As the story opens, it's 2031 and the Earth is in dire straits. A large piece of Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier has collapsed, and the glacier's total destruction is foreseeable in the near future.
Complete collapse of the Thwaites Glacier would raise sea levels by about 65 cm (2 feet), threatening coastal cities and low-lying island nations across the world.
Moreover, global warming, climate refugees, and destabilized governments threaten the future of the world.
Billionaire John Ward, who's running for U.S president, has a plan for saving humanity. Ward wants to colonize Saturn's moon Titan, and is getting the project underway.
In phase one, funded by Ward and NASA, six people will travel to Titan on a spaceship named Starblazer.
Starblazer will launch a satellite into orbit around Titan, to analyze weather, terrain, and temperature, and to help work out future landing sites for the next stage of the mission. Phase two will be a supply drop of scientific equipment for surface readings, and phase three will be a manned mission to Titan's surface.
The initial Starblazer mission will take two years - to go to Titan, loop around the orb, launch the satellite, and return to Earth. The Starblazer passengers are three NASA astronauts and three civilians.
The astronauts are:
✴ Mike Seaver - the mission commander. Mike is an alcoholic who's not even trying to dry out. Mike's separated from his wife Helen, who's raising their children with occasional visits from Mike.
✴ Della Jameson - Della is the first Black female astronaut to have completed more than five missions to space. Della is estranged from her cheating ex-husband Sean, and will leave her children in the care of her mother during the Titan mission.
✴ Alonso Cardova - Alonso has limited experience in space, having been up only in the ISS-2, with one quick jaunt to the moon. Mike is a closeted bisexual, with a current girlfriend and a secret ex-boyfriend.
The civilians are:
✴ Padma Singh - Padma is a brilliant astrophysicist, and the world's leading expert on the Titan colonization plan. Padma is obsessive about her work and has little time for socializing - which caused her boyfriend Brett to break up with her.
✴ Stitch (aka Courtney Smith) - Stitch is a 27-year-old graffiti artist who won a lottery to become a passenger on Starblazer. Stitch views the Titan mission as a lark, which irritates the other passengers.
✴ Ryan Crane - Ryan is a police officer who prevented an assassin from shooting John Ward. Afterwards - for the publicity - Ward offered Ryan a seat on Starblazer and $25 million to go. Ryan is conflicted about leaving his wife Nina and their children, but the family needs the money.
Political candidate John Ward is in a HUGE hurry to launch Starblazer, so the six travelers train together for a couple of weeks, after which they're spacebound.
The voyage is relatively uneventful until Starblazer arrives at Titan, where there are a few jarring incidents. The spaceship then returns to Earth....and that's when problems arise for Mike, Della, Alonso, Padma, Stitch, and Ryan.
At this point in the story, credulity is REALLY stretched to the breaking point. It's hard enough to believe NASA would send an alcoholic mission commander and a novice crew of civilians - barely trained - to Titan.
Then.....upon Starblazer's return to Earth....the crew members are forbidden to speak to each or to the public; are practically sequestered in their homes; and are hounded, surveilled, and threatened by John Ward's minions.
In any REAL world, passengers who traveled to Titan and back would be besieged by reporters and fans; be interviewed endlessly; be feted far and wide; be seen as heroes; and be cheered at multiple parades.
To top it off, there's a cliffhanger ending that surprised me until I read this was the debut novel of a series.
This isn't a bad book, but it's derivative and not believable. Still, I might read the next book just to see what happens.
Thanks to Netgalley, Jeff Rake, Rob Hart, and Random House for an ARC of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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