Zero-G

Gansky's suspenseful novel grabs hold of the reader on the first page and doesn't let go. The hero—and he is very much a courageous, old-style hero—is “Tuck” Tucker, a NASA astronaut who is devastated when, on his third mission in outer space, every member of his crew gets violently sick and he is the only one to survive. Was the inexplicable illness that claimed Tuck's crew a freak accident, or did someone try to destroy the mission? Tuck blames God for failing to save the crew, and it takes a year of anger, plus a gentle talking-to from his spiritually insightful and disarming father, before he can make peace with his maker. Indeed, many people are deeply affected by the tragedy: Vincent Pistacchia, whose son died on Tuck's watch, plots revenge; Tuck's family members admit that they've always found his space travel terrifying; and Tuck, plagued by survivor's guilt and nightmares, is deemed unfit to return to space and given a NASA desk job. Tuck gets one last chance to command a space trip thanks to a startup company that makes space travel available to well-heeled tourists, But someone's out to get Tuck, and things go dreadfully wrong. Fast-paced plotting and strong character development make this one of Gansky's best. (Nov.)