A good read. Everyone draws their own lines regarding prose. Some want very workmanlike lines that put the whole focus on story. Some like to lose themselves in the beauty of the language. There's a line that divides poetic prose from purple prose and everyone draws their own version of that too. I liked the writing in the book. It was dramatic and occasionally a little overblown, but it was done with skill and I didn't consider it purple.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

Very enjoyable, a tense, claustrophobic sci-fi adventure. I would definitely read more from this author and look forward to his next book. Recommended.

Four teenagers on a boat adrift in the ocean... what can go wrong? Everything that can go wrong will go wrong and I loved getting to know these characters and the lengths they go to in order to survive. The psychological aspects were very well written and the race for survival kept me "at the edge of my seat" (I listened to it as an audiobook so no seats when I listened to it) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4.5 stars.

An exciting Space adventure with a real mixture of characters.
Although slightly slow in places at the end I was left wanting more.

3.5 stars

Sigma Station attracts tourists for its stunning views of the Horsehead Nebula.
The Red Panda, a tour ship, sets off for a routine trip, the customers on board expecting nothing more than to see the Nebula.
Then a ship attacks the station, killing the thousands of people inside. The Red Panda survives thanks to the talented pilot.
Unable to get home, the passengers of the Red Panda are stuck on the ship with limited food and drink. With tensions running high, they must try and survive.
Why was the station destroyed?
Can the passengers survive long enough to make it home?

I'm a sucker for anything space-related so when I read the blurb I was instantly intrigued, especially with the suspense/mystery aspect.
The characters were an interesting mix. I liked some of them more than others and I enjoyed finding out more about them.
The plot was action-packed and full of suspense. I had no idea what was going to happen next and it felt like I was on the ship with the passengers.
The writing style was easy to follow and held my attention.
I would definitely read more by the author.

Overall this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

This was an entertaining and fast paced read for me. There were definitely aspects I wasn't the biggest fan of, such as the uneven pacing, but overall I enjoyed this book. The characters are generally well written, the action is great and the plot is compelling. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend checking it out if you are interested in it.

The concept of this sounded similiar to one of my favourite doctor who episodes (midnight) so as soon as I saw it I had to give it a try. It's about a group of tourists who get stranded on a small tour ship after the space station they were visiting gets attacked. Its set almost completely within the small ship and has multiple point of view characters that are refreshingly different from each other. Including a ten year old boy, sixty five year old woman, a young tour guide and jaded alcoholic hotel critic. It's nice to see such different characters rather than the same old average ones. It did start very slowly as we got to know the characters and they got to know each other and the situation they were in. It's written in present tense which I did find quite jarring at the start as I don't see so many books written in that style but it really worked with the way we learnt about the characters pasts. Unfortunately it did take a while for it to pick up for me and it wasn't until the half way point that things really got intense. The good news is the second half of the book was really great. I loved the idea of a sci fi that was so self contained in a small environment, so often books set in space span such huge areas and concepts but this was a true character based study in a dire situation, I'd recommend it for anyone who doesn't mind a slow build Sci fi and wants a multi pov book where the characters are really different to each other.

You know a book's good when you're reluctant to put it down at the end of your commute and are desperate to steal any moment possible to read more of it. "Adrift" is fantastic: limited viewpoints, so we get heavily invested in a few key people, see the situation from multiple perspectives and also don't learn everything that's going on with certain characters until it's too late. The spaceship obsessed Corey might just have been my favourite, but I had a soft spot for the hard as nails pilot Volkova and the Guide, Hannah. Who am I kidding...all of the characters were amazing and I ended up liking almost all of them by the end. Beginning with an explosive opening (literally as well as figuratively), every chapter presents another issue for the group of tourists and it was great seeing how the specialities of such a disparate group of people all came together to help resolve the problems which keep arising. And that plot twist? No spoilers, but I didn't see it coming and it was the best game-changer ever. I am definitely going to be reading more of Rob Boffard's books, if they're anything like this one.

