The Apollo Murders is a historical
speculative science fiction story set in the Apollo era of American space
flight.
As a former NASA astronaut,
Hadfield is intimately familiar with the workings of the space agency and this
story is chock full of references to operations in both the US and Soviet space
programs. While some may find these references a little distracting and even
think those references are unnecessary to the story itself. I found the book
well written and highly entertaining and am happy to say it is one of the best
crafted stories I've ever read. The principal characters are fictitious and are
fascinating, but one of the things I really appreciated were references to many
real-life personalities that lived and worked in the space program during the
1970s. Names such as Chris Kraft, Gene Kranz, and Alan Shepard play major parts
in Apollo Murders and they add authenticity and credibility to the tale.
It is the height of the Cold
War, and the end of the Apollo program. Funding for the US exploration of the
moon is going to move to other projects after the last moon landing. However,
when US intelligence finds the Soviets have landed a rover on the moon and are
planning to have a manned orbital spy platform, plans are made to fly Apollo
18, a military mission with two objectives. The first objective is to disable
the spy platform in orbit before it is crewed, and the second is to land on the
moon to learn what the Soviet rover has found or is looking for.
The prime crew is trained and
ready to go a month before the mission, but a helicopter accident kills the
mission commander, who is replaced by the backup. Further investigation finds
the helicopter crash was not an accident. It was an extreme negligence of
maintenance or sabotage.
As the mission moves forward,
things go badly when a Soviet spy ship disguised as a fishing trawler notices
the trajectory of the Saturn V launch vehicle is flying to the north of the
normal path. The Soviets realize the Americans intend to rendezvous with their
new space station. With that, the entire mission seems to off the rails.
The Soviets always seem to be a
step ahead of the Americans. The question is, why? Or better yet, who is
helping the Soviets win this chess game in space?
Hadfield includes a large cast
of characters in this tale. Many of them are people we, who are familiar with
the Apollo era, are familiar with. There are several characters who would
appear 'behind the scenes' during coverage of a spaceflight during those times.
One of the most prominent of those characters is Kazimieras Zemeckis, more
commonly known to his friends as Kaz. He is a former test pilot who was on his
way to becoming an astronaut until an accident cost him his left eye. In this
story, Kaz becomes a consultant for NASA for the Apollo 18 flight. His persona
is well developed and getting to know him is a pleasure. He is all business
when on the job, but knows how to relax. Kaz is the main character the story
follows from the ground during the flight.
When the story moves into
space, the character that sets the tone is Chad Miller, the backup commander
for the Apollo 18 mission after the prime commander was killed in a helicopter
crash a month before launch. He is an interesting character who takes his
responsibilities seriously. He, as any commander should, sets the tone for the
flight, which differs from the original commander’s style. As the story
unfolds, we learn Miller has more than a few skeletons in his closet. Miller is
the character most responsible for adding intrigue and conflict to the story,
making him the center of attention for all off-world activities.
While Kaz and Chad are the most
central characters to the tale, there are others that add even more to the
ill-fated mission that would be Apollo 18. Hadfield does a great job giving
enough background information to make this an engaging story a real
page-turner.
Spaceflight isn't easy. No
matter how routine NASA made it look, there are always little things that can
go wrong. On the Apollo 13 mission, it was the failure of a tiny capacitor that
nearly doomed three astronauts to death on their way to the moon. In more
modern times, the failure of a seal on a solid rocket booster, or even a piece
of foam hitting the wing of a space shuttle have been causes of disaster. With
The Apollo Murders, it is the failure of the human component serving as the
main plot point.
It was also fun to go back in
time and remember those glorious days of project Apollo. At least they were
glorious to me as I watched men walk on the moon at the age of eleven. It was
nostalgic for me, but for the modern reader, if you enjoy a good murder mystery
that reaches from the Earth to the Moon, this is the book for you.
My takeaway from The Apollo
Murders is how one overly ambitious character can put many people in harm's
way. Chad Miller is a fictitious character who has divided loyalties and I'm sure
he would never actually become a NASA astronaut for many reasons. He is not a
team player. He is a loner with a shady background who would probably not have
made it through the first round of astronaut selection in the real world. But
he sure is an intriguing character in this story.
This book is a spectacular work
of historical fiction. I enjoyed it in all aspects and highly recommend it for
anyone who enjoys stories based on historical and scientific fact. There is
some technical jargon to work through, but the author was kind enough to give
brief explanations of the NASA language of science and engineering. I enjoyed
this aspect because I felt it added to the authenticity of the adventure
Hadfield takes the reader on. The Apollo Murders is a well written, well
edited, fast-paced, and entertaining story that is not to be missed by fans of
history, intrigue, and edge of the seat reading.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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