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Phantom Orbit
A subtle and masterful novel from a prescient voice on the cutting edge of spy literature.
David Ignatius is known for his uncanny ability, in novel after novel, to predict the next great national security headline. In Phantom Orbit, he presents a story both searing and topical, with stakes as far-reaching as outer space. It follows Ivan Volkov, a Russian student in Beijing, who discovers an unsolved puzzle in the writings of the seventeenth-century astronomer Johannes Kepler. He takes the puzzle to a senior scientist in the Chinese space program and declares his intention to solve it. Volkov returns to Moscow and continues his secret work. The puzzle holds untold consequences for space warfare.
The years pass, and they are not kind to Volkov. After the loss of his son, a prosecutor who’d been too tough on corruption, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Volkov makes the fraught decision to contact the CIA. He writes: Satellites are your enemies, especially your own. . . . Hidden codes can make time stop and turn north into south. . . . If you are smart, you will find me.
With this timely novel, Ignatius addresses our moment of renewed interest in space exploration amid geopolitical tumult. Phantom Orbit brims with the author’s vital insights and casts Volkov as the man who, at the risk of his life, may be able to stop the Doomsday clock.
David Ignatius is known for his uncanny ability, in novel after novel, to predict the next great national security headline. In Phantom Orbit, he presents a story both searing and topical, with stakes as far-reaching as outer space. It follows Ivan Volkov, a Russian student in Beijing, who discovers an unsolved puzzle in the writings of the seventeenth-century astronomer Johannes Kepler. He takes the puzzle to a senior scientist in the Chinese space program and declares his intention to solve it. Volkov returns to Moscow and continues his secret work. The puzzle holds untold consequences for space warfare.
The years pass, and they are not kind to Volkov. After the loss of his son, a prosecutor who’d been too tough on corruption, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Volkov makes the fraught decision to contact the CIA. He writes: Satellites are your enemies, especially your own. . . . Hidden codes can make time stop and turn north into south. . . . If you are smart, you will find me.
With this timely novel, Ignatius addresses our moment of renewed interest in space exploration amid geopolitical tumult. Phantom Orbit brims with the author’s vital insights and casts Volkov as the man who, at the risk of his life, may be able to stop the Doomsday clock.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2024
451 people are currently reading
7207 people want to read
About the author
David Ignatius
33 books722 followersDavid Ignatius, a prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post, has been covering the Middle East and the CIA for more than twenty-five years. His novels include Agents of Innocence, Body of Lies, and The Increment, now in development for a major motion picture by Jerry Bruckheimer. He lives in Washington, DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
August 16, 2024
Fabulous story.
May 17, 2024
Using the word “thriller” feels like playing fast and loose with the dictionary. Okay, but slow build and very little tension/action.
April 7, 2024
This is one of those books that gets a grip on you right away. The Prologue immediately entranced me. A masterful novel and what beautiful writing. It made me really feel for the main characters. Without a doubt this is my favorite book so far this year and it will take a extraordinary book to knock it out first place for me before years end. Thanks to Goodreads for the Advanced Reading Copy of the book to read and review.
August 8, 2024
Weirdly, this has a 4.11 star average. A rather weak premise and a just as weak execution IMO. The suspense is lacking and the ‘spy’ part is almost not present. I have a hard time understanding what kind of book it is, other than a lot of info on satellites and Kepler. It has three rushed and not-very-compelling main POVs that I cared nothing about.
Disappointing. The high average rating must be some kind of bot-job.
The best part of it is the audiobook narration by Edoardo Ballerini. He did a great job
Disappointing. The high average rating must be some kind of bot-job.
The best part of it is the audiobook narration by Edoardo Ballerini. He did a great job
December 13, 2024
Three and a half stars.
I'm glad to know that good spy novels are still being written today. If you stop to think about it, it's not surprising given the stories that the new Cold War we are experiencing must provide, a three-way war between the USA, China and Russia.
I hadn't read anything by the author before. I found it to be a well-founded and very entertaining novel. It also deals with a topic that interests me, such as the space industry. So I plan to read more novels by David Ignatius.
I'm glad to know that good spy novels are still being written today. If you stop to think about it, it's not surprising given the stories that the new Cold War we are experiencing must provide, a three-way war between the USA, China and Russia.
I hadn't read anything by the author before. I found it to be a well-founded and very entertaining novel. It also deals with a topic that interests me, such as the space industry. So I plan to read more novels by David Ignatius.
