Abandon in Place is an unusual book -- an unlikely marriage of hard sci fi and paranormal fantasy. Rick is an astronaut training for a shuttle voyage when he discovers a fully formed ghostly Saturn V rocket on a launch pad in Florida. He watches in amazement as it launches, and when another appears a few weeks later, he hops on board. Together with his girlfriend, a fellow astronaut, and a Japanese astronomer, Rick successfully lands on the moon and reinvigorates interest in the space program.

Of course, that is not all that becomes reinvigorated. As millions of people channel their hopes for the future into Rick, Tessa, and Yoshiko, the three gain unprecedented psychic power. Rick and Tessa take that power and attempt to change the world.

This book starts off well -- compelling and interesting. Unfortunately, as Rick and Tessa's powers increase, the plot spirals out of control. Some suspension of disbelief is necessary for all speculative fiction, but Oltion pushes incredulity beyond the breaking point in the final third of this book. You've been warned. ( )