when I first saw this book was out I got on our local library's list and put a hold on it. After I downloaded it I read it in a week. It was very interesting and of course a story of a terrorist attack on the ISS and how one woman crewman saves the ISS and earth. From my knowledge of things the technical content was fairly accurate but I did note a few flaws which I'm a little surprised the authors let slip in. Not a big deal as it is fiction but the biggest flaw of the Boeing Starliner launching on an SLS launcher was rather bad. That being said I greatly enjoyed the book and even learned a bit about the ISS I was unware of. Finally, I was not involved in ISS, I was a shuttle ops engineer at KSC and only helped in launching ISS components, sometimes rather closeup like a day at the pad checking to make sure the module loaded in the payload bay was secure.
April 20, 2021
The description a "Die Hard 250 miles above the earth" intrigued me. I started listening to this on audiobook but instead of Die Hard, this lifted off bearing shades of Air Force One (Harrison Ford). Here, instead of AF1, we have the International Space Station being invaded by terrorists who slaughter nearly everyone onboard within the first chapter.
It wasn't long before the story weighed itself down with boring descriptions and flashbacks. That in combination with the monotone voice of the narrator had me aborting pretty quickly.
Frankly, I think this book would translate a lot better on the large screen. With a skilled screenwriter, an all-star cast and a really good director, this has the earmarkings of becoming a huge hit. Perhaps the next Apollo 13. I can picture Ron Howard taking this project on successfully with an Oscar nomination. It's right up his alley.
I am sure this book would be an excellent read for someone who is an avid fan of the space program but for me, it just did not make a huge splash.
It wasn't long before the story weighed itself down with boring descriptions and flashbacks. That in combination with the monotone voice of the narrator had me aborting pretty quickly.
Frankly, I think this book would translate a lot better on the large screen. With a skilled screenwriter, an all-star cast and a really good director, this has the earmarkings of becoming a huge hit. Perhaps the next Apollo 13. I can picture Ron Howard taking this project on successfully with an Oscar nomination. It's right up his alley.
I am sure this book would be an excellent read for someone who is an avid fan of the space program but for me, it just did not make a huge splash.
February 28, 2021
So much of the story was left out!
The premise of a billionaire space tourist doing so to gain access to the International space station to crash it is such a *great* premise and I feel sad that it was wasted in this book! I really hope someone writes that book because that's the one I want to read.
Why didn't the authors include anything from the terrorists' perspective??? The terrorist characters were flat. They literally pop into view a couple times just so the main character can kill them. After which she has no thoughts at all on having just taken a human life. I also wasn't sure why they threw in some random background about the main character but then didn't develop the main character. By the end I knew basically nothing about her. And her ex-husband is an asshole but she might be giving him a second chance...and this was posed to the reader as a good thing at the end of the book like I'm supposed to be cheering them on. I just keep thinking about the terrorists.
The premise of a billionaire space tourist doing so to gain access to the International space station to crash it is such a *great* premise and I feel sad that it was wasted in this book! I really hope someone writes that book because that's the one I want to read.
Why didn't the authors include anything from the terrorists' perspective??? The terrorist characters were flat. They literally pop into view a couple times just so the main character can kill them. After which she has no thoughts at all on having just taken a human life. I also wasn't sure why they threw in some random background about the main character but then didn't develop the main character. By the end I knew basically nothing about her. And her ex-husband is an asshole but she might be giving him a second chance...and this was posed to the reader as a good thing at the end of the book like I'm supposed to be cheering them on. I just keep thinking about the terrorists.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews