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Two science fiction masters--Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick--team up to deliver a classic thriller in which one man uncovers the secret history of the US space program... Early in his career, Jerry Culpepper could never have been accused of being idealistic. Doing public relations--even for politicians--was strictly business...until he was hired as NASA's public affairs director and discovered a client he could believe in. Proud of the agency's history and sure of its destiny, he was thrilled to be a part of its future--a bright era of far-reaching space exploration. But public disinterest and budget cuts changed that future. Now, a half century after the first moon landing, Jerry feels like the only one with stars--and unexplored planets and solar systems--in his eyes. Still, Jerry does his job, trying to drum up interest in the legacy of the agency. Then a fifty-year-old secret about the Apollo XI mission is revealed, and he finds himself embroiled in the biggest controversy of the twenty-first century, one that will test his ability--and his willingness--to spin the truth about a conspiracy of reality-altering proportions...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By John M. Ford
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Audio Download
Jack McDevitt's and Mike Resnick build on a McDevitt strength: having characters in the future solve a puzzle from their own past. In this case the puzzle is in our past as well. Something seems not quite right about some of the Apollo space missions. Pictures of the moon's dark side from that time have been carefully altered. And retired NASA personnel share some strange recollections of events surrounding the missions.
Jerry Culpepper finds his NASA public relations job increasingly difficult. Discussion of the Apollo anomalies is growing in the media and Jerry has a growing suspicion that some of his NASA colleagues are not telling the truth. He walks away from his government career to work for Bucky Blackstone, an eccentric billionaire funding his own attempt to reach the Moon. All the while, more hidden information becomes available to the media and their audience. Who was really the first man from Earth to land on the moon? And what did he find there?
This book has many of the elements that made McDevitt's A Talent For War such a good story. An important historical event may not be what it seems, painstaking research in archives with careful comparison of different accounts is necessary, and some of the answers are startling. The pace seems slow and events unsurprising until late in the story when a main character guesses the truth. The characters are believable and comfortable to be with, though mostly unremarkable. The book's reinterpretation of the U.S. space program is imaginative and entertaining.
I recommend the book to historical fiction readers as well as science fiction fans. It's a good read.
Jerry Culpepper finds his NASA public relations job increasingly difficult. Discussion of the Apollo anomalies is growing in the media and Jerry has a growing suspicion that some of his NASA colleagues are not telling the truth. He walks away from his government career to work for Bucky Blackstone, an eccentric billionaire funding his own attempt to reach the Moon. All the while, more hidden information becomes available to the media and their audience. Who was really the first man from Earth to land on the moon? And what did he find there?
This book has many of the elements that made McDevitt's A Talent For War such a good story. An important historical event may not be what it seems, painstaking research in archives with careful comparison of different accounts is necessary, and some of the answers are startling. The pace seems slow and events unsurprising until late in the story when a main character guesses the truth. The characters are believable and comfortable to be with, though mostly unremarkable. The book's reinterpretation of the U.S. space program is imaginative and entertaining.
I recommend the book to historical fiction readers as well as science fiction fans. It's a good read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Kate
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Moon is always topical but the recent wave of Moon programming on the television - following the sad deaths of Neil Armstrong and Patrick Moore - has made me keener than ever to read a Moon conspiracy thriller. Not even the movies Apollo 18 (please never confuse this with Apollo 13) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon have dampened my curiosity in our orbiting satellite. Indeed, the most damage to my fascination was caused by last year's horror YA 172 Hours on the Moon which made me wish that the Moon was actually a lot further away than 384,400 km (give or take). But when I heard the premise of The Cassandra Project I was hooked.
Was Neil Armstrong really the first man to walk on the Moon? Could it be that there were earlier landings in 1969? If so, why on Earth would anyone, in the heat of a space race, want to cover them up? What could make an astronaut hold his tongue for fifty years? Jerry Culpepper loves his job as NASA's press publications director but when, at a time of doubt concerning the future of the Agency, he gets a whiff of a mystery he starts to ask unpopular questions. Set in the near future, few astronauts and engineers of the 1960s are still alive. It's at the end of their lives that they might want to get a weight off their chest, or at the very least hint of something extraordinary - whether it's true or not.