Adrift by Rob Boffard

In distant space, a small group of tourists board the shuttle Red Panda for a swift tour to look at the nearby spectacular Horsehead Nebula. This sort of tour is a must for the many travellers, honeymooners and once-in-a-lifetime tourists who visit the luxurious space station Sigma Hotel. It’s perfectly routine. Nothing should go wrong, which is just as well for Hannah, the tour guide. This is her very first day on the job and she wants to impress the rather grouchy and enigmatic vodka-swilling pilot Volkova. Unfortunately for everyone, just a few minutes into the trip a devastating catastrophe unfolds before their eyes. An unidentified ship emerges from the nearby jump gate and destroys the space station, killing thousands of men, women and children. Only those aboard the Red Panda survive, shocked. The attacking ship knows this. It will find them and it will kill them.

Terrifying times are to follow for those aboard the Red Panda. With nobody else alive (who doesn’t want to kill them) for light years, and limited food and a frozen water supply, their hours are numbered, even if they weren’t in such danger from this unknown ship. They have to work together for any hope of survival. It won’t be easy. Not everyone on this little shuttle is who they say they are. Survival is unlikely.

I love the premise of Adrift so much – a tiny ship lost in space with almost no supplies and only the resilience of the strangers aboard to rely on. And then there’s the mystery of the attacking ship. Who are they? Why would they commit such an awful act? It sounds exciting and it most certainly is. This is one of the most engrossing books I’ve read for quite a while – it made me miss my bus stop yesterday morning!

The people aboard the Red Panda are a mixed bunch, including a husband and wife and their two young sons, a retired miner, a hotel reviewer, a young married couple, as well as Hannah and Volkova. Everyone has their own story, as well as their own fears and strengths. We see most of them at their best and at their worst but standing out in particular are the boys Corey and Malik Livingstone. I can be driven mad by the portrayal of teenagers in fiction but these two brothers are observed so beautifully by Rob Boffard. Their relationship is believable and Corey especially forms the heart of the book watched over by the 65-year-old Lorinda, a woman who once worked as a miner in space, another wonderful character. At this point, though, I must mention my only criticism of the book and that is the constant reference to Lorinda as the ‘old woman’ (with her aching bones and dodgy teeth) as if that is her identity in life. 65 is hardly a great age. Anyway, I must get over that….. and say again just how much I loved these characters and their interaction with one another. Poor Hannah – this is not the best of first days in a new job.

Adrift is such an exciting book! There are battles, close scrapes, intense peril and fisticuffs, all played out against the majestic backdrop of space. Irresistible. And it is written so well. There is just the right amount of humour but it never gets in the way of the novel’s tension and drama, and the significant role of Corey will also make this book a popular choice for younger readers. It would be such a great introduction to science fiction. Actually, I think that readers of every age will enjoy Adrift.

Rob Boffard is known for his Outer Earth trilogy but I have to say that in my opinion Adrift is much better, with the right mix of drama, characterisation and action. I didn’t want to put it down at all. This is the kind of book that makes you miss bus stops! I can speak no higher praise than that.

Other reviews
Tracer

This is such a well balanced book, the writing was interesting and engaging, chapters were perfect snappy beats with a few longer ones slotted in when neccesary and the language not only helped move events along, create tension and evoke emotion when needed but also helped world building elements to feel natural and organic.

The story itself is mysterious and is covered pretty well in the blurb above, I love a book where you don’t really know who you can trust and at some point you end up suspecting pretty much everyone and this is no exception. I like to learn things piece by piece and enjoy stepping back and looking back at the big picture at the end and thinking “oh yeah!”

There are multiple narrative points of view which I found really interesting as they were all very different from each other. We had Corey a ten year old boy, Hannah a teenager on her first day working as a tour guide, Jack, a hotel reviewer with some baggage, Lorinda an eldery widowed ex miner and the mysterious Roman. Each character has a distinctive voice and style to them making the POV swaps very easy and not jarring at all. In addtion to the events they witness on board we also get insightful glimpses into each ones backstory and things that have helped shaped who they are now and how they react and deal with situations. In some circumstances the past events would probbaly feel like filler but they helped to develop a bond and understaning with each character and I found them to be a great addtion.

