Thu 20 Oct 2016
A Science Fiction Review by Barry Gardner: JOHN BARNES – Orbital Resonance.
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Science Fiction & Fantasy1 Comment
JOHN BARNES – Orbital Resonance. Tor, hardcover, December 1991; paperback, October 1992.
A lot of different people have compared Barnes to Heinlein on the basis of this book, and for once the comparisons seem to have a modicum of validity. If you liked Heinlein’s “juveniles,” or any of his books before he went weird, you’re very likely to enjoy this.
It chronicles the life of a 12-year-old girl living in an asteroid colony thousands of miles from a devastated earth, if you want a bare-bones summary. You might call it a coming-of-age story, but that wouldn’t do justice to it. For one thing, it presents one of the more believable self-contained environments I’ve come across, both physically and sociologically as well.
For another, the lead character is both likeable and credible, an all too uncommon juxtaposition. It’s a well-paced story that will hold your interest, and excellent science fiction of a kind too seldom seen nowadays. Try it.
October 20th, 2016 at 9:09 pm
I stopped reading SF about the time this book came out, and so I’ve never read anything by Barnes. This one sounds like one I might enjoy; the comparison to Heinlein’s juveniles seems to be right on.
I’ve looked Barnes up since posting this review. This is a book from very early in his career, and he’s had a good one.
ORBITAL RESONANCE is the first of a series, not surprisingly:
Century Next Door series —
Orbital Resonance (1991)
Kaleidoscope Century (1995)
Candle (2000)
The Sky So Big and Black (2002)