Escape Velocity

by Victor Manibo

Space Habitat Altaire is the premier luxury resort in low Earth orbit, playground of the privileged and the perfect location to host reunions for the Rochford Institute. Rochford boasts only the best: the wealthiest, most promising students with the most impressive pedigrees. Complete with space walks, these lavish reunions are a prime opportunity for alumni to jockey for power with old friends and rivals—and crucially, to advance their applications to live in an exclusive Mars settlement. Earth is dying, and only the best deserve to save themselves.

Aboard the Altaire for a 25th reunion, finance magnate Ava pursues the truth about her brother’s murder during their senior year. Laz, ambassador and political scion, hopes to finally win Ava’s heart. Sloane, collecting secrets to conceal his family’s decline, angles for a key client. And Henry, heir to a healthcare empire, creates an unorthodox opportunity to get to Mars in a last-ditch effort to outrun a childhood secret.

While these erstwhile friends settle scores and rack up points, they fail to notice the other agendas developing at the Space Habitat Altaire. Their own futures aren’t the only ones at stake—“the best” will soon regret underestimating those they would leave behind on Earth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Queer, Space, LGBT

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2024

About the author

Victor Manibo is a Filipino novelist living in New York. A 2022 Lambda Literary Emerging Voices Fellow, he is the author of the science fiction novels THE SLEEPLESS and ESCAPE VELOCITY. His first crime novel, DEAD NOTE, comes out May 2025 from Bonnier Books. His first horror novel, THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED, comes out November 2025 from Erewhon Books. Aside from fiction, he also spins fantastical tales in his career as a lawyer. He lives in Queens with his husband and their pets. Find him online at victormanibo.com and on most social media platforms @victormanibo.

Reviews

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a twenty-first century Titanic, where the iceberg is made of a class struggle, outer space plays the role of icy waters, and Titanic itself is a prestigious space station hotel hosting a reunion party for an obnoxiously elite high school.

In my imagination, the space hotel in Escape Velocity was a modified version of the Fhloston Paradise cruise ship in the 1997 movie The Fifth Element:



Here's the thing about Victor Manibo's late-21st century world: living on Earth sucks. Climate change has wrecked life stability and comfort. For some years, humans have been setting up a settlement on Mars, and a lot of people want to relocate there. But there's a limited number of spots.

To qualify, people collect merit points that have a lot in common with the Canadian immigration system. An aspiring Mars resident can receive points for getting a PhD (solid), doing a spacewalk (cool), speaking French (d'acc), biological capacity to conceive a healthy child and work experience (wait a minute, rewind rewind rewind rewind, what was that last one?!)

Victor Manibo attempts to accomplish a lot in Escape Velocity's 368 pages:
- A non-linear narrative
- Two ensemble casts
- Upstairs/downstairs drama
- Murder mystery
- Another possible murder mystery - we don't quite know whether or not it's a murder until late in the novel
- Commentary on colonialism, LGBT+ discrimination, ableism, ethnic and class bias in the judicial system, the meaning of privilege, diaspora members' relationship with those who stay in the old country, extreme wealth disparity, and the effect of climate change on the global South
- Steamy scenes that develop characters or propel the plot
- A man floating through open space in the opening chapter, untethered from his space station and the plot that follows for 100 or 200 pages...

And then, of course, there's the science-fiction element, too. The Mars resettlement struggle was interesting to read about, and I would have liked more pages spent on the specifics of it. And I'm talking about more scenes with characters in them - not more documents from the UN Mars Resettlement Agency.

Although I was glad I stuck with Escape Velocity through the end, I think this may have been a little overambitious and didn't quite work as a coherent novel. I struggled to figure out what exactly to care about for three quarters of it.

This may, in part, come down to the author leaving out too much information in an effort to create suspense. A lot of the reveals were saved for the very end of the novel without a solid way for us to foresee them. You can't really go back through the book and think "ah, how did I not figure that out?" Escape Velocity could have used a more prominent trail of story breadcrumbs for the reader to latch onto.

