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Red Moon: One Small Step...Toward Armegeddon
July 13, 1969. Three days before Apollo 11 lifts off from Cape Canaveral, the Soviet Union launches Luna 15, a rocket carrying the lunar lander, Firebird. They later claim it was a failed robotic probe, concealing a final attempt at beating America in the moon race and sealing the fate of its lone occupant, Grigor Belinsky, a cosmonaut blackmailed into flying the one-way mission. July, 2019. A multinational mission lands on the moon's Sea of Crises. American astronaut Janet Luckman leads a team in search of the Mother lunar ice, laced with Helium-3-a desperately needed energy source. The future of humanity rides on Luckman's success. Luckman discovers the Firebird and recovers its flight log, but the body of its mystery cosmonaut (Belinsky) is missing. Facing a 51 hour deadline, the dangerous lunar environment and a traitorous crew member bent on murder, she struggles to find the Mother Lode and uncover Belinsky's fate. A firestorm erupts on Earth as both American and Russian aut
- GenresScience FictionThriller
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 27, 2011
The plot of this story is set in 2019, with humans back on the Moon looking for fusion power fuel, and also in the Soviet Union in the late 1960s, at the height of the Moon race. As things fall apart during a Moon mission in 2019, a NASA scientist must travel to Moscow to find out about a mysterious spacecraft found on the Moon. He uncovers a deep conspiracy about the Cold War Soviet space program. Back then, unknown cosmonaut Grigor Belinsky is maneuvered into taking on an unthinkable mission.
I freely admit that I am a sucker for the subject matter. Secret Moon missions? Blending fact and fiction about the Moon Race? Oh my! I just had to read this book. It delivered beyond my wildest expectations. Unlike the deeply disappointing “Children of Apollo“, another independent publication in the genre, “Red Moon” is masterfully crafted. The plot is intelligent and elegant beyond words and moves powerfully towards a breathless climax. Not since early Clancy novels have I read something with this kind of page-turning power combined with depth.
And the characters! Belinsky feels so alive, so real. He is a classic tragic hero, his inevitable fate sealed by his deep drive and desire to do the right thing in an evil world. The whole way Russians are described is so spot on, showing their poetic and melancholy side, their deeply emotional selves, in a way that few Western thrillers manage. What a book! It satisfies on many levels, with the sprinkling of culturally rooted mysticism, the slice-of-life vignettes from the 60s and the believable, three-dimensional characters lifting what could have been just a competent thriller into the realm of the sublime.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=108
I freely admit that I am a sucker for the subject matter. Secret Moon missions? Blending fact and fiction about the Moon Race? Oh my! I just had to read this book. It delivered beyond my wildest expectations. Unlike the deeply disappointing “Children of Apollo“, another independent publication in the genre, “Red Moon” is masterfully crafted. The plot is intelligent and elegant beyond words and moves powerfully towards a breathless climax. Not since early Clancy novels have I read something with this kind of page-turning power combined with depth.
And the characters! Belinsky feels so alive, so real. He is a classic tragic hero, his inevitable fate sealed by his deep drive and desire to do the right thing in an evil world. The whole way Russians are described is so spot on, showing their poetic and melancholy side, their deeply emotional selves, in a way that few Western thrillers manage. What a book! It satisfies on many levels, with the sprinkling of culturally rooted mysticism, the slice-of-life vignettes from the 60s and the believable, three-dimensional characters lifting what could have been just a competent thriller into the realm of the sublime.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=108
November 23, 2017
The best novel you likely never heard of ... and, no, it's not one of mine. I guess I should also mention that the novel is science fiction — which means, it's not competing with Austen or Dickens or Tolstoy or Hemingway.
But I should also say that I think science fiction always has a leg up — a page up? a screen up? — on all other kinds of literature, because science fiction deals with makes us quintessentially human, which I take to not just accept what the universe deals out, not just cope with it, but strive to change the universe itself.
The novel is by David S. Michaels and Daniel Brenton.
You never heard of them, right?
They published a novel, in the year 2000, entitled Red Moon (not to be confused with Michael Cassutt's novel of the same name published around the same time, and the half a dozen other novels by the same name published since then). Cassutt's novel is good.
Dave Michael and Daniel Brenton's is among the best three or four novels I've ever read, period — as I already said.
The background of the novel: I've always been fascinated by the collapse of the Soviet space program in the 1960s. The Soviets jump-started the space age with Sputnik in 1957. They got the first animals and then the first people up into space. They sent spacecraft — with no people — to the moon.
They were on the verge of getting people there.
[the rest of my review continues here]: http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2013...
But I should also say that I think science fiction always has a leg up — a page up? a screen up? — on all other kinds of literature, because science fiction deals with makes us quintessentially human, which I take to not just accept what the universe deals out, not just cope with it, but strive to change the universe itself.
The novel is by David S. Michaels and Daniel Brenton.
You never heard of them, right?
They published a novel, in the year 2000, entitled Red Moon (not to be confused with Michael Cassutt's novel of the same name published around the same time, and the half a dozen other novels by the same name published since then). Cassutt's novel is good.
Dave Michael and Daniel Brenton's is among the best three or four novels I've ever read, period — as I already said.
The background of the novel: I've always been fascinated by the collapse of the Soviet space program in the 1960s. The Soviets jump-started the space age with Sputnik in 1957. They got the first animals and then the first people up into space. They sent spacecraft — with no people — to the moon.
They were on the verge of getting people there.
[the rest of my review continues here]: http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2013...
