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SubOrbital 7
A routine rescue mission leaves a team of US soldiers, rescued hostages and a prisoner trapped above Earth in a suborbital craft, in this cinematic action-packed near-future thriller, perfect for fans of Tom Clancy and Jack Carr
"This is the kind of book that gives military SF a good name.” Financial Times
Lieutenant Art Burkett is called up to take part in a rescue mission. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law.
The rescue is swift. Art and his team return to military craft SubOrbital 7, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for them. Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.
"This is the kind of book that gives military SF a good name.” Financial Times
Lieutenant Art Burkett is called up to take part in a rescue mission. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law.
The rescue is swift. Art and his team return to military craft SubOrbital 7, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for them. Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.
336 pages, Paperback
Published June 6, 2023
12 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
John Shirley
320 books464 followersJohn Shirley won the Bram Stoker Award for his story collection Black Butterflies, and is the author of numerous novels, including the best-seller DEMONS, the cyberpunk classics CITY COME A-WALKIN', ECLIPSE, and BLACK GLASS, and his newest novels STORMLAND and A SORCERER OF ATLANTIS.
He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.
His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.
He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.
John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.
John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.
source: Amazon
He is also a screenwriter, having written for television and movies; he was co-screenwriter of THE CROW. He has been several Year's Best anthologies including Prime Books' THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR anthology, and his nwest story collection is IN EXTREMIS: THE MOST EXTREME SHORT STORIES OF JOHN SHIRLEY. His novel BIOSHOCK: RAPTURE telling the story of the creation and undoing of Rapture, from the hit videogame BIOSHOCK is out from TOR books; his Halo novel, HALO: BROKEN CIRCLE is coming out from Pocket Books.
His most recent novels are STORMLAND and (forthcoming) AXLE BUST CREEK. His new story collection is THE FEVERISH STARS. STORMLAND and other John Shirley novels are available as audiobooks.
He is also a lyricist, having written lyrics for 18 songs recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult (especially on their albums Heaven Forbidden and Curse of the Hidden Mirror), and his own recordings.
John Shirley has written only one nonfiction book, GURDJIEFF: AN INTRODUCTION TO HIS LIFE AND IDEAS, published by Penguin/Jeremy Tarcher.
John Shirley story collections include BLACK BUTTERFLIES, IN EXTREMIS, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES, and LIVING SHADOWS.
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 14, 2023
SubOrbital 7 by John Shirley is a military science fiction set in the near future. The storyline is pretty standard for this type of fiction. There is nothing really new here. That being said, it is well written with interesting characters and lots of action. If you are a fan of military science fiction you should give this one a read.
January 7, 2024
Yassssss
Scifi military space shit? Yessir 🫡
Scifi military space shit? Yessir 🫡
October 22, 2023
Check my podcast interview with John On Suborbital7:
Video: https://youtu.be/e7462QZvAcs
Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
For those who have never spent time in LA, it is easy to forget that the studios and people who make movies are actual people, not computer programs. After getting my copy of this book signed at Darl Delicacies I crossed LA to catch my train back to San Diego and passed striking writers and actors out in front of those buildings. Since then at least the writers won their right to return to work. The process in Hollywood normally starts with translating multi-dimensional pieces of art into a ridiculous binary process of boiling down every story into this popular movie meets this successful movie. Every time I describe books or movies that way a part of me dies but it has to happen.
So here it is brace yourself for the soul-killing cross description of John Shirley's new novel. "Well, kiddies this novel is Apollo 13 meets Blackhawk Down." This description of Suborbital7 is an absolute go-order for me as a movie. I can immediately see that concept working as a movie. As a novel, the concept is all in the execution as a novelist has to get details, upon details right. It has to be well-researched and written with a certain power.
Enter cyberpunk and horror fiction legend John Shirley who co-wrote one of the best genre action movies in The Crow. John has written several pieces of Science fiction masterpieces including (the far too advanced for 1978) City Come A' Walkin, and The groundbreaking early 80s Song Called Youth Trilogy. In the tie-in world, he wrote Hellblazer, Alien, and Batman novels to name a few. One of his best tie-in novels is the underrated Forever Midnight - a Predator franchise novel that is fantastic Sci-fi action and is dripping with classic Heinlein vibes.
