This book was so good! A little bit of mystery and suspense in space. The characters were likable (apart from one but it was necessary for the story.) A space journey turns into disaster when there is a rise in ammonia in the air. Lucy and her is instructed by her superiors to figure out where it’s coming from. But sharing a space station with cosmonauts also brings its challenges!

I'm really struggling with what to say about this book because my thoughts feel very conflicting. On one hand I loved the space setting, and how being in space with our current technology where anything can go wrong so easily was explored at length, but on the other hand, I had problems with the pacing of the novel; not feeling like I was fully enveloped in the story until the 60% mark when things started to move a bit faster.

The first 60% of the novel dragged and I found myself putting the book down and not coming back for days at a time. This was partially due to the writing/translation which felt like I was being held at arms length from the story, and just couldn't get into it. There are many times throughout the novel where a character is mid conversation and then goes on for pages with an internal monologue that, by the end, is not at all related to what was originally happening. This caused the actual narrative to feel choppy and broken up. While these insertions were interesting and well written, they just really took me out of the story.

For the whole book I felt like we were building up to something and the tension just kept rising and rising, only for there to be very little payoff in the end which left me feeling unsatisfied. I see where the author was going with the plot, but I just needed a bit more conclusion to tie up the loose ends rather than the time jump that we got.

I must admit that I do not read very many books from male authors, but this plot sounded so up my alley as a fan of thrilling and/or scary books that take place in space, and while I got the claustrophobia of space that I was looking for, it was unfortunately paired with depictions of women that I didn't love. At one point, and I am paraphrasing here, the character Steve, in taking about a female coworker says something along the lines of "she was a bit overweight but it was okay because she was really good at her job and we were lucky she was on shift" which just felt unnecessary. Further, there are several times where the same character, in situations with women, and in his internal monologue, was worried about coming off as misogynistic, not because he didn't want to upset anyone, but because he didn't want a complaint filed against him that could cost him his job. In trying to assert his power over a different female coworker, she offers him a cup of coffee, and he considers asking her to pour it for him but decides against it because that could come across as him being a misogynist and could get him written up. These interactions just felt odd and unnecessary. The character could just have not had these thoughts and then he wouldn't need to clarify that he is not a misogynist. While these instances were small, they stood out to me, and lowered my enjoyment of the book overall.

I also feel like the synopsis of this book is a but misleading as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is only briefly mentioned at the very end of the book and only in passing, asserting that the Russians have amassed a force at the Ukrainian border. The synopsis makes it seem as if the Russian invasion is the cause for tensions being high on the ISS and that is not the case.

All that being said, it is very clear that the author is passionate, and did his research on space and crewed space flights and that really does come across. I felt, at times, like I was there with these characters experiencing the monotonous daily life on board the ISS with no personal space and no room to breathe. A lot of the space horror I read is set in a more futuristic landscape in which space travel is normalized and not as rudimentary is it truly is. While this is by no means a horror novel, my heart was racing at points and I did feel the pressure that Lucy was facing.

I also enjoyed the three different perspectives that we got: Lucy in space on the ISS, Nate, her husband on earth trying to help in any way he can, and Steve the Deputy Director for Crewed Space Flights trying to handle things at NASA while keeping his job safe. They all added something to the story and I was invested in all their plots. Nate was a favorite of mine despite him having the "least interesting" story line.

Overall, while I had my problems with this novel, there were aspects that I really enjoyed and I am interested in reading more from this author in the future. This was by no means a perfect book, but it did have its moments and really succeeded in certain aspects.

Solid space sci fi thriller ish? Not sure where we’d slot this one categorically but great vibes. I can’t remember what drew me to the book but I imagine it’s the cover because space is always in my wheelhouse. There isn’t a preternatural aspect of this book and it’s a cinematic, tense book that occurs mostly on the ISS. I have only a cursory knowledge of the ISS and this book is *fascinating* if you like learning about things of that nature. I really enjoyed the ISS descriptions and the setting is extensively described. There’s a fair bit of politics (pre Ukraine invasion 2022) so this could frustrate some readers.

