Assassin's Orbit

by John Appel

Overview

Golden Girls meets The Expanse with a side of Babylon Five

Murder makes unlikely allies.

On the eve of the planet Ileri's historic vote to join the Commonwealth, the assassination of a government minister threatens to shatter everything. Private investigator Noo Okereke and spy Meiko Ogawa join forces with police chief Toiwa to investigate and discover clues that point disturbingly toward a threat humanity thought they had escaped.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781089156
Publisher:	Solaris
Publication date:	07/20/2021
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

John Appel volunteered to jump out of planes before he’d ever been in a plane; his friends and family say this sums up his approach to life pretty well. He writes science fiction and fantasy and the occasional tabletop RPG adventure. A lifelong Marylander, he lives in the Baltimore suburbs with his wife and children. He masquerades as a technology risk manager to pay the bills after two decades as an information security pro. When not writing, rolling dice, or keeping the bad guys at bay, he enjoys rum and swords, but not both at the same time. John is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop.

Editorial Reviews

04/19/2021

A mass shooting in a luxurious social club sparks interplanetary conflict in Appel’s competent debut sci-fi thriller. Private investigator Noo Okereke must team up with police commissioner Nnenna Toiwa and spy Meiko Ogawa to catch the perpetrator and quell an insurrection that threatens the station she calls home. Things go from bad to worse as rumors fly about the now-forbidden nanotech that created the Unity Plague and forced humanity’s exodus from “Lost Earth,” sparking fear of a second plague. With a background in technology risk and information security, Appel skillfully incorporates plausible advanced tech, as well as a range of subgenre influences from cyberpunk to military SF into his twisty mystery. There’s some clumsy exposition at the start, but the novel soon finds its feet, though fast pacing and an overlarge cast somewhat undermines the emotional impact of story and character beats. Thanks to the galaxy populated largely by peoples of African and Asian descent and point-of-view characters who are are mostly middle-aged or older women of color, Appel offers a unique entry point to the space opera plot. With solid, thoughtful representation in terms of religion, sexuality, and disability as well as race, gender, and age, this will be well worth the time of any reader looking for socially conscious hard sci-fi. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Assoc. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A compelling, explosive debut." — Locus Magazine

Locus Magazine

"A fast-paced, action-packed crime thriller."

San Francisco Book Review

"Combines a space station murder mystery with mature characters, with action beats, intrigue, diverse characters and an engaging plot and writing style."

Nerds of a Feather

"The writing is good; the ideas excellent." — John Dodd, author of Just Add Water

"John Appel bursts unto the science fiction scene with a tightly-plotted far-future thriller. Combining rigor and thoughtful speculation of technology and history with nuanced characterization of seasoned operatives, Assassin's Orbit is an excellent read." — Michael R. Underwood, author of Annihilation Aria

"A fast-paced debut novel filled with interesting, well-developed characters and super cool sci-fi technology." — Michael Mammay, author of the Planetside series

"Assassin’s Orbit is the best kind of space thriller—twisty and explosive, it doesn’t stop, doesn’t flinch, and doesn’t hold back. I absolutely loved this book and the super-capable women at its explosive heart." — Karen Osborne, author of Architects of Memory

From the Publisher

"A fast-paced debut novel filled with interesting, well-developed characters and super cool sci-fi technology."

Michael Mammay

"John Appel bursts unto the science fiction scene with a tightly-plotted far-future thriller. Combining rigor and thoughtful speculation of technology and history with nuanced characterization of seasoned operatives, Assassin's Orbit is an excellent read."

Michael R. Underwood