Escape Velocity

available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio

A twisty new near-future genre-bending thriller: Knives Out in space with a Parasite twist

A decades-old murder looms over the glamorous clientele of a high-end space hotel . . . while an unforeseen threat percolates in the service corridors. The guests of Space Habitat Altaire are about to experience the hospitality they deserve.

Space Habitat Altaire is the premier luxury resort in low Earth orbit, playground of the privileged and the perfect location to host reunions for the Rochford Institute. Rochford boasts only the best: the wealthiest, most promising students with the most impressive pedigrees. Complete with space walks, these lavish reunions are a prime opportunity for alumni to jockey for power with old friends and rivals—and crucially, to advance their applications to live in an exclusive Mars settlement. Earth is dying, and only the best deserve to save themselves.

Aboard the Altaire for their 25th reunion, finance magnate Ava pursues the truth about her brother’s murder during their senior year, which cast a dark shadow over their time at Rochford. Laz, ambassador and political scion, hopes to finally win Ava’s heart. Sloane, collecting secrets to conceal his family’s decline, angles for a key client. And Henry, heir to a healthcare empire, creates an unorthodox opportunity to get to Mars in a last-ditch effort to outrun a childhood secret.

While these erstwhile friends settle scores and rack up points, they fail to notice that other agendas are afoot at the Space Habitat Altaire, and their own futures aren’t the only ones at stake—“the best” will soon regret underestimating those they would leave behind on Earth.

Rights inquiries: Eddie Schneider, JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc., eddie@awfulagent.com

Marketing and publicity inquiries: Martin Cahill, Erewhon Books, martin@erewhonbooks.com

High-resolution photos and writer bios: access Victor’s press kit here.

Praise for ESCAPE VELOCITY

Manibo works hard to make the reader sympathize with his wealthy characters as much as the underlings — though it’s immediately clear where his own sympathies lie. . . . The class warfare in space stays at a low simmer until the end of “Escape Velocity,” but when it begins to boil, it’s immensely satisfying.

— Washington Post, full review here

Manibo ingeniously melds genres in this suspenseful sci-fi mystery set in 2089. . . . The whodunit plot is enhanced by careful and plausible worldbuilding that digs into the intricacies of an era when the UN’s Mars Settlement Agency is mere months away from accepting applications for civilian settlers. As in the best mysteries, Manibo never allows his plot twists to come at the expense of character development.

— Publishers Weekly, full starred review here

Manibo pens a novel full of twists and turns, with broad appeal. Sci-fi, dystopian, and mystery fans will all find something to enjoy, while the posh setting and elite players give an unexpected air of palace intrigue that could rival Game of Thrones.

— Library Journal, full review here

Escape Velocity reads like an amalgam of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History with Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang and Nathaniel West’s The Day of the Locust. If you season the mix with a soupçon of Heinlein’s The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, filtered through a Che Guevara lens, you’ll have the winning recipe.

— Locus Magazine, full review here

Partially a thriller, partially a reflection on the consequences of climate catastrophe, Escape Velocity is an ambitious sophomore outing.

— Booklist, full review here

Manibo is a master at showing Earth just around corner, especially if we keep on our current trajectory...Get your science fiction Knives Out fix with this one.

— Book Riot, 8 Excellent Genre-Bending Sci-Fi Tales To Take You to the Next Frontier

A high-stakes sci-fi mystery—Foundation if it were written by Agatha Christie—Escape Velocity is an energetic and unforgettable page-turner, deftly honoring the genres it blends together while feeling vibrant and strikingly relevant. Perfect for fans of noir and thoughtful speculative fiction.

— Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity

A murder mystery by way of Karl Marx, Escape Velocity is a spicy thriller about what we all secretly wish would happen to billionaires in space. Victor Manibo has given us a delightful, disturbing gift. I really loved this novel and its exquisitely-drawn cast of villains. 

— Annalee Newitz, Lambda Award-winning author of Autonomous

Manibo is that rare writer who can put a reader out among the stars but keep the focus on human trauma and scandal. Escape Velocity is a scintillating reminder that in space, everyone knows who your sidepiece is.

— Meg Elison, winner of the Hugo, Locus, and Philip K. Dick Awards

Dancing effortlessly between present and past mysteries, Escape Velocity serves up opulent privilege with deadly secrets. A must-read.

— Mur Lafferty, Hugo Award winner and author of Station Eternity

Searing social commentary, expert worldbuilding, and unforgettable characters . . . Victor Manibo remains one of the most exciting new voices working in fiction today.

— Rob Hart, author of Assassins Anonymous and The Warehouse

Victor Manibo excels at the kind of extrapolation that makes near-future science fiction so interesting. What happens when being a ‘have’ instead of a ‘have not’ entitles you to not just the Earth's resources, but also those of space? What can money and clout buy, and what can’t be bought? With intrigue, murder, and machinations aplenty, Manibo never lets his characters or his readers off the hook.

— Sarah Pinsker, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of A Song For A New Day and Lost Places

A murder mystery that’s truly out of this world, set in an environment that will kill anyone who isn’t paying attention, Escape Velocity has a fascinating setting, a devious mystery, and a stunning solution.

— Simon R. Green, New York Times bestselling author