Space Station Down

Bova (the Grand Tour series) and Beason (Kill Zone) misfire with this uninspired sci-fi thriller, which reads like a mash-up of Die Hard and Apollo 13 set in the near future. Kimberly Hadid-Robinson is the senior ranking American astronaut on the International Space Station when it unexpectedly comes under attack. Kazakhstani cosmonaut Farid Hazood and Qatari space tourist Adama Bakhet arrive on the ISS determined to seize it for themselves. The pair slaughters everyone on board except Kimberly, who learns their plan to crash the ISS into New York City, killing millions. When news of their attack reaches the ground, the U.S. president considers proactively destroying the ISS, creating a frantic race against the clock for Kimberly and her ex-husband, NASA Lieut. Col. Scott Robinson. Scott and Kimberly’s relationship forms a poorly integrated romantic subplot that feels especially out-of-place given the high stakes. The reader’s suspension of disbelief will falter when Kimberly is forced to use sriracha sauce as a weapon and fall apart completely in the face of the authors’ odd choice to jump forward two days in the middle of the action. This disappoints. (Aug.)