Solar Express

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

You can't militarize space. This one rule has led to decades of peaceful development of space programs worldwide. However, increasing resource scarcity and a changing climate on Earth's surface is causing some interested parties to militarize, namely India, the North American Union, and the Sinese Federation.

The discovery of a strange artifact by Dr. Alayna Wong precipitates a crisis. What appears to be a hitherto undiscovered comet is soon revealed to be an alien structure on a cometary trajectory toward the sun. Now there is a race between countries to see who can study and control the artifact dubbed the "Solar Express" before it perhaps destroys itself.

Leading the way for the North American Union is Alayna's friend, Captain Christopher Tavoian, one of the first shuttle pilots to be trained for combat in space. But, as the alien craft gets closer to its destination, it begins to alter the surface of the sun in strange new ways, ways that could lead Alayna to revolutionary discoveries-provided Chris can prevent war from breaking out as he navigates among the escalating tensions between nations.

Solar Express is a thrilling, new, hard science fiction novel from New York Times bestselling author L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Hard Science Fiction, Unfinished, Military Fiction, Fantasy

536 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.

He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey, real estate agent, market research analyst, director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant for a Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.
In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first short story, "The Great American Economy", was published in 1973 in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vrlo lepa hard SF knjiga koja prati prvi susret izmedju ljudi i necega ocigledno vanzemaljskog sa pod pricom koja prati geopoliticke promene na zemlji 100 u buducnosti posle velike katastrofe.

Vrlo lepo napisana knjiga koja izuzetno drzi paznju iako pratimo samo dva lika plus par kestra za ukras. Terminologija koje se koristi ume da bude konfuzna posto pokusava da ubaci sto vise pravih naucnih referenci (za koje nemam pojma da li su ispravno protumacene :P ) i naravno gomile vojnih termina. Sa druge strane opet imamo preseke sa clancima zute stampe koje opisuju sta se desava i daju odlican uvid u sam svet i sta se desava.

Iskreno receno osecaj koji sam imao na momente da ova knjiga predstavlja omaz Susretu sa Ramom posto je prica u osnovi dosta slicna sto nikako ne moze biti losa stvar.

Preporuka za svakoga koga interesuje SF knjiga sa vecim fokusom na S.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can be summarized as LE Modesitt takes on The Martian (lots of the hard sf action in the book toward the end reminded me strongly of the Martian, though considerably better as writing goes), Climate Change (see below) and the general themes of American decline (not that he cheers it as his heroes are from the recovering Noram - a union of North America with capital at Ottawa formed after the collapse of the USA in the mid 21st century and the underwater submergence of Washington DC, NYC and the Pacific coast), Chinese resurgence (again not that he cheers it as the new Chinese empire are bad guys here) and what's wrong with the youngsters (the cultural decay as described in the newsflashes that reach our heroes in space is quite funny and timely as of now) that have been a mainstay on his blog for quite a while now.

This being said, I really like the author's prose - despite the overuse of rueful - and of the current authors he is the second most in terms of books read by me (with over 40) - and I kind of like the way he structures his books despite that i disagree with a lot of his ideology (though to be honest, his world building generally has "out" clauses like the Imagers, the magicians of Recluce or say the Ecolitans in his earlier sf, that allow/demand society to be more cooperative than competitive to survive and even in the end he is honest enough to recognize that leads eventually to stasis)

So a hard sf page turner with two main characters who generally converse by email, one a scientist, another a pilot and who found themselves at the center of mystery and intrigue; also I thought this book was the closest of his recent sf to his fantasy, maybe in tone and characters and that was a big plus for me

Highly recommended and one of the best sf of the year

[Bryan Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an unusual book to review, since it feels unstuck in time. On the one hand, it reads like a mid-20th-century science fiction adventure, with heroic pilot and astronomer successfully solving space problems. On the other hand, it earnestly points a century ahead, to a world built from concerns very prominent in 2015.

Solar Express is about an object hurtling across the solar system during the year 2114. Two main characters engage with it, and with each other. The astronomer, Alayna Wong-Grant, works in a lunar observatory by herself, and discovers what seems like a comet. The pilot, Chris Tavoian, is tasked with exploring it. Much of the novel's dramatic power comes from the interaction of these three, who nearly never touch each other.