Overall although the story is great I think its the characters that really made this for me. It was nice to see (as we seem to more often in SF – possibly why I love it so much) a couple of same sex relationships featured in a normal off hand way as well! Without going into spoiler territory I would like to say also that I was fairly happy with the ending, especially for a stand alone which I’m begining to love more and more. We do have a a small part that is missing however and although I assume this was done for effect I was a little confused and dissapointed at first and wrote it off as lazy writing, it doens’t detract from the over all enjoyment of the book and is something I’ve seen happen in films and the occasional book before, I just hadn’t anticpated it at the time.

I discovered Adrift whilst on one of my regular jaunts through Netgalley's Sci-Fi section, and was immediately struck by its beautiful cover artwork and compelling synopsis. I loved the idea of introducing a Science-Fiction twist into the familiar disaster movie trope, switching out the deep blue seas for deep dark space and rather than having great white sharks circling a life raft, we have deadly enemy spaceships hunting down an unarmed civilian tourist vessel. With a synopsis dripping with dramatic potential, I was eager to give the novel a read to see whether it could live up to the promise.

Like all good disaster movies, Adrift starts out slow and builds up in tempo before reaching its crescendo. There is a Hitchcockian quality to author Rob Boffard's writing, which really heightens the tension as the survivors attempt to overcome insurmountable odds. Boffard never lets up the pace, with most of the chapters featuring cliff-hanger endings that make it extremely difficult to put the book down. The breakneck pace reminds me of Dan Brown's novels, constantly throwing obstacles in the way of his characters and revealing nuggets of exposition along the way. For the majority of the novel, the reader is in the dark about the motivations of the enemy – much like the inhabitants of the Red Panda tour shuttle – creating further incentives for readers to devour as many chapters in possible.

While the action quotient is high, Boffard doesn't neglect his characters one bit. Chapters are regularly told from the perspective of the survivors, giving us an insight into their pasts before they boarded the shuttle – much like Season One of LOST. As they fight to survive, we learn more and more about these people – and appearances can be quite deceiving in some cases. Throwing strangers into a life-and-death situation naturally brings about conflict, and Boffard explores how these characters react to each other in a natural way – creating a sense of inevitability as to when violence occurs. The scenario feels very reminiscent of the Doctor Who episode, “Midnight”, and how the tourists on-board the ship give into their paranoia and fears, almost killing the Doctor because they see him as a threat. It is human nature, and Boffard depicts it perfectly here.

As I read through Adrift, I was struck by how cinematic Boffard's writing was and how easy it was to imagine events in my mind's eye. Without wanting to spoil too much, the weaponry of the enemy spaceship was very iconic – giving me flashbacks to Phantasm – and would work tremendously on the big screen. With its character-driven narrative, Adrift would be a perfect candidate for a movie adaptation – one that would allow an ensemble group of actors to really show off their talents. With the cinematic landscape chockful of multi-movie franchises, it would be refreshing to see a one-off film with a solid central premise hit the screens.

As I mentioned earlier, weaved in amongst Adrift's disaster movie set-pieces are some wonderful character moments, and one of the more surprising elements occurs midway through the novel when the issue of extremism and terrorism is touched upon through flashbacks. While Boffard doesn't make any explicit references to current-day forms of religious extremism, it provides an insight into how someone could become radicalised. Science-Fiction works best when it is used to explore contemporary issues, and with the addition of this sequence, Boffard holds up a mirror to society and how the disenfranchised can be manipulated by others into committing atrocities. It is certainly a thought-provoking topic, and one that I would have liked to have seen more focus on.

