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Title: Gravity : A Novel of Medical Suspense by Tess Gerritsen ISBN: 0-671-01677-6 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.46 (111 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: A fast-paced, exciting read
Comment: Gravity is a very fast, exciting read that combines science fiction, biology, NASA and some problems for the characters.
In the story, a biological sample begins to infect the crew onboard the International Space Station. The victims have bloodshot eyes, muscle cramps, and then violently die, spreading the organism around to infect others.
On the ground, a space shuttle crashes, and NASA is forced out of the picture by the military, who want to cover up the infection and protect the people on the ground. The surviving crew members are quarintined on the station, while infection eats them away, one by one.
I found this to be a very dramatic read, with nice mixes of the Hot Zone, Cobra Event, Apollo 13 and Aliens. There is also quite a bit of science, which well supports what is going on in the story. Gerritsen's characters are really well written, with all of their problems and weaknesses. I also enjoyed the research parts, reminisent of the Hot Zone.
However, this book did have some problems. The first people to die were the ones that weren't that interesting. Its as if they are just there to hold a place.
Also in the book, everyone seemed to worry way too much about routine shuttle lift offs. This might go wrong, that might go wrong. The space shuttle is one of the most efficient machines around.
Emma and her husband's relationship was pretty dry. Apart, they hated each other on the ground, while together, they seemed to be okay with each other, even though their relationship was shot and they hate each other. When Emma is up in space, her husband can't stop worrying about her.
Lastly, I would have liked to see more of the Alien organism, after the first stage.
Overall, not a bad read. Its hard to put down, but hardly above the avarage, or extraordinary.
Rating: 4
Summary: strange virus killing astronauts in Gerritsen med-thriller
Comment: After seeing Tess Gerritsen's name continue to pop up on the "best medical thriller" lists of just about everybody, including traditional Robin Cook and Michael Palmer fans, we decided to give her a spin. In turn, we got taken on quite a spin ourselves, from Houston Mission Control, alternately solving problems on the shuttle and the Int'l Space Station, to a little firm trying to make good on an untried launch device. When the astronauts start getting sick, with strange blood-red eyes and convulsions, then dying, some difficult decisions on the ground do little to help save the remaining crew. Detecting the source of the disease, watching its progress, and agonizing through attempts {or not} to rescue the survivors, created suspense from the early going straight to the end.
We can see why Gerritsen is building quite a little reputation. Her medical-thriller book list now stands at six, with all enjoying fine reader reviews. But Tess is no "Jill-come-lately" - not as well known is that she previously authored some nine romance novels as well as a screenplay for a CBS movie. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford, then later med school, she started writing while doctoring in Honolulu. Her ability to create a compelling story, make the science (including a premise or two that stretches belief) interesting and digestible, and giving us characters we care about, is what first class novels are all about. Were it not for the special setting of this fun read, earth orbit aboard spacecraft, not the most appealing to us, we would probably go the full five stars on "Gravity", providing ample incentive to try her other five thrillers soon!
Rating: 5
Summary: A Virus from Space Threatens to Kill Us All
Comment: Dr. Jack McCallum washed out of astronaut training because of kidney stones. However, his wife Emma stayed with the program. Though not divorced, they are not together. They keep finding excuses to put the divorce off.
Emma is training for a mission to the ISS, the International Space Station, in the near future. Then because the wife of one of the astronauts up on the Station is in an accident, he has to come home, so Emma is tapped to replace him. All of a sudden she's going into space now.
Meanwhile the ne'er-do-well brother of the director of the Houston Space Center is working on his own space plane, one that's much cheaper than the shuttle, however his first attempt ended in disaster and he needs a pilot for his second attempt.
After Emma gets up on the station things start turning terrible. The lab mice start dying. Green blobs are floating around. Than the astronauts themselves start dying horrible deaths, worse than Ebola, and it appears to be highly contagious.
Jack frantically tries to track down a cure before the disease attacks Emma, but even after he believes he's solved the riddle of what's killing our spacemen, no one will let him go up. Better to let them all die, the authorities say, rather than to risk the disease getting back to earth.
So where was that cheapo space plane again?"
This is a futuristic thriller that is pretty straightforward. You just know what's going to happen before it does, but that doesn't take away form this story one bit. There are plenty of thrills here, lots of suspense and some plain old grisly horror. Also this story is very different from anything Tess Gerritsen has done to date, but don't let that put you off, because this is one very good book. I couldn't put it down.
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Title: Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen ISBN: 0671016768 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Harvest by Tess Gerritsen ISBN: 067155302X Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Life Support by Tess Gerritsen ISBN: 0671553046 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Surgeon by TESS GERRITSEN ISBN: 0345447840 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 30 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Keeper Of The Bride by Tess Gerritsen ISBN: 1551669358 Publisher: Mira Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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