Unique author that I'd never heard of-check. Just based on the summary alone, I was hooked on the idea. I'm sure that Taiyo Fujii meant this to be a greater book than it actually is. This is squarely in my wheelhouse of interests so gets a bonus there. Realistically this is probably a 3.5 star book, but I'm bumping it to 4 because of how much I enjoyed reading it. As such, while entertaining and likable, most of the characters here get very little development. Unfortunately all of the commentary and background information (particularly around aerospace and IT) along with a fast-moving plot leaves little space for character. There's also a lot of commentary on the state of the aerospace sector, from the careers of engineers in this sector to the roles of JAXA and NASA and how private companies are moving forward into that space and why.

Wide-reaching, with a cast of characters from Japan, the US, Iran, China and Korea, the book is a hard science espionage thriller with lots of action and politics. Something very strange is going on and as more parties get involved it becomes clear that something is happening in orbit that threatens the whole world. Across the Pacific, NORAD investigates it as well. In Japan in 2020 the proprietor of a small web company dedicated to tracking objects in orbit notices some debris moving very strangely. A techno-thriller with thin but likable characters dealing with hostile action in Earth orbit and an international cast of entrepreneurs, terrorists, government and military.

Orbital Cloud by Taiyo Fujii