John Shirley has Science Fiction action experience in several forms of media and that makes him one of the smartest people to develop this concept. Considering that this is being developed by Alcon Entertainment (Folks behind the Expanse and Blade Runner franchise) and published by Titan Books it is clear the novel is IP management. Intellectual property for those not that steeped in movie talk. Regardless of Alcon or Titan's motivation John Shirley's main concern is the person holding the book and reading gets a thoughtful thrill ride.
In a year when I have read some really great mind-bending Science Fiction epics from thought-inspiring works like Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, weird epics like S.B. Divya's Meru or M.R. Carey's bonkers Infinity Gate. Cracking my top ten reads this year is no small feat. John Shirley has written that next-level weird books in the past but that was not the mission with this one. It is a solid exercise in by-the-numbers genre writing that is effective.
The mission is a realistic hard science fiction near future look at orbital combat. Shirley showed a bit more restraint than his excellent recent underrated Cyberpunk cli-fi novel Stormland. If you want to get the full modern Shirley experience you must really read that one. Suborbital7 in lesser hand would not have flowed. My reading experience was quick, mostly read over two long bus trips that made my commute to a series of events fly by.
Rightfully, Shirley is as you'll hear in my interview protective of spoilers giving away a few of the twists in the second and third acts. I understand because the novel is about a team of Delta force-style rangers who use a space plane to rescue hostages from the Russian mafia and that happens fairly quickly in the first act. The techno-thriller subgenre most famous for Gravity or Apollo 13 gets a military upgrade. Suddenly the Astronauts trying to solve a disaster in space, have hostages and the political ticking clock that might mean global war. Plot-wise these are the many elements that Shirley is weaving into the narrative.
Shirley creates a team of space combat rangers that jump off the page. These are not cookie-cutter characters, A Muslim ranger, and a lieutenant who has to balance command as a woman in this unit. Art Burkett who opens the book is a great POV character but he doesn't dominate the story. His arc and his wife's on-the-ground efforts could've dominated this story, but Shirley balances several settings and characters to dramatic effect. The wife of the ranger on the ground fighting for her husband is one of the tropes of the genre used like a power cord to drive the rhythm of the story. Trope is not a dirty word here. As a fan of the genres being crossed here part of the fun is to see how Shirley hits these notes and deploys them for this story.
It is too much to quote but over pages 26 and 27 Shirley introduces the teams and their backstories through the eyes of Art. Once the action starts the background of the characters informs how the team works together. The hostages and political situation are expertly women together.
The best example of this happens on page 121. The team is trying to problem-solve the escaping Oxygen. They have 18 hours left.
"We're sure to get help before we run out."
Mayweather snorted. "We're sure, are we?"
Burnett wished he was sure."Okay, we'll probably get help. despite the political...complications." Political bullshit, he thought. "Meanwhile, we could do some Orbital scavenging."
This is the source of the thrills. So if you are looking for gun battles and that type of combat, just know those don't fill up the pages. This is more Apollo 13 than Blackhawk Down, but the suspense and tension are there for the reader who relates to the characters.
Suborbital7 is better than I expected. Yeah, John is one of my favorite authors, a friend, and a colleague. I knew he would do a great job, but he exceeded my already high bar. I finished this book really wanting to see the movie, which I think it can be done for a relatively modest budget. Alcon has zero-g experience with The Expanse and honestly creating the micro-gravity is the filming challenge.
The biggest challenge is getting the story right, and that John Shirley has solved.
Video: https://youtu.be/e7462QZvAcs
Audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
For those who have never spent time in LA, it is easy to forget that the studios and people who make movies are actual people, not computer programs. After getting my copy of this book signed at Darl Delicacies I crossed LA to catch my train back to San Diego and passed striking writers and actors out in front of those buildings. Since then at least the writers won their right to return to work. The process in Hollywood normally starts with translating multi-dimensional pieces of art into a ridiculous binary process of boiling down every story into this popular movie meets this successful movie. Every time I describe books or movies that way a part of me dies but it has to happen.
