A routine rescue mission leaves a team of US soldiers, rescued hostages and a prisoner trapped above Earth in a suborbital craft, in this cinematic action-packed near-future thriller, perfect for fans of Tom Clancy and Jack Carr
"This is the kind of book that gives military SF a good name.” Financial Times
Lieutenant Art Burkett is called up to take part in a rescue mission. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law.
The rescue is swift. Art and his team return to military craft SubOrbital 7, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for them. Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.
"This is the kind of book that gives military SF a good name.” Financial Times
"Sure-footed descriptions of spaceflight and the toils of working without gravity enhance the plot without the technobabble ever pulling focus from the soldiers as they fight for their lives and honor. Shirley’s fans will be pleased." –Publishers Weekly
"This is a tight military procedural for fans looking for something like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan transported to space, with rockets flying, ruthless Russians scheming, and unvarnished trust in the American way." –Library Journal
PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR
"Shirley has a reputation for being one of the edgiest, boldest writers around" Publishers Weekly
One of our best and most singular writers. A powerhouse of ideas and imagery. -- William Gibson
John Shirley achieves things that other writers wouldn't dare attempt. Brilliant. The true quill. -- Bruce Sterling
Shirley writes at the neon-lit frontier of sensory experience.-- Publisher's Weekly
John Shirley is an adventurer, returning from dark and troubled regions with visionary tales to tell. Wetbones is a wild and giddy ride, confronting the reader with marvels and horror in equal measure. I heartily recommend a journey with John Shirley at your side.-- Clive Barker
A postmodern Edgar Allan Poe. -- Larry McCaffrey
John Shirley is the possessor of an imagination like a ticker tape machine from Gehenna. He seems able to write in any genre...Strongly recommended.-- American Book Review
In Wetbones John Shirley serves up the bloody heart of a sick and rotting society with the aplomb of an Aztec surgeon on dexadrine... --ALA Booklist
Borgés as directed by Scorsese. -- Covert Culture
Potent, bizarre, full of raw energy...It's a good thing John Shirley is a writer. If he wasn't, he'd probably have to become a particularly inventive serial murderer to grab our attention the way he does...Four Stars! -- Inside Books
Readers who enjoy living a little dangerously are likely to appreciate the sheer, headlong exuberance of Shirley's imagination. Wetbones is nightmarish pleasure. -- San Francisco Chronicle
Shirley reads like a high octane mixture of Ballard, William S. Burroughs, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and William Kotzwinkle, yet emerges with a cranked-up paranoic style that is definitely his own.-- Nancy A. Collins
[Wetbones] has a cast of characters and a set of interesting plotlines that would do credit to any bestseller. Shirley's tapestry is tightly knotted and leaps to livid, vivid life from the first scene... The author does a bravura job of peeling away the plot like the layers of an onion. Utterly convincing and terrifically fascinating...Wetbones is a knock-down, kick-ass piece of writing. -- Ed Bryant, Locus
Vivid, dense, powerful imagery... hard to put down! -- The Washington Post
John Shirley's prophet-in-the-cyberwilderness voice deserves high billing among the best. -- Roger Zelazny
Shirley is a literary juggernaut, full of humor and relentless energy. -- Lewis Shiner
John's voice is unique and recognizable, capable of fine range and depth. His work is visual, energetic and spirited -- Pat Cadigan
One of today's most incandescent talents. -- Terry Bisson
John Shirley's writing reminds me of Philip K. Dick at his wildest -- a cross between Kafka and Chekov. Highly recommended. -- 2 AM Magazine
John Shirley has written novels, short stories, TV scripts, screenplays, lyrics, poetry, songs, and nonfiction. More than forty of his novels have been published. Many of his 200 or so short stories have been compiled in eight short-story collections. As a musician, Shirley has fronted his own bands and written lyrics for Blue Öyster Cult and others. He currently lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife, Micky Shirley.
A routine rescue mission leaves a team of US soldiers, rescued hostages and a prisoner trapped above Earth in a suborbital craft, in this cinematic action-packed near-future thriller, perfect for fans of Tom Clancy and Jack Carr
"This is the kind of book that gives military SF a good name.” Financial Times
Lieutenant Art Burkett is called up to take part in a rescue mission. Three scientists have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Thieves in Law.
The rescue is swift. Art and his team return to military craft SubOrbital 7, intending to return to safety with hostages rescued and prisoners in tow. But Thieves in Law are not the only people looking for them. Art and his team must fight an ever-growing threat before time runs out for them, and possibly for the rest of the world.
Reviews
"This is the kind of book that gives military SF a good name.” Financial Times
"Sure-footed descriptions of spaceflight and the toils of working without gravity enhance the plot without the technobabble ever pulling focus from the soldiers as they fight for their lives and honor. Shirley’s fans will be pleased." –Publishers Weekly
"This is a tight military procedural for fans looking for something like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan transported to space, with rockets flying, ruthless Russians scheming, and unvarnished trust in the American way." –Library Journal
PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR
"Shirley has a reputation for being one of the edgiest, boldest writers around" Publishers Weekly
One of our best and most singular writers. A powerhouse of ideas and imagery. -- William Gibson
John Shirley achieves things that other writers wouldn't dare attempt. Brilliant. The true quill. -- Bruce Sterling
Shirley writes at the neon-lit frontier of sensory experience.-- Publisher's Weekly
John Shirley is an adventurer, returning from dark and troubled regions with visionary tales to tell. Wetbones is a wild and giddy ride, confronting the reader with marvels and horror in equal measure. I heartily recommend a journey with John Shirley at your side.-- Clive Barker
A postmodern Edgar Allan Poe. -- Larry McCaffrey
John Shirley is the possessor of an imagination like a ticker tape machine from Gehenna. He seems able to write in any genre...Strongly recommended.-- American Book Review
In Wetbones John Shirley serves up the bloody heart of a sick and rotting society with the aplomb of an Aztec surgeon on dexadrine... --ALA Booklist
Borgés as directed by Scorsese. -- Covert Culture
Potent, bizarre, full of raw energy...It's a good thing John Shirley is a writer. If he wasn't, he'd probably have to become a particularly inventive serial murderer to grab our attention the way he does...Four Stars! -- Inside Books
Readers who enjoy living a little dangerously are likely to appreciate the sheer, headlong exuberance of Shirley's imagination. Wetbones is nightmarish pleasure. -- San Francisco Chronicle
Shirley reads like a high octane mixture of Ballard, William S. Burroughs, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and William Kotzwinkle, yet emerges with a cranked-up paranoic style that is definitely his own.-- Nancy A. Collins
[Wetbones] has a cast of characters and a set of interesting plotlines that would do credit to any bestseller. Shirley's tapestry is tightly knotted and leaps to livid, vivid life from the first scene... The author does a bravura job of peeling away the plot like the layers of an onion. Utterly convincing and terrifically fascinating...Wetbones is a knock-down, kick-ass piece of writing. -- Ed Bryant, Locus
Vivid, dense, powerful imagery... hard to put down! -- The Washington Post
John Shirley's prophet-in-the-cyberwilderness voice deserves high billing among the best. -- Roger Zelazny
Shirley is a literary juggernaut, full of humor and relentless energy. -- Lewis Shiner
John's voice is unique and recognizable, capable of fine range and depth. His work is visual, energetic and spirited -- Pat Cadigan
One of today's most incandescent talents. -- Terry Bisson
John Shirley's writing reminds me of Philip K. Dick at his wildest -- a cross between Kafka and Chekov. Highly recommended. -- 2 AM Magazine
Author
John Shirley has written novels, short stories, TV scripts, screenplays, lyrics, poetry, songs, and nonfiction. More than forty of his novels have been published. Many of his 200 or so short stories have been compiled in eight short-story collections. As a musician, Shirley has fronted his own bands and written lyrics for Blue Öyster Cult and others. He currently lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife, Micky Shirley.
