Customer Reviews

Red Moon

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was quite by accident that I came across 'Red Moon', but if this is what accidents are supposed to be like, I would like to experience MORE of them. David Michaels contacted me personally about his novel, and before long, I was cracking open a copy of 'Red Moon' anxious to see if it was indeed as good as all of the reviews here on amazon 'claimed' it was. To be honest, words escape me how to describe how truly magnificent this book really is. I know that David is shopping the book around to find just the right place to distribute it nationally, and to be honest, after having read this book, I would think any company with an ounce of brains would be literally fighting over the opportunity to release this incredibly compelling story.

Just 3 days before Apollo 11 launched, the Soviet Union also launched Luna 15, a so-called unmanned robotic ship that was to collect lunar soil samples and bring it back...in 'Red Moon' we are faced with the fictional account of a world class 'what if' question: What IF Luna 15 was actually a manned ship on a 1-way trip to the moon? Yes, NOT coming back. Grigor Belinsky is the man who is blackmailed into making this trip, and throughout this amazing story, you get to know Belinsky, you get to really appreciate what kind of person he is, and most importantly, this story gets you to thinking, 'Is this fiction, or did it REALLY happen?' I can't tell you how many times my mind ran across that question.

'Red Moon' gives you several points-of-view, taking you from the surface of the moon in 2019 and the discovery of Luna 15, to the incredibly shocking realization that it was a manned ship... to 1968 when the Space Race was not just for national pride, but personal and selfish advancement as well...you also get to go inside the Russia of the future and join the investigation into the failed Russian lunar program and find out whether or not this wreckage on the moon is real, or an elaborate fabrication by the Soviet era government to fool the world into believing they landed first... I simply CANNOT recommend this book highly enough. If you have EVER read any kind of alternate history novel, 'Red Moon' will totally RE-DEFINE how you look at them, and now sets the standard as to HOW they SHOULD be written.

My one and only yardstick for judging how good a novel is, well is simple: If it is the last thing on my mind when I go to bed and the first thing on my mind when I wake up...now THAT is a good book. I believe that 'Red Moon' will be on my mind for many months to come. I give this book the HIGHEST possible RECOMMENDATION of ANY book I have reviewed here on amazon and like I said, easily this is one of the best books I have ever read. Do yourself an immeasurable favor and BUY THIS BOOK. Hop aboard, and enjoy the ride. You will wish it would never end, and unfortunately, it ended all too soon. Kudos to David Michaels, you are a true and gifted storyteller.

Having been a space program buff since my childhood, I've been drawn by books like Martin Caidin's Marooned, Stephen Baxter's Voyage, and even political writer Allen Drury's The Throne of Saturn (that one dates me, I realize). Red Moon caught my attention while I was browsing Amazon, and after only a few pages I was pleased to see I had spent my money very, very well.

Simply, this is an amazing book. Unlike a lot of books that try to achieve a cinematic effect by cutting quickly between scenes and situations, Michaels' book, with its full chapters and fully realized sequences paints clear heartfelt scenes more effectively than most of today's films. His characters of astronaut Janet Luckman, planetary geologist Milo Jefferson, and central character, Cosmonaut Grigor Belinsky are living and breathing people with needs and flaws and conflicts. People I thought about long after I had finished Red Moon.

The premise is that a lunar mission set during the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing discovers the Soviet craft Luna 15, launched days before Apollo 11 but landing at nearly the same time, was not an unmanned probe, but in fact a last-ditch attempt to land a man on the Moon before the Americans. As an adolescent in 1969, I followed the flight of Apollo 11 completely entranced, and the looming presence of Luna 15 was felt deeply by me. I had wondered about the intentions of the mysterious craft, and it is fascinating to me to see this captured the imagination of this writer as well.

This is a huge book, not only in size, but scope, and Michaels pulls it off admirably, even more so considering this is his first novel. He takes us along three parallel storylines, two set in 2019 -- one on a lunar landing mission marking the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing, the second in the upper echelons of NASA -- and one set in the Soviet Union of 1968-69. The first Macguffin of the story, finding rare Helium 3 on the Moon, is the same as Homer Hickam's disappointing Back to the Moon, but is handled far more dramatically, and is in turn upstaged by the quest for finding the answer to the mystery surrounding Luna 15 and Grigor Belinsky, her pilot. Michaels skillfully plays the three storylines off of each other, teasing and rewarding us, involving us deeply into these people's lives. There are moments of great passion and feeling in this story, so much so it brought me to tears no less than three times.

I genuinely wished the book had been longer, and if there is a sequel I'll be the first to snatch it up. Red Moon is simply a wonderful read. I recommend it highly.

Part secret/alternate history, part near-future Lunar exploration, part political intrigue past and future, this superb novel had me riveted through its 617 pages. If you've ever wondered how the Soviets came to lose the Moon race in the 1960s, you'll find Red Moon compelling and irresistible. Scenes of launches scrubbed because of bad weather, of cosmonauts dying unknown, were heartbreaking -- Michaels shows these (possible) catastrophes as failures for all humanity, not just Communism. At the same time, he convincingly shows how Soviet paranoia shot itself in the foot and worse. Meanwhile, these and other threads in the novel are told and tied together via richly human stories. This is not just among the best first novels I've read in years; it's among the best novels, period. David Michaels' Red Moon is a masterpiece.

