Teaser

On the eve of war, a Soviet pilot defects to the United States, bringing with him an advanced fighter jet. Yet there are those who say his promises are too good to be true . . .

Review

This is one of those books that most people wouldn’t class as science fiction. On the face of it, it has only two sci-fi elements going for it. The first is that is is written by true-life astronaut Chris Hadfield. The second is that it features some of the characters from his alternative history debut The Apollo Murders. If you read this book as a standalone, it slots far more comfortably into the thriller or military fiction genres. I debated featuring it here on this science fiction blog, and eventually settled on doing so. Not simply because of those reasons listed above, but also because of one important location visited in the book. I’ll get to that in a minute.

Whereas The Apollo Murders showcased Hadfield’s first-hand experience with spaceflight, The Defector takes us deep into the world of his other great passion. Fighter jets. Hadfield writes with the expertise of a man who has lived his passions, giving every crucial piece of information yet never drowning the reader in technical details. It’s not just the mechanical aspects either. I often say that ex-military personnel write the best military SF, and it’s clear that the best aerial combats are written by former pilots. There’s a rawness to every engagement that just feels real. A rawness tempered by the stoicism of pilots who stay cool even under extreme pressure.

Then we have the sci fi element. In the background, the space race is still unfolding as it did in real history. In the foreground, however, that unique jet our defector brings with him is taken to a location as infamous as it is top secret. Area 51, the centre of untold conspiracy theories. Now, I don’t think Hadfield will have given away any classified intelligence during the writing of this book, but his depiction of the test site never fails in its believability. No, there are no aliens. But there are technologies potentially damaging to the USA. It’s plausible in a way that no conspiracy theory ever is, and the book is all the better for it. Why have little green men when little Russian men can provide all the drama you’d ever need.

Despite being a sequel, The Defector works perfectly well on its own. There are references to the previous book, of course, but the storyline is entirely new. Kaz is back as our protagonist, but in much the same way that Jack Reacher stumbles from one novel to the next. Kaz’s introduction, witnessing a plane crash while on holiday, is almost laughably absurd in its coincidence, but it doesn’t need to be compelling. It just needs to force character and situation together. Once united, Hadfield runs away with them.

In a way, the lack of overtly science fictional elements is to the book’s credit. It’s a refreshing break between space operas. I have no doubt that Hadfield could turn his hands to military SF if he were so inclined, but this historical thriller is the perfect adventure. Whether or not Kaz has more unlikely adventures remains to be seen, but with any luck this won’t be the last time Hadfield’s characters take to the skies.

Book Stats

• The Apollo Murders (#2)
• Published by Quercus in 2023
• 346 pages