The Kármán Line

by Dennis Hopeless, Piotr Kowalski (Illustrations), Brad Simpson

When the astronauts aboard an international space station find their shuttle damaged and a crew member dead, things unravel quickly. And get even worse when they each receive a separate mission saying: “ABORT MISSION AND GET HOME NOW”.

It’s all sex, lies and betrayal on a reality show streaming from space until the crew receives a message reading “ABORT MISSION AND GET HOME NOW”. Things unravel quickly as they find their shuttle damaged and a crew member dead. They’ll have to fight to survive and escape... With cameras recording everything.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2023

About the author

Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum is an American comics writer from Kansas City, Missouri who has written for Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Boom! Studios, Arcana Studio, and Oni Press.

See also under Dennis Hallum

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Someone on a comics-y group I'm in was asking the other day, what happened to Dennis Hopeless? I could fill them in on bits of it – he'd had a so-so Image space series co-written with Jason Aaron, and also he was trying to drop the nickname – understandable, given what it is – and go back to Dennis Hallum. Plus, I had this, his forthcoming SF graphic novel, from Netgalley. Having now read which, it looks like he's abandoned the attempt to make Hallum happen – presumably a combination of not wanting to lose name recognition, and realising that he's lucked into the most zeitgeisty alias conceivable for the 2020s. And this is a near future story, in which Earth is doomed and only a Mars mission offers any chance of saving anyone, but humanity, demonstrating the same shortsightedness which resulted in Earth being doomed in the first place, is massively against the space programme. All of which is a good start (for a science fiction story, you understand – it's a terrible start for any chance of a future, which is unfortunate, really, isn't it). I particularly liked the scene where the bigwigs are plotting behind closed doors, as bigwigs do, and one of them does the standard bit of saying they can't let the news get out that Earth is finished, only for another to point out that anyone who's been paying the least bit of attention already knows this.

So how do they get the public to back the mission? Simple. They turn it into reality TV. This isn't in itself a bad idea, but the problem is that whenever other media try to do stories about reality TV, they almost always end up as trite as reality TV, and this is no exception. When the multinational crew each get messages from home that Earth is now at war and they must return home immediately, there can't be many readers who won't guess the twist that's coming. Which needn't have been a problem in itself, but the problem is that the book's odd 90ish-page size means it has to play that out in detail, without really having the space to turn it properly character-focused. Half again as long, a more usual graphic novel length, and the breathing room might have given me more investment in the cast; equally, if you'd wanted to play out the bare bones of the idea at speed, it could have been effective as a shorter story – structurally, this is perfect Future Shocks material. Granted, that would probably have meant losing what I'm trying not to call a splash page of rimming, and in general Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson do a solid job with both sex and space, which between them make up a large chunk of the book. But in terms of the script, I'm left thinking of some of the great jobs the writer has previously done with unpromising material (maternity Spider-Woman, or teen Marvel heroes doing Battle Royale), and asking, what happened to Dennis Hopeless?

[C.J. Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comic I got from NetGalley to review! The cover is so good, I was stoked to get a copy.

A team of astronauts go to space in order to build a ship capable of making it to mars. The civilian population of earth, however, is super against the project and them. So, how do you fix that? A space reality show! Drama, sexiness, and uh, space???

As I requested solely off the cover, I was very surprised by what I just said above! I thought maybe a space horror, but this was more of a political statement (or two or three). It’s not over the top though, and there’s an actual story here. I feel like what I wrote above was enough for like a multi-volume series, but this has even more.

Each astronaut receives a private distress call from their own country giving them private instructions during an international emergency. Then chaos ensues. Each character has a different motive and a different reaction. Honestly, with this intense of a plot line, it would have served well as a novel or two even.

Regardless, the artwork is fantastic, some of the space scenes are truly amazing. There’s some really cool stuff done with the panels in this as well.

Personally a 4/5*

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 90-pages Graphic Novel was too short for all the content it wanted to cover. It reads as if half of the story was cut and left me wanting more background on the characters, more introduction to the characters, more international politics, more!

[Gab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!
The Kármán Line is a quick read, but such a strong one.
As soon as you meet the characters, you're in, and there is tension from beginning to end.
The art style is perfectly suited for the story, technical enough for the sci-fi and superbly vibrant to bring dynamic imagery to the drama.

