GEORGE L THOMAS<p><strong>Book Review: Orbital by Samantha Harvey</strong></p><p>Hi everyone! I <a href="https://georgelthomas.com/2020/02/25/hope-in-possibility/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hope</a> you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another <a href="https://georgelthomas.com/category/book-reviews/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">review</a>. Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on Samantha Harvey’s Orbital.</p> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orbital-Awe-inspiring-Porter-Samantha-Harvey-ebook/dp/B0BVHFPCLW" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a> <p>Orbital was published in 2023 by Jonathan Cape (UK) and is 137 pages long.</p><p><strong>The Plot</strong><br>The book is about six astronauts and cosmonauts living on the International Space Station. We follow them through twenty-four hours as they perform their duties. While orbiting the Earth, they explore their thoughts and feelings about <a href="https://georgelthomas.com/tag/earth/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earth</a>, humanity, and life.</p><p><strong>Characters</strong><br>Roman<br>A Russian cosmonaut.</p><p>Anton<br>A Russian cosmonaut</p><p>Pietro<br>An Italian astronaut</p><p>Shaun<br>An American astronaut.</p><p>Nell<br>A British astronaut.</p><p>There’s not much more I can say about the characters without giving away their stories, so I won’t.</p><p><strong>Writing Style</strong><br>The writing style in Orbital is slow and descriptive, with Harvey offering a lot of detailed imagery of the Earth as the space station goes by. The imagery is rather beautiful.</p><p>That said, I don’t think I ‘get’ the book or even if one is supposed to get it. Its plot is pretty much absent, with the story being solely about the routine and repetitiveness of life aboard for the astronauts and cosmonauts.</p><p>The sentences and overall structure of the book are quite beautifully put together, and there’s a gentle, languidness to the story as a whole, which might be great for readers who want to wind down and not focus too hard or delve too deeply into a story, but I at least like something to happen.</p><p>Honestly, I almost stopped reading a couple of times, but a little part of my brain kept telling me something big was bound to happen soon. But alas, it didn’t.</p><p>On a positive note, I did enjoy the dynamic of the crew. Each character is different and <a href="https://georgelthomas.com/2017/07/05/making-characters-believable/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">believable</a> enough to pull you through the book—but only just—and I liked reading their little bits of backstory.</p><p>Unfortunately, the rest of the book was just ‘meh’, and I felt a bit deflated by the end of it.</p><p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong><br>If you want science fiction, this likely isn’t the book you’re looking for. I’d say it reads more like a slice-of-life piece with a science bent.</p><p>I am giving Orbital a 3/10.</p><p>Have you read Orbital? Are you a fan? Let me know.</p><p>Thank you, as ever, for stopping by to read my review.</p><p>Until next time,</p><p>George</p><p><strong>© 2025 GLT</strong></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/astronaut/" target="_blank">#Astronaut</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/book-review/" target="_blank">#bookReview</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/orbit/" target="_blank">#Orbit</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/orbital/" target="_blank">#Orbital</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/science/" target="_blank">#science</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="http://georgelthomas.com/tag/space/" target="_blank">#space</a></p>