January 1, 2016
I liked it. It isn't a literary masterpiece but it was fun. The book switches between 2019 and the late 1960's. The 60's chapters concern the race between the US and the USSR to be first on the moon. The Russians had the lead and then things started falling apart for them while the US seemed to have good luck going for them. The 2019 chapters concern a journey to the moon by a trio of scientists - one American, one Russian, and one Aussie - to search for ice to solve the energy problems of Earth. Supposedly, Russia, the US, and other nations are combined in a battle against China and Middle Eastern countries under a Caliphate to dominate the earth.
My favorite character was Cosmonaut Berlinski. Now he had it rough! He was also the subject of the thriller component of the novel - who was he and why was there no record of him? For that matter, why was there no record to be found of the Russian program to land a man on the moon?
There's a lot going on in this reimagined history of the space race and the potential upcoming future of the world. Definitely worth the read.
My favorite character was Cosmonaut Berlinski. Now he had it rough! He was also the subject of the thriller component of the novel - who was he and why was there no record of him? For that matter, why was there no record to be found of the Russian program to land a man on the moon?
There's a lot going on in this reimagined history of the space race and the potential upcoming future of the world. Definitely worth the read.
January 11, 2014
This is one of the best books I have read recently. It mixes intriguing and seemingly well researched history, the Soviet space programme and the race to the moon at the end of the 1960s, with a futurie international effort to locate cometary debris on the moon. The latter theme is pure speculation but it provides a nice setting for the back story. I enjoyed the build up towards what ends up being a suicide mission for the central character from the past. The detective story that ties it all together also provides food for thought. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It runs circles around many recent bestsellers. If there were a rating out of 20, I would give this 19, taking one mark off for a few really minor editing issues.
February 20, 2022
What a great book. Good sci-fi, imaginative alternate history - a Russian Czar is back in power -, geopolitical tensions, romance, the meaning of life, all in one book. And a thriller to boot.
Should be better known.
And what happened to the authors after this masterpiece?
Should be better known.
And what happened to the authors after this masterpiece?
October 3, 2010
The plot: Tom Clancy meets Danielle Steel. I will never look at 5 star reviews from Amazon the same way again!
The science: It would be useful to find water on the moon. Processing helium 3 out of the lunar regolith for use in fusion would certainly be one way of addressing future energy needs on Earth. But the scientists in this story seem to think that you'd have to find one to get the other??? The ice would surely come from comets... The helium 3 is an isotope of helium that would surely arrive on the solar wind...Maybe their idea is that the comet acquired some helium 3 on a trip around the sun, before crashing into a shadowed crater on the moon? I'm not convinced you need the ice to get the helium 3, although it would be handy for other purposes.
I'm halfway through. If I can force myself to finish this book, which I paid good money for, maybe I'll change my mind. But right now, it's looking like one star is all I can muster up.
The science: It would be useful to find water on the moon. Processing helium 3 out of the lunar regolith for use in fusion would certainly be one way of addressing future energy needs on Earth. But the scientists in this story seem to think that you'd have to find one to get the other??? The ice would surely come from comets... The helium 3 is an isotope of helium that would surely arrive on the solar wind...Maybe their idea is that the comet acquired some helium 3 on a trip around the sun, before crashing into a shadowed crater on the moon? I'm not convinced you need the ice to get the helium 3, although it would be handy for other purposes.
I'm halfway through. If I can force myself to finish this book, which I paid good money for, maybe I'll change my mind. But right now, it's looking like one star is all I can muster up.
August 2, 2011
In 2019 a moon landing is performed. They find a 1969 Russian ship. Who got there first, Apollo 11 or this ship? How much does it matter? How many lies are told? How many lives are forfeited? Is the fate of the Earth suborned to politics?
I liked the premise. The book moves quickly. It follows three story lines and two timelines. Of course there's unnecessary garbage (more details than I cared to know) and swearing often forced into the dialog, but the rest of the book is not disappointing.
I did not attempt to think too far ahead, just took it as it came. Thus, I didn't find it overly predicable. I had to overlook a lot of grammatical problems, that were sometimes distracting. There were a few technical things to ignored.
Despite those complaints, I rated it high because it was good enough to overcoming short comings. I did not relate strongly with any of the characters, but I did feel for their plights and stupidity.
I liked the premise. The book moves quickly. It follows three story lines and two timelines. Of course there's unnecessary garbage (more details than I cared to know) and swearing often forced into the dialog, but the rest of the book is not disappointing.
I did not attempt to think too far ahead, just took it as it came. Thus, I didn't find it overly predicable. I had to overlook a lot of grammatical problems, that were sometimes distracting. There were a few technical things to ignored.
Despite those complaints, I rated it high because it was good enough to overcoming short comings. I did not relate strongly with any of the characters, but I did feel for their plights and stupidity.
January 17, 2012
One of the best books that I've ever read. The competition, deception, and secrecy between the United States and the Soviets, and even between the Soviets themselves and the Americans themselves make this a hard book to put down.
September 4, 2015
An incredibly pleasant surprise. This is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. Excellent pacing, great character development, and extensive research on both the Soviet and American space programs make this a must read for any fan of near-space adventures.
January 13, 2026
This is a bit of an unknown gem. It is hard to get hold of but if you enjoy science fiction or alternative history then it is well worth a read. The story and characters are both excellent and I still think about it decades after first reading it.
August 5, 2011
What if they DID do it...
January 24, 2013
I found this book a real struggle, very heavy on dialogue and detail with a storyline and characters that I found little affinity with.
April 22, 2013
Decent read.
May 1, 2013
really loved this. not so into space stories, but this one was so much more.
June 27, 2013
very political and timely
July 8, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews