The story is entertaining and informative — but is it, as billed, a thriller? ... Events unfold in more of a slow burn. To be sure, Ignatius has written an interesting novel, peopled it with rich, believable characters and built a wholly realistic plot. He’s chosen to tell the story chronologically, which well serves the content — different storylines, lots of moving pieces, technical subject matter, backstory that enriches readers’ grasp of the stakes — but sacrifices tension. And that’s a luxury today’s thriller writers generally aren’t allowed.
A meaty, slow-burning spy thriller ... Despite a couple of creaking exposition scenes about the basics of Einstein’s special theory of relativity, the novel works both as a downbeat, atmospheric thriller and as a serious primer on the vulnerability of modern satellite technologies to cybersubversion and sabotage.
