Solstice

by David Hewson

As the millennium approaches, the climate on Earth is getting progressively hotter, a phenomenon which makes scientists and others extremely nervous. Unease quickly turns to panic when Air Force One is successfully downed, key communications networks are disrupted, and the world's financial institutions are pushed to the brink of collapse. CIA science chief Helen Wagner and Michael Lieberman, a brilliant designer of a giant space-based solar array, must contend with techno-savvy activists who plan to use the array to cut modern society off at the knees...and start civilization over from scratch.

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller

480 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

DAVID HEWSON was born in Yorkshire in 1953. His books range from the Nic Costa series set in Italy to adaptations of The Killing in Copenhagen and the Pieter Vos series in Amsterdam.
He's adapted Shakespeare for Audible and in 2018 won the Audie for best original work for Romeo and Juliet: A Novel, narrated by Richard Armitage.
2019 sees the release of a new, full-cast Audible drama set in New York, Last Seen Wearing, and a standalone novel set in the Faroe Islands, Devil's Fjord.

Series:
Nic Costa

Pieter Vos

The Killing

Reviews

[Daniel Kasbohm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this doomsday scifi thriller about how the government builds a giant solar satellite that is taken over by a crazy environmentalist group who proceeds to destroy cities and generally wreak havoc. The characters are better than most thrillers I've read, and the twists and turns were good fun. Apparently books about evil solar satellites is becoming a minor obsession of mine :-)

[Sheila Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this one would be good when I started reading and things went down from there. The characters seemed more concerned about pushing their own ideas and arguing with other people than saving the world. There were some plot twists, but they weren't surprising and the reader can easily guess what is going to happen.

[Helen Meads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not one of his best. It’s 27 years old and dated (but also prescient). It’s also very boys own action adventure and far too long. The women are written to serve the men, even if they seem on the surface to have independence and some power.

No, not recommended.

[Becky Tarasky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not really like the beginning, but towards the end, it was better. It took me awhile to read it.

[Amanda Van Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF! It’s that bad!

[Denham Steynor]

OK but no rivetting

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first hundred pages I was in two minds about finishing this book. The characterisation and dialogue were poor. It was too wordy and some parts nearly made me fall asleep, but in the end I persevered, just to see how things would turn out.

For a science fiction novel set in the near future (at the time of writing) the science was rather implausible, with over lengthy explanations of simple facts, and skipping over some of the more implausible things, For half the book it wasn't really clear who the protagonist was, and even when it did become apparent, much of what he said and did was incomprehensible. His explanations of things were either simplistic, or just muddied the waters more.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In David Hewson's Solstice, he wrote a gripping science fiction futuristic thriller before his Italian mysteries. At the approach of the millennium, it made scientists and others nervous for this phenomenon as the climate grows hotter on earth. It downed Air Force One, disrupted key communication systems and pushed our world's finance on the brink of collapse. For CIA's science chief Helen Wagner and designer of solar-based space array Michael Lieberman, they both have to contend with activists to cut off the array of modern society and start from scratch.

[Rafael amador · Rating 4 out of 5]

the book is good...easy to understand and link with...
maybe the book tells us something that will happen..who knows the military today find way to control the sun..this is a good book..i expect everyone to read it...

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall pretty interesting book with a take on 2012 but with a very irritating character. He has to argue, drag his feet beyond reason, etc so you just want to scream "Just do it!" This characteristic tends to drag the book down and take you out of the storyline.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off as a pretty good read - thriller with some sci-fi concepts. But, about halfway through, it lost my interest. I kept on going and hurried through the rest, but I never regained my initial interest in it. The characters were not engaging, and I wasn't invested in them at all.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yep, I did it. I read a book that I didn't like, and I stuck with it, and finished it, just to write a review.....
It's not BAD.....it's just not very good. At all.

It involves ecoterrorists, scientists, global warming, and it's just not Michael Crichton.

[Benedict Kelmendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story...I screw up, therefore I am...but not in Gaia, daughter of Chaos...and of course that every culture has it´s own God...Po ne shqiptaret, ke e kemi Zotin e Diellit e te Lirise...IBRAHIM RUGOVA shkelqen me shume se KURRE...

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I'm re-reading from WAAY back...

A thriller with a sci-fi component. Or maybe just a realistic premise. A "cut above" among thrillers, with a rich story, believable characters, & a lot of ideas as well.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is considered Science Fiction. I normally do not care for Science Fiction, but this is so well written that the unbelievable becomes believable. Wonderful story!

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spectacularly mediocre.

[Steve Grayell · Rating 2 out of 5]

tedious techie disaster movie type of "thriller"

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story but it could have used some more editing and thus about 100 fewer pages.

[Shelfarijose · Rating 4 out of 5]

CIA hunt doomsday computer cult through artificial weather phenomena.

[Mei · Rating 1 out of 5]

Umm, who? And what? Tried but failed to get into this notwithstanding the interesting first snippet. Wasn't really my thing and didn't enjoy any of the characters in the book.

[Roberta Card · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me interested.

[Patrick Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say this is a poor Michael Crichton clone, but it is. That said: I still actually enjoyed it. The premise is simple. The U.S. military created a particle beam satellite weapon. It was uncontrollable and abandoned (but left in space). A techno savvy group of Eco-terrorists have figured out how to activate it, and make it much more deadly. You typical hero and heroine (budding romance, of course) are on the case. Oh…and there’s sunspot activity somehow making the Earth extremely hot. Yah, I know, I know—it’s a silly, and there are way too many stock characters. And there are long descriptions of inconsequential things and places that encourage you to lose the plot thread. Here’s the weird thing--I didn’t hate it. I knew I was reading a lot of mumble-junk. I was OK with that. Consider it for what it is. Time killer.