Customer Reviews

The Orion Protocol

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ever since the government became interested in the exploration and exploitation of space, there have been concerns about how to handle what might be found. Little-known and/or questionable legislation has been passed and black budgets have been funded.

When a cable science show receives a photo showing the Cydonia region of Mars (the Face and the Pyramid). Coding makes the picture look like it originated from a lost NASA Mars probe. What does it mean? Meanwhile the new President is being pressured to give the go ahead for the Orion Project that will initiate a space-based laser defense system that actually works. Why is he being pressured?

Both of the events lead characters to delve into just what is going on. From the 1958 Brookings report co written by Margaret Mead that recommends hiding all evidence of alien intelligence, to the NASA director's ability to quarantine anyone supposedly exposed to dangerous substances, to modern black budget projects and the new leaser defense system. Ultimately the two quests come together and the truth is discovered.

Like others, I was curious about some of the goings on in the book that seemed unrelated to the main story. Were they included just to show that not everything is Orion related? Or were they included as teaser threads to lead into sequels? Could this be like Robert Doherty's Area 51 series that began with a novel of suspense and coverups that was followed aby books dealing with what was uncovered in the first? We'll wait and see.

My main problem with the book was one of identity. There is so much factual and verifiable information in this book that the fantastic seems more plausible. Many historic and public figures are mentioned. But the crew of the final Apollo mission is completely changed. I think the story could have been accomplished without changing these identities by only making a few changes to the plot. Having met members of the mission I felt particularly strongly about this. Others probably won't.

This was quite a well researched and plotted book and hope the author will follow it up with others. Fans of books like Area 51 or The DaVinci Code will probably enjoy the way history is uncovered and revealed.

The new American president is still trying to comprehend the true reason for launching Project Orion, the so called strategic defense shield. At about the same time TV hostess of PBS's award winning Science Horizon Angela Browning receives a strange package containing pictures of archeological ruins on Mars sent by the lost Mars Observer probe that vanished in 1993. Angela is stone walled by government agencies as she tries to learn the truth about the photos

Exasperated Angela turns to moon walker Jake Deaver for help. Though he would prefer to remain anonymous, Jake agrees to help the science reporter learn the truth about the alleged ruins. They soon find themselves in danger as they begin to unravel a cover-up much greater than Roswell or Spielberg imagined and the true reason for launching Project Orion.

Science fiction conspiracy buffs will have a field day with Gary Tigerman's tale that cleverly intermingles real events from the past several decades with a major effort to "protect" people from the truth. The story line jumps back forth in time and geography more often than Sam Beckett leaped yet in some weird way that augments the conspiracy theory. The action never slows down as even the afterward author's notes hook the audience into believing that the White House regardless of party affiliation knows more than they let on so that believers will think Mr. Tigerman is a brilliant reporter exposing the truth while action thriller readers will say all's "welles" that ends well whether it is radio or TV.

Harriet Klausner

Gary Tigerman's first novel zips along, pulling you right with it. His punchy style combines Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" with a little Ross MacDonald. It's loads of fun to watch as he expertly peels back the layers of this fascinating, topical onion of a story. More political than SciFi, but enough of each that those of us who enjoy both genres have plenty to keep us turning those pages. Great book. You'll have a blast.

Gary Tigerman's debut science fiction novel, THE ORION PROTOCOL, is so good it should come with hot buttered popcorn.

THE ORION PROTOCOL is everything a science fiction novel should be and thensome. Tigerman's main characters, former Apollo astronauts Commander Jake Deaver and Colonel Augie Blake, nearly 30 years after NASA's final voyage to the Moon in 1973, have kept silent about their findings until journalist Angela Browning receives a mysterious computer disk from an anonymous source.

The disk reveals images of Mars believed to be taken from the Mars Observer, an actual spacecraft sent to explore the surface of the Red Planet in 1992. While NASA reported that the spacecraft, manned by scientists at Kennedy Space Center, was lost due to an explosion, Tigerman's book sheds new light on the possibility of a conspiracy by the U.S. government concerning the real story behind the lost orbital.

This fascinating novel isn't just about unrevealed findings on the Moon or top secret images taken from Mars; it is also the unveiling of Project Orion, a supposed space defense system posing as an innocuous satellite. The book speaks volumes to conspiracy theorists in terms of America's efforts from the start of NASA to do whatever it takes to shed from the public the possibility of extraterrestrial life forms inhabiting other planets, namely the Moon or Mars.

