Book info

• Title Gravity
• Author Tess Gerritsen
• Year 1983
• Genre Science Fiction

Dr Emma Watson, a brilliant research physician, has been training for the mission of a lifetime: to study living organisms in space. Jack McCallum, Emma’s estranged husband, has shared her dream of space travel, but a medical condition has grounded him. Now he must watch from the sidelines... The mission aboard the space station turns into a nightmare when a culture of single-celled organisms begins to regenerate out of control – and infects the crew with agonising and deadly results. Emma struggles to contain the deadly virus, while back home Jack and NASA work against the clock to bring her home. But there will be no rescue, as the astronauts are left stranded in orbit where they are dying one by one...

Thoughts

I’ve shied away from Tess Gerritsen books to date after finding one of them just a bit too graphic for my tastes at the time. However, I was curious to read the book that was tied up in controversy with the film of the same name, and also with the film Life.

It’s certainly a lot closer to Life than it is to the film Gravity, but the idea of a sole survivor in space is key to all of them. I actually enjoyed this book, despite really disliking Life. The book manages to build the tension, drama and horror of the situation as it grows and gets worse, and although there’s a lot of gore in there, on the page it’s more manageable than on the screen.

There’s a few twists and turns along the way, and a few moments where you’re like ‘how is this relevant?’ and then of course it all adds up at the end. Highly recommend reading the book regardless of where you stand on the controversy.

Rating: 3 / 5