However, upon graduating he finds out that he must go to Jupiter on a four-year public service, enforced by the ultraconservative religious organization the "New Morality".

As Archer's anger and frustration wears off, he soon finds himself befriending the crew, and drawn to the station's super-secret project; a select few wearing bioimplants in their legs, and a mysterious spacecraft attached to the space station.

Publishers Weekly wrote that Jupiter "provides solid action and wonder with credible alien life forms and inspired technology for exploring the Jovian depths".

[1] Jackie Cassada, reviewing for the Library Journal, wrote that Jupiter was "another first-rate adventure that combines hard science with human drama to create a challenging and compelling tale of courage and conviction.

The Galileo space probe is also mentioned as being the first in a line of missions to study the Jovian system.