The Orpheus Plot, by Christopher Swiedler, is a science fiction book that takes place far in the future when humans are a multi-planetary species. The book takes place in outer space and on large asteroids. The book is quite realistic and makes living in space and on other planets seem possible and plausible, and is very interesting in how the plot moves forward, so it truly keeps you guessing until the end. The most interesting part, for me at least, is the role technology plays in it.
The book takes place in the asteroid belt, where Cadet Lucas Abedayo gets invited to join the navy and excels in some classes while failing in others, and later he learns and figures out how to win capture the flag by taking the other team's flag, being the first one ever to do so. At night he goes outside the ship and finds a box attached to the hull, which he promptly loses. Then the Orpheus, which is the ship they were on, stops at a small asteroid where Lucas is given a computer chip, and is told it has virtual reality software on it. He then goes on a mission to repair a radar station, and gets abandoned by two people on his team. He then needs a place to stop, and gets stuck in an airlock. After venting air from his suit to get out, he returns to the ship, and tests the computer chip, which has a virus. It reconnects the computer it was on to the ship's internet and then his friend destroys the computer. He gives the chip to his sister, who plugs it into the ship, allowing a mining ship to enter and take over. Through gaining people's trust, Lucas frees everyone and is awarded a medal of honor.
Lucas is an ambitious boy from the mining colonies on the asteroid belt. He wishes to become the best pilot in the navy, and tries hard to achieve his goal. He is very smart, having had to do complex math equations in order to fly. He also knows how to fix the spaceships, and he comes up with physics based answers to problems. He also has two friends from earth. His first friend is Elena, who learns fast and is strong from growing up with earth gravity. She is part of a group called the Truth-sayer Commune, meaning she has never told a lie in her life. She knows judo, and uses it several times, like when the group needs to shut off a computer, so she flings it at a wall. The second friend is Rahul, who is strong from earth gravity, and has an AI implanted in his eye. He gets motion sick easily, but does well in school, as well as being able to read computer files. He is rather matter-of-fact, and is also stubborn. Lucas also has a sister named Tali, who is secretive and tries to protect Lucas, but gets him in trouble as well. She is cunning, being able to hide things very well, and lies to get out of a debt she has.
The plot flows from the beginning, where Lucas gets inside a navy ship, but then gets allowed to fly it around. The next day he is invited to be a navy cadet, and goes to the Orpheus, which is a navy training ship. He then goes on a spacewalk one night with his friends and finds a small magnetic box, but then the rocket accelerates and he loses the box. Then, Lucas plays capture the flag, where he captures the other team's flag. Later he gets to watch a group going on a scouting mission, where a mining ship hides from them and creates holographic clones, which Lucas helps to find the real one by using logic. Then they stop at a large asteroid, where Lucas and his friends get an antenna repair mission with three other people. After repairing the antenna, two people abandon the rest of the group, leaving them to walk back. They need to stop, though, and trap themselves inside an old airlock. Lucas decides they should vent the air from their oxygen tanks, and they do, and make it back to the spaceship. While on the asteroid, however, Lucas was given a computer chip, which he is told has VR simulations on it, But when his friend plugs it into a computer, it has a virus. They destroy the computer, and Lucas gives the chip to his sister, who plugs it into the ship because she was being blackmailed, and people invade. Lucas and his friends defeat them, and then Lucas earns a badge, and becomes a junior officer.
In all, I think it was a good book, with many twists, and many secrets that keep you reading until the end. It was an interesting read, and very realistic for most of it. There are some parts that are not realistic, but that is a very small portion. I think that if you like any action books, want to get new ideas, or like science fiction, you will like this book. So if you're looking for your next good read, this book is right for you. Also, the Technology is layered into the book in such a way that it seems as if that is what will happen when we, as humans, advance.