I highly recommend!


Note that the book is rated M for Mature.

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning cover. The artwork throughout is quite impressive. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the cover is so unique I needed to see the inside of this graphic novel. I am so glad I was approved to receive a copy. I would love this sitting on my bookshelf next to my other graphic novels.

This is about a group of real astronauts, on a space station, living in a reality television show. The drama, the sex, the lies and deceit, for all of the world to watch. The ending has a plot twist that totally came out of nowhere. I was so surprised!

I am definitely keeping my eyes out for volume two. I want to know what happens next and what is in store for this group!!

Thank you #NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for approving and sending me #TheKarmanLine by Dennis Hopeless

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting (and sadly too real premise). The world is burning instead of fixing earth we look to colonize mars. Regular people hate the idea UNTIL it becomes a really hip social media livestream! The twist in the middle leading to violence and terror in space ends up being made up for views BUT HEY we got the funding to go to mars!

[Syeda Sumayya Tariq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous, and breathtaking (pun intended) cover, and that's what made me request it on NetGalley. Graphic novels float my boat! and these graphics and art is ahmazing!

The blurb is amazing too, but I just thought it was a bit too short to cover everything it wanted to. And I'd say the execution was a bit lacking too, I mean I didn't feel fully connected to the story or even absorbed into what was happening from the first page, tbh it all felt a bit too unrealistic (that social media manager was uber annoying and I just don't understand why astronauts would put up with her, for fs sake, they are astronauts, like, with brains - not just pretty bodies!) even for a science fiction graphic novel. but like, I get the point of it all, and the sad reality that this graphic novel is trying to convey, that how social media and the need to please have taken the attention away from the real stuff.

Enjoyable, surely, if you are into reality shows, but might be a tiny bit disappointed if into real space stuff.

Thanks so much Netgalley, artists, and publishers for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.


I just had to get this book. I do love a good reality show and it taking place in space? Sign me up! Sex and chaos? Sure! Plus, I loved the ominous cover and the ominous blurb.

Welcome aboard of this space station. Where scientists are doing their work. Having fun as well. Sometimes maybe a bit too much fun. Or um, sexy fun. XD Yep. These are all scientists/astronauts but hot dang one pair of them loves to just be together. I really loved this couple… though when we find out more… I wasn’t a fan. I just wanted to yeet these two into space. XD Sorry guys, I have a low tolerance for that bullshit. But what if everything goes from hunkydory to pure chaos. Systems crashing. Strange message appearing on comms. War and threats? Things get dark very quick as everyone tries to survive and get the fuck out. It was a beautiful display of how humans work. And there are some secrets about to be revealed. Oh yes. Who will survive? Well, I won’t tell you, you will just have to read. But I was definitely invested in seeing who would get out. Plus, I love that the cameras were just rolling all the time. Be careful what you do or say in your survival mode, teehee.

I loved that we didn’t just get to see the now and all the things that go wrong, but also saw the before. How people weren’t happy with the scientists. How the Earth is falling apart. A bombing. And how the reality show made things safer and better.

While I had expected more deaths, yes, I know I am gruesome at times. The deaths that DID happen? Well done. Especially that one that happened in the later half. HOT DANG, that is no way anyone would want to go. It was so sudden. I was just gasping.

Given the ending and how inconclusive things felt, like this was just a set-up to something bigger, I hope that there is more coming. crosses fingers I would definitely be up for more reality show or just this group of scientist along with new ones travel to Mars.

And then there is the art! DANG. I loved it! So many details. So pretty. Very realistic style which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, but in this one it was just perfect.

All in all, despite some small things, I did enjoy this one, the art was great, it had an interesting story, that one death holy nope. I am happy I had the chance to read it!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars! The Kármán Line follows a space station crew, who has their life on the station recorded as part of a reality show. All goes well, until one day, each member of the crew gets a private message from their governments that read "ABORT MISSION, RETURN ASAP" The rest of the story focuses on the crew and how they plan to survive the trip from the station back to Earth. The novel was too short! The fact that it's so short hinders the story a bit, making it feel a bit more rushed than it should be. The characters were mildly interesting, but two of the men looked so similar, I had to go back and reread a few pages to figure out who exactly was the one to go out of an airlock. I also greatly disliked the ending and that it was so abrupt. It felt like the story was meant to be longer, but got cut off instead? I did like the concept for this novel, it's a pretty fascinating concept. A reality show that basically treats a space station like a hype house? Fascinating! But it fell a bit short for me. The intrigue was well crafted, and the mystery is what compelled me to read this novel so quickly. The art style was completely fine, very traditional American comics. I was distracted by the one female astronaut looking just like Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica, but I think that was a coincidence. Also, minor heads up, this novel has a few spicy scenes in it. I got blasted in the eyes, only a few pages in, with a spice scene. The spicy parts were fine, they made full sense within the plot, but man it still was a whole jumpscare.

