Red Moon

by Michael Cassutt

It begins in 1964 with the sudden and unexpected death of Sergai Korolev, the man who ran the Soviet Space Program. Young Yuri Ribko, an engineering student working for one of the Korolev's bureaus, is either fortunate or unfortunate to have an uncle who is a high ranking member of State security. Yuri's uncle recruits him to spy within the Bureau, to assist in identifying possible threats to the Space Program. In return, Yuri is set on a fast-track of promotion, from engineering assistant to cosmonaut.

From the earliest work on Russia's lunar lander, through a devastating string of exploding launch vehicles and deadly landings, Red Moon gives us an insider's view of Russia's gallant but doomed Moon Shot.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Space, Thriller, Science Fiction

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has a very good description of the Russian space program. It is not a very good murder mystery.

[Dan Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here in America, we heard very little about the Soviet side of the Moon Race, especially once the Gemini program really got under way. Or so it seemed to me as a small child. Even so, my later reading about space exploration provided very little information on the Russian efforts to reach the moon. This historical novel is an interesting (and painless) remedy to that gap in historical knowledge. The main character has a Zelig-like way of being in the right place at the right time in order to continue relating the story. And occasionally, the author's machinations to put him there are a little too apparent. But apart from that, this is a fascinating and well-researched look into the Soviet manned space program of the 1960s. It has whet my appetite to look into some technical/science history books for even more information.

[Gigi]

booklist recommend