Author and astronaut Chris Hadfield is firing on all cylinders in his new Cold War novel, “Final Orbit.” Pulling from a lifetime of extensive aerospace knowledge and his gift for weaving a yarn, this was a thoroughly enjoyable and suspenseful read.
Hadfield, who is one of America’s most accomplished astronauts, has become an accomplished novelist. In his new book, he takes familiar foes—the Americans and Soviets—and plies them together as allies from a strictly aerospace perspective. Two three-person teams are sent into space as part of international goodwill collaboration. However, are the Chinese are lurking, ready to strike at an opportunity to obtain an American-made space weapon and foment further discord between the Americans and Soviets.
Great Characters, Great Detail
“Final Orbit” is a cleanly woven story that gives plenty of detail without getting lost in it. The characters, of which many are real, (like President Gerald Ford and his staff, as well as members of the American, Soviet, and Chinese space programs) are never flat. Hadfield displays a gift for dialogue and not overplaying emotions in his characters. Too often, especially in thrillers, characters are either one-dimensional, displaying little human emotion, or are so overblown that they are unbelievable.
The author takes the reader on visual journeys through NASA’s Mission Control, and more importantly the American, Soviet, and Chinese space vehicles. He also includes Skylab, America’s first space station. The use of actual people, places, and space and military items greatly adds to the story.
The author timed his novel perfectly to coincide with the actual 50-year anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz collaboration, known as the “Handshake in Space.” In reality, there were three American astronauts and two Russian cosmonauts. Hadfield uses each one in his story, but adds a sixth, a fictional female Russian cosmonaut.
“Final Orbit” by Chris Hadfield, an astronaut turned author.Believable Fiction
Along with real people, the author uses authentic international political conflict to set his story in motion. There are the obvious suspicions between the Americans and Soviets that play a role, though minor, in the story. But what bolsters the story is the embittered Tsien Hsue-Shen, the actual China’s space chief who was a leading expert on rockets in America before being deported to China under the cloud of McCarthyism. It is a brilliant use of character motivation propels the story’s plot.
When it comes to the experiences in space, from floating in a capsule to a capsule orbiting earth to dangerous elements, specifically oxygen or lack thereof, Hadfield applies it all in fine, and often chilling, detail. While the book is fiction, he uses it as a mode to explain how things work in rocket science from attitudes and altitudes to space hatches and heat shields.
One element Hadfield added that increased the story’s suspense, was communication between the astronauts and NASA’s Mission Control. It wasn’t simply communication, but intermittent communication after the Apollo’s antennae is damaged. Hadfield mapped out precisely where—if something like that happened in 1975—communications would have been able to take place. In the story, there are relatively long periods of no communication until the dual-docked Apollo-Soyuz spacecraft is over certain areas of the globe. It certainly adds to the loneliness of space.
A Great Pay Off
As much as the action takes place in space, there is also action on the ground. Hadfield ties in domestic terror groups, like Weather Underground and the Symbionese Liberation Army, as well as Chinese bad actors in the Houston area near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Certainly there are many moving parts to the book, but nothing feels out of place or included haphazardly to inflate the plot. The plot is rich and the overall story pays off.
There is unexpected tragedy, suspense, action, and a capsule full of historical and actual scientific information. The author’s brief chapters transition seamlessly from one character and location to the next. The storyline maintains its course, making for very smooth and enjoyable reading. Most importantly, Hadfield leaves the reader more than satisfied with the conclusion. For readers who love suspense novels (and one can hardly ask for better than a Cold War novel set in space), “Final Orbit” is a perfect selection.
‘Final Orbit‘
By Chris Hadfield
Mulholland Books, Oct. 7, 2025
Hardcover, 416 pages
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