The setting looms large. The world of 2114 is dominated by an East Asian polity, the Sinese republic (I think), in competition with a rising India and a sidelined North American entity (the US plus Canada, maybe including Mexico). The 21st century saw climate change occur, along with several bad wars, so there's a touch of post-catastrophe in the staging. 2114 also sees Sinese-Indian competition rise to the brink of war, which should have added more dramatic punch to the novel than it actually did.

I began these notes by mentioning older sf, because my reading was haunted by many ghosts. Arthur C. Clarke's great Rendezvous with Rama hovered over every page, as a humans try in vain to make sense of a cryptic alien artifact headed towards the sun. Indeed, the final act, which sees the sun reach out and kill the probe, felt like a deliberate twist on the end of Clarke's novel, where a close approach to the sun boosts Rama on its way. The super-competent pilot felt like a time traveler from the 1940s or 50s, as he successfully lands a plumb assignment, conducts geopolitical analysis, pilots expertly, investigates an alien machine, deals with foreign forces, deals with them again, and survives physical extremity, while ultimately romancing the heroine.

That competence actually dragged down the middle third of Solar Express for me. It seemed like Tavoian's explorations occurred at a snail's pace, with a lot of repetition (performing similar tasks, writing to people in order to describe what we've just seen) and very slow progress.

The world-building wasn't as successful as it could have been, as I noted above. For one we get too many historical observations from main characters discussing the present. People have a fondness for early 21st century history, which doesn't make a lot of sense in that world - i.e., there's no sense that people are history obsessives personally (as in many Poul Anderson stories) or culturally (check Harrison's Centauri Device for an example) (57, 67, 130, 156, 232). Example: "Or [a person] believes that God in on their side. Like the Taliban in Pakistan seventy years ago." (130) That's an awkward reach to the reader. Imagine if a novel taking place in the present had characters in daily life - not historians - constantly referencing the War of 1812. Some of the non-narrative documents do a better job, including a kind of news + scandal sheet and selected articles.

Speaking of history, the world's rush to war was a powerful context for the alien express, again reminding me of Arthur C. Clarke (2010 this time), but it played out oddly. The great powers confrontation is set up nicely about a 100 pages in, then ratchets up too slowly, with too much repetition (India threatens to use killer missiles, the North American president advises calm). We don't get much insight into the crisis and its logic, perhaps because of our two-character focus. In the rushed final act, war starts to break out, but is knocked off course by a powerful coronal mass ejection, which cripples communication and travel. I said "rushed" because we don't see much of what happens next, and it's not clear how the major planetary armies interacted with each other. Did the world learn a post-war lesson for a generation of peace? How did things fall out? Modesitt skips that, in favor of a short obituary for the astronomer. Perhaps the setting was more incidental than I thought, a backdrop for the main action: investigation and romance.

Moreover, the question of militarizing space seems to be a red herring. Because it happens, and let in part by our hero pilot, through subterfuge and lying to the press. I can't tell if this is a Jerry Pournelle-style argument for the unending universality of war and the futility of acting otherwise, or if that theme just didn't matter.

Alternatively, the novel's end is a sudden triumph for North America. The Sinese gets blocked, and our American hero gets the job done. The post-American world isn't really. Is it really that jingoistic at the very end?

The romance was gently handled, as each character has a lot on their plate. Besides their major work, each faces a family crisis at a distance. Astronomer and pilot have a geeky correspondence habit of exchanging political quotes with each other, the tenor of which reveal a grumpy, rather conservative outlook, which just lightly interacts with the rest of the plot.

And yet I enjoyed myself. I love stories of space adventure, and was fascinated by how this one played out. I wanted to see the alien artifact, to learn how the Sinese were responding, and what the heck was going on with the sun. Again, like a mid-20th-century sf novel, I was engaged.

As a work of hard science fiction, Solar Express is unapologetic. Like The Martian this novel zeroes in on science and technology challenges, from air filtration to spectroscopy to cleaning up lunar dust to the details of orbital mechanics. Check the jaw-dropping opening paragraph, which is a kind of dare or gauntlet hurled at the reader, starting off with a nearly 300-word first line about the physical and administrative (!) details of the moon base. Or read how the title first appears:

But by the time this object nears Mercury, it will be traveling at somewhere in the range of sixty lays per second, accelerating to as high as 250 by the time it reaches perihelion... a real solar express. (142)

Modessit does well pedagogically on this front, giving us detailed information, incremental developments, discussions, and solutions, while not stooping so low as to introduce many concepts.

