Review: Orion Lost

I was lucky enough to have been sent a proof of this by the publisher for a Book Review site. My review is my honest opinion of the book.

Orion Lost is an incredibly enjoyable, fast-paced classic science-fiction adventure.  The story opens with the Earthship, Orion, sending out a distress signal. Immediately, I was intrigued and desperate to find out what the fate of the ship was; however, the story then very cleverly moves away from this scenario and takes the reader through the events which led up to the distress signal being sent, and beyond. 

Beth McKay and her parents are aboard the Orion leaving Earth in order to colonise Eos Five, a destination that can only be reached by making Jumps through space, but the Jumps require everyone to be put to Sleep.  After one such Sleep, Beth is awakened by the Orion’s computer hologram, Ship, to the news that she is now the Captain as none of the adults can be woken. 

Only six crew members are left to run the vast ship … and they are all children, each with a talent which proves integral to their survival – if only they can learn to trust each other and work together.  The young crew face many difficult challenges:  manning a large spaceship which has been damaged and is in need of repair; facing space raiders and an alien species, unsure of which is more dangerous; but, perhaps the biggest challenge comes from the secrets they slowly begin to unravel as they discover there many be an enemy within …

This story is brimming with twists, danger, fast-paced action and perfectly timed revelations. The writing is superbly immersive, creating a believable space setting and technical language; a complex and exciting plot; and, engaging characters who are anything but perfect.  The children are resourceful, resilient and gutsy, and learn that there is a real strength in believing in yourself, in the bonds of friendship and in working together to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. 

This is a challenging, but thoroughly gripping, space adventure for children of 10+ which raises some excellent discussion points around leadership, ethics and colonisation.