Tor, 2000, $7.95, ISBN 0-812-57060-X, 340 pgs., paperback

Yes, that's astronaut Buzz Aldrin as co-author of this contemporary thriller involving a group of four childhood friends and the US space program. One of the space shuttles, carrying basketball superstar Michael James, suffers an explosive partial decompression while under the guidance of one of the four friends. The other three rally to his defense while Pakistan explodes a nuclear device in the upper atmosphere and invades India. Never mind WWIII, the EMP knocks out all satellites and strands the crew of the International Space Station. Only a secret, half-tested project can save the ISS crew.

The premise, long a threat the military solved with shielded electronics, nonetheless postulates a more aggressive privatization of space travel. Two main companies own or rent NASA space shuttles and sell seats to corporate sponsors. This trip, it was a sports project company and basketball star. However, there's more to it than a simple accident.

I don't know who wrote what but it reads well and flows right along. The "gimmick" is that all four main characters tell the story in first person, so you have to pay attention as characters switch off. It can get a bit confusing.

One nit to pick is the lack of thought that went into postulating what would happen if all US civilian satellites get fried. You're talking about a lot of people without their MTV. People act quite calmly. Contrast that to the reality that a threat of a snowstorm sends people storming the supermarket aisles to "stock up," and you'll wonder how the country takes the loss of major communications infrastructure with nary a disgruntled customer.

In any case, it's not a bad book. It's not a great one either. It's an average book.