Horizons
Mary Rosenblum
Tor, October 2006, $24.95, 326 pp.
ISBN 0765316042

In the future, low earth orbit platforms revolve around the planet with a sizable population on each of the four, so that each can be their own country. Ahni Huang is on the New York Up platform to avenge the death of her brother Xai. The trail leads her to this place, but in her quest for revenge she stumbles upon a group of alien looking people zealously guarded by Dane Nilson. He explains to her that they are homo sapiens and their DNA is pure human. He believes they are the next step in human evolution.

Ahni finds her brother alive and well, and allied with Li Zhern, the leader of the Dragon Home platform. He invites her to join him in his plan to kill their father and share his power, but she refuses, and Dane gets her safely to earth. She is not there long before she returns to New York Up to join Dane in his quest to gain independence for the platforms from Earth. She falls in love with Dave and cares deeply for the alien looking children, whose innocence and purity makes her their protector. However, forces are at work to destroy the platforms, and unless Ahni and Dave find out who the puppets and the puppet masters are, a thriving culture will be destroyed.

Science fiction thriller fans are going to thoroughly enjoy this tale that has plenty of action, adventure, political intrigue and romance. All the characters, (major, secondary, and minor) are well developed, and the audience understands at all times what their agendas are. Mary Rosenblum has created manufactured orbs, that over time developed their own social mores, which are very different than that of Earth, and they now have the economic flexibility to secede peacefully if Earth allows it. The people of earth come across as insular and stagnating instead of growing.