Nevertheless, there is promise here that likely just needs some more practice to achieve the author's vision. I would look out for what Victor Manibo does in the future.

Content warnings for graphic sexuality, death, violence, murder, kidnapping, eugenics, and ableism. I might be leaving some out due to a corrupted memory.

Thank you Victor Manibo and Erewhon/Kensington Books for a free NetGalley advance reader copy of Escape Velocity in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/OwmDitabVpI

I enjoyed that this science fiction novel explored themes surrounding privilege and class in the age of space travel. So much of this story discussed who would be seen as valuable (and who would not).

The story eventually moved into more of a fast paced action story. Personally I didn't need those aspects and would have been happy to just explore the complexities of these characters and their futures.

Overall I enjoyed this one, but felt the narrative could have been better focused to make the story more impactful. I would recommend this to readers looking for a new science fiction novel.

[K.J. Charles]

A class reunion for the elite in a luxury space station turns into a dual murder mystery: who pushed Henry out into space to die; who killed Ashwin 25 years ago? But in fact these are two aspects of a larger murder investigation, viz, the slaughter wrought on the world by climate-destroying rich privileged bastards.

It's an enjoyable account of a whole bunch of people who need to die, and the slow revelation of how unspeakable they all are is nicely done. In particular you frequently think you've identified the sympathetic one with relatable traits, but no, you haven't.

If you are in an eat-the-rich mood, and who amongst us is not, this is good fun. Very sloppy editing around tenses, though, which is not okay for a book with so much in the way of reminiscence and flashback.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - quite a different type of story - about "space tourism" gone wrong and also the haves & have nots. There were some intriguing and very current ideas here. Also, I read this while on a cruise ship, so that added a lot for me - the orbital cruiser, its guests & crew, drew me in. But the rich people behaving badly - just awful folks , not any of them were sympathetic or likable! Glad I tried this one!

[Neha Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Click here for a visual interpretation of this beautiful cover.

Fellow reader, dont you love this book cover ? Its often said, 'dont judge a book by its cover", but guilty as charged, I sometimes chose to explore a book and a new author because of the promising cover.

Escape Velocity is tagged under Science fiction mystery thriller. I though found that at its heart, its not belonging to any of those genres. It is an attempt towards a socio political commentary on capitalism and colonization. The backdrop is an Earth, which is inhabitable 'after two centuries of rampant capitalism' and the worthy 'built a new haven on a new planet instead of fixing the planet they have'. I would have appreciated the book if it had not 'failed to notice that other agendas are afoot' and focused more on 'uprising' OR post apocalyptic migration to Mars than on a murder that happened 25 years ago in an affluent college. It progresses like a Page 3 content with uber privileged adults reliving, 'high school all over again' . The romantic and sexual relationships have been sprinkled all over to justify the tabloid premise, it is little too much in the face for my taste. There is no clarity on anyone's sexual orientation and preferred partner, cheating on their spouses and BDSM references.

The last 10 pages left me conflicted about my rating for this book. I was not sure whom to root for and who really did get the 'happy ending', the uber rich characters that I had been engaging with throughout but felt no attachment to them or the planet earth exhausted of its every resource. There is a point based emigration system to move from Earth to Mars which reminds of Australia and Canada PR (permanent resident) applications, a good satire which reduces the value of each human to a number. Its a powerful sentiment and the realization of the privileges we have. This was the moment the book took a turn for me and in its genre and so did this review. Talking about a beautiful cruise style space-resort, double flashbacks (three timelines), murder mystery felt like irrelevant.

Verdict : Over ambitious in a limited time, failing to focus reader's emotions on one central plot point. I believe author has a potential to create a thought provoking novel while being in mainstream, so will give his next book a chance too.