[Gabriel Noel · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review

The Karman Line could have been a tremendous story given it had about 100 more pages to make me interested in anything that was going on. The graphic novel has all the good ingredients to make something magnificent but it's like the chef forgot he needed to actually cook it.

The cast is presented with little to no introduction but had the potential to be incredibly interesting. The plot covers the nuances of international relations, human emotion, and social media frenzy but didn't have enough time to really make a point. The end twist feels hollow because there was no way I was able to get invested in the lives of these characters.

I'm pretty disappointed because a really awesome story exists in this somewhere, but it needed more time and attention.

[Alan Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Karman Line is a very interesting thought experiment about what could happen in today's world if we decided to send a Reality Show into orbit. The tone is a little similar to Don't Look Up, or The Boys except it doesn't feel like it's trying to be satirical in its criticism? or maybe it's not trying to make a criticism at all. I think if the goal was to tell a fun what if type story that's good, but it hard to get a grasp of what it's actually trying to play off of. On one hand it feels very dated, and maybe even a little offensive in it's depictions of every government except the US. While the US government gets portrayed as a little unserious and Reality TV obsessed the other governments get portrayed as snakish and oppressive, and while some people might agree with that, I personally don't think this piece is doing itself any favors by portraying the US as morally superior. And, like I said, maybe its just trying to tell a dynamic interesting story, but to me it just made the story feel dated to that 90-00s political thriller graphic novel style that I feel is a little behind us at this point. As far as the rest of the story goes, the Story was well paced and the hammy, stereotypical backstories did fit the narrative. I enjoyed it overall.

I was provided with a free copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

A beautiful cover and a great little blurb led me to picking up "The Karman Line". A dead crew member and a message to abort mission sounds great, right? That's about where the positives end.

What I thought was going to possibly be an intriguing murder mystery/thriller was instead social media/reality TV commentary at the expense of any sort of engaging story. At just 96 pages, it feels truncated, but no additional pages were saving this mess. The dialogue was awkward throughout, and the characters were so bland. I either hated them or couldn't care less about them. Maybe that's my fault for expecting something more than "Big Brother" in space.

The artwork was fine, and with a better story would have fit the setting. As I said before, the cover of the novel is especially gorgeous, enough to trick me into opening it.

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[TheConsultingWriter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover design was what caught my attention and interest in reading The Karman Line. The description made me a little curious, a message telling the astronauts to return home, one astronaut already dead. It sounded like a mystery. The content was definitely geared more for adults the kids or teens (definitely rated M for mature). After reading this story, it reminded me of something I'd see from Black Mirror. It was an ok ending, but not a surprising one and definitely a quick resolution to the ending. The artwork was good. Gutters were appropriate and not too large, making the layout just right. The layout I appreciated, especially because it was easy to read, even on my phone. The letter work was excellent and made for reading easy and enjoyable. I received an ARC copy through NetGalley. The honest opinions in this review are my own.

[Username · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am reviewing an electronic copy gently provided by the publisher, Mad Cave Studios, through the Netgalley platform.

"The Karman Line" is a gripping and intense graphic novel that takes place on a space station where a spaceship for colonizing Mars is getting readied. The crew of the show is composed of a diverse group of individuals, and while some of them seem to be focused on the mission, others are trying to put up a reality show. However, things quickly take a dark turn when they receive a message to abort the mission and return home immediately. Soon, they find themselves fighting for survival on a damaged shuttle with a crew member dead and cameras recording their every move.

The storyline is compelling, short and fast-paced. The tension is palpable as the crew members struggle to uncover the truth behind the message and the death of their fellow crew member. The concept of a reality show in space adds an interesting layer to the story, highlighting the voyeuristic and exploitative nature of reality TV.

