Orbital: ‘Awe-inspiring’ Max Porter

The book is a collection of intimate human fears set against epic vistas, offering a unique perspective on life on our planet. It follows a team of astronauts in the International Space Station as they collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments, and test the limits of the human body. Despite being separated from the world, they cannot escape its constant pull and are reminded of its fragility when they receive news of a mother's death and a typhoon gathering over an island. They begin to question what life would be like without earth or humanity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 27 June 2024
Publisher: Vintage Publishing

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?"

Weight: 118g
Dimension: 196 x 130 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529922936