Expected publication : May 21 2024

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington books for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultra lux space resort, unsolved murder mystery from 20 years ago, a bunch of uber-priviliged one-percenters who ruled the world (and the people). What should have been a reunion weekend full with debauchery and excess turned out to be something unexpected. I was looking for a fast-paced reading with a cinematic feel and hoo boy this book popped up at the right moment. The nearly-destroyed Earth with its natural disasters due to climate change impacts presented a grim background, with different impact to different classes. The commentary on socioeconomic class and racism might feel too on the nose for some, but I appreciate the inclusion. This is the first time I read a full-length novel by a Filipino writer, which is cool and I need to check out many more.

Thanks to the publisher for the Netgalley ARC.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for “reasons”

My first time reading Victor Manibo, and despite some mixed feelings about Escape Velocity, I want to give his previous book a try.

I thought the writing here was excellent! Manibo has a knack for creating a smooth flow that I found enjoyable to read. The pacing is also very good; you know something is happening and although nothing is a surprise in the story, I was interested in how it would unfold.

The reason I have mixed feelings despite the clear technical skill displayed by Manibo is more personal. The story is ostensibly a class commentary that calls out the masterful film Parasite for comparison. That is a film I have seen several times and never tire of rewatching or thinking about. The difference between it and Escape Velocity, however, is that in an attempt to reveal the ugly selfishness and callous disregard of the ultra privileged, this book fails to provide adequate space for the story of the underclass. Parasite provided a lens to view the struggle of everyday survival, the impossibility of true class advancement, intensified by the glimpses of where the lives of rich and poor necessarily intersect. Escape Velocity does the reverse, focusing intensely on the lives of the one percent, providing only tiny glimpses of the underclass clearly formulating a plan to change things up.

Some people may not mind this and may find it interesting to explore the idea that even the ultrarich and privileged are still human, and have both feelings and problems, even though their tools for survival look very different from those possessed by poor or middle class folk. The problem for me is that I’m not one of those people. I really don’t care about any of that.

I wanted so much more about what was happening at the bottom, and a lot less about what was going on in the rarefied air at the top. My mixed feelings come from wanting very much to see “the plan” unfold but at the same time feeling frustrated that I needed to watch a bunch of spoiled rich takers flail around with their individual problems. I mean, honestly, so many pages building up the mystery of who killed Ashwin twenty years earlier, and I think by the end of the book even the story itself was messaging “who cares?”

So 3 stars for a story that did not provide enough balanced nuance to make a truly compelling class commentary but 4 stars for the writing and the obvious ability Manibo has as both a writer and storyteller.

They stood together and watched the daylight unfurl over their homeland, imagining a better life when they returned. They both understood the ignominy of what they’d decided to do, accepting the risk for the reward, even though in reality that risk would be borne by another. Cielo hoped that when this was all over, she could live with the fact that the future she purchased for her sibling was built on deceit, tainted with blood.

[Erin Crane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this read, but glad to have read it.

In this story, alumni from a prestigious astronautical high school convene for the weekend at a resort in space. A few of them have a messy past related to the murder of one of their fellow students and lies are getting uncovered. There's also a plot amongst the working class of the resort to ... do something about the uber rich, let's say.

I like a story of friends with secrets from the past, so I enjoyed that part of the book. I found each of the characters that make up the friend group both compelling and reprehensible which I think is the point. I thought the murder mystery part of the book was going to be on the resort in the present day, so that did throw me off, but I worked with it.

I bet the ending will be polarizing when this comes out, but I liked a lot about it. I thought it was bold in the best way.

Now for my disappointments. There are a couple big things I struggled with. One is that the two plotlines didn't mesh well for me (the worker rebellion and the murder mystery). They were so unrelated. Second is that I think the worker piece of the story wasn't given enough page time. Going into this book, I thought I'd get mostly a worker POV, but it's actually mostly the rich people. And I found the rich people to be much more fleshed out as characters, whereas the workers were quite flat and their identities reduced to the fact that they are poor and struggling. That feels really odd given the message of the book.

