Ruthless Sky
Adult; Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror; (Market)
A risky mission--
A disastrous accident--
The crew’s struggle to get home--
In the merciless void of space, love and survival intertwine as two marooned astronauts battle impossible odds.
It’s 1989, and Dr. Catherine Riley, a NASA astronaut who overcame all challenges to live her dream, sees her first mission turn into a fight for her life. As the space shuttle Intrepid launches, an explosion propels Cat and her fellow astronauts into a treacherous journey. NASA’s efforts to save their crippled orbiter don’t go as planned. Cat and Hayes Bartlett, her egotistical and charming crewmate, find themselves isolated and facing imminent death.
While NASA internal politics and Cold War rivalries make things worse, Cat and Hayes work to save themselves. They are drawn closer together as conditions worsen. Choosing love over a surrender to despair, their sparring courtship keeps hope alive. Will their resilience and ingenuity be enough to save them?
Step into the captivating world of RUTHLESS SKY, a heart-pounding realistic sci-fi adventure with a touching love story at its core. Featuring the tech detail of The Martian and the emotional perspective of love and mortality in The Fault in Our Stars, prepare to enjoy a story of the depths of human determination and the infinite reaches of the heart
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 7 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.75 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Catherine Riley and her fellow NASA astronauts launch into space, and encounter several life-threatening issues. Cat and Hayes Bartlett become stranded in space, and while they struggle to hold onto hope, they hold onto one another. Broadwell develops the storyline effectively while weaving in consistent challenges and multiple narrative layers. However, the severity of the Intrepid's situation isn't always as dramatized as the circumstances demand.
Prose: Broadwell's prose is light, witty, and captures s the fullness of the characters' personalities.
Originality: Ruthless Sky pulls from classic sci-fi and space travel tropes, but delivers a tense and character-driven narrative.
Character/Execution: Overall, the characters are wonderful to come to know and each have distinctive personalities of their own. Furthermore, many side characters have backstories that are were developed within sub-plots. Their interpersonal relationships, however, are worthy of further attention.
Date Submitted: April 28, 2024
Reviews
David McKenas, MD, MPH, author of SHOCKED: Life and Death at 35,000 Feet and For
“…a riveting journey back into the Space Shuttle days. This is a must-read book”
Kirkus Reviews
In this alternative-history novel, a NASA shuttle mission in trouble and its astronauts are stranded in space, waiting for a plan that will allow them to safely return home.
A well-crafted and engaging SF tale about space exploration.
Paul Dye, author of Shuttle, Houston and former Lead Flight Director at NASA
“As a Flight Surgeon in the Space Shuttle era, Broadwell has a unique perspective in weaving an engaging tale of adventure and excitement”
