Manibo applied the Page 69 Test to his new novel, Escape Velocity, and reported the following:
From page 69:Visit Victor Manibo's website.“Yes, the Altaire is truly magnificent,” Henry added.On the 69th page of Escape Velocity, we meet a few key characters: Henry Gallagher, who opens the book and is one of the main point-of-view characters; his ambitious and conniving husband Nick; and Tobias Coen, the genius behind the luxury space station aboard which our characters find themselves.
Coen bowed at this politely and assumed one of the seats in front of the captain’s command module, a half-moon array of screens that doubled as her desk. The Gallaghers’ casual drop-in with the captain now gained a weighty air. More pleasantries were exchanged, inquiries about everyone’s shuttle trip up, the typical post-boarding fodder. With a subtle lift of his brow, Henry told Nick what to do.
“Captain, I was wondering if you could indulge me in a small request,” Nick said when he found a moment. “Might I use one of your communications consoles? I’d simply love to make a vidcall to my mother from the bridge of the Altaire.”
The captain initially seemed bemused by the request, but at Nick’s mention of his mother, she was ready to oblige. With a permissive wave of Coen’s hand, Captain Williams left with Nick, telling the two men to help themselves to a drink.
The last time Henry was alone in a room with Coen, the old man seemed cool to his offer. It was in poor taste, of course, this quid pro quo of swaying the organ donor board in favor of Coen’s ailing son, but the Architect didn’t reject it outright. Coen knows how things get done, Henry told himself. One does not get to where he is without these kinds of transactions.
“I’ve given it more thought,” the old man started as soon as the captain’s door slid shut. “And I don’t want to waste any more of your time. The answer is no.”
In this scene, it is revealed to the reader that Henry and Coen had prior conversations about a certain deal. Henry has offered something, and Coen seems to refuse. Part of the offer is on the page as well: Henry is to help Coen’s son get an organ donation in exchange for something that Nick is privy to. We also see his machinations in ensuring Henry has a moment alone with Coen so that he could keep pursuing the deal.
This deal—and how it unfolds—is pivotal to the plot and the progression of these characters. It is, as some would say, load-bearing. Early on in the story we learn what it is Henry wants, and this is where we see him taking the first crucial (and risky) step to attaining it. The fate of all these characters hinge on the deal, and for that reason alone, Escape Velocity passes the Page 69 Test.
More than that, this scene also reveals much about the story’s tone and themes. This book is about the lengths people are willing to go to get what they want, the price they are willing to extract, and the price they are willing to pay. There are secrets, lies, and schemes within schemes, all told through the eyes of complicated, sometimes unsavory, but always compelling characters. And so, if one happens to flip through the book and land on page 69, they would get a distilled and potent hit of what Escape Velocity is all about.
-Marshal Zeringue
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