Whenever I'm dissatisfied with a book, I like to mull over what I think would have worked better for me. In this case I think I would have wanted either 1) the worker rebellion piece removed, and the rich people (at least those involved in the murder plot) to self-destruct on their own or 2) a much longer book that gave equal page time to the workers, including flashbacks like the rich people. Perhaps find a way to better mesh the two plots together in the process, creating connections between characters.

The messaging of the book is a bit of a muddle for me, but not necessarily in a bad way in the end. There are times when it's quite heavy handed (contributing to the flatness of the worker characters), but the way the story ends feel more ambiguous in terms of whether this rebellion was "good" or "bad." I don't want to say too much more for spoiler-y reasons. :)

I don't think pitching this book as Knives Out meets Parasite makes a lot of sense. I'd go with The Menu or Triangle of Sadness to better fit the situation, but neither of those are perfect either. I had been *hoping* for something that felt more like The Menu in its over-the-top, poetic retribution to be honest. There's still a good story here, but these kind of mashup pitches are often inaccurate, so that was frustrating.

I really enjoyed Manibo's debut The Sleepless, and while I liked this release less, I'll still read more from him because I enjoy the tone he takes in his SF (thoughtful, dark, plotty).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%

I'm just not digging it. No idea what's going on, don't really care either.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a few reviews and don't see anyone asking the questions I have, so here goes:
1. Supposedly the MERIT system will keep all but the elite from getting to Mars. But, just as "the help" made it into space on the station, they'll have to go to Mars too. Otherwise, the elites would be doing their own laundry and cooking their own meals.
2. Why is Mars so great? This book is only about 60 years in the future, so despite some references to growing wheat on Mars, it must still be a harsh planet lacking in atmosphere - terraforming would take centuries, not decades. So no matter how bad Earth has gotten, how could Mars be better? (See A City on Mars by the Weinersmiths).
3. Minor issue, but...marble. And statuary. On a space station. Right. What kind of amazing lift capability do they have?? Yet the shuttles are burning hard to reach the incoming debris... how much thrust does it take to get somewhere in zero g? The science fiction-y details were just off.
4. Apparently orgies are commonplace at every level of society. Really? Guess I missed that memo. It wasn't written as something that was new, different, or restricted to the rich, since the crew had their own party the night before.
*** SPOILERS ***
5. This one has come up in other reviews - There's no one to root for. Every character is either a murderer, extortionist, or terrorist. Ethics-wise, the "help" are just as bad as the "elites." The only possibly innocent characters are the security team who are killed by their own co-workers, or the young brother whose life will now be ruined because their sister is a terrorist and murderer.
6. I was left asking, "What was the point of reading this book?" The message I get from it is everyone is contemptable and there are no solutions. (Certainly mass murder isn't an answer.) As an author, is that the message you want to put out into the world? As a reader, I felt this book was depressing and a waste of time.

The reason for two stars instead of one is that the writing style itself was decent. At least I actually finished it.

[Viking Jam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genre: SciFi Crap

Review: I did not finish this novel for a few reasons.

Amateurish writing: when characters meet, they explain their whole back story in conversation. Who talks like that? "Oh, when we were in Bogota, three years ago, I remember this girl.." blah, blah.

Wokey: The author prattles on about how speshul he is in his bio. "A queer immigrant and a person of color". How are you "elevated" because of life choices and happenstance? Are we now supposed to thank our lucky stars that you blessed us with your writing? Should I tell everyone I am gay for prefered treatment? This belief system is transported/infused into the novel.

The science that supports this station is contrived and rendered in simplistic terms.

Wading through someone else's ideas about sexuality and our given acceptance of those ideals is insufferably arrogant.

Rating: DNF

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Knives Out in space with a Parasite twist" is honestly such a good description for this book.

