Phantom Orbit

Phantom Orbit by David Ignatius (2024) 371 pp

David Ignatius has a storied career in journalism and has written a dozen spy/thriller novels over the years. I was lured into this tome by the recognition of the author as journalist and by the orbit plot device. And indeed, the novel goes into satisfying detail on the role of satellites in modern warfare and the problems generated by public-private collaboration in space exploration. Ignatius has a fine grasp of technical details and also a believable sense of the operations of intelligence services, i.e., CIA, FSB and the Ministry of State Security. The yarn follows characters from China, Russia and the United States as they interact over 25 years, but the author fails in character development – I found the characters one-dimensional, simplistic and fraught with stereotypes. I slogged through but was left wanting – even after the final “reveal”.