September 11, 2024
How are you gonna make sit through 80% of a book, building extremely boring characters who don't really do anything and resolve LITERALLY every conflict in 50 pages? This was one of the worst books I have ever read, please do not read it
June 4, 2024
Pretty disappointing read. The blurb made it sound like a white knuckle-can't-put-down read. Instead it read like a male version of a pity party women's fiction. The writing was what surprised me the most -- it was all telling like a junior high student reading their book report outloud. Not one character was remotely likeable.
February 23, 2024
I highly recommend this novel due to its timeliness, depth of characters and surroundings, the thrilling plot line and the prescient observations of Mr. Ignatius as to global concerns about reliance on satellite communication to keep the modern technological world running smoothly.
Seldom is a novel so in tuned to current affairs that as you read this fiction, similar and parallel events are happening in the news of the moment. This novel is not only thrilling as a stand alone work of intrigue and fast paced action. It also thrills the reader to realize the real world consequences of the story being told by an author that truly understands the actions of nations and the actors that move forward their own personal and national aspirations.
Mr. Ignatius is a very talented writer that has created a complex and compelling story of characters that fully engage you in their complicated lives. The story moves from China to Russia and the U.S. Ignatius' writing describes each with such detail and clarity that you both feel you are there while feeling like you are learning a sociological and historical insight provided by someone with incredible insights to the world. Ignatius masterfully creates a storyline of intrigue melding three competing worlds of influence. Each nation has its own history and view of its future. Each on a different path. In Phantom Orbit, all of these paths or orbits intersect and collide. The reader is treated to quite a thrilling ride through history from 1995 through 2022 incorporating the War in Ukraine.
The story line is centered on Ivan Volkov a Russian too poor to attend university in his homeland. Instead he gets recruited to a top research university in Beijing. Here is lured by Chinese nationalists with their own plans for a future in space and satellite technology. Volkov excels in this area of study. Plot twist, his mother back in Russia needs him so he leaves. As expected once back, it proves almost impossible to ever leave the tentacles of a new Russian leader, Putin.
Without giving away too much of the plot, the essence of the intrigue relates to the explosion of satellite development in space as new technologies evolve. As does the dependence of so many daily technological givens such as GPS and cell service.
What if there was a hidden Trojan horse set up by any of the three major nations lying dormant in the complex structure of these satellites? Like so many of our automobiles, parts from around the world are incorporated into a basic sedan without knowledge of the buyer of the car. Can a chip from a foreign country suddenly stop your car from running? Who is to say?
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy from Goodreads. As I am reading, the news emerges about Russia setting up nuclear capabilities in space. Navalny is murdered by Putin. China and Russia seem to be friends again against the U.S. The amazing Mr. Ignatius seems to able to predict events before they happen.
That is testimony enough for the reader to seek out this exciting novel. I have purposefully left out details about the story line and various characters. I would hate to ruin the reader's experience of delving into the plot and complicated situations of the main characters. Please seek out this novel and you will not be disappointed.
Thanks to Goodreads for this privilege to read this advance copy.
Seldom is a novel so in tuned to current affairs that as you read this fiction, similar and parallel events are happening in the news of the moment. This novel is not only thrilling as a stand alone work of intrigue and fast paced action. It also thrills the reader to realize the real world consequences of the story being told by an author that truly understands the actions of nations and the actors that move forward their own personal and national aspirations.
Mr. Ignatius is a very talented writer that has created a complex and compelling story of characters that fully engage you in their complicated lives. The story moves from China to Russia and the U.S. Ignatius' writing describes each with such detail and clarity that you both feel you are there while feeling like you are learning a sociological and historical insight provided by someone with incredible insights to the world. Ignatius masterfully creates a storyline of intrigue melding three competing worlds of influence. Each nation has its own history and view of its future. Each on a different path. In Phantom Orbit, all of these paths or orbits intersect and collide. The reader is treated to quite a thrilling ride through history from 1995 through 2022 incorporating the War in Ukraine.
The story line is centered on Ivan Volkov a Russian too poor to attend university in his homeland. Instead he gets recruited to a top research university in Beijing. Here is lured by Chinese nationalists with their own plans for a future in space and satellite technology. Volkov excels in this area of study. Plot twist, his mother back in Russia needs him so he leaves. As expected once back, it proves almost impossible to ever leave the tentacles of a new Russian leader, Putin.
