Syne Mitchell

Claire Logan has seen many remarkable things in the months she has lived on the space station Reliance. As she labors to make repairs to the robotic arm she sees something she has never witnessed before: a blinding flash on the horizon followed by a mushroom cloud. Competition over Earth's last remaining oilfield has escalated into a global war. As Claire soon learns, the danger is not limited to those on terra firma. The electrons released by the nuclear missiles are nibbling away at the show more computer systems on everything in orbit. Just like their countrymen below, the astronauts on all four space stations find themselves in a battle for survival...

As Syne Mitchell's novel, End in Fire begins, the men and women orbiting Earth are much like the shuttle or station crew present in a NASA video. Citizens of many countries, smiling and deeply honored to work together for the common good. As they are, perhaps, smarter, highly driven and more physically capable than average, they also become more dangerous when their goodwill is negated by fear for their own lives. With the nuclear war raging below, there can be no resupply from Earth and each resource has become priceless. Each station, each person, must agree to share, or take by force.

Mitchell's novel is very detailed and it is obviously highly researched. There are plenty of ethical questions to chew on in this what-if scenerio. It doesn't garner a higher rating from me because there were times I became annoyed with the writing. Possibly when Claire had "crossed her toes" for the third time. Or maybe the fourth time a character "crowed" over the communication line. I tend to let things like that nibble away at my star ratings.

Other books like this that I have enjoyed are Last Breath: Space Station Rescue by S.P. Cammick and Gravity by Tess Gerritsen. show less

I liked the premise of this book and I found the world building haunting and illuminating. I thought the last third of the book devolved into a sort of movie chase sequence which I didn't need, though I suppose others may have. This has some intriguing ideas about change and how quickly we adapt, and then what do those adaptations mean... And then there is the thriller aspect of the book which I found unconvincing (the villain was so obvious to me, it was cringing that the other supposed show more smart folk in the book couldn't see it)
So I give it three stars.
It's the start of a series and I'm not sure I'll read the rest, because they seem to grow the chase/thriller aspect of the book. But I do think, one innocent soul against the world as we know it - who would you chose? and I have to say, I'd absolutely quarantine the innocent plague carrier and maybe even be on the side of killing her - I'm always on the side of let one day to save thousands (or in this case billions) show less

I'll go ahead and list one major complaint right here, which isn't a spoiler and not the author's fault. According to Mitchell's blog, the publisher has declined the rest of the series due to the sales of this title. I don't know if Mitchell will find another publisher for it or not (it'll be a shame if she doesn't), but I have to say, talk about disappointing. I think the title stands enough on its own, meaning it doesn't leave you with a major cliff-hanger, but knowing the series won't show more continue? Beyond annoying.

It deserves to continue.

I feel bad recommending this since I know it's book one in a series that's been axed, but you know what? It's a good book. Good action, solid characters, and a kick-ass female heroine who's believable and complex in a very positive way. Once I got started, I found myself wanting to track down Mitchell's other titles, because her prose is a smooth read, her characters are believable, and premises good. And I'll do that too, look for Mitchell's other titles. I just hope another publisher picks up this series and gives it the run it deserves. Book one is a lot of fun, and I can only imagine how fascinating the rest of the series would be, should Mitchell ever get to publish it.

For a full review, which may or may not include spoilers, just click here: http://calico-reaction.livejournal.com/41148.html show less

This started with a lot of promise, set in a future when nearly everyone is plugged in. The protag's headset malfunctions, leaving her temporarily unhooked from the net, essentially disabling her. Then the story took an odd turn and became something less interesting to me.