When evil forces are going unchecked on earth, a principled astronaut makes a spilt-second decision to try and seek justice in the only place she knows how to: the international space station.
Mr. Kluger knows all about the tech, having written books about Apollo 8, Apollo 13 and the whole space program, but it’s his constant switching from Earth to orbit, from Houston to Moscow, from rainforest to Washington, D.C., that keeps the pot boiling.
... just terrific ... This is an ambitious novel; in his role as a science journalist, Kluger has written many times about environmental issues, but using a space-based thriller to tell an environmentally-themed story carries with it a certain amount of risk. Fortunately, in Beckwith, Kluger has created a character the reader can identify with: her motivation is clear, her methods understandable, and her passion contagious. Through Beckwith, Kluger sells the story so well that readers will be flipping the pages as fast as they can to find out what happens next.
... exciting ... Kluger smoothly covers the technical aspects of life on the ISS and neatly contrasts international cooperation in space with conflict back on Earth. Readers who enjoyed Kluger’s depiction of the Apollo 13 rescue effort will appreciate the reciprocity of a rescue of Earth from space.