The artwork is good, servicing the story, and with some impressive splash pages. It effectively capture the claustrophobic and isolated environment of the space station. The characters are distinct and well-designed, each with their own motivations and secrets.

I found the ending somewhat predictable. An entertaining read.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

How quickly does humanity devolve into chaos when faced with the threat of the end of the world? Not long at all according to The Karman Line. Astronauts receive a message from Mission Control telling them to return immediately. The world is at war and if they don’t return quickly, they may be forever trapped in space. Instead of working together, they begin to turn on each other. I found the story intriguing, but it moved too quickly. I would have liked to see a slower building of tension amongst the astronauts that would justify such extreme reactions from them. The artwork was fantastic!

[S.E. Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this one a little too unbelievable for me. The artwork was good and compelling, but I admit that something in the layout made me have to reread pages to be sure I got what was happening. There were a lot of twists and turns that didn't hold up and the main conceit seemed to be that everyone on planet earth are a**holes.

[Tabitha (Reading Tabby) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, and one I could see adapted into a popular movie given today's political climate. I suppose I was hoping more for something abnormal and unique than what Hopeless wrote, something more creepy than political thriller.

The art by Piotr Kowalski was really nice though.

[Anupama Bhaskaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley and madcave studios for the ARC!
The first part of a sci-fi, space graphic novel🌌🌟. The idea was cool- livestreaming people in a space station so the views fund their mission to Mars. AND it was executed pretty well if you ask me! Looking forward to the next parts🌚🌚

[Geri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book via Netgalley (thank you). All thoughts and opinions are mine.

I really liked it. Some of the characters did some things, but they had their own reasons. So i forgive them.

[Nərmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the artwork so much! Really, he did a fantastic job on that. I found the story idea very interesting, however could be developed more in my opinion. Glad that I read it. Recommended for all comics fans.

[Ben Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has a lot of big interesting concepts, but unfortunately the story is rushed too quickly to flesh any of them out. The writing is a bit chaotic and none of the characters feel well developed. The art was fine, but that doesn't save the poor story. This just feels like an outline or a first draft for what should have been a much longer page count or a series.

[Jacqueline Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for allowing me to read this sci-fi comic for my honest opinion. I’m not big on sci-fi, but I’m trying to get into it. I thought this was a cool concept. Sci-fi and prime time television with a hint of mystery and bullshitery. I loved it.

[Jin · Rating 3 out of 5]

---English Version---
Note:I received a digital review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

~Plot~
It’s all sex, lies and betrayal on a reality show streaming from space until the crew receives a message reading “MISSION COMPROMISED RETURN TO HOME ALONE”. Things unravel quickly as they find their shuttle damaged and a crew member dead. They’ll have to fight to survive and escape with cameras recording everything.

~Review~
A short graphic novel with a lot of ideas, but not enough pages to tell them. The twist that happens is pretty obvious because the entire story wraps up so quickly. The cast don't have enough time to develop and it was difficult sometimes to differentiate between some of them. In a way, it’s a commentary on social media and our reality more than a space horror or thriller. Piotr Kowalski's artworks, coloured by Brad Simpson, are fine but not too distant from a "standard" American comic.

~Other Information~
Author: Dennis Hopeless
Illustrator: Piotr Kowalski
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Page Count: 96 pages

~Rating~
Overall Rating:★★★

~Links~
Buy from the Publisher | Buy on Amazon


---Italian Version---
Nota:Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita da NetGalley in cambio di una recensione onesta.

~Trama~
È tutto sesso, bugie e tradimenti in un reality show in streaming dallo spazio finché l'equipaggio non riceve un messaggio che dice " MISSIONE ANNULLATA E TORNA A CASA DA SOLO“. Le cose si risolvono rapidamente quando scoprono che la loro navetta è danneggiata e un membro dell'equipaggio è morto. Dovranno combattere per sopravvivere e scappare con le telecamere che registrano tutto.

~Recensione~
Una breve graphic novel con tante idee, ma poche pagine per raccontarle. La svolta che accade è abbastanza ovvia perché l'intera storia si conclude così rapidamente. Il cast non ha avuto abbastanza tempo per svilupparsi ed è stato difficile a volte distinguere tra alcuni di loro. In un certo senso, è un commento sui social media e sulla nostra realtà più che un horror o un thriller spaziale. I disegni di Piotr Kowalski, colorati da Brad Simpson, sono belli ma dallo stile molto “tradizionale” per i fumetti americani.

