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The Winged Serpent of Time
A tense, solo mission to Mars, where astronaut Zac Clarke makes a shocking discovery about our ancient past and connection to the Gods. An alternate history sci fi set in the 1970s.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2022
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 31, 2023
If the ideas of Erich von Däniken's Chariot's of the Gods and Andy Weir's Hail Mary had a baby, it would be this book!
It’s the mid-1970’s. Humans are just beginning to send rockets and satellites into space. The moon missions are brand new, and space exploration has the potential to offer mankind unlimited possibilities. Hot shot aviator, Zac Clarke, gets selected for a secret space mission. Under the guise of launching a Saturn 5 rocket, the US has decided to use the rocket to send Zac on a solo, round-trip, mission to Mars.
The flight to Mars will take many months and require Zac to leave his mom and sister behind, but he’ll be in constant contact with mission control. Plus, he gets to take some chicken eggs with him. When they hatch, they provide him with a lot of entertainment, and lend a great deal of humor to the journey.
When Zac gets to Mars, it will be his job to start the process of terraforming the planet. Upon his return to Earth, the President will announce the successful mission, and the plan to colonize Mars. Zac will be a national and a world hero. As with most things, however, very little goes as planned. Sometimes, events require minor adjustments to the plan. Other times, we follow the team as they re-work the entire mission.
In the first major development, our solo astronaut is “contacted” by intelligent beings while he’s en route to Mars. The aliens appear to be supportive and benevolent, but not visible to Zac. He has to learn how to communicate with them and try to understand the messages they are sending him. He also has to follow the orders of the President, who now has to deal with “first contact”, while keeping the mission classified.
Following along with Zac and his adventure as earth’s emissary to intelligent life in the universe, while also trying to accomplish his assigned mission, makes for a fast moving and interesting story. I thought this alternative history concept very inventive, and it instantly made me want to keep reading. There were a few times I wished the science of the space mission was a little more technical, and not so “glossed over”, but that’s just my personal preference. It certainly didn’t take away from the creative storyline at all.
There was a great deal of suspense that was very well done, and some emotional issues that were well developed. I was impressed with how drawn into the story I became, especially considering a large chunk of the story was the main character’s internal dialogue. Plus, there’s humor too – with space chickens! You have to read it to find out more about these critters! If you enjoyed Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and the ideas of Erich von Däniken, you’ll enjoy this book too.
It’s the mid-1970’s. Humans are just beginning to send rockets and satellites into space. The moon missions are brand new, and space exploration has the potential to offer mankind unlimited possibilities. Hot shot aviator, Zac Clarke, gets selected for a secret space mission. Under the guise of launching a Saturn 5 rocket, the US has decided to use the rocket to send Zac on a solo, round-trip, mission to Mars.
The flight to Mars will take many months and require Zac to leave his mom and sister behind, but he’ll be in constant contact with mission control. Plus, he gets to take some chicken eggs with him. When they hatch, they provide him with a lot of entertainment, and lend a great deal of humor to the journey.
When Zac gets to Mars, it will be his job to start the process of terraforming the planet. Upon his return to Earth, the President will announce the successful mission, and the plan to colonize Mars. Zac will be a national and a world hero. As with most things, however, very little goes as planned. Sometimes, events require minor adjustments to the plan. Other times, we follow the team as they re-work the entire mission.
In the first major development, our solo astronaut is “contacted” by intelligent beings while he’s en route to Mars. The aliens appear to be supportive and benevolent, but not visible to Zac. He has to learn how to communicate with them and try to understand the messages they are sending him. He also has to follow the orders of the President, who now has to deal with “first contact”, while keeping the mission classified.
Following along with Zac and his adventure as earth’s emissary to intelligent life in the universe, while also trying to accomplish his assigned mission, makes for a fast moving and interesting story. I thought this alternative history concept very inventive, and it instantly made me want to keep reading. There were a few times I wished the science of the space mission was a little more technical, and not so “glossed over”, but that’s just my personal preference. It certainly didn’t take away from the creative storyline at all.
There was a great deal of suspense that was very well done, and some emotional issues that were well developed. I was impressed with how drawn into the story I became, especially considering a large chunk of the story was the main character’s internal dialogue. Plus, there’s humor too – with space chickens! You have to read it to find out more about these critters! If you enjoyed Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and the ideas of Erich von Däniken, you’ll enjoy this book too.
March 5, 2023
I just finished reading this book. I so enjoyed it not the ending you would expect. If a book can create emotion in someone it is a well written story. This one certainly did that with me.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews