Nance, John J. Orbit.

NANCE, John J. Orbit. Read by the author. 8 cds. 9 hrs. Brilliance. 2006. 1-4233-1143-4. $92.25. Vinyl; plot notes. SA

Kit Dawson is elated to learn that he has won a seat on American Space Adventure's first commercial spaceflight. It's 2009, and Kit sees this as the adventure of a lifetime; he plans to deal with his wife's feelings and his estrangement from his son when he gets home. When a random event kills the pilot and destroys the ship's communication array, Kit is left alone in space with only his pre-flight training and experience as a glider pilot. Pacing certain death, he pours his thoughts about his situation and his life into the laptop on board--unaware that every word he types has been discovered online on Earth and is being breathlessly read by more and more people. Nance reads his own work with slight vocal characterizations, and they work, except when he tries to pull off an Australian accent, which is just awful. But overall, he is clear, his pacing is good, and he maintains the suspense that has one biting one's nails toward the end. Melody Moxley, Admin. Svcs. Mgr., Rowan PL, Salisbury, NC

S--Recommend for senior high school students.

A--Recommend for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.