Saturn Run

By: John Sandford Ctein

Narrated by: Eric Conger

Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

For fans of The Martian, an extraordinary new thriller of the future from number one New York Times - best-selling and Pulitzer Priz - winning author John Sandford and internationally known photo-artist and science fiction aficionado Ctein.

Over the course of 37 books, John Sandford has proven time and again his unmatchable talents for electrifying plots, rich characters, sly wit, and razor-sharp dialogue. Now, in collaboration with Ctein, he proves it all once more, in a stunning new thriller, a story as audacious as it is deeply satisfying.

The year is 2066. A Caltech intern inadvertently notices an anomaly from a space telescope - something is approaching Saturn, and decelerating. Space objects don’t decelerate. Spaceships do.

A flurry of top-level government meetings produces the inescapable conclusion: Whatever built that ship is at least 100 years ahead in hard and soft technology, and whoever can get their hands on it exclusively and bring it back will have an advantage so large, no other nation can compete. A conclusion the Chinese definitely agree with when they find out.

The race is on, and an remarkable adventure begins - an epic tale of courage, treachery, resourcefulness, secrets, surprises, and astonishing human and technological discovery, as the members of a hastily thrown-together crew find their strength and wits tested against adversaries both of this earth and beyond. What happens is nothing like you expect - and everything you could want from one of the world’s greatest masters of suspense.

©2015 John Sandford (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Fans of Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers will eat this up.” (Stephen King)

"Three things to know: First, I’m the world’s biggest John Sandford fan. Second: I saw this book and thought...what? Third: I needn’t have worried. It’s vintage Sandford all the way, with all his trademark strengths and insights, except set in the future, not the present. You won’t be disappointed." (Lee Child)

"Utterly captivating! With the heart of a breakneck thriller and the mind of the best science fiction (Bradbury and Heinlein come to mind), Saturn Run keeps us enthralled from beginning to end. Sandford and Ctein have brilliantly pulled off the difficult task of making a very different world very familiar, proving that a born storyteller is a storyteller, whether he sets his books on mean streets or in deep space. I, for one, want more." (Jeffery Deaver)

Starts out great and then collapses

I thought this book was going to be one of my favorite books this year for the first 90% of the book and then it just fell apart with an ending that really doesn't match the rest of the book. I could barely finish it and was so disappointed. So sad, but my final reaction was just sort of meh. Wish I hadn't wasted the credit.

The best Si-fi story I've read

Why, it seems so real. I kept thinking, this is what would happen in a real alien encounter. We're OK, but not the master of the universe, not even close. Sandford does a masterful job of show how human bickering just screws thing up. If you likes the Martian, you'll love this.

A surprise

Given that I grabbed this book because it was o. the BOGO rack I'm thrilled to have liked it at all. I'm over the Rings that I loved it.

I found tastes of the hard science fiction of Heinlein combined with hints of Clancy.

I highly recommend this book.

Disappointing

No groundbreaking ideas. Characters lacked depth. Humor just ok. Very predictable plot. No surprises. John Sanford has done better.

A different Sanford book. Nice, near future sci-fi

This was very different that any of Sanford's previous books, which I have enjoyed. Near future science fiction. Good story, tight science, good characters. great reader on the audio book.

Fantastic near-term science fiction

Enjoyed the many plot turns in this story that takes place roughly 50 years from now.

very well performed and engaging story

I loved the characters and the use of real science as realistic as sci find can get

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Super loved it...and f/w it to my ga technology grad tech kids.... who I think will love this as well

Pretty Good Hard Science Sci-Fi

Not quite "The Martian" but in the same style and keeps your attention despite some drifting off the mark a few times. Great premise and enough twists to keep it rolling.

Reads more like a Tom Clancy meets Arthur C. Clarke which is far from a bad thing IMO!

Characters are pretty well thought out despite some PC attributes that do nothing but make it seem like a millennium aimed story.

Performance is top notch! I'll look for more by Eric Conger!

It's not without flaws but that's ok too. There are decisions later in the book that are inevitable (else the book would have ended!). I'm not even of a mind like the "captains" and could have thought up numerous ways "out".

You'll probably find flaws as I did but bottom line was I looked forward to turning it on and was OK with the ending even if I saw it or something close coming from a long way off!

Enjoyable

Change of pace to what I normally listen too,
I enjoyed it very much. I've read and listened to John Sanford occasionally and when I saw a different venue from him I was interested, glad I bought it.