RED MOON is an exceptional novel of speculative fiction. The author has done a tremendous job in intertwining three related plots to generate an oeuvre of hefty proportions and considerable creativity. And it is such a pleasure to read a book that is written for the reader, not in anticipation of a screenplay.

RED MOON not only uses the backdrop of the US-USSR space race as one point of departure, but also creates tension through the ongoing philosophical differences that remain between the two nations. The historical references to the program of the late 1960's are insightful, accurate and compelling. The plots are uncompromisingly driven by a "what-if?" factor that is added by speculations that the world was not aware of certain flights and missions by the Soviets. Revealing these cover-ups and conspiracies through the future lunar exploration timelines is a remarkably effective literary device, well handled by the author.

The characters of astronaut Janet Luckman, planetary geologist Milo Jefferson, and central character, Cosmonaut Grigor Belinsky are well drawn and believable. The future setting of lunar exploration in search of Helium-3 is portrayed admirably, and the historical elements incorporated are enlightening and without extraneous embellishment.

A gripping and passionate tale that is sure to please. Highly Recommended.

Greet Book! A wonderfully detailed story, mixing an exciting time in modern history with a "what if" scenario that will thrill any space fan. The book grabs your attention from the very first pages, and keeps you wanting more. Very hard to put down, hence the two hour lunches. I met the author at a book signing and found his interest in the space race of the 60's similar to mine. The heroes of the day, and what they meant to us as small children, comes out in his character development and the story line. I found myself wanting more at the end of the book, and hope to see a sequel. Mr. Michaels has done a great job at researching this material, and gave an excellent presentation at the book signing. One of the things I liked most was the constant changing back and forth between story lines, character, the different years of history, and how he kept giving us small clues as events unfolded, then left us to see how these small details from the past and future influence the decisions and paths our heroes take in the story. A well thought out tale, one I'm anxious to share with my 14 year old son, and let him feel some of the excitement I felt at his age, watching the rockets fly!

This book masterfully weaves a possible story through documented fact. YES there was a Soviet Moon program, YES they were on the verge of beating the US, YES there was a Soviet probe sent to the Moon just before Apollo 11...what else?

I enjoyed this book, and I believe anyone with even a passing interest in the space program will too.

Belinsky Lives!

Red Moon is an epic novel in every since of the word. It has enough adventure, intrigue, mystery, love, betrayal, and sex to please any reader.

Set less than twenty years from the present, Red Moon depicts an expedition to the Moon which attempts to discover a source of energy that could save a dying Earth. Earth, ravaged by declining energy sources and by global warming, is in great need of saving.

The expedition discovers evidence that, at the height of the Cold War space race, the Soviet Union landed a man on the Moon. How this happened and what happened to that man is what lies the mystery. It is a mystery that powerfull forces on Earth will stop at nothing to suppress, even at the cost of the Earth.

This book deserves to be read by the widest audience possible. I recommend it highly.

The other reviews on this page give a good idea for what this book is all about and make the basic plot outline quite clear. What I would like to add is this: Red Moon is a great read, an espionage/political thriller in the tradition of Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum (meaning that Red Moon has depth and content, "beef" if you will, as well as action and adventure). So if your litterary tastes require something more than the average empty and mindless page turner, Red Moon is for you. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that, as far as I'm concerned, only LeCarre rises to such heights in this genre. Nevertheless, this is a great first book from a new author. I hope there is more to come.

"Red Moon" was one of the best surprises in my entertainment diet for the 2000/2001 indoor season. An all-around good read and a suspense-builder. I have to concur with other readers whom I have heard more eruditely praise this book. For the less literary, I will concisely state that "Wicked cool" was my gut reaction when finishing the final page.

I have to admit to entering this novel as a doubter, someone relatively disinterested in space travel and Science-fiction. Being more of a historian of distant times and a stickler for realism, I was reluctant to "buy in" to this idea. I must say that the writing style and plot lines passed my admittedly strict standards for good science fiction, and even created a new desire to learn the background of this period (namely the U.S./Soviet "Space race" during the height of the Cold War). The deft intermingling of historical fact, heresay, and fiction resulted in a totally believable fusion palatable even to the cynic. Some of this background was achieved through actual museum research in the former Soviet-block, and consultation with major players from this historical time-frame.

I can recommend this book to nearly everyone, especially those who are inquisitive and intelligent, but also to any movie fiends and pop-literature fanatics who pride themselves on being in on the secret --before the film is out. The imagery is highly evocative of real-life adventure in a most cinematical way, and the versimilitude of the characters reinforces their plausibility. It is hard to imagine how the cinema could do justice to this writing, which did not loose its smooth literary integrity. The reader must take caution to read when time is not at a premium, as the constant build and intensification of the plot makes the book almost impossible to put down. I found myself daydreaming about the next development whilst not reading, and then craving a sequel once finished. The advance of the timeline in two eras and two fronts is a seemingly unique device which harmonizes all the elements of the tale, and creates a resonance in the reader's mind as a unity between one storyline and the other emerges. Many questions are answered, but enough is left to the extrapolative musings of the reader so as to spark his or her own creativity.

"Red Moon" is one of those books that you simply can't put down - and at over 600 pages it is a fair read. Seamlessly weaving fact and fiction, it is an enthralling case of what - literally - might have been. David S Michaels is to be congratulated on his first foray into space fiction, and I, for one, look forward to his future output.

dmh