So.... recommended as a fun read for people interested in hard sf and/or with a love of mid-20th-century space adventure stories. Not recommended for people who don't read science fiction.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read of Modesitt Jr. I was a bit taken aback at first as some of the terminology that was used was completely over my head, and there were some repetitive scientific terms that were used what felt like a hundred times. However once I got passed that I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. I like the idea of alternating characters each chapter and both were very likeable and I felt myself connecting. The world build seemed a bit shallow and rushed but didn't leave me incredibly disappointed. This book is not for the non SF reader in my opinion. I felt some similarities to the Martian in this read but it amped up the scientific terminology ten fold. Overall I definitely would recommend this to anyone that loves science fiction, especially highly technical sci-fi. Looking forward to checking out more of Modesitt Jr.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting throughout, but more for the points rather than as an entire story which dragged somewhat. Modesitt created a very realistic near future world & highlighted the various problems through news reports by both reputable & popular channels. The main characters conducted a long distance relationship through short letters, many of which contained quotes of interesting philosophy. They were both involved with the 'Solar Express', so became closer in slow stages as the story played out in a similar slow motion until a breathtaking end which was very well done.

I was left with a lot to think about & I appreciate that, but it wasn't exactly the sort of story I want from Modesitt. I appreciate his earlier, faster moving novels more. He's been getting more verbose as his writing has matured. It's worth reading, just not as much fun.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly dull.
Review to come at www.fantasyliterature.com

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great hard science science fiction story.

Adventure, war, global warming disaster and a strange object entering the solar system.

Story ends with the potential for a volume 2

Yehah !!

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Too many people get too passionate about too little, and not excited about what matters.”

First contact, sort of. Good, hard science fiction. The type that encourages the reader to reflect on the science, rather than the fiction. Published in 2015. Cynical in the way Golden Age SF was hopeful. Don’t reflect too long, however because there are many technical groaners. (see quibbles) Wanted to give it five because it’s so good, but between Modesitt’s pontificating and the orbital dynamics couldn’t.

“Human beings talk about sharing knowledge while doing their best to hide it or get it first.”

Both protagonists are well-drawn, engaging people, who have different backgrounds and interests, but who from a chance meeting collaborate to both make a scientific breakthrough and save mankind as well as themselves. Modesitt quotes fictional books as hand puppets for his cynicism. A true-believer (of whatever) antagonist would add verisimilitude.

“Truth is a judgment placed on the facts, not the facts themselves. True scientists try to avoid using the word ‘truth.’”

Quibbles: Way too easy. Decides to intercept an object streaking toward the sun, strap two shuttles orbiting the moon together, and does so. Wait! What about the orbital inclination? Transferring from the orbital plane of the earth, to the solar, to the inclination of the object? The power, consumables, hard points, etc.? All waved away. “An outside shell of three or four meters, if reinforced correctly, it would probably be impervious to any weapon in any human arsenal.” Not now, let alone a century from now. There’s speed, there’s acceleration, and there’s increasing acceleration (jerk, believe it or not). Real scientists would tip to the latter earlier. His model of AI is more media than reality derived. A competently designed ISV would be serviceable without bringing it inside the shuttle. (For that matter, the air lock would be pumped to a vacuum, not release it’s precious air into space.)

“The universe could care less, and one way or another, the future … will forget.”

[MadProfessah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between 3.5-4 STARS.

This is my first Modesitt Jr book. I'm much more interested in sci-fi than fantasy so I wanted to start with this space opera instead of his many-volumed fantasy series.

The story is set roughly 100 years in the future. To me the best aspect of the book was the glimpses of 22nd century life (and the intervening years) through the somewhat snarky news reports and other documents included between the many chapters. The central story is the discovery of an alien artifact, supplemented by what is essentially a long-distance love story between the two protagonists, an astrophysics Postdoc on the Moon (Alayna Wong-Grant) and a space shuttle pilot (Christopher Tavoian) who are literally separated by millions of miles (kilometers!) for almost the entirety of the book.