Without giving away too much of the plot, the essence of the intrigue relates to the explosion of satellite development in space as new technologies evolve. As does the dependence of so many daily technological givens such as GPS and cell service.
What if there was a hidden Trojan horse set up by any of the three major nations lying dormant in the complex structure of these satellites? Like so many of our automobiles, parts from around the world are incorporated into a basic sedan without knowledge of the buyer of the car. Can a chip from a foreign country suddenly stop your car from running? Who is to say?
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy from Goodreads. As I am reading, the news emerges about Russia setting up nuclear capabilities in space. Navalny is murdered by Putin. China and Russia seem to be friends again against the U.S. The amazing Mr. Ignatius seems to able to predict events before they happen.
That is testimony enough for the reader to seek out this exciting novel. I have purposefully left out details about the story line and various characters. I would hate to ruin the reader's experience of delving into the plot and complicated situations of the main characters. Please seek out this novel and you will not be disappointed.
Thanks to Goodreads for this privilege to read this advance copy.
June 2, 2025
That was a top tier techno thriller. Damn, sucked me in with the opening lines and didn't let up until the end. And a nice little surprise as it all came together. Great history, fascinating satellite information. Jsut all round a realyl good story.
April 10, 2024
I received this book as a Goodreads first-reads winner.
Wow! This was fantastic! I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be reading more by this author. Highly recommend.
Wow! This was fantastic! I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be reading more by this author. Highly recommend.
July 6, 2024
A superior thriller that spends the first 3/4 of the book in the past when the three principals all meet in China in the mid 1990's: a Russian physicist, a Chinese scientist, and an American woman. Flash to the present war in Ukraine and a secret war in space over satellite command and control. There's also a hint of a love story that never was.
December 4, 2024
Not sure I'd have enjoyed this as much if not for audiobooks. I found the scientific aspects the most entertaining.
August 10, 2025
I love all of this author's books, a favorite genre and style of mine, espionage themed novels. Phantom Orbit was great. I never thought much about everyone's growing dependency on and benefits of satellite networks in space. The story opened my eyes, and I thought the ending was good too. I was not disappointed with this book.
June 12, 2025
On the boring side of excitement.
June 16, 2024
Thriller?? Nope.
This is one of those books that the author came up with a punch line, then worked backwards to create a story line to end with it. The prose is not particularly pleasant, with limited flow and even less character development.
Technologically speaking I knew where this was going after the first few chapters, and to call it a thriller is a bit of a stretch. The concept could have worked well with greater development of characters and hooks around the technology, but it wasn't and that's what we end up with. Think of the bright side, it's not part one of a series!
This is one of those books that the author came up with a punch line, then worked backwards to create a story line to end with it. The prose is not particularly pleasant, with limited flow and even less character development.
Technologically speaking I knew where this was going after the first few chapters, and to call it a thriller is a bit of a stretch. The concept could have worked well with greater development of characters and hooks around the technology, but it wasn't and that's what we end up with. Think of the bright side, it's not part one of a series!
June 6, 2024
This was a thriller that wasn't too thrilling. I got bored waiting for the plot to kick in. There's a way to weave in backstory but this wasn't it. And so much of it was irrelevant - it certainly is a topic that needs to be explored but Edith's life after China would have been better left to a different book altogether.
May 16, 2024
Excellent read. I would have rated it a 4 but once you put political bias in, it ruins it for me. I don’t like politics in fiction novels. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
March 30, 2025
I found this book through reading the “Advanced Praise” section of my previous book. Mr Ignatius is a Harvard/Kings College educated columnist for The Washington Post. Author of several spy novels. His quote “likability is a jail” resonated with me, so perhaps his book would as well.
The story takes place over a 25 year history. It ends with the conflict in the Ukraine. The first 90% of the book sets the footing for the last 10% that takes place in 5 days. Marketed as a thriller whose main theme is a mysterious passage in an ancient book by the astronomer Kepler, it checked all the boxes for me. Unfortunately it was not a thriller and the text really plays a minor theme. It was slow paced, but I found myself gravitating back to reading the next few chapters.
The writing style was the opposite of my last book where sentences spanned pages. Mr Ignatius seems to be paid for each period. I found this much more approachable.
The author is a genius at painting an environment. The feel of country can only really be appreciated after visiting. Dumplings and cold beer in America tastes the same as those in Taiwan (if you go to the right restaurants), but the smells, the fashion, the architecture, the overheard discussions all play a role in creating a feeling. He did this with just simple words.
