A review by wyrmbergmalcolm
Orbitsville by Bob Shaw

5.0

As usual with reading a Bob Shaw book for the first time, I was hit regularly by a scaling up of awe and wonder. There is never any point going in to one of these with expectations, they all get subverted anyway. The story has an interesting blend of a personal feud between the main character and the president of Starfleet and the adventure and intrigue with discovering Orbitsville and everything in entails. There's the mystery of who made it, why it was made and what happened to those who lived there before. It also looks to towards humanity's future. There are two more books of the series, but this book feels complete on its own.
It could be argued that the domestic lifestyle is a little dated now, but in all other aspects it still feels fresh and relevant and does what all good sci-fi does and ask some big questions and does its best to answer them following one logical conclusion.
I finished this feeling a great sense of satisfaction and had enjoyed this right from the get-go.