The Space Fiction Booklist
Version
0.1 (20 January 2023)
The idea behind this page is not to list every single possible manned space mission idea in science fiction; but those based on realistic technologies.
Some of these books came from Space Race Novels on Listmania!
Books
Review: A flawed, but good novel dealing around the Soviet Moon Program. While the chapters set in the 1960s are very good, the ones set in the “present” of the future aren't as great; due to the rather wonky geopolitics of that world. The hero and villain of the novel were pretty memorable.
Notes: A sprawling epic that begins in the 1940s and ends around the early 1980s. The basic plot and characters are probably familiar to those who have read Michener's previous epics such as Chesapeake, Texas, Centennial, etc. For me however, it was my first Michener book, and I enjoyed it highly; as he got a lot of things pretty dead on.
Review: Reading this book quickly became a chore, because the writer wrote in a very unclear, highly technical style. When I say highly technical, I don't mean in the sense of “Roger, switch LCET to high gain.” but rather than using simple clear sentences and words to describe what is happening; the author used the most complex sentences he could. It's basically War and Peace.
Finally, the finale is only a few pages. It's the ultimate slap to the reader, because after slogging through hundreds of pages of excruciatingly complex prose, they get...not much really. Honestly, you are better off reading Red Moon by Michael Cassutt.
Review: After Peter Nevsky, Red Moon was a breath of fresh air. Despite being laden with technical jargon as benefits a 'Space Race' novel, Cassutt's style is very easy to follow, and the finale of the novel was very satisfying.
Notes: Extra Gemini mission.
Notes: There are actually two versions of this novel. The first version uses Mercury and Gemini hardware and was published in 1964/65. The second is a rewritten version that uses Apollo hardware that was published in 1969.