Ablation Cascade: A Fitting Title
For those who don't know, the term "ablation cascade" refers to a catastrophic orbital event, where one satellite explodes, triggering other satellites to lose their orbits, and in a worst case scenario, a cascade of orbital debris rains fire upon the Earth.
I would say that such a chain reaction perfectly describes the novel, "Ablation Cascade."
While incredibly well written and researched, this novel lacks a central story arc to grasp. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed reading this story. But too often, I felt like I was reading "Lost" in space, with all the bad parts of that show transferring to the page ("Lost" is one my favorite shows, so in some ways, that's a compliment, too).
Flashbacks dissect most of this story's chapters, building a vision of Earth's near future that sounds incredibly plausible. In some ways, these backstories of Ablation's large cast of characters were the best parts of the story. They built a real world. But these chain reactions of intertwining narratives often cascaded out of control, losing the thread supposedly binding them all together.
Even worse, all too often the author digressed into exposition that slowed the pace of the real narrative, the narrative occurring on the Second International Space Station. It didn't help that the story occurs in third person omniscient. All too often, plot lines would switch mid-page without a signal, and I'd be lost again. Even worse, the author drops pages describing the history of a corporation or nation that may or may not be relevant to the incredibly raised stakes (death by vacuum).
So if you're interested in reading a book with a dystopic future for humanity, an action packed yet slow moving plot aboard a space station, and a few creative interpersonal twists and turns that I won't spoil, I suggest reading "Ablation Cascade." Just be warned that you need to pay very close attention, or you'll get lost in space, trying to identify the novel's protagonist.
And perhaps that's the point of the story. Throw a bunch of people on a space station that's screwed, and no one wins: maybe even some of the readers.
This novel receives a 6/10.
You can purchase Ablation Cascade on Amazon.