Review: Orbiter
"I don't think you're thinking weird enough."
Ten years ago the space shuttle Venture vanished from Earth orbit, along with its crew of seven astronauts. No trace off them was ever found. As a result, the space programme was set back; only unmanned probes were sent into space. The Kennedy Space Centre is now an empty shell surrounded by a shanty town...
Now the Venture is back. Falling out of the sky, wrapped in the flames of re-entry, it lands near the KSC. There is only one crewmember aboard and he is catatonic. And the shuttle, although it looks normal at first glance, has been... changed...
Orbiter by writer Warren Ellis and artist Colleen Doran is an homage to astronauts, in particular the seven who lost their lives when the Columbia burned up on re-entry in 2003. Their sacrifice is an inspiration to future generations who will follow "Because it is too important a thing to allow it to die in the sky."
The US Space Agency brings in a team of specialists: Dr Michelle Robeson, biologist and former astronaut; Dr Terry Marx, propulsion engineer and Dr Anna Bracken, psychologist. Robeson and Marx lead teams investigating the shuttle while Bracken attempts to get through to its sole occupant, Captain John Cost, mission commander and pilot.
Their work soon turns up more questions than answers. The Venture has been modified by technology far beyond anything on Earth, and it has travelled much further. Despite being in space for ten years, Cost shows none of the debilitating effects of long-term exposure to microgravity. He speaks to the people sent in to fetch him in a language nobody has ever heard before (represented on the page as simply the colour blue).
Details slowly begin to emerge, and this is where we see what type of book this is. No invading monsters, no life-and-death battles, just lots of interesting ideas. Science. Philosophy. The story is a journey through the more cerebral side of science fiction, rather than one that just uses a sci-fi premise as the arena for an action adventure. This is a different type of adventure, and will not be to everyone's taste, but it is a refreshing alternative to the usual fare.
This is nevertheless full of energy, the drama and excitement of the characters expressed eloquently by Doran, whose style has a vibrant manga touch. There is a sense of wonder here as humans struggle to comprehend circumstances far beyond the norm, like in Arthur C. Clarke's 2001; apes confronted with magic. Our heroes speculate over the new types of technology and revolutionary new fields of physics but in the end all of that comes second to the most important factor: the spirit of exploration. The desire to go beyond the mundane. The need to find out what is beyond the horizon.
"It's a book about glory. About going back to space. Because it's waiting for us. And it's where we're meant to be."
ORBITER on Amazon
Zak Webber
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