Effortlessly delivering upon the promise of that excellent synopsis, Adrift is a wholly rewarding experience that will stay with the reader long after the final page has been turned. Balancing big budget moments with tense character-driven confrontations, Rob Boffard never lets his characters (or his readers) pause for breath as the passengers of the Red Panda are forced to make difficult choices in order to survive. Thoroughly deserving of a big-screen adaptation, Adrift is one of the most intense and exciting Sci-Fi novels in recent years. Get ahead of the curve, read it now before everyone is talking about it!

I wanted to love this book but it took me quite a while to get into. I found myself losing interest in the story and the characters. The writing is great, and I liked the whole idea of the book but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me!

Adrift is the latest sci-fi novel from Rob Boffard, also known for his rather good ‘Outer Earth’ series.

The premise is an intriguing on. Following an attack by an unknown force, a small personnel shuttle is cast loose with a group of passengers inside. Damaged and alone, the passengers have no obvious way home, no way to signal for help, and only each other to rely on. That tension, the sense of being in a fragile bubble when the environment is actively hostile, is masterfully evoked. Survival has always been an interesting genre in narrative - from The Thing to Cast Away, as humanity struggles against their world and themselves. Adrift takes that basic concept and dials it up to eleven. Space is big. Really big. Space is also cold, uncaring, and willing to punish the slightest lapse in judgment with fatal consequences. This is a book which wants the reader to know that space is dangerous, a stark, lonely, beautiful and deadly place.

Alongside the environment, there are more active threats. The shuttle is the main setting of Adrift, a broken-down tourist hauler. Old, battered, poorly supplied, this is not where anyone would want to spend their last hours. It flies, sure, but there are deft touches in the story to let us know that this isn’t a luxury craft – rations are short, safety equipment neglected, and food supplies worryingly uniform. It’s described with the sort of nuanced and evocative prose that left me with a firm picture of a ship which has seen better days, plugging along despite institutionalised neglect. As the majority of the story happens here, the grit, the grime and the stark realism of the environment really help sell the text – and as this unstable raft is floating in a vacuum sea, its deficiencies bring tension to bear even further. Each misplaced can of soda or leaking hydraulic line is one inch closer to disaster, and one more opportunity for every-day heroism.

There’s more to the world – the edges of a post-war, higher-level political settlement are there to be examined; this is a universe which has known conflict, victories and defeats – but the heart of the story is this one ship, floating alone in the void, and the people inside it.

Speaking of the characters, they’re a motley ensemble. There’s a pensioned-off mining engineer, and a tour guide working her first job. Holidaymakers, broken-down journalists, and a pragmatic but distant pilot. There’s a mixture there of old and young, a melange of humanity. They don’t seem like a group that is going to save the world. Honestly, they don’t really feel like a group which can be trusted to go to the cinema together without coming to blows. But they do feel like people, staggering under the weight of extraordinary events, thrown into a high pressure situation not of their making, then left to sink or swim. The inter-personal dynamics are delightful. The rage, the pettiness, the moments of startling compassion and of self-justification. The whole gamut of human experience is being sweated out in the closed environment of a tourist-shuttle.

It's this pressure cooker environment which kept me turning the pages. Knowing that this group of strangers would have to pull together to survive, seeing their internecine squabbles and bickering was painful, but wonderfully human. Similarly, the moments when one was able to rise above themselves, to act for the whole, to do the right thing, even if they weren’t sure what that was – well, that felt human too. The characters are each unique, with flaws and secrets from themselves and each other, and if some react well or badly, if they leap into action, or consensus, or despair, then it felt right, for them. And in the background of this maelstrom of emotion, the air supply is ticking down, and the outside is patiently waiting.

This is a story about people, about how they interact – how they bounce off each other, how other people’s actions shape us, and how our actions shape the world. It’s about surviving in high pressure situations, how that changes you, and how you remain the same. It’s a story about people, and those people are living, breathing, lovingly crafted and awfully flawed – which makes them a pleasure to read about.