~Altre informazioni~
Autore: Dennis Hopeless
Illustratore: Piotr Kowalski
Editore: Mad Cave Studios
Numero Pagine: 96 pagine

~Valutazione~
Voto:★★★

~Link utili~
Compra su Amazon(In Inglese)

[Michael Hicks · Rating 2 out of 5]

To rally both public support and government funding for a manned mission to Mars, NASA has opted to turn the training mission of its international team of astronauts into a live reality-TV broadcast from aboard Keyhole Station. But when things get decidedly deadly awfully quick, amidst growing protests down on Earth, the situation aboard Keyhole grows perilously out of control and the scientists soon discover they are unable to trust anyone, least of all each other.

The Kármán Line has a truly nifty premise, and I had high hopes for Dennis Hopeless's book. I first became familiar with Hopeless thanks to his stint on Marvel's All-New X-Men relaunch a few years back, and although I wasn't the least bit impressed by what I read there I thought maybe he'd bring more to the table with this creator-owned OGN.

While The Kármán Line has some really great ideas, Hopeless only just barely scratches at the surface of its potential. He's got a bigger, deeper, and much more interesting story buried in here - one that deserves a more thorough and thoughtful exploration, with its hooks involving reality TV, space funding, war, technology, fake news, and deceit, but Hopeless's scripting continuously opts for the superficial instead. By the time we start getting a grip on what's happening here, the story's over, ending on an abrupt, ham-fisted note. At only 96 pages, Hopeless just doesn't have the page space to make this story shine and it really does deserve bigger real estate to explore all of its various themes.

On the bright side, Piotr Kowalski's artwork, colored by Brad Simpson, is nice to look at and stays consistent throughout. The Kármán Line isn't a flashy book by any means, opting instead for a subdued realism with a nice bit of grit. It's not pretty enough to save the book as a whole, but the two-page spread of Keyhole Station is a beauty and does a great job of giving readers the sense of this station's size and the astronaut's workaday life within this fragile construct orbiting Earth.

Good art can only carry a graphic novel so far, though, and ultimately Hopeless's story, so heavily streamlined here, just isn't good enough to support Kowalski and Simpson's work. It feels like a first draft attempt at something far more meaningful than what's actually present and I wish more time had been spent honing and sharpening the storyline to fully deliver on its themes and messaging.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Mad Cave Studios for an advance copy of this science fiction graphic novel set in a future where the Earth is dying and it's only hope is being broadcast as a reality show.

There is a line that decides where the atmosphere of Earth ends and where the coldness of space begins. There is also a thin line that keeps people from acting on their base emotions when scared, embarrassed, or even used by their leaders. These lines are both arbitrary as both get crossed all the time, sometimes with deadly results. The Kármán Line written by Dennis Hopeless, illustrated by Piotr Kowalski and colored by Brad Simpson is a graphic novel about space, surveillance, the end of the world, social media approval and how quickly trained scientific minds can descend to barbarism.

Earth is dying and a plan is made by the space agency of various countries to send a mission to Mars to help save the planet. The public and the most world governments aren't keen to waste money on this. In desperation the project brings in a social media influencer who makes a reality show out of the process of training the astronauts, showing all their mistakes, temper tantrums and romantic trysts in an attempt to make the mission popular. Once in space the reality show aspect continues, until the day a message is received by each astronaut telling them the world is at war and to abort the mission. And reality goes from Big Brother to Survivor quickly.

A short graphic novel with a lot of ideas, but not enough pages to tell them. The big story doesn't seem to get a lot of time, while the second story seems so obvious I'm not sure why that became the focus of the story. The characters are really just there, none of them seem to have much of a backstory, nor an explanation for why they were going to Mars, nor how going to Mars was going to save Earth. The art is good, the technology and the backgrounds are really nice, and well rendered. The colors really look good also. There is a bit of violence, and a fair amount of sexy, so probably not really for kids.

