Tethers

On Earth in the year 2056 we have made large medical advances and are able to colonize and farm away from our planet. Even with great progress, people are unchanged in political dissent and sometime violent demonstration of such.

The crew of a space cargo vessel has set forth for a 5 year mission to complete construction of a terra-farming facility on Jupiter satellite, X-1226. Things change drastically when a mysterious explosion occurs on the Daedulus forcing people to use a shuttle to flee. Their transport crashes on X-1226 and they are able to reach their original destination.

Kat Emmente who was second in command, her nine year old daughter Jerica, Lieutenant Eric Nagel the ship’s pilot, and medical officer Frank Brown are the only survivors. Now they must try to contact help while dealing with the growing suspicion of having a traitor in their midst.

Ms. Reinke has given us a very deftly plotted fast-paced read. The isolated setting of space plays upon the imagination to send chills down the spine as we watch the game of cat and mouse unfold before us.

Backgrounds and relationships are delved into with great detail to give us seemingly real people populating a space age thriller. Personal tragedies and private demons allow us to understand the motivations behind the measures taken and to find some compassion for each and every one of the survivors. Kat left an abusive marriage, Eric had to deal with severe injury and drug addiction, and the death of Frank’s daughter has brought him a downward spiral in life. There are instances towards the resolution where one may question actions as foolish but still feel are terribly human.

This book will impress on many levels but it must be said that there were a few seemingly inconsistent details. Readers may also wonder about a heroine who holds so much responsibility being described as tough as nails when her actions and thoughts don’t appear to match the title.

TETHERS is a tense and emotion-filled tale that readers will have great difficulty putting down. Personalities are drawn so vividly that they leap from the page to haunt our thoughts long after the story has come to an end. Well done, Ms Reinke!

December 2006