Review: Fulfilling for fans of the space race
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 26, 2013
About halfway into the book, I realized that whatever the obstacles the space program might have, ingenuity, vision, and enthusiasm are not among them. Others have commented on the author's attention to detail, and it really is impressive.  Somewhere in the author's home is a wall filled with the logistical mechanics of this book (and the entire series). I don't know how else he could do it. If I were president, I'd hire him for something, because a careful mind like that is hard to come by.That said, the book does not offer everyone everything. The author chose to focus the story on the central character's progress toward his vision in technical, logistical, and political terms.  Friendships are foreground, romances are background--waaay in the back. No complicated relationships here. For me, as an astronomy/space afficionado, it was actually a breath of fresh air, but others may miss it. Also, I appreciate the political climate in the story, which is clearly patterned after our contemporary culture.For the most part, the science is sound, so I didn't mind giving an inch here and there. There are some mechanical issues (punctuation and usage, mostly).  I liked the characters too much to examine them while I was reading, but in retrospect it's safe to say the story was written to include young teens. It may be a bit lean in terms of exploring the "human condition," but as a believer in space exploration for its own sake, this book fanned that enthusiasm as nothing else has for at least the last twenty years. It's one of the top five books out of the last hundred or so I've read. It's too strong where it intended to be not to give it five stars.