So here it is brace yourself for the soul-killing cross description of John Shirley's new novel. "Well, kiddies this novel is Apollo 13 meets Blackhawk Down." This description of Suborbital7 is an absolute go-order for me as a movie. I can immediately see that concept working as a movie. As a novel, the concept is all in the execution as a novelist has to get details, upon details right. It has to be well-researched and written with a certain power.
Enter cyberpunk and horror fiction legend John Shirley who co-wrote one of the best genre action movies in The Crow. John has written several pieces of Science fiction masterpieces including (the far too advanced for 1978) City Come A' Walkin, and The groundbreaking early 80s Song Called Youth Trilogy. In the tie-in world, he wrote Hellblazer, Alien, and Batman novels to name a few. One of his best tie-in novels is the underrated Forever Midnight - a Predator franchise novel that is fantastic Sci-fi action and is dripping with classic Heinlein vibes.
John Shirley has Science Fiction action experience in several forms of media and that makes him one of the smartest people to develop this concept. Considering that this is being developed by Alcon Entertainment (Folks behind the Expanse and Blade Runner franchise) and published by Titan Books it is clear the novel is IP management. Intellectual property for those not that steeped in movie talk. Regardless of Alcon or Titan's motivation John Shirley's main concern is the person holding the book and reading gets a thoughtful thrill ride.
In a year when I have read some really great mind-bending Science Fiction epics from thought-inspiring works like Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, weird epics like S.B. Divya's Meru or M.R. Carey's bonkers Infinity Gate. Cracking my top ten reads this year is no small feat. John Shirley has written that next-level weird books in the past but that was not the mission with this one. It is a solid exercise in by-the-numbers genre writing that is effective.
The mission is a realistic hard science fiction near future look at orbital combat. Shirley showed a bit more restraint than his excellent recent underrated Cyberpunk cli-fi novel Stormland. If you want to get the full modern Shirley experience you must really read that one. Suborbital7 in lesser hand would not have flowed. My reading experience was quick, mostly read over two long bus trips that made my commute to a series of events fly by.
Rightfully, Shirley is as you'll hear in my interview protective of spoilers giving away a few of the twists in the second and third acts. I understand because the novel is about a team of Delta force-style rangers who use a space plane to rescue hostages from the Russian mafia and that happens fairly quickly in the first act. The techno-thriller subgenre most famous for Gravity or Apollo 13 gets a military upgrade. Suddenly the Astronauts trying to solve a disaster in space, have hostages and the political ticking clock that might mean global war. Plot-wise these are the many elements that Shirley is weaving into the narrative.
Shirley creates a team of space combat rangers that jump off the page. These are not cookie-cutter characters, A Muslim ranger, and a lieutenant who has to balance command as a woman in this unit. Art Burkett who opens the book is a great POV character but he doesn't dominate the story. His arc and his wife's on-the-ground efforts could've dominated this story, but Shirley balances several settings and characters to dramatic effect. The wife of the ranger on the ground fighting for her husband is one of the tropes of the genre used like a power cord to drive the rhythm of the story. Trope is not a dirty word here. As a fan of the genres being crossed here part of the fun is to see how Shirley hits these notes and deploys them for this story.
It is too much to quote but over pages 26 and 27 Shirley introduces the teams and their backstories through the eyes of Art. Once the action starts the background of the characters informs how the team works together. The hostages and political situation are expertly women together.
The best example of this happens on page 121. The team is trying to problem-solve the escaping Oxygen. They have 18 hours left.
"We're sure to get help before we run out."
Mayweather snorted. "We're sure, are we?"
Burnett wished he was sure."Okay, we'll probably get help. despite the political...complications." Political bullshit, he thought. "Meanwhile, we could do some Orbital scavenging."
This is the source of the thrills. So if you are looking for gun battles and that type of combat, just know those don't fill up the pages. This is more Apollo 13 than Blackhawk Down, but the suspense and tension are there for the reader who relates to the characters.
Suborbital7 is better than I expected. Yeah, John is one of my favorite authors, a friend, and a colleague. I knew he would do a great job, but he exceeded my already high bar. I finished this book really wanting to see the movie, which I think it can be done for a relatively modest budget. Alcon has zero-g experience with The Expanse and honestly creating the micro-gravity is the filming challenge.
The biggest challenge is getting the story right, and that John Shirley has solved.