The characters are just as unlikable and self-centred as those Knives Out characters. Do not expect to be able to root for anyone. Every single one of these characters is a hot mess and I enjoyed it a lot. Just struggled a bit that a lot of them had fucked up stuff to deal with, rich assholes aside, so I kind of wanted to feel for them, but also couldn't. The struggle was real. (it covers quite a few heavy topics, get yourself a list of trigger warnings if needed!!)
And yep, definitely Parasite like too. The overall theme was A+. More Eat the Rich in space books please and thank you.

Loved how all around queer it was! So many queer identities + a trans MC. I'm here for it!

[J. (Better Off Read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ great premise with pretty good execution; kind of meandered at points, but I liked the ending.

[Cole Mrgich · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was slow to start but eventually brought me in. However there were too many plot points for any real payoff. And a very unsatisfactory ending in which the bad guys win and the main characters are killed?? Very disappointing.

Edit: I fear that I had judged this novel too harshly. The two plot points of the murder and the class uprising illustrated the way the one percent on the Altaire were too wrapped up in their own elite lives to notice the social revolution going on under their noses. For that, I will give this novel a 3.5

[Fanna]

a murder mystery in a space hotel + a critique on inequality and mars colonisation = this is going to be out of the world

[Sam S · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Do yourself a favour and write a character map. There are a lot of people to keep track of.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a weird book. Bought it in an airport, read it on a plane. Not for me.

It's 2084 (I think, I was slightly confused about exactly what year it was for a good part of this) and the settlement of Mars is the literal life goal of anyone who is anyone. Applications will open in 2090, and people have until then to get their MERIT scores as high as possible by furthering their education, taking on Tier A jobs, starting and running their own businesses, and engaging in a lot of spaceflight activities. Rather than the traditional college prep schools we know today, society's elites attended Rochford for it's aerospace-aligned curriculum, and this weekend is their 25 year reunion - on the space habitat Altaire. But while they are there, something goes terribly wrong and one of the own somehow gets "spaced." His disappearance seems to be somehow intertwined with the murder of one of their high school classmates 25 years ago. Who committed the murder then? Are they responsible for the loss of their classmate today as well? Is that even the worst thing any of them have ever done?

The first strike against this book for me was originality: the focus is on super rich people on a space station generally being awful and contributing to the climate change disaster while focusing on relocating to Mars rather than cleaning up the mess they have made of Earth. Closely linked for me, the second strike against this one was worldbuilding. I find some reviewers praising the worldbuilding, which is honestly fascinating to me. There basically is none. There is no discussion of how bad Earth has gotten (which is particularly frustrating because whether or not the climate the salvageable is a legitimate point of contention here); the description of the MERIT scores is just an overview document that (a) could have been an appendix and (b) seemed to contradict some of the text about what affected MERIT scores; there is very little description of the habitat itself except some of the moon pools; there is no discussion even of Rochford, the institution that has brought them all together. There were also too many characters who were too similar, which is honestly a bit on brand for the storyline so tough to critique, but it made it hard to follow in the beginning. The ending also seemed rushed and unsatisfying, predictable at its most basic level.

I also just have to say that I'm upset about the BDSM scenes. They came out of nowhere, were apropos to nothing, were nonconsensual and unhealthy, and seemed to suggest by way of the storyline that BDSM dynamics and sexual interactions with multiple partners are inherently bad and just gross hobbies of the rich elite. Which...why did we even have to go there then? Really could have done without it, and that dropped this one a whole star for me for SURE.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder mystery in space was an intriguing concept! I jumped into this book with that in mind.

The story jumps right into it, not taking its time. The pacing was good overall and the characters were pretty compelling.

Negative: the ending. It felt like a word count was hit and it just needed to finish. I’ve heard the ending is a little polarizing for people so I’m not surprised!

Overall, this book was an interesting idea and pretty well executed besides a few parts!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo was a really good read I enjoyed the near future space story which included a luxury resort on Mars because Earth is dying. There are twist and turns in the story which I enjoyed very much.

