Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

This near future science fiction thriller, published in 2015, is set in 2060. I read it for my science fiction/fantasy book group, and found it to be a long but fast and fun read. The Chinese are prepping a human mission to Mars, while the United States has a large space station. Almost by accident, privileged Sandy Darlington helps discover that a spaceship is headed to one of Saturn’s small moons. Then the ship moves away, but the moonlet may be artificial. The Americans, with a very determined President Amanda Santeros in charge, set a mission in motion, ostensibly to Mars, with the goal of beating the Chinese to Saturn. Soon enough, the Chinese discover where the American ship is headed, and why, and the race to Saturn is on. Their spaceships, methods of propulsion and routes to Saturn are very different, and there is probably a spy and perhaps a saboteur on board the American ship. I won’t describe what they discover near Saturn; no spoilers here.

Then one of the spaceships needs assistance to get back to Earth, and there is absolutely no trust between the two countries. But the laws of space are different; you must provide needed aid if you can. This was an entertaining novel of early space exploration and discovery. While a few aspects of the plot are predictable, such as whether everyone or anyone will make it back to Earth safely, the book was still hard to put down.