Orbital
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Orbital
Buy Now for $21.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Sarah Naudi
-
By:
-
Samantha Harvey
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
**WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024**
Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft contemplating the world below
A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.
Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction.
The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?
'Beautiful in every aspect'
SARAH MOSS, author of Summerwater
'One of the most beautiful novels I have read in a very long time'
MARK HADDON, author of The Porpoise
'One of the UK's most exquisite stylists'
GUARDIAN
‘Awe-inspiring’
Max Porter
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about Orbital
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Stephen
- 22-09-2024
Spinning above the world
A beautiful poetic novel about the earth and its perils, space and its magnificence, and six different people drawn for various reasons to travel to the international space station. They work, reflect, dream, over a single day above a planet in peril. Perhaps, with its dense poetic writing, better as a written book than an audiobook, which is not to detract from the poised and thoughtful reading.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Phillip
- 30-01-2024
A stunning excuse to love this planet
Hanging in the ether above the Earth, circling always in snippets of day and night, Harvey has captured something wondrous and beautiful. A reflection more than a story and all the more wonderful for it. It’s mesmerizing and somber. An enchanting reminder of fragility and time wrapped in the thin metal shell of a dying space station.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-11-2024
Brilliant
Loved how descriptive it was, lovely detail. Very glad it won the booker 2024 prize.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Brianne Cuthbert
- 23-09-2024
More a reflection than a narrative
Not so much a novel as a reflection on human history, space travel and love. Some passages were incredibly lyrical, like poetry but as a narrative, it didn’t have a framework from which to hang.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- katiuska
- 08-01-2025
Stunning
Orbital is a captivating masterpiece that takes readers on an unforgettable journey through space and the human experience. The author masterfully blends intricate science fiction with deeply personal storytelling, creating a narrative that’s both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. The vivid descriptions of space and its challenges are stunning, immersing the reader in a beautifully realized universe. More than just a story of exploration, Orbital delves into themes of isolation, connection, and what it truly means to be human. A must-read for sci-fi lovers and anyone seeking a story that stays with you long after the final page.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 24-01-2025
Beautifully written, distracting narration
Wonderfully poetic and detailed descriptions - I loved the content but would have been better to read for myself. Not sure if it was the recording quality but I found the narrator’s inconsistent pronunciation of soft sounds like f and th quite odd.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- jasper
- 11-01-2025
Good insight into living in a satellite
Psychology and practicalities of living in a satellite. Just don't be waiting for something to happen, cus it doesn't
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-01-2025
Lovely, but largely forgettable
The writing is eloquent and captures the beauty of the world; but it lacks any real tension. The moments it does engage with character or action are frustratingly fleeting. Even in its brevity I felt it dragged and was glad that it ended which isn’t a great sign.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-03-2025
Great Listen.
Great book, compelling story and narration. As usual great audio quality and narration used.
Would recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Gasman45
- 11-03-2025
Nice prose, shame about the plot
Beautiful imagery, lovely usecof language, very emotive descriptions of Earth and the astronauts’ psyches. I kept waiting for somettving to happen… but alas it never did .
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!