The story per se is a bit slow for my taste, for the vast fraction of the book I felt like it was a 3-STAR reading experience, but the last 20% is quite good and it ends with a bang which resulted in my selection of four stars instead of three for the final integer rating. (The last page alone is worth a 1/2 star bump in the rating!)

One aspect of the book which contributes to its slowness is that there's almost no dialogue. No two humans are in the same space for any extended length of time, so much of the emotional impact of the book relies on reading what are essentially emails between Alayna and Chris and the people they interact with on Earth and on a space station.

That being said, it did keep my interest and I'm not sad that I spent the time to remove this book from my TBR pile after running into the book at the (Pasadena, CA) library.

[J.C. Webb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a long time L. E. Modesitt, Jr. fan, His previous sci-fi books like The Parafaith War were delightful in many ways such as: the story, characters, and world building.

However Solar Express fell disappointingly short in every category that Modesitt normally excels in. The characters felt 1 dimensional, the world building felt rushed and half-assed. The story was good but not even close to up to his last Imager Book.

At the end of the book there was a minor reference to a type of space ship drive, I don't remember it very well but it tickled at my imagination I've heard reference to the drive before in another of his sci-fi books.

This is the first of L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s books that I would not recommend. The only reason this isn't getting one star is because his story telling proped up the bland characters and weak world building. In many ways this feels as if someone handed him the characters, and defined the world for Modesitt and asked him to write a story around it.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok... I feel that he could have cut 200 of the 440 page book and it would have been a much better read. If you have never read any of his books before, Don't start with this one.

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 3 out of 5]

An astrophysicist stationed at a telescope on the far side of the moon makes an amazing discovery. He pen pal, a space pilot, is sent to check it out. But so are the Chinese (or in the book, the Sinese Federation), and they, apparently, are being run by a bunch of paranoid and war-mongering nut-jobs.

I liked some parts of this story.
-It does a good job at reminding us that dull, routine duties constitute the largest part of most jobs, even cool things like flying spaceships and running a space telescope.
-It has a fair amount of physics technobabble. Some of it is even plausible.
-There is relevant commentary about the long-term effects of the societal choices we are making in the U.S. now, specifically on energy, the economy, infrastructure, and the environment.

And some things just didn't work for me.
-The relationship between the two main characters didn't make a lot of sense. They met briefly, once, and began a (very) long distance personal relationship via space e-mail. Not impossible, but the basis for it is never satisfactorily explained.
-The paranoia of the Sinese makes no sense at all. Why are they so determined to start a global war? How did what amounts to inmates at a home for delusional sociopaths come to dominate the nation? Yes, I know it sometimes seems like the world is dominated by maladjusted six-year-olds, but these guys are loony.
-And then there's the prose. It seems, well, clunky, unpolished, sometimes verbose. Here's an example (from page 304) that kind of made me cringe: "The only explanation he could come up with for their explanation was that the hexagons below had projected some form of energy in a hexagonal field, but that field had spread slightly and manifested itself as a circle in whatever effect it had upon the substance of the hull." I think that sentence could use a bit of work.
-There are typos, especially in the snippets of space e-mail. I'm not sure if these are intentional to make them appear more realistic or if the editor just missed them.

The story bogs down in places and sometimes requires a bit of effort to get the meaning from the prose, but the protagonists are likable folks doing admirable work. Their story is a good one.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2114, a young astrophysicist is working not he far side of the moon, tending to some large telescopes, when she by chance finds a strange object at the far reaches of the solar system, heading inwards. At first they think it's a comet, but as it resolves, it's clear it's something else. At the same time, there are increasing tensions between the three powerful governments of the earth, which are being manifested by some arming of space. A young Noram space pilot is sent on a mission to the new object, in secret and arrives there before anyone else. He has a burgeoning relationship with the young physicist. His exploration of the object, as he follows its orbit towards and around the sun is the bulk of the book, as is the danger of war and conflict at the object.

