Orion Lost

Thirteen-year-old, Beth McKay, is with her parents on the colony ship, ‘Orion’, setting off to start a new life millions of miles from Earth on Eos Five. Facing the potential dangers of Scrapers (space pirates) and the Videshi (an alien species), life on the Orion is very different, but Beth soon settles into a pattern of school work, Command Training and making Jumps where the ship covers great distances whilst its crew Sleeps to keep them safe, all constantly monitored by the ever-present Ship, an artificial intelligence. Then an Event occurs and Beth and her friends are the only ones awake on the Orion with Beth being given the role of Captain. Their ship is badly damaged and the children have to navigate encounters with both Scrapers and the Videshi, all made worse by tensions within the group and the feeling that Ship might not be telling them the truth…

This was a one sitting read; I could not put it down! My first book of 2020 and so enjoyable. From the beginning, each piece of the puzzle is being laid and the story is fast paced and thrilling. All the clues are there, but there are twists along the way to keep the reader guessing. Is Ship lying? Or is there a greater threat Beth and the others should be watching out for?

Beth is a great character; feisty and full of spark, she is also lacking in confidence, making her an interesting leader. When things come out in the open and the reader learns more about what has happened, you can really appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of each character- but I can’t say more without spoiling it for anyone who has not read it yet!

The Videshi story line is also an interesting one (again, I don’t want to say too much!), offering food for thought about how humans treat the world- or in this case, space- around them.

A fabulous read- with plenty of potential for more adventures from this crew- ‘Orion Lost’ is an unputdownable space adventure!

Orion Lost

Alastair Chisholm

Nosy Crow ISBN: 978-1788005920