Life on our planet as you've never seen it before 'A slim, profound study of intimate human fears set against epic vistas' GUARDIAN 'Stunning... An uplifting book' SUNDAY TIMES A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day. Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?
What's Bookie?
- Free delivery in Germany.
- Find your perfect next read.
- Track to motivate you to read more.
- Connect with people like you.
Orbital: 'Awe-Inspiring' Max Porter
Life on our planet as you've never seen it before 'A slim, profound study of intimate human fears set against epic vistas' GUARDIAN 'Stunning... An uplifting book' SUNDAY TIMES A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day. Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?
Popular Reviews(7)
Reviewed by Kathleen ✨Am liebsten hätte ich das gesamte Buch als Zitat hier in die App gepackt. Es ist ein wunderschönes, poetisches Buch – und das auf nur 136 Seiten. Es ist kein Wort zu viel und kein Wort zu wenig. Beim Lesen fühlt man sich recht klein und belanglos, aber aus der Gesamtheit des Weltraums betrachtet sind wir das wahrscheinlich auch. Die Geschichte wird anhand der 16 Umlaufbahnen erzählt, die die ISS jeden Tag zurücklegt. Dadurch erleben die Astronauten und Kosmonauten 16 Sonnenauf- und 16 Sonnenuntergänge an jedem Tag. Die Beschreibungen der Erde aus dem Weltraum sind sehr bildgewaltig, zeigen aber auch die Isolation der Menschen an Bord. Orbit 13 ist das beste Kapitel für mich: Die Entstehung der Welt wird darin anhand eines Kalenderjahres dargestellt, in dem der erste Mensch erst am späten Nachmittag des 31. Dezembers auf der Bildfläche erscheint.
Reviewed by jreads 📚Beautiful. 🥰
Reviewed by MayJust not for me. Might reread in a while
Reviewed by PaulaI loved the language (very poetic & atmospheric) & I did have a feeling that the whole point of this book was to convey this feeling of being in space…a shifted sense of time, perspective & space. For me while reading, the writing style & the lack of plot created a serene feeling & I felt like I was in the space ship with the characters. However, I was a bit underwhelmed since I felt that most of the reflections on the physical & metaphorical state of the earth were nothing new. The effect of human interaction with it, its beauty, its ability to destroy, the quest for living beyond its boundaries, the shifting of a frontier to space, political dimensions of it—it all felt like the book was a compilation of arguments & perspectives heard before. So all in all an ambivalent read for me. But maybe my expectations were too high because it won the booker prize
Reviewed by AndraIch bin echt zwiegespalten bei dem Buch. Einerseits war es wirklich schön, malerisch und lebendig geschrieben. Aber das Buch bietet halt nichts, es ist monoton und halt keinerlei Plot. Eher ein Aufsatz über Astronauten als ein Fiction Buch. Es war einfach absolut nichts für mich und ich war an so viele stellen einfach davor es abzubrechen und hab es nur durchgezogen, weil es nur knapp über 100 Seiten waren.