As far back as the Eisenhower administration in 1958, at the dawn of NASA, the Brookings Report, a blue-ribbon study approved by Congress and authored by Margaret Meade, stated that any type of extraterrestrial intelligence could impose chaos to the American public. At the end of the novel, Tigerman includes a note from the author about his subsequent factual findings during his research that keeps the conspiracy wheels churning.

Furthermore, THE ORION PROTOCOL touches on the subject of a free press in America and how the press has to fight like dogs to get the truth from the federal government as portrayed by Browning's character. The author, a screenwriter living in Los Angeles, also does a remarkable job with the dialogue --- particularly near the novel's gripping and powerful end --- making this tale the ultimate white-knuckle thriller.

--- Reviewed by David Exum

I read this book because I am both a UFO and sci-fi fan, and love good conspiracy theories. This book did not disappoint in those departments. The story concerns a grand conspiracy that has been around since the Truman years, and has been pulling the real strings in Washington all this time. The author slowly weaves a tale that starts out a complete mystery and keeps you guessing until the end. So far, so good.
But I could only rate it three stars because of the author's political biases come through and really distract from the story.
For example, when he lists which presidents were in on the evil conspiracy, and which ones were unaware of it, of course, by coincidence, the ones "in" were all Republicans, and all the ones "out" just happen to be Democrats. He also throws in comments (really unnecessary to the plot) about how only people like Republicans are interested in wasteful programs like SDI, etc. There are many similar references sprinkled through the book, most of them unnecessary to the plot.
A book needs to have some point of view, but c'mon, the book reads like an advertisement for the Democratic Party - making the characters themselves seem terribly two-dimentional.

This book was intriguing, but not suspenseful. The South Pole sections were interesting, but had nothing to do with the main story. Same thing with the sections on the trip to Giza. I believe an Amazon reviewer stated it best as the sections were 'narrative endings'. This was an easy read. I read the book in about a day and a half, 14hrs total.

I gave the book 3 stars:

* Good Concept
* Incorporating real events into the plot
* The book had a nice quick pace.

Out of all the characters in the book, I liked Dr. Paula Winnick the best. Her dialog was intelligent, and she was giving a real message to the reader. In my opinion, Winnick should had a larger part in the book. Just my 0.02.

This book starts stronger than it finishes. Like others have mentioned, it definitely grabs you from the beginning, but along the way you start to wonder if the author has really worked it all out, or if he's just making things up as he goes.

For instance, what was the deal with the whole South Pole sequence? That primeval forest discovered below the ice? It had absolutely nothing to do with the story. Neither did the flashbacks to the Giza pyramids, which were narrative dead-ends.

This story needed a cleaner, tighter narrative that didn't skip around quite so much. By the end, it felt too scattershot and just a tad contrived the way everything comes together.

Still, it was fun, and the parts I liked I really liked. I'll definitely check out Tigerman's next novel, he has promise.

I liked the concept of this book but the plot failed to develop as one would expect for a thriller. The characters are interesting but poorly developed and one dimensional. The book was too short for all the characters involved and the plot suffered from lack of develpment. It could have been great, but ended up mediocre.

Angela Browning, a beautiful, strong-willed host of a PBS television show about Science, receives a mysterious disk showing photos of pyramids on Mars. After verifying these are probably not fakes, she seeks outside help in uncovering the secrets behind this information.

It sounds like a wonderful set up for a great story. In my opinion, Mr. Tigerman doesn't disappoint. This is a science/political novel aspiring to be read as a thriller. While it's a tad weak as a great "thriller", it truly is a good novel. The plot is great, while the characters are wonderfully written. I found very little wrong with this novel after having finished a truly dreadful one along these same lines.

I'm a reader who likes to thumb through as much fiction as I can. I think most casual readers who like Dan Brown's "Deception Point," or Ken Follet's "Code to Zero" will enjoy this one as well-paced entertainment.

For those of you who enjoy reading Mars conspiracy books, this delivers a rather thrilling tale. Tigerman does a nice job of weaving many of the conspiracy theories about life on Mars and hidden secrets into a pretty decent thriller. Some of the characters are a little hokey, but not a bad book. A good read.