The theme is the risk of relying on satellites for pretty much everything we do everyday. They seem to be easily hacked, or injected with nefarious electronics from a not so secure supply chain. Just enough sex, technology and government lawlessness to keep me entertained.
My favorite passage
“Once you have jumped out of the plane, you can’t jump back in. You just have to hope the parachute opens.”
The story takes place over a 25 year history. It ends with the conflict in the Ukraine. The first 90% of the book sets the footing for the last 10% that takes place in 5 days. Marketed as a thriller whose main theme is a mysterious passage in an ancient book by the astronomer Kepler, it checked all the boxes for me. Unfortunately it was not a thriller and the text really plays a minor theme. It was slow paced, but I found myself gravitating back to reading the next few chapters.
The writing style was the opposite of my last book where sentences spanned pages. Mr Ignatius seems to be paid for each period. I found this much more approachable.
The author is a genius at painting an environment. The feel of country can only really be appreciated after visiting. Dumplings and cold beer in America tastes the same as those in Taiwan (if you go to the right restaurants), but the smells, the fashion, the architecture, the overheard discussions all play a role in creating a feeling. He did this with just simple words.
The theme is the risk of relying on satellites for pretty much everything we do everyday. They seem to be easily hacked, or injected with nefarious electronics from a not so secure supply chain. Just enough sex, technology and government lawlessness to keep me entertained.
My favorite passage
“Once you have jumped out of the plane, you can’t jump back in. You just have to hope the parachute opens.”
January 18, 2025
Phantom Orbit is like if John le Carré and Mick Ryan coauthored a contemporary prequel to White Sun War, focused on space and the IC. It contains more spy-vs-spy fictional elements than military futurists typically use. I was pleasantly surprised by the thought exercise in supply chain logistics/vulnerabilities and space as a war fighting domain. I appreciated the mental exercise for both topics set in an engaging espionage novel.
December 12, 2024
Where do I start? The title and subtitle? “Phantom Orbit: A Thriller”. There were “orbits”, and also the book is “a” something, so 50% credit, I guess. No clue what is ghostly about the orbit, though, and the only moment I was thrilled by this book was when I put it down.
Reading the acknowledgments, you would assume the technical details would be crackerjack. Ignatius claims all errors for himself; let us hope on behalf of US national security that he’s right about that. The technical errors are copious, and while they might pass muster with someone completely unfamiliar with space and GPS, they are laid bare to anyone who has looked up those topics on Wikipedia. I have to add that while I will assume that the author either doesn’t have knowledge of, or would not want to expose, the tradecraft of the US intelligence agencies, I would have liked something, shall we say, more believable on that front, too.
I could get past all that if there were any sort of plot. The characterizations are not in fact universally terrible, if somewhat superficial. But jiminy, I never knew you could have so many pages of an alleged thriller where nothing remotely interesting occurred. I was going to suggest that the book would have benefited from a better editor, but on reflection I suspect no editor in the world could make a decent story out of this.
Incidentally, I saw Ignatius speak in front of a crowd of the sort of people who populate his acknowledgements. He was interesting enough that I bought one of his books (which I haven’t read and I now think of as laying in wait for me, like a booby trap or a dangerous spider). I take this as a warning to people with access and charm and the ability to entertain for 20 minutes: maybe leave it at that.
Reading the acknowledgments, you would assume the technical details would be crackerjack. Ignatius claims all errors for himself; let us hope on behalf of US national security that he’s right about that. The technical errors are copious, and while they might pass muster with someone completely unfamiliar with space and GPS, they are laid bare to anyone who has looked up those topics on Wikipedia. I have to add that while I will assume that the author either doesn’t have knowledge of, or would not want to expose, the tradecraft of the US intelligence agencies, I would have liked something, shall we say, more believable on that front, too.
I could get past all that if there were any sort of plot. The characterizations are not in fact universally terrible, if somewhat superficial. But jiminy, I never knew you could have so many pages of an alleged thriller where nothing remotely interesting occurred. I was going to suggest that the book would have benefited from a better editor, but on reflection I suspect no editor in the world could make a decent story out of this.
Incidentally, I saw Ignatius speak in front of a crowd of the sort of people who populate his acknowledgements. He was interesting enough that I bought one of his books (which I haven’t read and I now think of as laying in wait for me, like a booby trap or a dangerous spider). I take this as a warning to people with access and charm and the ability to entertain for 20 minutes: maybe leave it at that.