July 30, 2024
Solidly ok. I felt like the hostage extraction at the beginning dragged on for too long - given that we already knew the crux of the conflict would take place in transit back. If you like military/thriller fiction it's solidly in the middle of that genre. I expected a lot more sci fi from the description. Alas.
January 18, 2024
Most books aren’t bad per se, and SubOrbital 7 is no exception. But that book and I were definitely not a match. To stay true to principle, I still want to offer a review of the book, but if you are pressed for time, skip this review and jump straight down to the end to find a very different book recommendation.
Here’s the premise of the story: Three researchers have been abducted by Russia and are held captive in Moldova. What are they working on: That’s top secret and we aren’t really being told. . But their research is important enough that America wants to launch a rescue mission. And how do you get American soldiers into Moldova? Of course you launch a reusable sub-orbital spaceship from Texas to drop a team near an old Moldovan monaster, rescue the captives, and then go straight back up into space. Scifi doesn’t need to be realistic, but even with great technology available in the book’s universe, it seems odd to go on a space trip rather than just flying in a commando unit from an American base in Europe or the Middle East. But that wouldn’t include space ships and we wouldn’t have a story here - so let’s go with the flow.
So here we are, following Lieutenant Burkett and his team into their rescue mission. There is about a half a page of back-story - of course there is a troubled family situation back at home - but really, we just follow a squad of soldiers in to battle in close quarters in Moldova. A few drones, a long shoot-out and the rescure is completed. Movie or book alike: I am not a big fan of drawn out battle scenes and the whole battle feels like it mainly serves to fill pages. Very few elements of this (long) battle scene have any impact of the rest of the book and I would have preferred a much shorter start into the main story.
Because, of course, the rescue isn’t over. Back in space, SubOrbital 7 comes under attack. Knocked out of their orbit and in a damaged ship, the crew needs to fight for their survival and their return to earth. Add in a geopolitical crisis back on earth and treachury within the ranks of the Americans (both on the ground and in space) and you have a suspenseful space story.
Unfortunately, that’s about all there is to the book: The characters remain flat (lots of pathos and ranger bravery), politics on earth are unbelievably simple (Russians: bad, politicians: afraid and corrupt; soldiers: good) and the story doesn’t evolve much beyond scene after scene of lost in space catastrophe. Not a lot of new ideas here, no meaningful character development, and no complexity to any of the background stories.
Military action: Check. Spaceships: Check. Fast-paced: Check. If you want much more than that, this book most likely isn’t for you.
For more sci-fi reviews, check out my Futureboy Substack.
Here’s the premise of the story: Three researchers have been abducted by Russia and are held captive in Moldova. What are they working on: That’s top secret and we aren’t really being told. . But their research is important enough that America wants to launch a rescue mission. And how do you get American soldiers into Moldova? Of course you launch a reusable sub-orbital spaceship from Texas to drop a team near an old Moldovan monaster, rescue the captives, and then go straight back up into space. Scifi doesn’t need to be realistic, but even with great technology available in the book’s universe, it seems odd to go on a space trip rather than just flying in a commando unit from an American base in Europe or the Middle East. But that wouldn’t include space ships and we wouldn’t have a story here - so let’s go with the flow.
So here we are, following Lieutenant Burkett and his team into their rescue mission. There is about a half a page of back-story - of course there is a troubled family situation back at home - but really, we just follow a squad of soldiers in to battle in close quarters in Moldova. A few drones, a long shoot-out and the rescure is completed. Movie or book alike: I am not a big fan of drawn out battle scenes and the whole battle feels like it mainly serves to fill pages. Very few elements of this (long) battle scene have any impact of the rest of the book and I would have preferred a much shorter start into the main story.
Because, of course, the rescue isn’t over. Back in space, SubOrbital 7 comes under attack. Knocked out of their orbit and in a damaged ship, the crew needs to fight for their survival and their return to earth. Add in a geopolitical crisis back on earth and treachury within the ranks of the Americans (both on the ground and in space) and you have a suspenseful space story.
Unfortunately, that’s about all there is to the book: The characters remain flat (lots of pathos and ranger bravery), politics on earth are unbelievably simple (Russians: bad, politicians: afraid and corrupt; soldiers: good) and the story doesn’t evolve much beyond scene after scene of lost in space catastrophe. Not a lot of new ideas here, no meaningful character development, and no complexity to any of the background stories.
