"Gravity" Reviews

STEPHEN KING

Tess Gerritsen is an automatic must-read in my house. If you've never read Gerritsen, figure in the price of electricity when you buy your first novel by her... 'cause baby, you are going to be up all night.

BOOKLIST
June 1, 1999

Gerritsen's latest thriller begins with a geologist in the underwater exploring vehicle Deep Flight IV descending into the Galapagos Rift and becoming stuck at 19,000 feet. Why does a geologist need to be that far down in the ocean? you ask. This is the first of many questions readers will ask throughout an intriguing book. The next scene shows a crew of astronauts blasting off and encountering problems that lead to an attempt to return to Earth. That effort fails completely, and the only thing that saves the intrepid crew is the fact that they are in a flight simulator. When the real crew finally gets started on its way to the international space station (ISS), they are carrying out many experiments. Unfortunately, their cargo includes an aggressive organism that can do some clever tricks with DNA. Gerritsen creates believable characters and ably captures astronautical and scientific work in fashioning another fascinating story replete with cleverly intertwined subplots. This gripping novel is a main selection of the Literary Guild, the Mystery Guild, and the Doubleday Book Club. Few choices could have been easier.
-- William Beatty

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
(starred review): July 10, 1999

Gerritsen (Bloodstream) meshes medical suspense -- her specialty - and the world of space travel in another nail-biting tale of genetic misadventure. Much of this scary thriller is set aboard the International Space Station, where a team of six astronauts suddenly find themselves threatened by a virulent biohazard... Thanks to (Gerritsen's) impressive research, the novel's detailed descriptions of life in space consistently ring true.

KIRKUS

A strongly plotted thriller about a plague-like epidemic on a space station... Superb research lifts Gerritsen to the top of the ladder as Michael Crichton and Robin Cook wave from below.

GRAVITY is Literary Guild Main Selection, a Mystery Guild Main Selection, and a Doubleday Book Club Super Release.

Film rights have sold to New Line Cinema.