A decent story that I think might have benefited from more pages, with very good art. For fans of Warren Ellis' Orbiter or even the series Astronauts in Trouble.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Mad Cave Studios, which provided me with an advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Based on its title and dramatic cover the 'The Kármán Line" appears to be a promising crisis in space story.
The title is taken from the actual von Kármán line, which separates the earth's atmosphere from space and is a region where neither conventional aeronautical flight or stable orbits are possible. It is also important in defining the reach of the distinct legal jurisdictions established by terrestrial nation states and International law. As such the von Kármán line would seem to be a perfect device to convey the intrigue, mystery and fear expected from a crisis in space story.

Sadly the title and the cover are the most impressive elements of this book and the book itself, which is set on a stable orbital platform, neither mentions nor is set on the von Kármán line. The story itself is poorly plotted and often incoherent to the point that it never manages to reach orbital velocity.

The story barely maintains structural coherence. Character development is also nonexistent and motivations are poorly explained and not very believable. It would also seem that the creative team conducted minimal research into space flight and orbital habitations in favor of portraying a space station run as a reality TV show with tawdry sex scenes broadcast to the drooling masses and rampant hacking breaches driving all of the relevant action. Needles to say this is neither realistic or interesting.

Although there would seem to be some merits to this story they are sparse and unlikely to be appreciated by anyone who can distinguish between a nose cone and an exhaust nozzle.

[Zana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to echo many other reviewers and ask why isn't this longer?? I think that's the main issue with this graphic novel. I really liked the premise: governments launch a space program with a small group of astronauts, all while broadcasting their day-to-day activities like it's Big Brother in space? Hell yeah. The idea is so dystopian, yet contemporary at the same time that it's not difficult to picture something like this happening in the future.

But why is this so short?? It's half as long as a standalone graphic novel should be. And because of it, it's hard to root for any of the characters or really get a feel for the situation. The twist that happens is pretty obvious too because the entire story wraps up so quickly. I just wish that this story would've dived into the psychological aspects of having a Big Brother style reality tv show in space with actual trained astronauts. Some pretty fucked up things happened and I'm left to wonder if the story could've taken an even darker turn.

Overall, great premise but it fell flat for me.

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for this arc.

[Elizabeth museumgrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Karman Line was an interesting twist on reality tv and the culture that it has created both domestically in the US and internationally all set against a science fiction backdrop. In this near future world facing an imminent environmental collapse and social unrest, key global super powers launch a joint mission to repair an orbiting launch station that they hope will bring humanity to a point where we could relocate to a Mars colony. The problem is, the global population is NOT having trillions of dollars of spending when people are dying due to lack of water, food, and health care. The answer, turn these astronauts into reality tv stars. It works, until it doesn't. It was a fascinating look reality tv in the digital age and the unique problems that technology can and will play in the coming years.

Probably a 3.5-4 star read. Short, sweet, and self contained

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for providing me with a digital advance copy in exchange for an honest review

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios!

CW: violence and death (obvi)

3.5 stars

This book felt like James Tynion IV’s The Nice House on the Lake with an interstellar twist. With an apocalyptic war suddenly breaking out across Earth, astronauts-turned-reality-TV-stars have to do the unthinkable to survive.

There were characters I wish I could’ve gotten to know more thoroughly, but given the length, I wasn’t anticipating getting full backgrounds. The narrative felt focused on three main characters (Marion, Diya, and Alexei) while the others drifted into the background. This isn’t necessarily bad, just that the cast feels somewhat smaller than what’s on the page.

That being said, I had a good time reading it. It was fun, twisty, and entertaining. The art is fantastic and the storytelling was effective in what it set out to do.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick read full of action and drama, this is the one for you.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Privacy. The final frontier.

In order to gain support for an international space mission, the astronauts on board have agreed to a constant, all-access live-stream of life on board. But science doesn't sell, sex does, and soon their lives are split between actual work and acting.
And then each crew member gets a private message. At war. Come home. Alone. By any means necessary.

It is time, as they say, to stop being polite, and start getting real. Reeeeeeeal murdery.

A rapid, shocking read! I quite enjoyed the premise here, which feels all-too believable. Science is expensive, and chasing the money often leads to challenged morals. So the more expensive a project, the more challenge there must be. And, I mean, there's also quite a lot of livestreams to the ISS, so an all -access pass seems logical! Hell, I bet there's even premium feeds!

Cynical, but enjoyable. A nice afternoon read, for when you already don't have a lot of hope for the world.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.