May 17, 2024
I won this book off the giveaway and I must say that it is a very complex book it has to do with satellite wars and the science behind it but it is written in a way that's very easy to understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in that kinda field.
October 15, 2024
Phenomenal thriller. Chock full of very realistic (and scary) detail about the current (and likely future) war and intel battle over space. Ignatius is a compelling writer and fascinating story teller. I didn't want this book to end
June 10, 2024
Ignatius weaves current insider Knowledge into Prescience.
The author takes a very long time to move all the chess pieces into place but eventually sculpts an important piece of Fiction into a cautionary tale that may soon become critically important Non-Fiction.
The most valuable take-away is the portrayal of the all too common reluctance of any bureaucracy to understand and accept the obvious value of the outliers in their midst.
Four stars. ****
The author takes a very long time to move all the chess pieces into place but eventually sculpts an important piece of Fiction into a cautionary tale that may soon become critically important Non-Fiction.
The most valuable take-away is the portrayal of the all too common reluctance of any bureaucracy to understand and accept the obvious value of the outliers in their midst.
Four stars. ****
May 22, 2024
3.5 rounded up. This was slow moving for a spy novel. Interesting (and a bit scary) insights into how satellite technology is being used to run a ground war in the Ukraine. Some spycraft too.
June 17, 2024
So bad and disappointing, yet well-reviewed, that it inspired me to make an account to rate it here.
The protagonists spend a narrative spanning ~30 years, across 7 countries, accomplishing _literally_ nothing. The real hero, of course - is the hyper-competent, diplomatic, and well-prepared CIA 🙄🙄🙄. I want to be really clear - if every POV character were removed from the story, I cannot see how the ending would have been affected at all. It's that bad.
It's light on anything technical or scientific. None of the 'space' stuff actually matters. It has a weak POV - the 'camera' of the narrative is inattentive to the character's inner thoughts and feelings, but happily cuts to random side characters. It even cuts to the other side of a one-way mirror from the protagonist to give us a description of what his interrogator is wearing. …almost like the author wished they'd gotten to write a movie script, not a book.
Just,,, I really can't recommend it. If 'spy' vibes, plus uncritical 'american military will protect us', is all you're looking for, go ahead. But I really can't see the appeal.
The protagonists spend a narrative spanning ~30 years, across 7 countries, accomplishing _literally_ nothing. The real hero, of course - is the hyper-competent, diplomatic, and well-prepared CIA 🙄🙄🙄. I want to be really clear - if every POV character were removed from the story, I cannot see how the ending would have been affected at all. It's that bad.
It's light on anything technical or scientific. None of the 'space' stuff actually matters. It has a weak POV - the 'camera' of the narrative is inattentive to the character's inner thoughts and feelings, but happily cuts to random side characters. It even cuts to the other side of a one-way mirror from the protagonist to give us a description of what his interrogator is wearing. …almost like the author wished they'd gotten to write a movie script, not a book.
Just,,, I really can't recommend it. If 'spy' vibes, plus uncritical 'american military will protect us', is all you're looking for, go ahead. But I really can't see the appeal.
June 4, 2024
The first thing to say about this book, it is not a thriller despite what the cover claims. Thrillers don't usual stretch about over 25 years as this does. Despite that, it is not a slam on the book. The book starts with a prequel of a Russian scientist serving as a virtual walk-in on the CIA website. Needless to say most walk-ins are whack jobs so the Agency carefully reviews this one before deciding to take no action.
There are three main characters: a Russian scientist interested in space physics, a Chinese scientist with similar interests on satellites, and a CIA employee working for the Directorate of Science and Technology. Over the years they are apart but their careers progress.
I liked this novel because there was so much accurate in it. Anyone who has worked in the IC will find much familiar including when complaints are filed against a Chief of Station who assaulted her. Plus it is so timely it gets up to the war in Ukraine. A must read for anyone who loves espionage stories.
There are three main characters: a Russian scientist interested in space physics, a Chinese scientist with similar interests on satellites, and a CIA employee working for the Directorate of Science and Technology. Over the years they are apart but their careers progress.
I liked this novel because there was so much accurate in it. Anyone who has worked in the IC will find much familiar including when complaints are filed against a Chief of Station who assaulted her. Plus it is so timely it gets up to the war in Ukraine. A must read for anyone who loves espionage stories.
