Nothing I enjoy more than a good science fiction novel. I’ve been reading SF since I was about ten. There are many subgenres of SF. Almost as many as there are genres and subgenres of fiction. I’m not into the war games or monsters type of SF. My favorite is “hard science fiction,” based on scientific accuracy and technical detail. I also like the category called “soft science fiction,” which explores the social sciences. This book probably falls mostly into the “soft” genre, but it also includes hard SF (space folds and gravitational anomalies, etc.).

Dark Orbit tells a tale about finding a new “habitable” planet where people are living underground who cannot see. If we are missing one of our senses do we develop others? Does our hearing become sharper? Are there senses we don’t know about or use that can develop in the absence of sight?

The book also shows us different cultures and how people tend to categorize others and react to those differences.

It’s a great read. Gilman is a creative and talented author.