Military action: Check. Spaceships: Check. Fast-paced: Check. If you want much more than that, this book most likely isn’t for you.
For more sci-fi reviews, check out my Futureboy Substack.
June 23, 2023
Все указывало на непритязательный, но бодрый технотриллер. Группу спецназовцев на суборбитальном шаттле забрасывают из США в разные концы света для борьбы с террористами. На одной из миссий все идет не так, и наши герои оказываются на низкой орбите без возможности совершить посадку, кислород на борту шаттла заканчивается, спасенные заложники нервничают, арестованный террорист строит козни, в ЦУПе предательство и измена, а еще за ними гонится российский спутник-убийца! Идеально для убийства времени на выходных.
Но на практике книга оказалась довольно дубово написанная и не особо увлекательная, сплошной набор клише. По крайней мере, из нее удалось вынести много нового про Россию. Например, я раньше не знал, что у ГРУ есть секретное подразделение под названием Vory v Zakone (там все владеют запрещенной борьбой SAMBO и совсем уж загадочной SYSTEMA), в Москве принято пить кофе из самовара, собор Христа Спасителя стоит прямо на Красной площади, а русские люди носят простые имена типа Смирной, Гроша или Вамино.
5/10
Но на практике книга оказалась довольно дубово написанная и не особо увлекательная, сплошной набор клише. По крайней мере, из нее удалось вынести много нового про Россию. Например, я раньше не знал, что у ГРУ есть секретное подразделение под названием Vory v Zakone (там все владеют запрещенной борьбой SAMBO и совсем уж загадочной SYSTEMA), в Москве принято пить кофе из самовара, собор Христа Спасителя стоит прямо на Красной площади, а русские люди носят простые имена типа Смирной, Гроша или Вамино.
5/10
December 28, 2024
I don't normally read many techno-thrillers like this one, but somehow I was drawn to it from Shirley's website. Several decades from now, a space force is organized with spaceships that can go to different parts of the planet quickly. When Russia kidnaps some scientists to help them develop technologies to rule space, the Rangers swoop into the monastery in Moldova where they are held. Of course not everything works out the way it is planned.
This is a very exciting book; the latest half especially is a real page-turner, with lots of maneuvering and action in earth orbit. I won't speak to the orbital mechanics described, but the whole thing is presented very realistically, and with a lot of suspense and good characterizations.
This is a very exciting book; the latest half especially is a real page-turner, with lots of maneuvering and action in earth orbit. I won't speak to the orbital mechanics described, but the whole thing is presented very realistically, and with a lot of suspense and good characterizations.
January 29, 2025
(4.5 Stars)
This was a perfect little military thriller. A very rich story with vibrant characters and an engrossing plot. The Audiobook was paced well and the narration was excellent. There are a lot of different of characters and the narrator made it easier to keep track of them because he was able to give each of them different accents, cadence, and tone. I could easily see this being a movie.
If you like military drama, political espionage, tense action, this is one you will enjoy.
This was a perfect little military thriller. A very rich story with vibrant characters and an engrossing plot. The Audiobook was paced well and the narration was excellent. There are a lot of different of characters and the narrator made it easier to keep track of them because he was able to give each of them different accents, cadence, and tone. I could easily see this being a movie.
If you like military drama, political espionage, tense action, this is one you will enjoy.
May 14, 2024
Picked this up because I needed something different to read. And it wasn’t bad per se but it’s like adding fresh ground pepper to a salad. You’ve had it and it really doesn’t add too much flavor. So it was entertaining enough and written well. Just needed something to give it a bit more zest.
July 23, 2023
Just not much to the story--slim all the way around
February 12, 2025
Overly cliched characters, casual bigotry, and someone clearly in love with telling you exactly what kind of guns the characters are using.
The plot is brisk though.
The plot is brisk though.
August 20, 2025
It was trying so hard to be cool. Similar to a space themed 'Top Gun'
December 22, 2025
Military is good, actually, and should have more budget and less oversight. Mediocre adventure book at best, decently enjoyable read, very American.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews