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Blue Gemini #1
Blue Gemini
Scott Ourecky wanted to fly—he never dreamed he'd end up in a secret military space program.
The year is 1968: The Cold War is far from over, nuclear annihilation is always only a heartbeat away. America is racing the Soviet Union to land men on the Moon, a war is raging, and a pivotal presidential election looms on the horizon. A child of the early space age, Lieutenant Scott Ourecky joined the Air Force with aspirations of going to flight school. A brilliant engineer, he repeatedly fails the aptitude test to become a pilot but is selected to work on a highly classified military space program—the innocuously named Aerospace Support Project—in which Air Force astronauts are slated to fly missions to intercept and destroy suspect Soviet satellites.
When one of the astronauts in training abruptly falls out of the project, Ourecky is asked to fill in for the two-man simulated missions and survival training only, serving with a headstrong and abrasive test pilot, Major Drew Carson, until another astronaut can be assigned. By far the most proficient pilot assigned to the project, Carson has a dangerous propensity to engage in “pick-up” dog fighting sessions while on cross-country training flights. And although Ourecky was only a temporary “place holder,” not destined to fly in space, he soon finds himself much more involved than he ever anticipated—and in deepest peril.
Based on a real secret space program, Blue Gemini combines high-altitude action with edge-of-your-seat storytelling to create a modern Cold War thriller.
The year is 1968: The Cold War is far from over, nuclear annihilation is always only a heartbeat away. America is racing the Soviet Union to land men on the Moon, a war is raging, and a pivotal presidential election looms on the horizon. A child of the early space age, Lieutenant Scott Ourecky joined the Air Force with aspirations of going to flight school. A brilliant engineer, he repeatedly fails the aptitude test to become a pilot but is selected to work on a highly classified military space program—the innocuously named Aerospace Support Project—in which Air Force astronauts are slated to fly missions to intercept and destroy suspect Soviet satellites.
When one of the astronauts in training abruptly falls out of the project, Ourecky is asked to fill in for the two-man simulated missions and survival training only, serving with a headstrong and abrasive test pilot, Major Drew Carson, until another astronaut can be assigned. By far the most proficient pilot assigned to the project, Carson has a dangerous propensity to engage in “pick-up” dog fighting sessions while on cross-country training flights. And although Ourecky was only a temporary “place holder,” not destined to fly in space, he soon finds himself much more involved than he ever anticipated—and in deepest peril.
Based on a real secret space program, Blue Gemini combines high-altitude action with edge-of-your-seat storytelling to create a modern Cold War thriller.
568 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2015
56 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
June 29, 2024
A brilliantly written, believable fiction. This book is a strong foundation for the sequels that follow. The U. S. space warriors and their developement in this story are very realistic. This book's subject matter is timely now that Russia today has ambitions to deploy nuclear weapons in Earth orbit.
December 4, 2014
I recently received an advanced copy of Blue Gemini, after reading the first chapter, the various other books I was reading became irrelevant. Blue Gemini is captivating and all-consuming due to its intriguing multidimensional subject matter. The race for space exploration at the dawn of the Vietnam war, the industrial military complex, the achievements and sacrifices made in the quest for supremacy in spaceflight. The author states that "the vast majority of this story is a result of the authors imagination". "Only open source unclassified materials-readily accessible to the public at large- were used as reference sources". Yet Blue Gemini feels very much real, the depth and the authors understanding of the characters makes them so unique its hard to believe they are fiction. This book makes you yearn for a time in America where anything seemed possible.
July 17, 2015
Once in a while a book comes along that has multiple levels that have great appeal, yet each level can stand alone on its own merit. Mike Jenne’s Blue Gemini is such a book. On the surface, it is simply a well written, authentically detailed techno thriller set in a time when that term had not yet been used. On a deeper level, it examines the motivations and emotional price paid by the men and women who brought America through a trying and rapidly evolving time. For Generation X and Millennial readers, it is a look into a time when those history calls “The Greatest Generation” were our leaders. These men who went through the Great Depression and faced down Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan and went on to simultaneously confront the Soviet Union and the threat of World Communism in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, and the grim specter of nuclear holocaust. In yet a third level, it describes the thoughts and changing perspectives of the young men and women who were the led, the ones who actually faced the threat, and the price that they paid. Read this book, and when you read it, consider the young men and women recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and from other places you never heard of or much considered places where freedom’s price is paid in “Blood, toil, tears, and sweat”. Consider, and thank them, and pray for them.
September 23, 2015
Blue Gemini is a fast, easy read. I was looking for a good read following another space fiction book and this one came through strong.
As I started reading, I realized that Mike Jenne took everything I enjoy reading about and put it all into one book. Its part spy novel, part science book, part cold war history, part military life and part spaceflight manual all rolled into one, with a splash of teamwork training, geography, and life in general thrown in.
By now, if you’re reading this, you already know what Blue Gemini is about. Although it’s fiction, it is very well written and historically accurate. Some historical events that I didn’t remember while reading, I looked up to learn more about and those facts were echoed later in the book. After reading it, I texted a friend with “You'll like Blue Gemini. It has a Hunt for Red October feel to it. Kind of "it could be fiction or it could be based on still classified historical events".
There’s a piece of me that wants to believe that Mike knows a little more than he’s telling us and even more is going to come out in Blue Darker Than Black.
As I started reading, I realized that Mike Jenne took everything I enjoy reading about and put it all into one book. Its part spy novel, part science book, part cold war history, part military life and part spaceflight manual all rolled into one, with a splash of teamwork training, geography, and life in general thrown in.
By now, if you’re reading this, you already know what Blue Gemini is about. Although it’s fiction, it is very well written and historically accurate. Some historical events that I didn’t remember while reading, I looked up to learn more about and those facts were echoed later in the book. After reading it, I texted a friend with “You'll like Blue Gemini. It has a Hunt for Red October feel to it. Kind of "it could be fiction or it could be based on still classified historical events".
There’s a piece of me that wants to believe that Mike knows a little more than he’s telling us and even more is going to come out in Blue Darker Than Black.
October 14, 2021
I like reading about space but absolutely love reading about astronauts and this was a huge book containing just that and I'm glad to report that the time spent on this is well worth your time. My ebook was over 1000 pages long but never had a dull moment and was so much fun to read
July 2, 2024
Blue Gemini is a combination techo-thriller and alternative history. Blue Gemini (the source of the title) was an actual USAF program that planned to use the Gemini spacecraft hardware for a series of missions that would involve both NASA and USAF experiments. In 1963 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara cancelled the program, so Blue Gemini never actually flew.
In Jenne's book Blue Gemini was not cancelled but was under development to fly secret military missions. The time of the book is late 1960s, after NASA's Gemini program had ended and Apollo was on the cusp of reaching the Moon. The author gives a detailed look into the various technologies Blue Gemini used (such as using a paraglider instead of a parachute at the end of the mission), as well as the grueling training the program's astronauts had to undergo.
Jenne has done a masterful job of creating the world and the technology of the late 1960s. Through the eyes of the book's characters we get a glimpse of the thrills, frustrations and perils of flying secret military missions. Recommended for anyone who loves thrillers as well as space technology.
In Jenne's book Blue Gemini was not cancelled but was under development to fly secret military missions. The time of the book is late 1960s, after NASA's Gemini program had ended and Apollo was on the cusp of reaching the Moon. The author gives a detailed look into the various technologies Blue Gemini used (such as using a paraglider instead of a parachute at the end of the mission), as well as the grueling training the program's astronauts had to undergo.
Jenne has done a masterful job of creating the world and the technology of the late 1960s. Through the eyes of the book's characters we get a glimpse of the thrills, frustrations and perils of flying secret military missions. Recommended for anyone who loves thrillers as well as space technology.
