Orbit

by Thomas Block

This is the original version of Orbit; see the Kindle or current paperback version for the edited and updated version!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Space

287 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Thomas Block has written a number of aviation-oriented novels, many which have gone on to acquire best-seller status in numerous countries. His novel writing began with the publication of "Mayday" in 1979. That novel was rewritten with his boyhood friend, novelist Nelson DeMille in 1998 and remains on DeMille's extensive backlist. "Mayday" became a CBS Movie of the Week in October, 2005.

Several of the other novels by Block include "Orbit" (a top bestseller in Germany, among other nations), "Airship Nine", "Forced Landing" (also done as a radio serialization drama in Japan), "Skyfall", "Open Skies" and "Captain". Thomas Block is still writing both fiction and non-fiction, and has edited and updated his earlier novels into ebooks in all the major formats and also into new full-sized (trade soft cover) printed versions.

Block's magazine writing began in 1968 and over the next five decades his work has appeared in numerous publications. He worked 20 years at FLYING Magazine as Contributing Editor, and as Contributing Editor to Plane & Pilot Magazine for 11 years. Block became Editor-at-Large for Piper Flyer Magazine and Cessna Flyer Magazine in 2001. During his long career as an aviation writer he has written on a wide array of subjects that range from involvement with government officials to evaluation reports on most everything that flies.

An airline pilot for US Airways for over 36 years before his retirement in April, 2000, Captain Thomas Block has been a pilot since 1959. Since 2002, he has lived on a ranch in Florida with his wife Sharon where they board, compete and train horses. Complete information (including direct links to booksellers) is available at http://www.ThomasBlockNovels.com or through the author’s additional website at http://www.FlyingB-Ranch.com. For Facebook users, complete information about Thomas Block Novels can also be found at two interlinked Facebook sites:
http://www.Facebook.com/Captain.by.Th...
http://www.Facebook.com/ThomasBlockNo....

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

So basically, there's an experimental aeroplane, and the thrusters get stuck on as it takes off, and you end up with it in orbit. How do you get all the passengers and crew back down? Lots of characters but they are easy to remember as they each only have one defining feature. For example, the Russian space crew only talk about vodka and snow and every time the female co-pilot is mentioned, the author needs to mention how well she fills her uniform. Trashy but fun, although I thought the ending was a little unsatisfying. My version had a much better cover as well (which is why I bought it).

[Laurie Gienapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

not excellent, but entertaining enough that I wanted to see how it ended.

[Jeff Jellets · Rating 4 out of 5]

”This is the captain. There is nothing to worry about. We have temporarily flown beyond the fringes of the atmosphere, and are, for the moment, orbiting the Earth. We are experiencing a lack of gravity at the moment and it is essential that you remain seated with your seatbelts fastened. I assure you, there is nothing to worry about.”

When the rocket engines of a futuristic commercial airliner misfire, the passengers and crew of Consolidated Airlines Star Streak Flight 14 end up marooned above the Earth’s stratosphere and it’s all hands-on-deck dirtside as corporate engineers, attorneys, NASA and the Russians race to ferret out a possible saboteur and affect a rescue of the imperiled plane before its oxygen reserves run out! It all sounds like a silly late-seventies ‘made-for-television’ disaster plot, right? And there’s just no way this has any chance of being good, right?

But … climbing right past my expectations … author Thomas H. Block pilots this (admittedly dated) thriller into a turbulent adventure story with quite a few genuine twists and a sci-fi level of plausibility that makes this Sharknado of an airport-disaster tale … surprisingly enjoyable. Written when the U.S. space shuttle program was still in infancy (also no cell phone, Internet or texting), Block’s seemingly impossible-to-swallow premise now feels … slightly prescient? I felt a chill, for example, as Block’s characters bicker over the Star Streak’s ability to survive earthly re-entry when atmospheric friction would super-heat the craft’s vulnerable wings. Twenty years later, the same scenario would become real world, dooming the space shuttle Columbia after damage to the ablative tiles on the spacecraft’s wings would comprise the craft, causing it to disintegrate on re-entry. And with billionaires Musk and Bezos already privatizing space travel, the idea of commercial flights to Earth orbit is already here.

In fact, Block’s futuristic machines are rather relatable; it’s his people who end-up the assholes. It was tough to figure out who to root for as Block seems to delight in introducing a new ‘white hat’ chapter-by-chapter – only to demote them to pond scum a few pages later. He is also rather cruel to his heroines; the most attractive skirts get the most gruesome fates to the point where it’s almost creepy. But again … despite the fact that I couldn’t quite find too many likeable characters … it never unconnected me from the story. The cast might be a crew of jerks … but they were interesting jerks … and I certainly didn’t mind when a few got their comeuppance.

Orbit is certainly not a classic. But I’m increasingly fond of these old stories that are absolutely, unapologetically stuck in the era in which they were written. This was fun … far better than I expected … and still holding up pretty well for its age.

[Canaan Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a highbrow literay piece by any means but if you like airline disaster stories it's right in that genre with some sci-fi twists. What I did like is all the discussion about the aviation technology and I was drawn to the novel becasue I have a soft spot for the film 'Starflight One' which was loosley derived from this book. The stories don't have too much in common though and 'Orbit' is a more in-depth story.

I have problems with the way woman are portrayed in the text. It really stuck out to me. They are largely there as fodder to be burnt/disfigured, sucked into outer space or be saved from choking via field tracheotomies - it's a bit like a teen horror slasher where all the young woman are hacked up for male titalation.

It's also quite obvious the book has had a modern revison with cell phones and emails being used/mentioned in the communcations. There is also sections that has Russian characters talking in a post-Soviet context and we do get a quick allusion to the two shuttle disasters. I think the section with the Rusiians didn't need to be there as it added nothing to the overall story. It became too much to believe the author was this visionary in the early '80s.

It's okay for a bit of ride.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good storyline - Maybe a little crazy in how it gets to the ending - but worth the read

[Afonso Loureiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acceptable translation. Good and very tight-paced ending. Modest story development. Some characters appear to have without no purpose apart from increasing the page count.

[Karla Janith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leí nada más los cinco primeros capítulos, de ser posible lo volveré a retomar, sólo aviso. Es un libro entretenido, encanta mucho si te gusta el apartado técnico con su drama y comedia, sin embargo, si puede estar lleno de tecnisismos y muchos procesos burocraticos casi que terminan opacando al conflicto principal. Hay que darle paciencia.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling story set on an airplane that malfunctions and ends up far too high up in an uncertain orbit. Read this several times in my teens and always loved it.

Being a complete layman, I'm not in any position to judge how realistic any of the technical descriptions are - but the story is definitely thrilling. The conflicts between some crew members were palpable and credible and some dramatic moments were literally breathtaking.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 04.20.84

[Kurtis]

Gives you the experience of accidentally flying into earth orbit on a commercial airliner. One of my fantasies.