Overall, this is a taut survival thriller and a top-notch character piece. If you enjoyed Boffard’s other work, this one’s worth a look. If you’re new to him, then Adrift would be a great place to start.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a fantastic sci-fi space fantasy with great characters and a fair bit of suspense that kept me gripped right up to the end. I haven't read anything by this author before but I will certainly be looking out for more of his work from now on.

Hot on the heels of his epic Outer Earth trilogy, Rob Boffard has delivered his new book, Adrift. A standalone this time, Adrift follows the (mis)fortunes of a group of tourists aboard the Red Panda, a small tour ship from Sigma Station, out by the Horsehead Nebula. Things, as you might expect, go awry fairly quickly as a mysterious ship appears and attacks the station, leaving the Red Panda adrift and alone in outer space.

Regular readers will be well aware by now that I rate Rob Boffard’s Outer Earth trilogy very highly indeed. They’re full-on, balls-to-the-wall action with every dial firmly cranked up to 11, with a cast of characters you come to care for over the course of the three books.

Adrift does have some (ok, lots of) absolutely stunning action set-pieces (and if there’s one thing Rob does well, it’s super-tense will-they-won’t-they action). It also has some great characters – I loved Volkova the hard drinking pilot who’ll do anything to protect her beloved ship, Lorinda who has more to her than meets the eye, and Corey the smart kid who manages to stay this side of annoying! The claustrophobic setting of the tiny, slightly rubbish tour ship which forces the characters to rub up against each other and let the sparks fly is nicely done too.

There are the occasional lulls in the action where the pace drops a bit, but you do need time to catch your breath before the tension is ratcheted up again. The plot is clever – first one thing, then another, with rugs being pulled out left right and centre before the dramatic and entirely satisfying finale.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review

Wonderfully crafted characters and a captivating story make for a great read. The story was well thought out and gave an interesting take on what would happen in this scenario. I loved how claustrophobic the whole story was, making it more intense and a real page turner. The ending is also spot on and I couldn't have asked for a better resolution .

I was in love with Lorinda throughout the book, and even Hannah started to grow on me after a while. I went through a mix of emotions for each of the other characters throughout, ranging from anger to admiration. It is great that the author is able to create not only a great world but also memorable characters.

Perhaps the only issue for me was the pacing, which at times became sluggish even though we needed to know the information.

I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more by this author.

I enjoyed this book it was a rip roaring space adventure with an interesting cast.I thought the captain was brilliant, great character and the other characters had more to them than first appeared.I didn't know what was going to happen to them and was eagerly page turning to find out.,the story kept me interested and it was a good read.No spoilers from me but I would say this was well worth a read and I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

I loved LOVED the Outer Earth trilogy from Rob Boffard – I was utterly bereft after reading the last one, so when Adrift landed (or floated by or something) I was all YAY.

Rightly so it seems because this, too was so so so so good. It was just exciting and clever and emotional, pacy and incredibly compelling.

We have ten tourists stuck on a ship that is, well, not that brilliant. Everyone else is dead and gone having been attacked by a mysterious force. Only the fact that their pilot has some savvy has managed to save them so far. But they are quite literally lost in space, with food running out, a frozen water supply, a broken vessel and a lot of infighting. Seriously folks, focus on the problem at hand which is YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. Still, not everyone on the Red Panda is all they appear to be…

What follows is a rip rollicking adventure of the finest kind, with crackling dialogue, divisive characters, cleverly obscure motivations and you know, battles in space. BATTLES. Also child characters that are not annoying. Seriously. How many authors pull that one off these days?

ANYWAY there are lots of space driven twists and turns, both literally and figuratively, a multi-layered and cleverly obfuscated plot, where the author plays with your perceptions of good and evil all whilst cackling away behind his keyboard (ok I might be imagining that bit) at what he’s going to throw next at our motley crew.

Storytelling of the best kind. Fast and furious with a literary twist and more excitement than you can shake a stick at.

Highly Recommended.