August 3, 2016
Meet Scott Ourecky. Scott is an officer in the US Air Force. Scott is an engineer who can do orbital calculations in his head, but is unable to get into flight training to become a pilot. In 1967, Scott is assigned to 'Blue Gemini', a secret program in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in which the Air Force will use surplus Gemini spacecraft to send two men into space to kill enemy satellites.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
In the program, Scott meets a fighter pilot who bullies him, physically abuses him, yet who wants Scott in the training simulator for his superior analytical skills.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
While flying commercial, Scott meets Bea, a stewardess who looks exactly like Barbara Eden of 'I Dream of Jeannie'. Bea falls for the quiet Air Force officer, and sets her sights on marrying him.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
All Blue Gemini crews are sent into the field for survival training. Scott saves his pilot's life. The pilot bullies him, and tells Scott not to let anyone else know of his heroism.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
Bea accepts Scott's proposal of marriage, but reveals that her father was an Air Force flyer killed in Korea, and makes Scott promise not to become a pilot.
Scott, who has already been rejected from pilot training, says "Okay".
Even though he is not a pilot, Scott is brought along on Gemini re-entry practice. When the chute fouls, Scott comes up with a way to fix it. The pilot tells Scott not to let anyone else know of his heroism.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
When training is completed Scott, who is not a pilot, is thanked for his efforts and sent packing to MIT, where the Air Force is going to pay for his PhD.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
A few months later, after a failed Blue Gemini launch, the head of the program asks Scott to come back in, to give up his PhD, to lie to Bea, and to fly into space.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
As if Scott's not bad enough, the rest of the characters are stereotypes: the hotshot pilot who can get any girl he wants, the German rocket scientist with a fair air of suspicion about him, the promiscuous 1960s stewardess with a deep maternal instinct, the maverick head of the program who is a dead ringer for the Cowboy narrator from The Big Lebowsky.
The technical explanations of the Blue Gemini program are nerdvana for space buffs like me. Unfortunately, technical details, no matter how painstakingly accurate, are not enough for a story.
The most interesting subplot revolves around Matthew Henson (the name is no accident), an African-American USAF sergeant. Since Blue Gemini spacecraft can come down anywhere on earth, Henson has received special training on how to get into almost any country, how to make friends with the local Resistance (if necessary), and how to exfiltrate two USAF astronauts who happened to have landed there. Unfortunately, Henson's sections are too short -- he'd make an excellent character for a book of his own.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
In the program, Scott meets a fighter pilot who bullies him, physically abuses him, yet who wants Scott in the training simulator for his superior analytical skills.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
While flying commercial, Scott meets Bea, a stewardess who looks exactly like Barbara Eden of 'I Dream of Jeannie'. Bea falls for the quiet Air Force officer, and sets her sights on marrying him.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
All Blue Gemini crews are sent into the field for survival training. Scott saves his pilot's life. The pilot bullies him, and tells Scott not to let anyone else know of his heroism.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
Bea accepts Scott's proposal of marriage, but reveals that her father was an Air Force flyer killed in Korea, and makes Scott promise not to become a pilot.
Scott, who has already been rejected from pilot training, says "Okay".
Even though he is not a pilot, Scott is brought along on Gemini re-entry practice. When the chute fouls, Scott comes up with a way to fix it. The pilot tells Scott not to let anyone else know of his heroism.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
When training is completed Scott, who is not a pilot, is thanked for his efforts and sent packing to MIT, where the Air Force is going to pay for his PhD.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
A few months later, after a failed Blue Gemini launch, the head of the program asks Scott to come back in, to give up his PhD, to lie to Bea, and to fly into space.
Scott Ourecky says "Okay".
As if Scott's not bad enough, the rest of the characters are stereotypes: the hotshot pilot who can get any girl he wants, the German rocket scientist with a fair air of suspicion about him, the promiscuous 1960s stewardess with a deep maternal instinct, the maverick head of the program who is a dead ringer for the Cowboy narrator from The Big Lebowsky.
The technical explanations of the Blue Gemini program are nerdvana for space buffs like me. Unfortunately, technical details, no matter how painstakingly accurate, are not enough for a story.