[J.L. Lycette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a big fan of Manibo's debut, The Sleepless, and in this, his second novel, Escape Velocity, he does not disappoint. This exciting near-future thriller explores themes of capitalism, oligarchs, and climate catastrophe, and what might happen if humans take to the stars without moving past this dark phase of humanity. It's like Elysium meets Total Recall, but includes a diverse cast of characters and a nuanced exploration of gender and sexuality under capitalism.

Sixty-five years in our future, a class of an elite aeronautics high school meets for their 20th high school reunion on a luxury space station. We soon learn they're all carrying secrets, some worse than others, and as events unfold, Manibo doesn't let any of his characters off lightly.

There are layers within layers, both for the plot and the characters, and Manibo's ending seems to invite readers to decide for themselves if justice is achieved for any of them, even the survivors.

In the words of one of his characters: "We took the implicit assumption of capitalism and we made it law: that not everyone deserves dignity, life, a future."

I read it in one sitting, and I'll be thinking about it for a long time. I highly recommend it.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twenty-year-old murder of an abusive classmate is one of the elements to this story about class and extreme economic privilege. Others include a resource depleted and damaged Earth, colonization of Mars, a vast population that is unlikely to gain access to a new planet thanks to a list of qualifications (i.e., exclusions) such as requirements for perfect physical and mental health, among other things those living in a damaged environment cannot hope to meet.

We follow the extremely wealthy, and former classmates, on a space station for a reunion. The the 1%-ers of the 1%-ers are responsible for powerful companies, and though living lives of extreme luxury, have their own petty and serious physical or other issues. Most are destined for Mars, and while aboard, are waited on by the very people who will be left behind on a dying planet.

It’s impossible to care about the wealthy characters, but it’s hard to get a feel for those serving them on the space station Altaire, as the author does not draw their characters in detail, and they remain almost as faceless to us as the self-centred they serve.

[Sammy Kutsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man! I just tore through this book, it was incredibly readable. The concept of the book was super interesting, and I enjoyed reading it, but it hasn’t really left a lasting impression. I think the interlocked last and present murders and mystery could have been organized in a more intriguing way.

[Sana]

'Knives Out in space with a Parasite twist' OMG

[Shannon Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Content notice: Escape Velocity contains depictions of/allusions to: ableism, alcohol use, classism, death, drug use, eugenics, genetic discrimination, gun use, murder, physical violence, queerphobia, racism, sexism, transmisogyny."

I am not one to use comps when talking about a book, but this one was just so... comparable? It's Floating Hotel meets The Girls Are All So Nice Here meets Dark Academia™, which is a pretty cool combo IMO.

The premise was very entertaining- lots of secrets and mysteries, both past and present. There were quite a few characters, but it wasn't all that hard to keep track of them, as they had well developed backstories and such. Anyway, they're all well-to-do fancy boarding school alums, here on this space cruise to have a reunion. They've various levels of privilege among them, but it's clear that everyone has an agenda. For some, it is about revisiting the past. For others, it is about securing themselves a spot on a permanent off-Earth site, as Earth is failing. For some, it's simply about debauchery and living the high life for a bit. Whatever the motivations, you'll see many sides of these characters. So too will you see a bit of the folks who are not thrilled to be catering to their every whim. If I have one big-ish qualm with this book, it's that I think it would have worked better, especially the second half, had the rebellion worker been given a larger role throughout. It would have made everything connect much better, and I think would have made the ending feel a little more palatable. (No, I am not going to tell you about the ending- some people seem to love it, some seem to hate it, I personally didn't wholly mind it, though it didn't feel as satisfying as it could have, if all parties had been better explored. There, that is all you're getting, you absolute spoiler barbarians.)