As Culpepper digs he comes up against the boss of NASA plus her boss - the President of the United States. Surely if there is a conspiracy, he would know about it? There is one man, though, who believes Jerry and is prepared to put his wallet where his mouth is. Billionaire Bucky Blackstone wants to believe and he wants to get to the Moon himself to discover the Truth.... Read more ›
Was Neil Armstrong really the first man to walk on the Moon? Could it be that there were earlier landings in 1969? If so, why on Earth would anyone, in the heat of a space race, want to cover them up? What could make an astronaut hold his tongue for fifty years? Jerry Culpepper loves his job as NASA's press publications director but when, at a time of doubt concerning the future of the Agency, he gets a whiff of a mystery he starts to ask unpopular questions. Set in the near future, few astronauts and engineers of the 1960s are still alive. It's at the end of their lives that they might want to get a weight off their chest, or at the very least hint of something extraordinary - whether it's true or not.
As Culpepper digs he comes up against the boss of NASA plus her boss - the President of the United States. Surely if there is a conspiracy, he would know about it? There is one man, though, who believes Jerry and is prepared to put his wallet where his mouth is. Billionaire Bucky Blackstone wants to believe and he wants to get to the Moon himself to discover the Truth.... Read more ›
By Robert
Format:Hardcover
A couple of reviewers have expressed disappointment that the McDevitt/Resnick collaboration lacked depth of character. I can see what they mean, but claim the excuse that bith authors are quite famed for their mastery of the situation and suspense. they do not let readers down.
It is a conspiracy about who really reached the moon first and what did they do there? The three protagonists are a NASA public relations chief, the 2020 President of the USA and a Trumplike billionaire who has set up his own lunar program. The cons first. The descriptions of space travel are sparse to the point of ebbing ignored. There is no description of the private space vehicle and its re-entry is along the lines of - soon the craft landed and taxied to a hanger. The second con is that there is a mystery,or at least an alleged conspiracy, that is internationally discussed and yet only the three protagonists have nay influence. I bet any historical mystery involving Lunar exploration will have millions of geeks digging and hacking away.
Put that aside. The characters are reasonably well drawn and motivated. The mystery is revealed in steps which uncover another quetsion to be answered. The writing is smooth and I was kept interested. Maybe it could have been a little shorter but it did not drag. As a non-American I was fascinated by the take on 1970's politics and the revelation when it came was satisfying.
It is a conspiracy about who really reached the moon first and what did they do there? The three protagonists are a NASA public relations chief, the 2020 President of the USA and a Trumplike billionaire who has set up his own lunar program. The cons first. The descriptions of space travel are sparse to the point of ebbing ignored. There is no description of the private space vehicle and its re-entry is along the lines of - soon the craft landed and taxied to a hanger. The second con is that there is a mystery,or at least an alleged conspiracy, that is internationally discussed and yet only the three protagonists have nay influence. I bet any historical mystery involving Lunar exploration will have millions of geeks digging and hacking away.
Put that aside. The characters are reasonably well drawn and motivated. The mystery is revealed in steps which uncover another quetsion to be answered. The writing is smooth and I was kept interested. Maybe it could have been a little shorter but it did not drag. As a non-American I was fascinated by the take on 1970's politics and the revelation when it came was satisfying.
By Graham
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this in less than 2 days, not really wanting to take breaks for meals or sleep. It was the most enjoyable holiday read I have had for years.
It is a Thinking Man's 'Capricorn One' and will delight Conspiracy Junkies everywhere.
My only gripe is the perennial one with this author: he should get a publisher that is futuristic enough to make his books available on Kindle.
It is a Thinking Man's 'Capricorn One' and will delight Conspiracy Junkies everywhere.
My only gripe is the perennial one with this author: he should get a publisher that is futuristic enough to make his books available on Kindle.
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