May 16, 2024
David Ignatius never disappoints. Phantom Orbit is riveting up to the last page. The technical detail in the book is eye opening and insightful. I can hardly wait until his next book as I have read all 12 of his works
October 23, 2024
For those who mocked the creation of Space Force, here is a good book about the reasons why we need to protect above the space domain. Great story development!
January 19, 2025
No real suspense or thrill in the end. Finished it thanks to the audiobook.
The book spans too much time and somehow it’s both too much and not enough. A lot of backstory about these characters, particularly Edith (don’t get me started) and Ivan’s son felt like the editor going, “Expand on that” which the author does, but somehow adds little to the characters. Ivan was arguably the best character and somewhat interesting. Probably the only character that movitated me to just finish the book.
I found Edith to be a complete cardboard cutout of a character, her motivations all over the place and wildly inconsistent. Not every female character has to be a super badass, but Edith never felt real in any tangible way, just a blob that liked Go and was still in love with a guy she met 25 years ago… her entire backstory with the CIA, while admirable I guess, seemed horribly shoehorned in. She’s submissive and then quickly decides she’s not? Like, complete turnaround in characterization. I also have to wonder the point in the backstory at all but just to fill space and time with something, didn’t seem to really affect her in the “present” timeline. And in the end, needed everyone to explain to her (and the audience…) the ending. Really disliked what the author did to her. Very “men writing women.”
Overall lots of recent events put into the book which was sorta interesting I suppose, a modern spy thriller if one could use those terms. Pretty boring and genuinely in the end it just turns out everything that Ivan risked to tell the Americans was already known, so it’s kinda like, oof, that sucks man.
The book spans too much time and somehow it’s both too much and not enough. A lot of backstory about these characters, particularly Edith (don’t get me started) and Ivan’s son felt like the editor going, “Expand on that” which the author does, but somehow adds little to the characters. Ivan was arguably the best character and somewhat interesting. Probably the only character that movitated me to just finish the book.
I found Edith to be a complete cardboard cutout of a character, her motivations all over the place and wildly inconsistent. Not every female character has to be a super badass, but Edith never felt real in any tangible way, just a blob that liked Go and was still in love with a guy she met 25 years ago… her entire backstory with the CIA, while admirable I guess, seemed horribly shoehorned in. She’s submissive and then quickly decides she’s not? Like, complete turnaround in characterization. I also have to wonder the point in the backstory at all but just to fill space and time with something, didn’t seem to really affect her in the “present” timeline. And in the end, needed everyone to explain to her (and the audience…) the ending. Really disliked what the author did to her. Very “men writing women.”
Overall lots of recent events put into the book which was sorta interesting I suppose, a modern spy thriller if one could use those terms. Pretty boring and genuinely in the end it just turns out everything that Ivan risked to tell the Americans was already known, so it’s kinda like, oof, that sucks man.
August 1, 2025
'Phantom Orbit' is a rare miss from David Ignatius.
Ignatius, a respected editorialist from The Washington Post, has built a sideline as a writer of exquisitely researched spy novels. To read an Ignatius spy novel is to get a reasonably accurate insight into how the intelligence community operates. Most of the time, it's also a guaranteed good time.
In this outing, Ignatius explores the world of orbital intelligence and space warfare. He does this through the lens of three characters: a CIA officer and physicists from China and Russia. The novel is structured like three interweaving novels, each starring one of his protagonists. The problem is that none of the three stories are particularly compelling. I hung in there, under the assumption that they'd come together in a spectacular fashion. But a group of people sitting in a room and talking does not equal a spectacular climax.
As it happens, I know people who work in or adjacent to this novel's setting. I think they'd devour 'Phantom Orbit.' For me, however, this novel never achieved liftoff.
Ignatius, a respected editorialist from The Washington Post, has built a sideline as a writer of exquisitely researched spy novels. To read an Ignatius spy novel is to get a reasonably accurate insight into how the intelligence community operates. Most of the time, it's also a guaranteed good time.
In this outing, Ignatius explores the world of orbital intelligence and space warfare. He does this through the lens of three characters: a CIA officer and physicists from China and Russia. The novel is structured like three interweaving novels, each starring one of his protagonists. The problem is that none of the three stories are particularly compelling. I hung in there, under the assumption that they'd come together in a spectacular fashion. But a group of people sitting in a room and talking does not equal a spectacular climax.
As it happens, I know people who work in or adjacent to this novel's setting. I think they'd devour 'Phantom Orbit.' For me, however, this novel never achieved liftoff.
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