Anyway. I enjoyed it, for the most part. It was exciting and full of action and secrets and all kinds of chaos, which I am here for. I also enjoyed the commentary and the diversity, and the whole messiness of even later stage capitalism. It was exciting and I loved trying to figure out all the secrets, so it was definitely another win for me from Manibo!

Bottom Line: Ambitious, but mostly does what it sets out to do, in a really packed and entertaining novel.


You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

[okaylib · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this is like reading In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead but add a sub/dom relationship that appears completely out of left field, a couple space walks, and obscene amounts of MONEY. We follow a group of friends at a high school reunion (in space!) where it is *shockingly* revealed that one of the friend's brothers was murdered back in high school. What follows is very heavy handed foreshadowing, characters with flimsy motivations and unstable characterizations, an uninteresting setting, and a poorly done critique of capitalism.

The reason I picked this up is because it was supposed to be a bunch of rich fucks being dramatic on a luxury liner in space. How fun! But for a book set on a luxury liner in space, it decidedly did not feel like we were in a luxury liner in space. There was so little atmosphere, so little purpose, the only thing holding us in this place were a few mentions of the views and the aforementioned space walks.

The main science fiction element of this story is this system of MERIT points that allows certain people to go to a new colony on Mars. Now, this is supposed to show how corrupt society is because only rich people with "good" jobs get enough points to settle Mars. And even the super rich people still have to vie for their places on Mars with political scheming, social maneuvering, and . . . BDSM. Okay yeah, that's, like, a really bad system.

But the way the MERIT points are described and implemented in the novel makes it not only a bad system but also simply not make sense. First of all, we don't understand why the characters want to go to Mars. Sure, Earth is burning up, but surely Mars isn't the only place to run to? Why does literally every single person on this ship want to go to Mars? What about places on Earth that are still habitable? What about underground bunkers? What about, perhaps, a luxury liner in space? No? Oh, okay, a completely underdeveloped colony on Mars where there are no poor people for you to exploit. Yep, that's definitely what every rich person dreams of.

Something else that bothered me more than it probably should have was the use of multimedia elements (only two of them throughout the whole book) to show how this system works. No only do we get to hear the characters talking (and thinking) at length about how the system works, but we also get a bunch of pages of faux-legalese and tables (so fun!) explaining all the things we already knew about the system (very necessary!), just in more detail than we need to understand the concept and in a super boring format. So fun! Very necessary!

You're probably wondering what this sub/dom and BDSM is all about. I am as well. Surely it's not for representation because the relationship was completely nonconsensual? Surely it's not for character development because non-consent should never be used as a tool for character development? Who knows.

Finally, let me go on a lengthy monologue about the end of this book. No wait, TWO lengthy monologues! Actually, I will spare you and not do that. But you know who didn't spare us from TWO lengthy monologues that explain all of the reasons why all of the things happened and tell us all the information we were waiting for the entire book at the very last second through this over used and objectively bad method? I'll let you take a guess.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever read a mystery set within the upper echelons of society and thought, wow, all these people are so terrible, they all need to be brought to justice, this might be your book. Set in 2089 when climate disaster has made the Earth increasingly unlivable, four wealthy friends attend their 25th high school reunion at a space hotel and jockey for position for spots on an up-and-coming Mars settlement while trying to keep the secrets of their past hidden - all while the crew plots a mutiny behind the scenes.

The focus of the story is definitely the wealthy four - Henry, "the golden boy" but hiding a secret; Sloane, who was part of the wealthy set but has had to pursue various schemes to keep his place since his family's downfall; Laz, who shares a Filipino identity with much of the crew but serves as an ambassador and has never been without money; and Ava, a trans woman who inherited her family's multinational business after the tragic murder of her twin, Ashwin, during their senior year. We have perspective chapters from each of them, as well as a few chapters set in their actual senior year. These are interspersed with some chapters from a key crew member's perspective - Cielo, the Filipina masterminding the revolt.

