The Astronaut's Wife

by Robert Tine

In this relentlessly gripping psychological thriller, Johnny Depp plays Spencer Armacost, an astronaut sent on a space shuttle mission with his partner, Captain Alex Streck. While in space, an accident occurs that cuts all contact between the men and earth for two minutes. Both men return from the trip with no memory of those crucial minutes, and soon thereafter Streck mysteriously dies. Little by little, Spencer's wife Jillian, pregnant with twins, begins to suspect that something happened on the mission during those two minutes...something that changed Spencer into something other than the man she loves...something that might mean the end of us all...

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Crime, Espionage

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Tapasya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading “The Astronaut’s Wife”.
It’s a perfect blend of thriller and sci-fi.
The plot is amazing and the ending was unpredictable.
But the story drags a lot. The writing is a bit scattered. I had to skim a lot. Also I thought there were lots of unnecessary details. But all in all a nice book.

[Dean Alvarado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry it took so long to finish this book but this was a really, truly great read! I wish it was longer as to why I gave it 4 ⭐️ but I truly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the movie and figured this might go a bit further into the story or something. I know this book was written after the movie which usually marks the quality, but I figured what the hell. Instead I discovered that Robert Tine is a hack for hire. If anything this book neuters the movie, removing explicit dialogue and crucial story. Instead of giving Jillian complexity and the fear of being a new mother and discovering her husband has been taken over by an alien, Jillian is whiny and doesn't do anything! The final fifteen minutes of the movie are completely removed from the book, just rushing towards the end and removing Spencer's great speech. I recommend watching the movie and leaving this book alone because it's essentially a PG-13 version of the film itself.

[Kaspar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has obviously been written to be sold at airports when there is really nothing else around to spend the time on a transatlantic flight.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Astronauts Spencer and Alex go out of contact for 2 minutes during a space walk and are recovered alive but unconscious. Spencer's wife, Jillian, senses something not right, especially after a sexual encounter with her husband turns brutal. Then Alex dies and his wife commits suicide. Jillian is pregnant with twins and having disturbing dreams and hallucinations. When a former NASA employee reaches out with suspicions about Spencer, Jillian has to confront her worst fears about the father of her unborn children.

Creepy, depressing, and not particularly original, The Astronaut's Wife is a quick read.

[Miozotis Diaz-Gonzalez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first saw this book 5 years ago in a used book section that I wished I bought right then and there. I finally got my hands on it since my mother bought it for me. Reading it now though makes me just want to donate it.
So while reading this book, it felt like I was reading a rough draft of the it. There were so many words missing in sentences as if this book didn’t have an editor. Other than that it wasn’t a bad read. I thought this book was written before the film. That’s why I decided to read it.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a big fan of alien-themed stories though I liked the drama.....

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jillian's husband Spencer is repairing a satellite on a space mission when aliens take over his body. she figures it out too late to save herself. Sigh.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

it has been many years since i have watched this movie. reading this book reminds me of the common alien theme that exists in most stories be it in the form of book or movie i.e. the aliens attempt to populate earth through human beings. as such, throughout this book i was reminded of the x-files (maybe Mulder was an alien) to the recent tv series called Extant. so, if you start hearing statics from radios etc, it is probably from the aliens.

[Alessandro Pellizzari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una buona idea, purtroppo sfruttata molto male.
I buoni colpi di scena sono pochi, e per la maggior parte il libro risulta noioso, oltre che scritto (o tradotto) in modo quasi dilettantesco.
Anche il finale del tipo "buttiamo lì qualcosa che faccia pensare a un seguito" è deludente.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad overall book. Its nice and fast pace, short chapters so if you need a quick read in between things to do its nice. Great Sci-Fi story and really just makes you want to read it all in one quick read.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I saw the movie but didn't remember it. The book is not great literature but it is easy read and a suspense-filled thriller. It made a great beach read. I will hunt down the movie to watch again to see how closely it follows the book.

[Anchit]

Not rating anything for this book. Got stuck in the Prologue itself. I cannot concentrate on details and I felt that there were quite a few.

[Sandeep Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its a chick-lit!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read a book written after the movie. I enjoyed it. It was an easy read and I absolutely love the plot. I mean, alien fetuses? Awesome!

[Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Goodness. This was one heck of a ride. I, to say the least, am psychologically disturbed by this book. But also insanely in love.

[Lyn Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, not a page turner, but good light entertainment.

[Pascalch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced but somewhat superficial.

SPOILER WARNING

a tad too reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby.

[Fayd Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so bad. At the end, I liked it.
Nice story even if I have already watched the movie ..so no surprises.

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible science fiction.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fairly entertaining and very fast read. I didn't realize it was a novelization until after I read it, but it was good enough I'd be willing to watch the movie.

[Mckinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written, not well developed. Overall bad. Makes sense it was written after a successful movie trying to cash-in. Haven't seen the movie but would recommend watching it and passing on the book.

[Maysaloon Abu-Zaglan · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is all about alliance .. the changing after he came back home.. the wife who need to deal with the changes..

[Derek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Invasion of the body snatchers + Rosemary's Baby

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good although a little short. Lots of intrigue and mystery. Good for a light read!

[Vipul Patil · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good story, though it is a bit short. Also the end is a bit abrupt and not very climatic.

[Deb Stangl Swedenburg]

This book was adapted from a movie of the same name, and it is absolutely one of the worst books I've ever read! There are so many errors in this book, I cringed all the way through it! Words were left out and characters names were mixed up. Oddly enough, there were no misspelled words!

So, you ask, why did I finish it? The plot was somewhat interesting, and it was only 230 pages, so it was a quick read. But, I have never been so glad to finish a book in my life! Now, on to something better!