I want to give an absolute special shout to the translator. This is likely the best translation I’ve ever read. Everything felt spot on to me as an American. Often when I read books by authors who reside of the US I get frustrated when they try and describe an American setting. It can feel inauthentic and I’d always prefer books in a setting they know well as it adds such flavor to the book. I also realize this may make it a bit harder to market to an American audience so I see both sides. But this book felt as though it came from the American perspective where the main character lives. Kasia Beresford crushed this one.

So if space and political thrillers lite on the twists and actions are your vibe, this is definitely a worthy entry. I don’t intend that as a complaint, I prefer books that may feel a touch predictable over outright implausible. This was a fascinating read and I enjoyed it.

serviceable at points, but with a few big flaws. political discussions that feel quite cookie-cutter, an uber-predictable ending, and some paternalistic views of POC people. 2 stars. tysm for the arc.

Jakub Szamalek wasn’t an author I’d heard of before this year, but I’m always looking for intriguing books from outside the US, UK, and Canada, and I have been known to enjoy a good “find the saboteur” story. So I decided to give the Kasia Beresford translation of Inner Space a try. 

Inner Space takes place in a contemporary setting that limits itself to realistic technology. The focus isn’t exploring the effects of new developments so much as solving a puzzle—a people puzzle just as much as a technical one—of the sort that could plausibly arise in current conditions. The perspective shifts among a handful of characters, all connected in some way to the US space program, chiefly focusing on the astronaut leading the final cooperative mission between the United States and Russia on the International Space Station. When the sensors start to pick up alarming readings, leadership fears sabotage. But if the Russians are at fault, how did they manage it? And what should the protagonist make of the caginess on the part of her American crew? 

This is an old-fashioned, figure-it-out hard sci-fi from the get-go, and while there are moments in the early going that feel a little too obvious, the slow reveals of more and more information make for a well-paced story that gets progressively more compelling as it develops. There’s never so long between new pieces of information that the reader starts to bore, but there’s always enough time for the characters to make meaningful decisions in light of new information. There’s plenty of mystery in the setup and a dramatic, action-packed climax. For those who enjoy that sort of story, it’s a real winner. 

The prose is easy reading without generally drawing attention to itself, but the style breaks from contemporary trends in the amount of background it gives for each new scene. Rather than dropping the reader into a new place and letting them piece together the context, new scenes are commonly preceded by several paragraphs explaining why the characters in question find themselves engaged in the activity at hand. These interludes are short enough that they never bog down the story, but they may be a mark against it for readers who are averse to a bit of telling before showing. 

There’s a fair bit of character-related drama here—and there really has to be, in order to establish multiple suspects to keep the mystery engaging—but it’s not a book that’s all about the characterization. There’s enough to establish a couple major character traits for each key player, and the story doesn’t drop any bombs without resolving them later, but the character journeys are ultimately secondary to the mystery. The characterization does what it needs to do and no more. 

Despite all the cause for suspicion in nearly every direction, Inner Space manages to pull everything together for a satisfying ending. There are scientific and motivational explanations for every piece, but none of it is so obvious that the readers will see it coming too far in advance. Perhaps the opposite in fact—unlike in genre mysteries, understanding the whole picture requires information that isn’t revealed until after the major conflict. That may be a problem for readers who are trying to anticipate plot points in advance, but for those sitting back to enjoy an entertaining story, it’s no impediment. 

Overall, Inner Space is a throwback hard sci-fi story that hews firmly to the known science of the contemporary setting. It’s not a book that will sell itself with prose or characters, but neither do those elements hold it back from being a quick and entertaining read. 

Recommended if you like: sabotage stories, hard sci-fi. 

Overall rating: 15 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.

Lucy Poplasky is an American astronaut who has worked hard her whole career to become a commander and is in charge of this trip to the International Space Station. Things begin to go awry on both the American and Russian crews when an ammonia leak is detected early in the book. With the politics back on Earth eroding as well things get very dangerous for both crews. Will years of working together mean anything or will the politics of the day win out, putting everyone in danger?

I immediately loved how each chapter/section had a different narrator from Lucy to her husband Nate, back on earth, to Steve Ayers at NASA . Each character has different perspectives on what is happening and why. I especially felt for Nate as he advocated for his wife.

What I found most chilling is that this book is classified as science fiction but I felt the whole time like a scenario like this one could actually happen. It felt very realistic in that sense. If you sci-fi thrillers this book will keep you guessing!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperVia for providing a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a read! Inner Space was a captivating story that really challenged what I thought I knew about space as someone who almost exclusively reads science fiction. Jakub Szamalek was able to go into detail with so many intricacies we never think about such as contact with families still on Earth, the psychological health of the astronauts, relationships with other countries, etc. I loved that the story line was almost like an intergalatic game of Clue!

Inner Space would be perfect for fans of Andy Weir or mystery with a space element!

Huge thank you to Jakub Szamakek, HarperVia Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Inner Space was a nice easy read. A science fiction/mystery novel that explores the human condition more than anything. I enjoyed the ISS scenes as well as the dramatic spacewalk.
I also enjoyed the many points of view as we had three different points of view. This book was great right up until the end which kind of left it hanging more than I would like.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperVia for the ARC. This was a book that sounded excited but was actually super boring and slow.

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. This is science fiction, a mystery thriller set in the closed in sealed in area known as the international space station. Sexual intrigue and infidelity as well as coverups and politics are woven through the story in a very interesting way. The book closed with details being handled realistically. It was reminiscent in tone to the Martian by Andy Weir. A great read!

✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 1.8/5 .ᐟ

➺ i'd like to remove the fact that this book even exists from my memory, thanks.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ setting .ᐟ the international space station, during the russian-ukrainian war (?). somewhere on the station, there's a nitrogen leak, and it's up to commander lucy (derogatory) to investigate. is it the russians? is it the trumpie? is it an accident? that's what lucy's here to find out! alternates between lucy's and some space admin's pov so we can get the whole background on russo-american relations.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ writing .ᐟ i feel like i could forgive everything else i hated about this—corny, non-existent mystery, insufferable characters, most boring politics of all time (ooh look at the evil russians!! so now what)—if the writing was remotely interesting. unfortunately, it was not. i didn't actually know this was translated until the author's note at the end, and it makes so much sense. the word choice, the sentence structure, everything is so bizarrely stiff. it's especially apparent with the dialogue—people don't speak like that in english. not to mention the annoying interjections meant to build character background take place entirely outside of the narrative. why are all these characters randomly daydreaming in the middle of important conversations?

ʚɞ ⁺˖ plot .ᐟ definitely not a thriller. no suspense, no mystery. we have three "suspects" at the beginning, the russian duo and the trumpie, ezra. except it's quite obvious it's not going to be the russians. the evil russians did it trope would make for an even blander book than this already was, and no author would write that, especially for something that's supposed to be an innovative political thriller. and of course it wasn't going to be the trumpie; there's no way an american would do anything wrong in these things. (he's not written to be a sympathetic character, but he's somehow more humanized than anton and lev.) so it's obvious that it's going to end up an accident. and the way it's written, this ending is more dull than the other two options combined.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ politics .ᐟ (white) american paternalism + anti-russian sentiment always gives me the creeps. a) these people almost never hate the 'i' place like that, so you can tell it's not about human rights. b) they're even more revolting towards the us-hated racialized countries like china and cuba. the paternalism in this was so blatant, i genuinely thought this was satire for like 99% of it, and if it is, + 1 star, but the hearing with the russian ambassador in the last chapter is seriously giving me doubts. it gets to a point where the satire is just a cia piece; you'd get as much out of this as you would out of black hawk down.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters .ᐟ i hope they all get taken out by a bomb the day after the book ends, but then, they're all purposefully written to be disgusting, so this is the one part of the book i can excuse. of course, it's funny that lucy, the only character written to be sympathetic, is more vile than the rest of them combined, except for steven. microaggressions towards devaki, the indian doctor. weird white savior complex towards lafayette, the black man. stupid, annoying as fuck, ridiculous victim complex. like maybe the misogyny should have won, sorry.

