Rocketgirl's Full Review: Homer Hickam - Back to the Moon: A Novel
This is the second book I have read by Homer Hickam, the first one being October Sky. Both have to do with space exploration. Though the book is somewhat technical, it is not overly so and easy to grasp by the average reader. However, you do have to have an inquiring mind, so to speak, to pick up this book. You have to be able to grasp the scientific importance of what is going on in the story, to be able to enjoy the suspenseful atmosphere that the story creates. At the same time, Hickam creates characters who you care about.
Jack Medaris is a rocket engineer. He used to work for NASA, until an accident happened when an explosion killed his pregnant wife. Since then he formed a private company that builds rocket engines and other assorted space junk. Its a satisfying arrangement, but he longs to return to the moon.
He gets his chance when the space shuttle is being launched. Jack and his friends Cassidy and Virgil arrange to hijack the shuttle. Cassidy is an astronaut and Virgil is a technician. They figure they can pilot the shuttle out of its orbit and reach the moon. Jack needs to return there to collect samples of a unique element called helium-3. Scientists are experimenting with helium-3 as the solution to the energy crisis as a possible catalyst for fusion energy.
Jack hijacks the shuttle Columbia with beautiful scientist Penny High Eagle on board, who was the only one from the original crew who managed to get on board. She knows the shuttle has blasted off but doesn't understand what happened to her crew, an unprecedented all female crew. Jack had jammed the elevator so that they couldn't board the shuttle. Cassidy is accidentally shot at the launch pad. So Jack and Virgil are left to pilot the shuttle. They have to recruit Penny High Eagle to help them.
But there are those with a grudge against Jack. And there are those who oppose the space mission. And there are still other enemies who do not want to see a new source of energy because they would lose money. They all want Jack to fail and will see to it that he does. In the meantime Jack has an important mission to carry out.
I enjoyed this unique suspense story. It had political aspects to it, which would be expected when a government agency is involved. So when the fictional politicians are taken down you can cheer. And even though Jack did something that risked lives and damaged government property (it wasn't illegal, he had a contract to retrieve the helium-3 by a private party), you find yourself cheering for him because of the tragedy that happened in his life. And because his mission is one that in modern times, we wish we could hang our hat on.
The characters are very compelling. Jack's character is most complete, by giving background details on why he is so driven to go back to the moon. Penny High Eagle (the doctor) is first a pretty girl glory seeker, but her values change when she sees the bigger picture. The enemy characters are interesting too. The ways they are able to threaten the Columbia from the ground are very interesting. There are also political ramifications to their mission and some of the enemies come from official Washington. This adds additional intrigue.
There is some technical jargon in the book that you must read closely to understand what is going on. There are acronyms (of course, NASA is a government agency!) that are used freely to refer to various aspects of the spacecraft. The author does a good job at using the correct technical terms and making the reader appreciate the complexity of the tasks the astronauts are trying to accomplish and explain in such a way that you don't lose track of what is being said. I was impressed with how this was accomplished.
Otherwise, the story is fast-paced and action packed. There are several major characters and several other minor ones, but you never lose track of who is who. And all of them have a purpose, they are not there just as filler. Like the typical action-adventure type story, there is little room for sex or violence. There is one scene of partial nudity, but it is only generically described. The accidental shooting has only enough details to show the consequences of its occurrence and not dwell on the blood and guts. There is little profanity. Educated teens can easily follow the story line.
Overall I enjoyed it, especially its unique plot. The ending is a little rushed. But it does a very good job tying up the loose ends and letting you know what happened to all the characters. Most authors don't do nearly as thorough a job as this in wrapping things up. I'm sure I will look for other books by Homer Hickam.
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