Orbital Burn [Paperback]

K. A. Bedford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

In Orbital Burn, a seriously down on her luck unlicensed Stalktown PI named Louise "Lou" Meagher ekes out a sparse living solving petty crimes. She is chronically broke, clinically dead, and nervous about being evacuated from her home planet, Kestrel, which in nine days time will be hit by an unstoppable doomsday rock, known as the Bloody Bastard. But Lou takes on one last case: helping a cybernetically enhanced canine named Dog, ­locate his former master, a defective biological android boy known only as Kid....

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Clinically dead, even partially decomposed, but still able to function thanks to nanotechnology, a private eye way down on her luck is hired by a talking dog in a violent, sardonic SF yarn that harks back to Frederik Pohl's early work. The last P.I. on Kestrel, a planet only days away from annihilation, Lou caves to the pleas of Dog, a much-modified beagle who claims that his companion Kid, a mindless "disposable," or artificial human, with whom he's psychically linked, has been kidnapped. Little does Lou know that the search is going to put her up against a murderous tycoon, brutal police, her abusive ex-husband, and a powerful AI-or that Kid is far, far more than he seems. Though much of the gore is gratuitous, and the pace too frequently falters while Lou wrestles with family issues, Bedford laces his tale with credible futuristic cyber-science, moves his hard-bitten (literally, as well as figuratively) shamus through vividly realized settings both scary and satiric, then winds it all up in a wild, transcendental climax. Here's hardboiled SF at its finest.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Nanotechnology and AI underpin this grim, but humorous, story. Lou, an unlicensed private investigator who is clinically dead but functions because of tiny internal machines, is asked by Dog, the former pet of a rich family who augmented his canine brain with all kinds of gadgets, to find Kid, a defective android, or "disposable," who has disappeared. Lou's internal technology is wearing out, and she hasn't the funds to replace it. The planet she and the others are on is about to get hit by a chunk of stuff from space. Yet, even as the end approaches, there are still villains and skullduggery to be dealt with. Background, characters, and plot are all so well crafted that the matter of plausibility pops up only after the book is finished. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing; 1 edition (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894063104
• ISBN-13: 978-1894063104
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,510,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Future Bestseller!, February 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Orbital Burn (Paperback)

Orbital Burn by Australia's KA Bedford is an excellent treat. Not only does he weave a good tale, create excellent compelling characters, and leave you to wonder what does being dead and being alive REALLY means - he captures your imagination on the first page and never lets it go until the last thought provoking sentence.

I have heard that KA Bedford will be coming to World Con in Boston via Vancouver BC- I hope that World Con gives him the opportunity to do a reading from the book, as it will be well enjoyed by all...if you have not read this book - read it - even the New York Review of Science Fiction just loved it! It is nice to see a Canadian publishing company such as EDGE doing so well to bring excellent authors from around the world to the science fiction scene. Thanks!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's what you put into it., June 28, 2004

By 

Luke Hannafin (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orbital Burn (Paperback)

Mr. Benford has pulled off a nice little trick here. He has written a good story with well developed characters, put them on the stage, but forces the reader to create a bit of the background and scenery. Some are not going to like this approach: there are those who like to have every moment of the past present and future spelled out for them, like the Robert Jordan junkies, (I was one for half of the series, I know.)

Some reviewers have perceived the ending as incongruous. There is some validity in the statement, but I found myself adding details as I went along. I think a lot of the better authors do similar things. I never full feel that I understand Michael Swanwick's stuff, but I think if I did it would lose some of it's potency. In fact, I am fairly sure that at times, Swanwick is intentionally vague, or more appropriately, abstract, so that the reader imbues the text with his own meaning. That happened to me, here, and in my book that deserves high praise.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asimov would be pleased, February 11, 2004

By 

L. Robinson (VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orbital Burn (Paperback)

"Orbital Burn" is a quick, entertaining read. The main character Lou, while strong and humorous, struggles with an interesting sci-fi illness. While her illness isn't the core of the story, it adds an important dimension to the book. (Don't worry - this book is not depressing. Rather, it's very humorous.)

The main story line of the book is Lou working as a private detective for a talking Dog. They hope to find Kid and get off the planet before it blows up due to an asteroid. The characters of Lou and Dog are a delight to read about. And who can resist a "doomsday" story? Plus, it's brain-candy to discover the world that Bedford has created...

Bedford's word-choice in the book is trendy and fun. Additionally, his style in "Orbital Burn" mimics Isaac Asimov's theory of writing, as expressed by Asimov in 1986, "By my writing, I amuse people and make them happy. My writing style is simple, straightforward, and upbeat - nothing nasty or horrid or violent or perverse. In this sad world, I think that anyone who spreads happiness automatically justifies his existence."