I seldom do reviews of fiction books, but Glitch by Kate Rauner deserves to be an exception. It is science fiction, but the descriptions of space exploration missions are based on fascinating science. The book is creative and thought-provoking, and I think it should be used as a primer by those planning future space explorations. There are speculative views of life in the future, such as voice activated amenities in the homes and apartments and “Smart Cabs” replacing most private autos. Of course, there are all manner of personal communication devices. The author writes, “The story is set in a world authentic enough, and messy enough, to be real.”

The book is available from Amazon Kindle, but you don’t need a Kindle tablet to read it. Amazon provides a link that opens a Kindle reading application on your computer. I used that feature, and was given instant access to the book and a few free classic books. The download was easy even for a non-technical person (me) to use.  It is well worth the price ($2.99).  For availability on other e-formats, see the end of this review.

The story centers on a private company called Xplore, and the opening line of the book is “Welcome to Spaceport America Industrial Park.” Xplore, which is in New Mexico, specializes in design, assembly, and mission control for space exploration missions. Funding for missions come from a variety of sources. Individuals can subscribe and monitor the missions as they progress. The first mission described is a project called “Mapping Europa.” Europa, a moon of Jupiter, has been the subject of great interest. There is speculation that the volcanic vents that create hot spots in the frozen surface could provide the right conditions for life.

The main characters in the book are the three people on one shift of the Europa exploration mission control. A very surprising anomaly is detected in space by the spacecraft they are monitoring, and one of them refers to it as a “glitch.” The name Glitch sticks, but what is it? Is it a wormhole, window, gate, or portal into another universe? Some skeptics believe it is an aberration caused by some flaw in the computer programs or equipment. The main character is immediately certain it is an aberration in space that creates an entryway into another universe. A sun can be seen through Glitch, and it is found to have many, but not all, the characteristics of the Earth’s sun. The team names the sun, “Helios,” which is the ancient Greek version of “Sol.” The sun is eventually discovered to have planets, some with multiple moons. There is even one moon that is about the size of Earth and there are indications it has an atmosphere.

NASA’s real-life twin GRAIL spacecraft.

On a more mundane level of reality, the employees of Xplore have to worry about finding new jobs when the missions they are working on are completed or the sponsors of the mission decide to end funding. Rob, the main character, has to decide where to submit an application when his part of the Europa mission is over. He decides to try for a place on a team that will control spacecraft mining precious metals and rare earths from an asteroid, processing the mined material into individual elements, and returning the products to Earth for sale. That project intrigued me because I’ve become interested in the many applications of the rare earths. Rob considered applying for a position with the team sending a rover to Mars to try and determine what happened to cause the death of the four members of the “Colony One” team and to erect a memorial, but settled on the more risky asteroid mining mission.

There are many diverse and interesting side stories. There are character-development stories about Rob, who has an ex-girlfriend working on a privately funded project in Australia using telescopes to observe whatever clients are willing to fund. She is the one he contacts first when he wants to share a success or to commiserate when he is frustrated. Rob lives a solitary life, and fills in a relatively lonely life by feeding and watching the many birds of his area in New Mexico. Early one year he observes vultures in the area and thinks to himself “the first vultures of spring.” There are plenty of references to the food and culture of the Southwest, such as the Day of the Dead celebrations.

There is an interesting side story about an anti-technology group that opposes the exploration of Glitch and Helios. Opposition to new technology has been part of history for as long as there has been history; some people are simply frightened by, or suspicious of anything new. The motives of the protestors are unclear, although perhaps they simply believed there were too many “local” problems to justify expenditure of recourse for space exploration. It is suggested that the group believed that the real problem is too many people, and anything people would do, such as exploring a new universe, should be opposed. The opposition took the form of loud and unruly demonstrations at public events including carrying signs that protested what was planned or happening. The protests included disruptive hooliganism and even included launching aerial tear gas projectiles into the area where people were arriving for their work shifts.

There are other fascinating side stories, such as the description of “rewilding” in Montana. There is a park where extinct animals are recreated in “Jurassic Park” fashion with wooly mammoths and without the Tyrannosaurus. There is a real estate bubble created for rural lands, and speculators, large and small, are eventually trapped in unsustainable price escalation.  There is also an unusual weather condition that creates flooding in California. It is quite interesting that the flooding results in many of the “anti-Glitch” protestors leaving and returning to deal with the real world problems of too much rain in California.

There is another fascinating story about a group that provides funding for the Glitch exploration to look for signals that would indicate extraterrestrial beings. They celebrate when Alice begins to pick up a repetitious signal (and I think you should read to the book to learn more about this mystery). A spacecraft is programmed to head toward the source of the signal, and everyone figuratively ‘holds their breath’ to learn what is learned! It is wonderful stuff that will get your imagination working overtime!

I hope I have been able to inspire you to be interested in reading the book, because it is a book that deserves to be read!

You can read an excerpt and purchase Glitch for Kindle from Amazon.

To read an excerpt and purchase other e-book formats, go to Smashwords. There is a half-price coupon on Smashwords – use code, “YS46M” – until July 31, off the regular price of $2.98.