The coolest thing I noticed about the space thriller Inner Space was how setting the story in space made the people who work there more sympathetic and relatable (minor spoilers follow).

Lucy Hunt’s entire career has led up to one thing: Commanding a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). She’s highly qualified, intelligent, hardworking, and has the right blend of fairness and toughness needed to lead a diverse, strong-willed crew. But there’s an important catch: an astronaut’s life sucks on many levels.

The first part is the training. Not because of what astronaut training provides, but because of what it takes away: time. Time to be a partner, a parent, for self-reflection, or even decent sleep. An astronaut’s life goes on pause for years while they load up their mind and body for a mission. Often just one mission. And everyone they know is along for the ride, whether they realize it or not.

Then there’s the job itself. Sealed for months in a space station with the interior volume of a large classroom, crowded with gear, dirty laundry, and garbage. Shared with people that didn’t choose to be with each other, breathing recycled air and drinking recycled urine. Hundreds of miles above the Earth, where a meteor strike or equipment failure could mean instant death. And don’t get me started about the noise or what it smells like after 25 years in orbit.

In other words: Astronauts trade the best years of their lives for a chance to live for a few months in a filthy, human-sized hamster maze with people they don’t really know. And they could die at any time — on camera. Because all day, every day, astronauts are monitored by video from ground control stations on Earth, and every minute of those days is scheduled in advance by ground teams focused on maximum crew productivity.

It’s hard work and, in this day and age, thankless, because the ISS and its astronauts are an expensive, orbiting monument to something that doesn’t exist any more — a fleeting, post-cold war fantasy of global cooperation on space research and exploration. The training and work are no less demanding than they ever were, but the reality is that even schoolchildren are now more interested in the universe within their smartphones than the one beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

All the above is true in Inner Space, of course, until the day it isn’t. When communications go out, something goes wrong, and the world starts paying attention. When Lucy Hunt, the obedient, remote-controlled team player, must lead her crew to first save the ISS and, by the end, their own lives. And the difference between life and death comes down to skill, experience, and — most importantly — trust. Trust that Lucy must build with her international crew in the face of their secret agendas, and something she desperately needs from loved ones on Earth.

This gets to what Inner Space delivers so effectively. Lucy Hunt has one of the most storied, challenging jobs in the world, so it would normally be hard to relate to her struggles and decisions. At least not without falling back on stereotypes from history or science fiction, which tend to be one-dimensional. But Inner Space reveals what life as a modern astronaut is really like, why some people still devote their adult lives to such a career, and how that devotion can be a very good thing.

On the heels of this, Inner Space gave me a sense of what enjoyable stories set in space that aren’t specifically science fiction could be like. I think this is important because too much fiction set in space is mostly about the mechanics of survival in such an extreme environment. This leaves little room to get to know people involved and, in the end, makes space exploration seem less interesting and worthwhile.

Inner Space turns this on its head by being very much about people who happen to be astronauts. Exceptional people who are at the same time just like the rest of us. Even when they’re very, very far from home.

Okay, this was awesome! It was tense, it felt authentic (though the complete lack of any mention of COVID even though the book takes place in 2021 kind of threw me, if I’m being honest), and it married the tension and danger of space with human politics and the very real and messy history of space travel. I will be honest, I wasn’t expecting something quite so realistic when I read the synopsis.

My one significant gripe was that including Nate’s sections really cut the tension and took me out of the life-or-death situation that was unfurling for Lucy and being manipulated by Steve. Nate’s anxiety and paranoia make his contributions super repetitive, and his relative safety (and general lack of information that couldn’t be otherwise shared by Steve or Lucy) made his sections feel less important.

Overall, though, a very very solid tense mystery set in space amidst very fraught political tensions.

This was a perfectly serviceable space thriller that explores what happens when geopolitics follow us into space. The result, as you might expect, are complicated and not always as they may seem. It takes critical thinking and an open mind to examine all the implications, particularly when cut off from the typical channels one might use to address the effects.