The most interesting subplot revolves around Matthew Henson (the name is no accident), an African-American USAF sergeant. Since Blue Gemini spacecraft can come down anywhere on earth, Henson has received special training on how to get into almost any country, how to make friends with the local Resistance (if necessary), and how to exfiltrate two USAF astronauts who happened to have landed there. Unfortunately, Henson's sections are too short -- he'd make an excellent character for a book of his own.
October 21, 2019
Great Story
I grew up in the 60s and 70s. This exciting story felt historically authentic and accurate with it historical and aeronautical details. It makes you feel like you are hearing a true story that is just now being revealed at a safe distance from its occurrence. Really recommend this book!
I grew up in the 60s and 70s. This exciting story felt historically authentic and accurate with it historical and aeronautical details. It makes you feel like you are hearing a true story that is just now being revealed at a safe distance from its occurrence. Really recommend this book!
July 27, 2017
I've said it elsewhere, and I'll say it here: "Take Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton and Clive Cussler... launch them into orbit, and you have Mike Jenne!"
For the space enthusiast, spy-thriller buff and action aficionado, Mr. Jenne's Blue Gemini has it all: exciting scenarios, technical expertise, and characters that are easy to relate to, Blue Gemini will have you suspended in the zero-g euphoria of that all-too-rare commodity: a great story that you can't put down!
For the space enthusiast, spy-thriller buff and action aficionado, Mr. Jenne's Blue Gemini has it all: exciting scenarios, technical expertise, and characters that are easy to relate to, Blue Gemini will have you suspended in the zero-g euphoria of that all-too-rare commodity: a great story that you can't put down!
December 18, 2019
I recently finished a project that delved into the history of manned space flight. The most dramatic revelation of my research was the realization that we did not build space craft to send men into orbit - we simply used available ICBM missiles, replacing nuclear warheads with cramped seats for intrepid astronauts! My studies also revealed brief references to a Top Secret shadow program that paralleled the NASA Gemini project: Blue Gemini.
To discover a series of books that offered a glimpse into that secret program was an unexpected delight. Following a distinguished military career in his own right, and with both family and professional colleagues in key positions in the aerospace industry to guide his own exhaustive research, Mike Jenne is more than qualified to tell the inside story of America's little-known manned satellite interdiction corps.
The book is labeled a 'thriller', a genre that seemed misplaced as I was vacuumed up into the storyline of a compelling historical novel. The characters are interesting; their individual and collective development within the advancing story pull the narrative along. The historic accuracy, down to the finest detail of the period, entice the reader to discover 'what happened', rather than 'what will happen next' to the characters. But it is the procedural detail (which in another author's hands would be mind-numbing and superfluous) that informs, elucidates, and entertains as it also builds the arc of the story to its nail-biting end.
That should be enough to ask of any book, any author. But the draftsman of Blue Gemini was not satisfied to tell an excellent story. Instead he left us a number of fascinating characters with jobs still to do, subplots yet to be revealed and resolved. I can't wait to read the rest of the Blue Gemini trilogy.
To discover a series of books that offered a glimpse into that secret program was an unexpected delight. Following a distinguished military career in his own right, and with both family and professional colleagues in key positions in the aerospace industry to guide his own exhaustive research, Mike Jenne is more than qualified to tell the inside story of America's little-known manned satellite interdiction corps.
The book is labeled a 'thriller', a genre that seemed misplaced as I was vacuumed up into the storyline of a compelling historical novel. The characters are interesting; their individual and collective development within the advancing story pull the narrative along. The historic accuracy, down to the finest detail of the period, entice the reader to discover 'what happened', rather than 'what will happen next' to the characters. But it is the procedural detail (which in another author's hands would be mind-numbing and superfluous) that informs, elucidates, and entertains as it also builds the arc of the story to its nail-biting end.
That should be enough to ask of any book, any author. But the draftsman of Blue Gemini was not satisfied to tell an excellent story. Instead he left us a number of fascinating characters with jobs still to do, subplots yet to be revealed and resolved. I can't wait to read the rest of the Blue Gemini trilogy.
August 19, 2021
More of a 3.5 but no half stars and def better than a 3 star book.
Billed as a thriller but beyond the basic concept of this being a top secret military space program separate from NASA, there's not a lot here I associate with thrillers.