It's a solid book, realistic, but in the end didn't add up to a lot for me. Modesitt's description of the Big Dumb Object are good, and cause quite a puzzle and a dramatic end. Of course a book like this owes something to Rendezvous With Rama (the great Big Dumb Object book); I liked the two main characters, and the author made you feel like you are with them.

[Francesca]

What I liked about the book: Nice exploration of the tension between work that you're passionate about and the needs of loved ones. Nice love story developed through email. I also liked the sheer impenetrability of the alien vessel in the face of military/bureaucratic demands for quick analysis.

What I had troubles with: various bits that struck me as too unrealistic, like the single-post-doc manning a lunar telescope and the experimental astrophysicist working out equations for a new unified theory without bringing in more mathematical partners. And the science gabble that explained the
Alien technology, but really for this kind of science fiction you pretty much have to have science gabble, I guess.

[Artie · Rating 1 out of 5]

So goddamn boring. The “hard sci-fi” passages are terribly written and the dialogue is painfully bad.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a bunch of science fiction, both good and bad, lately, this book is a refreshing take on scientific mystery. The premise is similar to _Rendezvous With Rama_ along with the hard sci-fi theme, where just about everything is potentially within reach. In _Solar Express_ physics is a bitch.

The science of the book makes for a dense prose. This isn't something you can whip through in a day or two. The author does attempt to make the scientific language accessible, though if you don't like (real) jargon about solar dynamics and the physics of navigating the solar system, you will become frustrated.

In the center of it all are two people, who converse through text email. Through their exchange of quotes and thoughts, they support each other through a harrowing time. One where an alien ship is on course for the sun. At each turn, as the pilot and astrophysicist send their messages, the slowly builds up the pressure, both emotional and technical. I felt for both of them, which I don't see as much in science fiction these days. They felt like real people tossed into this life changing event and doing the best they can.

In the background is how messed up the Earth's environment is, both in terms of weather and politics. Both exasperate the other in believable ways. I believe the author is giving a warning of what could happen if we just ignore the signs and kick the can down the road to another generation.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange object is detected on it way toward Sol. On Earth the three remaining super powers are about to come to blows as one tries to assume dominance of space. Captain Chris Tavoian is sent to investigate the object discovered by Dr. Alayna Wong-Grant from her solitary station on the Earth's moon.

[Graham Bradley]

Got a 100 pages in and waved the white flag. It's sooooooooooooo dry and science-heavy. The premise is interesting but a raw discussion of the material science of it just makes for a boring narrative.

[Jon]

My favorite quotes from Observations on Politics by Exton Land:

“Political science came into being as alchemy was being discredited, although history has since proved that alchemy had a better record.”

“Liberals always want to save the world on principle and worry about the costs later. Conservatives worry about the cost-accounting so much that they can never decide whether anything’s worth saving, except for every single worthless project in their own district, including, especially, the bases and weapons the military says it doesn’t need.”

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Tor Books asked if I would read and review this new science fiction novel, and after reading the synopsis I agreed. Though the author, L.E. Modesitt Jr, is new to me, I am a fan of hard SF and his novel did not disappoint.

As I read Solar Express, I thought often of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama novels, and of Andy Wier's The Martain. Rama in that Modesitt describes an enounter with an alien artifact, The Martian in his strong focus on astrophysics, engineering, and human pluck.

The action in Solar Express occurs in a near future dominated by a few regional world & space powers. The top dogs are the Sinese and Indians, who are threatening to weaponize their space assets and are on the verge of declaring war on one another. Noram, a geopolitical entity composed of an ecologically and economically damaged USA and Canada, is still a major power, and is directly affected by the actions of the Sinese and Indians.

The main characters are citizens of Noram. Dr Alayna Wong-Grant is a post-doctorate astrophysicist on a solo posting to a remote observatory on the dark side of the moon. Capt Chris Tavoian is the shuttle pilot who ferried Alayna from the Noram space elevator to her lunar outpost, striking up a friendship with her on the way. Their friendship and eventual romance forms the major part of the novel's structure, which is built around their exchange of messages.

Alayna detects a heretofore-unknown comet on an inbound trajectory toward the sun. Chris is meanwhile diverted from his civilian shuttle duties to a secret Noram military space installation. Alayna's comet gradually resolves into an alien artifact, and Noram drafts Chris to fly a daring solo mission to intercept the object, now known as the Solar Express, and explore it during its approach to the sun.