What an excellent space mystery/thriller! The plot really keeps you guessing and does a great job switching between the POVs. You leave a POV wanting to come back to it but also wanting to read the next POV. Not a lot of authors do that well, balance the intrigue of the different characters.

I appreciated all the relevant scientific detail. It was fascinating and didn’t feel boring or bogged down. I was initially a little disappointed to find this was regular thriller versus what I consider a true to genre science fiction (missing the aliens or futuristic tech) however the plot sucked me.

I felt like I had lived on the ISS for a week after I finished this book. Space is ever intriguing to me. This book is perfect for those NASA, astronaut, space groupies.

Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for this ARC. Inner Space is set to publish on 7/15/2025.

I'll start by saying this book was translated from Polish to English, but the translator did a fantastic job and the reading was very fluid.

I really enjoyed this space psychological and political thriller. I appreciate Jakub Szamalek's research and providing a realistic view of life on the International Space Station and the toll this profession has on personal and family relationships.

The book switches between various points of view and timelines. It adds important perspective between the astronauts, political heads, and family. The plot was fast-paced and engaging throughout the book. While I don't think there was a "significant twist" as you might get from the thriller genre, I do believe it falls in line with the realistic view the story takes.

I loved the afterward where the author asks the question of whether this story really could have taken place. A great "what if" question with the final statement of "Not yet, at least." This story certainly spoke to today's politics along with sexism and racism.

While the premise appealed to me, nothing really happens for most of the story. I enjoyed the details about the ISS but the plot was WAY too slow.

Thankfully this story is based on a scenario of what could have happened at the ISS (International Space Station) should the US and Russia become involved in an adversarial situation. The ISS is divided into two sections, one US and one Russian. When the US side develops a problem with mounting amounts of ammonia, the two countries blame each other for the problem.

With four people in the American ISS and two in the Russian, there is an an unsolvable problem. Adding to the problem is that the Americans return vehicle can only hold three. Does the US leave one astronaut to stay on the ISS with the only way to return in an emergency is by the Russian capsule.

Adding to the problem is that one of the Americans is anti-Russian and not afraid to show it. When the Russians decide to test a missle that can destroy satellites during and American EVA, things get overheated.

I gave this three stars because is presents the characters as one dimensional and the 'final' confrontation seems to fabricated.

Let me start with how beautiful the translation of this book is - there's none of the stilted, awkward turns of phrase that often mar translations from Eastern European area languages (at least in my small, humble reading experience). Absolutely perfect.

Inner Space is one of those books that in this (North American) political climate hits very close to home, up to a point. Russian and American astronauts are aboard the ISS and a mysterious ammonia leak is threatening the health and future of this expedition. Russia is (obviously) blaming the American cooling system, whereas the USA is (obviously) suspecting Russian interference.

Aside from the myriad details about the structure and function of the ISS and the difficulties of keeping it in running order, Inner Space delves into the interpersonal conflicts between the astronauts as tension ramps up and ammonia levels continue to rise.

Large spoilers - At one point, the "close to home" feeling falls apart. I'm not sure when the Polish edition of this book was published, but there's an explicitly racist, sexist, aggressively MAGA character who takes a violently anti-Russian stance that completely drives the climax of the book. And now MAGA (in the real world) is Russia's best friend. But had current events not happened as they have in this year of Our Lord, 2025, this book would be spot on. I do not count that against the book at all - it's a work of fiction and does not need to adhere to real life, but the sheer amount of detail the author has put into researching everything made it feel real.

Great book, 4.5/5. Tense, beautiful, and with so much humanity in these flawed characters. Thanks to author/publisher/NetGalley (and translator!) for the opportunity to read.

Inner Space is a fun hard science thriller with excellent pacing and interesting twists. It is descriptive the technical parts, especially the International Space Station, are easily accessible and understandable by people who are not technical. Each of the characters is portrayed as a real person with real motivations and weaknesses.. All the characters get torn between what they should do, what they can do, and what would be best for themselves. All of the book weaves together and engaging, thoughtful, and suspenseful story that holds your attention and makes you want to know what is going to happen next!