Exit Black, Joe Pitkin
Exit Black, Joe Pitkin
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Exit Black

Author: Joe Pitkin

Narrator: Carolina Hoyos

Unabridged: 7 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/20/2024

Synopsis

Air Force One meets The Martian—with a dash of Knives Out—in this action-packed sci-fi thriller.Imperium is the most expensive structure ever created. Once an orbiting laboratory, it is now a space hotel for the fantastically wealthy. But as the station preps for its first group of space tourists, Dr. Chloe Bonilla, Imperium’s resident biophysicist, finds herself questioning whether babysitting a passel of space glampers is worth the distraction from her research.A private rocket delivers a rogues’ gallery of the world’s elite to Imperium: eccentric billionaires, callow tech bros, a sponsored Instagram influencer, and a seemingly saintly philanthropist. However, posing among the staff are members of a global terrorist group who call themselves the Reckoners, hell bent on upending the economic inequality of twenty-first-century Earth—and they have a bone to pick with these scions of the 1 percent.As the Reckoners take control of Imperium and demand an $8 billion ransom from their wealthy hostages, it’s up to Dr. Bonilla to save them, and fast. Or the captives will be forced to exit the station—and there’s only one way out.

About Joe Pitkin

Joe Pitkin has lived, taught, and studied in England, Hungary, and Mexico and now teaches at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. His short stories have appeared in the Boston Review, Analog, Black Static, Cosmos, and other magazines and podcasts, as well as on his blog, The Subway Test. He lives in Portland, Oregon, in the shadow of a small extinct volcano.

About Carolina Hoyos

Carolina Hoyos is an Afro-Indigenous (Quechua-Kichwa) stage and film actor, director, voiceover artist, and musician. A fellow in La Skins Fest Native American TV Writers Lab, she earned a coveted spot on the LA County Artist Roster, is a West Hollywood Directing Artist Grantee, and is in development with It's Personal on her debut solo show. She performs regularly with the comedy troupes Dad Jeans and Nightpantz and the theater artist ensemble Native Voices at The Autry.

Reviews

Goodreads review by PamG on February 14, 2024

If you enjoy books with a main character who finds herself in the middle of a crisis and hoping to survive, then look no further than Joe Pitkin’s Exit Black. Imperium is an orbiting laboratory that still has working labs, but is now the first low orbit space hotel for the wealthy. Dr. Chloe Bon......more

Goodreads review by Kayla on January 31, 2024

An extremist group has taken over a space station turned hotel in hopes to take some riches from a group of people that can afford to spend a week in space (in this world, 85 million dollars.) They are being held for a large ransom in exchange for their freedom. Caught in the mix is a botanist, who......more

Goodreads review by Sally on December 29, 2023

5 stars, Sinister Motives EXIT BLACK by Joe Pitkin This bo0k is easy to picture, Imperium, a space hotel for the fantastically wealthy. Cluster a bunch of wealthy people together and something sinister is bound to happen. Members of the staff have been infiltrated by a terrorist group that sees only dol......more

Goodreads review by John on January 04, 2024

In a rotating murder wheel, our heroine Chloe must survive and fight the Reckoners (whose name and philosophy remind me of the  Middle Age Levelers from England). I really appreciate the cat and mouse setting of the Imperium Space Hotel.   Crossing the bridges and rims reminder me of trying to find a......more

Goodreads review by Carson on January 16, 2024

Having read some of this author's previous work, I had high hopes for this novel, all of which were met or surpassed. Although I enjoyed the character of Chloe Bonilla, the character I found most compelling was Dion. I usually find myself annoyed with books that switch between the perspectives of di......more

Quotes

“Die Hard in zero g—Exit Black is the very definition of a page-turner.” David Pedreira, author of The Never Wars

“This mash-up of Die Hard and Gravity is an action-adventure reader’s dream. The pacing is relentless and claustrophobic, making it impossible to stop turning the pages. Pitkin has written a winner.” Jeff Ayers, First Clue

“This low-g version of Die Hard will appeal to fans of fast-paced adventure with a science fiction twist in a familiar, not-too-distant future.” Booklist

“Fans of the movies Knives Out and Die Hard, plus authors such as Blake Crouch and Andy Weir, may want to add this to their to-be-read list.” Library Journal

“[An] exciting sci-fi thriller…Pitkin’s research shines, as realistic dangers—including low gravity and depressurization—propel the plot. Fans of suspenseful hard science fiction will revel in every detail.” Publishers Weekly

“An action-packed science fiction thriller that is also thought-provoking with complex characters and plenty of angst and suspense.” Mystery & Suspense

Awards

  • First Clue Pick
  • Gizmodo Pick
  • Men's Health Pick
  • Mystery Tribune Pick
  • Nerd Daily Pick
  • Books, Bones & Buffy Pick
  • Barnes & Noble Favorite Indie Book
  • Reactor Pick
  • Transfer Orbit Pick
  • Locus Magazine Pick
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