Space opera ensues. There's the growing romance between Alayna and Chris; the threat of war between the Sinese and Indians, a threat that includes the imminent destruction of Noram's space installations and ships; the spooky and initially incomprehensible alien artifact and its strange interaction with our sun as it accelerates toward it; and some hard (to me, at any rate) scientific speculation about physics. The background details of Modesitt's near-future world, conveyed through news bulletins, personal letters, and bureaucratic messages forwarded to Alayna and Chris, are interesting and believable.

I thought parts of the narrative were repetitive and tended to unnecessarily draw out the action (how many times does Chris have to experience being pushed back in his seat by his ship's acceleration before we get the idea?), and I downgraded my star rating accordingly. But that is not to say Solar Express isn't exciting and interesting: I couldn't stop turning pages. What seemed at first a very long novel—448 pages in the hard-bound edition—turned out to be a quick and enthralling read.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

22nd-century setting. Alien artifact with cool moniker. Geo-political mayhem. Realistic space occupation and militarization. Interplanetary love letters (basically...). And a dash of climate fiction.

THIS. STORYLINE. WAS. KILLER. While I've been reading science fiction/fantasy for years, only within the last few have I delved into hard science fiction the likes of Weir's The Martian and Stephenson's Seveneves.

Solar Express is my first Modesitt, Jr. book, so I'm not sure if his writing style in this book is similar to his others. However, while I appreciate good prose, many times I felt a barely containable urge to drop-kick the book into the stratosphere. I understand Modesitt, Jr.'s attempt to show events in linear, real-time moments, but seriously, there were passages and phrases and words and information that hampered the content unnecessarily and made it difficult to get through (he used some form of the phrase, "smiled wryly" sooooo many times--I got tired of the wryness). I was slogging, people. That was for maybe the first half of the book.

The relationship between Alayna and Chris was simultaneously sweet and endearing, and super fucking irritating. Modesitt, Jr.'s character development left much to be deserved, especially in the tone of Alayna and Chris' letters...because they literally sounded like the same person. And while I guess it's entirely plausible that two people could slowly fall in love over a thread of letters passing back and forth for a year (approximately), after having met for maybe an hour for a quick debrief and chat, this story arc hardly engaged my personal investment. Toward the conclusion I began to see their connection more favorably, and I greatly enjoyed their exchange of mostly-political quotes commenting on current events.

Overall, I give it 3.5 stars because I just can't get over the dry repetition that permeates most of the story. But, despite its failures, it was a glorious read that hurtles you on alien technology toward the sun, and read it for that if nothing else.

[William Bentrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solar Express by L.E. Modesitt, jr

This is a stand alone. The story is set one hundred years in the future. Global warming, economic meltdown and nation state changes have reshaped the world. A lowly astronomer and a shuttle pilot change the way the universe is seen with snowballing resources and relationships.

Dangers in space are only exacerbated by earth bound politics. Modesitt does a nice job projecting current political and economic problems to a seemingly logical place in the future.

Alayna is the resident scientist, mechanic and janitor at COFAR a astronomy array on the moon. With a struggling world economy she hopes she can publish something that will enable her to be employable once she finishes her tour of duty. She makes a discovery that will impact her professional life, the world and her personal life.

Chris, a FusEx jockey, is disappointed in a career that seems to have stagnated as a glorified taxi driver rather than the stalwart and intrepid space explorer he had hoped to be.

Modesitt always seems to have a relationship story as a side bar to his plots. It makes them more believable. Modesitt may be a frustrated philosopher as his books always seem to have some philosophic musings.

This was a good story and I recommend it.

