Final Orbit

A Novel

By: Chris Hadfield

Narrated by: Ray Porter

An edge-of-your-seat thriller about China's secret role in the space race—written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Apollo Murders and one of the most experienced astronauts alive.

Houston, 1975. A new Apollo mission launches into orbit, on course to dock with a Russian Soyuz craft: three NASA astronauts and three cosmonauts, joining to celebrate a new dawn of Soviet-American cooperation. But as NASA Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, a deadly accident onboard the orbiting spacecraft changes everything.

Meanwhile, from a remote location in east Asia, the first Chinese spacecraft secretly launches. On board is China’s first astronaut, Fang Kuo-chun, whose mission puts him on a collision course with the Apollo crew.

As Kaz races against an enemy on the ground and for answers beyond the sky, the safety of the remaining crew hangs in the balance…

Perfect for fans of Project Hail Mary and filled with shocking twists and real history—including the fascinating story of Professor Tsien Hsue-shen, the “Father of Chinese Rocketry” and founder of China’s space program—Final Orbit accelerates to a thrilling conclusion that captures the beauty and terror of survival 270 miles above Earth, as could only be written by one of the world's most experienced astronauts.

"Another terrific thriller from a writer who is uniquely qualified to write it.” —Booklist

"Action-filled, believable drama that flows. Readers of sci-fi thrillers by Isaac Asimov, Andy Weir, and James Michener will enjoy the realism of Hadfield’s latest.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Possibly the most realistic depiction of a battle between two spacecraft ever written.…Hadfield expertly weaves fact, fiction, and his own experiences in orbit to produce a novel that is both technical and entertaining. A master of the genre.” —New Scientist

Critic reviews

Praise for Chris Hadfield's thrillers:

"Commander Hadfield takes us on an exciting journey into an alternate past. And who better to write about astronauts than an astronaut himself!"—Andy Weir, author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary

"A Cold War thriller packed with cosmic action… Featuring undercover spies, scheming Russians and psychopathic murderers, sometimes all at once, it teems with authoritative details about what it might be like, for instance, to throw up in space or to grapple with a deadly Soviet astronaut who assaults you during a spacewalk."—The New York Times

“A Cold War thriller unlike anything you have ever read! The Defector is a full throttle, adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner spiked with history and intrigue that will leave you wondering if what you just read could have really happened."—Jack Carr, author of the James Reece Terminal List series

“The Defector is an extraordinary novel that is sure to keep readers enthralled. Brimming with detail and realism and full of pulse-pounding action, it's a well-crafted thriller that I just couldn’t put down!”—Mark Greaney, author of the Gray Man series

Better than a 5!

If I could give it more than 5 starts I would. The story is so very good, twists and surprises that I never came close to guessing. I listened again as soon as I finished, and I have never done that before! And of course Ray Porter is the BEST!

Fantastic Astronaut thriller

Breathtaking and relentless, Hadfield again uses his insider knowledge to craft a lean thriller that always feels real yet is never bogged down with the science and tech in of the day. Spiritedly read by the always brilliant Ray Porter. Highly recommend.

I expect more!

The story started out well on the joint venture of Russia and US on a space mission in the 70s, with China trying to join the race on its own. The realistic description from the author who is a former astronaut added excitement to the story. However, as the story developed, the interchanging of various events including the attempted assassination of the then US President Ford by a local terrorist group, the secretive act of a Chinese gang, the kidnapping of the protagonist, etc. were very disjointed. The story ended with the out-of-the-blue revelation that an insider was actually a spy, with no prior development of this storyline and with no explanation of his role or how this tied up the various events. When I realised that the listening had come to an end with his arrest, I thought I had missed out on some chapters.….

Best of the Series. More, please!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Apollo Murders, and The Defector was also enjoyable. Final Orbit, though, was better than both—by far. I was shocked when I saw I only had 2 hours left in the book the day after I started listening, and I definitely was not ready for it to end. I sincerely hope Colonel Hadfield gives us more of Kaz’s adventures… maybe with the TFNGs? Fingers crossed!

Ray Porter was, of course, amazing as always, but that probably goes without saying. He’s the best in the business.

Great next step to the story.

As was the case with the last two books in this series, I couldn’t stop reading/listening until I got through the end. This is the most fast paced book of the three so far. It picks up more quickly than the last two and doesn’t let up.