It's easy to fall into the drama of the bitchy power games that start up between the wealthy set almost right away. As readers, we are accustomed to suspending disbelief and enjoying the struggles of lives we'll (most of us) never have. (Shoutout to the orgy scene! Loved that one!) And yes, you do wonder who really killed Ashwin, but behind it all you wonder, are any of these four going to catch a clue and subvert - or even join - the crew members in their righteous uprising?

It's Knives Out more than Parasite, but there are vibes of both - though ESCAPE VELOCITY is more queer than either one, which I appreciate. Manibo keeps the story moving although I did clock some weaknesses in character development and reveals of plot details. Nonetheless I had a fun time reading it. It's got an action-packed end - though also full of tragedy, depending where your sympathies lie. All power to the people!

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps it's just because I found the genre novels I chose for July 2024 a little underwhelming on the whole, I come away from this "modest proposal" of a book rather impressed; this is having not engaged with Manibo's writing before. Yes, the deck is stacked to demonstrate that the characters who are going to find themselves up against the wall probably deserve what's coming to them, but that's the best part of the book. The folks who find this novel perhaps not long enough for Manibo to achieve all his ends probably have a point. Still, at a certain level this is a thriller, and economy is usually a virtue in such books. As for the argument that this is a little too far-fetched, well, when a "libertarian" tech executive, who has declared that he's prepared to sacrifice "democracy" for "freedom," manages to parachute his chosen instrument into a major American presidential campaign, well, I'll argue that you should approach this book as serious food for thought.

[Jessica Brocavich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly should have DNF’d. This was such a chore to get through, so many characters, too many story lines, and you didn’t find out the reason for the staff’s motives until 91% OF THE WAY THROUGH. Then everything was slammed together in the last 9% of the book.

[Kristy Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told in third person and essentially follows a group of somewhat despicable characters to what amounts to a high school reunion on a space station. Of course, there was a murder way back when and one of the characters is out for revenge and determined that the murder finally be solved. Sounds like a fairly standard thriller trope except for the space station part, right? Add in some disgruntled staff and it has the makings of a murder mystery in an isolated setting and a socio-economic situation that’s ready to explode into chaos.

This is my second read by Victor Manibo. I really enjoyed The Sleepless last year and I was eager to see where his follow-up would venture. I loved the beginning where we join a character who ended up on an untethered space walk and is floating away from the space station with no idea how he came to be there. I had visions of George Clooney floating through space into the void. LOL.

Then the story rewinds back to everyone arriving for the reunion. There’s a lot of rich people rubbing shoulders with the uber-powerful going on here. Everyone is trying to get a spot on the new settlement on Mars and pretty much willing to do anything to get it from providing organs to spanking (though I did find the idea of an orgy with my high school classmates to be a little ick). I enjoyed reliving the friendships and betrayals going on between the closest clique of former students.

Recommended to thriller lovers that love unlikable characters doing bad things and blaming others only with a dash of space.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earth is on fire. Mars is the next place to settle. An elaborate system of points dictates lottery eligibility and a potential spot among the 5,000 civilians who will be the first to settle on Mars, alongside the scientists already there. An elite boarding school hosts their 25th reunion on the space station Altaire, which is a way for them to earn more points towards their Mars goal with spacewalks and social connections. 25 years ago, Ava, Laz, Sloane, and Henry had their worlds upturned at the death of Ava's twin brother, and now, years later, that tragedy still haunts them.

I both had fun with this book and also didn't understand/don't think it was successful in what it was trying to do. Based on page time spent with the high school classmates both in the present and in the past, the murder mystery is the primary plot... except that while there is resolution to the murder mystery, the driving plot points towards the end of the book are an eat-the-rich climate change driven climax. We spend so much time with the boarding school elite that, even while they are terrible people, we begin to root for them, and we spend very little time with the space station crew who may be the heroes of the book? That imbalance made it a complicated book to like, even if it was an enjoyable read.