Site: http://www.lemodesittjr.com/

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

L. E. Modesitt, Jr borrows from the classic Rendevous with Rama for a tale set a century from now that is unlike anything he has written before. Alayna Wong is on a post-doc as the only person at COFAR, the large telescope on the ar side of the moon. She spends her time doing research, repairing the giant array, and writing to her parents and the pilot who piloted her to the moon, Christopher Tavoian. Then an object on a cometary orbit, turns out to be manufactured. At a time when the Sianese are flexing their muscle in space and threatening India, Noram stands apart. Chris is selected to investigate the object using robots on a solo expedition. The Sianese launch a month later with a larger crew and actually land on the object, labeled Solar Express (hard from Tor) because it is actually moving faster than predicted. This is a quiet tale of normal scientists working with a strange object. Despite little action, I found the tale fascinating. I hope it gets nominated for some awards. Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

L.E. Modesitt Jr. is probably more well known for his Fantasy books than his Science Fiction books, but he is in fact a great writer of Science Fiction and I have read most if not all of his Science Fiction as well as quite a bit of his Fantasy. That being said, Solar Express isn't one of his better works. I don't like to give bad reviews but this book was just not a very good read. The story was slow and boring and the ending was predictable and not very satisfying. I don't want anybody to be put off from reading his books because 90% of them are great reads. Just don't start with this one.

[Harry Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is told in three intertwined threads - the pilot of a spacecraft investigating the alien artifact, an astrophysicist in charge of a lunar observatory, and newsclips of concurrent international affairs. It is billed as "hard" sf, but in my opinion, it is more of a projected sociological study. It is a pretty good yarn in any event.

[Maciej Janiec · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would definitely help if communications required more deliberation for distance limitations.

[Devin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent read. Interesting story and feels like what would probably happen if this were to actually be a scenario in real life.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for the CenterPoint SF book club. This one was soundly trashed by the group. It was pointed out how bad the first paragraph was and to prove it, one person read it out loud. There is no way this should have been published with that opening paragraph. A common complaint was about the writing and how overboard Modesitt went with useless detail and explanations. He also repeated these explanations numerous times (it is almost as if the editor was asleep at the switch or just couldn't be bothered).

I actually kind of liked the idea behind the novel, but found the execution was lacking. Modesitt describes a future earth that has seen large parts flooded (New York is now the Venice of North America). The world is divided into different geo-political spheres: China, India aligned with Africa, Europe aligned with Russia and North America. That was interesting, but the conflict just didn't make sense. There are two space elevators: NorAm's and the Chinese (Sinese in the book). India is building one and the Sinese don't want them to be allowed to complete it. Why? No idea. At the same time, space is not supposed to be militarized, but everyone seems to be doing it.

As to the story: two characters: Chris and Alayna. She is station on the far side of the moon to maintain an observatory; for a *two* year stint, totally by herself!!! Chris is a fusion-jet pilot. They have met once and the story involves a lot of their emailing each other. But for some reason in the future, communication bandwidth is so restricted that they can't send photos or videos to each other, just written notes. Ridiculous. Yet she works at an observatory that has to be collecting terabytes of data that is transmitted, yet she can't get or send her own video/photos.

She discovers an object like a comet that turns out to be the remains of ripped apart alien space ship. Chris is sent out to explore it, by himself and with minimal support. In fact, the entire time he is out there exploring it, he only get a few messages a day and the only support he has is from the Colonel back at the space station. There is no scientific support staff analyzing the photos he sends back, and no one making suggestions. The only other person that sends him important thoughts is Alayna.

At that same time, the Sinese send a robotic ship and then later a manned ship to the object. They barely figure in the story. Chris goes through a crisis involving rising CO2 levels in the ship. The AI of the ship keeps telling him the environmental status is fine. Again Chris gets zero assistance from base on solving this issue. In any case, the issue seems totally contrived and very annoying.

Alayna is stationed at a base for two years, and it doesn't seem that there is any discussion of mental issues being isolated like that. She is attempting to do her own research into the Sun in between maintenance work. The detail that is spent describing this is crazy, and does nothing to advancing the story.

The space artifact never gives up any secrets. I don't know how many times he repeatedly mentioned the black hexagonal structure of the ship.

The geopolitically issue between India and China seems to be resolved when Chris manages to destroy two Chinese ships in a standoff with his base, and the Indians seem to launch a number of missiles against China. It seems they knock off the top leadership and the Chinese get a new more moderate leadership. But there don't seem to by any repercussions from that!

All that said, I liked the last two pages as they wrapped everything up with a satisfying ending.

[Robie Trites · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an excellent novel for the next generation of Sci-Fi. I can see this as being recommended as a staple for those trying to understand space. That being said, I'm not a fan of how it portrays a lot of these ships as devices that only have gravity from thrust. If they were to do a movie on this they should have more ships with spin gravity to make this more realistic. Also, the AI wasn't interactive enough. While the AI could carry out actions it was not in-tune with each character as AI will be. but, I was also disappointed with the lack of instrumentation on the probes. There should have been so much more. I also don't find it believable that the ship itself (the AI) could not distinguish that itself was speeding up relative to its surroundings. Considering the size of Hubble. This ship should be very easy to see things move faster and faster. Also distortions in space-time also distort light coming towards you, so again I find it implausible that this was happening. But, I did notice that the AI on the ship was portrayed as make-shift and were created (At least in some aspect) by Chris. The size of space telescopes should make them a necessity on any science ship. But, all one has to do to demonstrate why I think there is a lack of sensors everywhere in this book. Just look at a drone. I just Bought a DJI Mavick 2 Pro. It has several forward cameras, rear, side, above and below. Interestingly, it has an infrared camera on the bottom. Probably to contrast with bottom cameras for landing, but I'm sure there are other applications, like just to sell more cameras. I'm sure I have other gripes about why I'm not satisfied with this book, but the truth is this book does bring a lot to the table. Im sure that if the author had support staff, he could have created something that can never be beaten. It is still ahead of it's time, and an enjoyable read it just feels different knowing what is possible. Sol is still something very novel for humans, as is the far side of the moon, Lagrange points, space elevators, ect... This book brings some of those things to life and could do so much more with just those things. The ending is unsatisfying and yet satisfying. Space is huge. Many books gloss over how big our solar system really is. If this one came out with a sequel it could touch on Venus, Mercury and Mars, even as research bases. The portrayal of the object up close is what a lot of objects in our own solar system deserve, and in my experience Sci-Fi has yet to deliver. Now, if you have made it this far maybe you noticed something earlier, but kept reading anyways. I rated this two stars. I didn't do that because all my criticisms, but because of the forum. Certain books A. need to be downplayed, B. this is my way of giving it six stars. I've now written this because I have given other books two stars for the same reason. I also have a few more gripes in the form of links. See below.
Moon: Industrialization
Earth: Industrialization
Earth #2: Industrialization #2
Mars: A Different Reason for an Elevator
Venus: Do we have to live in the clouds? Eh, Richard K. Morgan?
Other: See Larry Niven for an interpretation
Colonel Jack: O'Neil
Demonstrate The P90: Primitive? Exaggerated? No Comparison?
NASA Cylinder designs: Visit Space Here
AI vs AI: The Best Human Programmed AI (v.8) vs The First Neural Network Engine to enter the Top Chess Engine Championship I'd like to call this Battle in E sharp, but watching it goes best with this: Preparation in March brings you to April and beyond
Sometimes it is the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things... that no one can imagine.

[Lee Yun · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading a book by L. E. Modesitt and I was pretty intrigued by the blurb. While it disappointed a little by not delivering on "new sources of energy in space" as promised in the blurb, this was still a fulfilling read.

I especially enjoyed the world that Modesitt had created, using a combination of tabloid news feeds, military communications and personal emails to show us the geo-political situation of this future world. While the major players are well modeled after their current counter parts - the Sinese accuse everyone but themselves of militarising and trying to dominate space while the Noram quietly develop the capabilities to defend themselves in space. All this is further exacerbated by the discovery of the alien artifact dubbed the Solar Express.

It is here that Modesitt shines. While most sci-fi novels and stories have humanity discovering alien artifacts and then learning and reverse engineering from them and becoming inter-stellar travelers of their own right, this story ultimately shows no material gain from the artifact itself, beyond the fact that it helped Dr. Alayna Wong-Grant derive the theory that leads to the discovery of a new form of inter-stellar drive. However, my favourite part of this story was how Captain Christopher Tavoian and Dr Grant, through their exchange of emails and quotes (all of which was crafted and shown) developing friendship, companionship, and later as shown in the epilogue, a happy marriage.

At the heart of this story, I feel that the biggest takeaway would be that it isn't necessary for us to always gain immediate material gains from that which we do, but more importantly, show that there are somethings that are bigger and more important than that - discovery, understanding, and love.