Little to no espionage or other spy type stuff. No assassinations. The secret program astronauts not a hit squad or an operation in some place the U.S. shouldn't be.
That said, it's still an enjoyable read. Set in the 60s, the mains are part of a secret space program designated to investigate, sabotage, destroy Soviet and others satellites. Most of the characters are engaging and even believable. The pace is steady with an eventual climax that is both satisfying and enjoyable.
Part of my problem is that the pacing was too steady. It's a constant with few peaks or valleys and little intensity change from start to end. This is also a reason it felt a bit less than thrilling than a thriller should. Everything advances at a the same pace the whole book except a few asides in the Soviet Union. There's no ramping of tension. No release of tension. It just goes.
Apparently this is the first book in a series. I was baffled at the end of the book when none of the stuff that took place in the Soviet Union had any kind of resolution so I looked it up and there are more books. As much as I enjoyed this book, if the rest of the books have the same constant and unchanging pace, I'm not sure I want to continue. It's a great premise and I enjoyed all the characters but sometimes it just felt interesting but not gripping.
I don't know how much of the stuff he put in about the test procedures for astronauts and launch/flight procedures is based in historical and technical fact but it certainly was interesting and seemed believable.
I don't regret taking the time to read it but don't know that I'll continue.
Billed as a thriller but beyond the basic concept of this being a top secret military space program separate from NASA, there's not a lot here I associate with thrillers.
Little to no espionage or other spy type stuff. No assassinations. The secret program astronauts not a hit squad or an operation in some place the U.S. shouldn't be.
That said, it's still an enjoyable read. Set in the 60s, the mains are part of a secret space program designated to investigate, sabotage, destroy Soviet and others satellites. Most of the characters are engaging and even believable. The pace is steady with an eventual climax that is both satisfying and enjoyable.
Part of my problem is that the pacing was too steady. It's a constant with few peaks or valleys and little intensity change from start to end. This is also a reason it felt a bit less than thrilling than a thriller should. Everything advances at a the same pace the whole book except a few asides in the Soviet Union. There's no ramping of tension. No release of tension. It just goes.
Apparently this is the first book in a series. I was baffled at the end of the book when none of the stuff that took place in the Soviet Union had any kind of resolution so I looked it up and there are more books. As much as I enjoyed this book, if the rest of the books have the same constant and unchanging pace, I'm not sure I want to continue. It's a great premise and I enjoyed all the characters but sometimes it just felt interesting but not gripping.
I don't know how much of the stuff he put in about the test procedures for astronauts and launch/flight procedures is based in historical and technical fact but it certainly was interesting and seemed believable.
I don't regret taking the time to read it but don't know that I'll continue.
May 7, 2017
This book tells the story of the top secret Blue Gemini program, the US Air Force's program to fly their own military space missions for intercept and surveillance in the late 60s and early 70s. The story is told from the point of view of a young engineer working on the program who ultimately flies a successful mission.
I found the story very interesting and the wealth of detail of the secret program fascinating - just the thing for a space enthusiast like myself. The novel is a thriller and probably classifies as cryptic history (secret events that could have happened consistent with history as we know it) rather than alternate history. Without giving anything away, flying into space does not happen until pretty late in the book and forms the climax of the novel.
The only gripes I have with the book is that the characters are a little one dimensional, and that the book is not entirely self contained. There are a number of plot threads which are started in this first novel in the series which don't start to come together until the second (which I am currently reading) or the possibly later. Nevertheless, a very interesting and absorbing read.
I found the story very interesting and the wealth of detail of the secret program fascinating - just the thing for a space enthusiast like myself. The novel is a thriller and probably classifies as cryptic history (secret events that could have happened consistent with history as we know it) rather than alternate history. Without giving anything away, flying into space does not happen until pretty late in the book and forms the climax of the novel.
The only gripes I have with the book is that the characters are a little one dimensional, and that the book is not entirely self contained. There are a number of plot threads which are started in this first novel in the series which don't start to come together until the second (which I am currently reading) or the possibly later. Nevertheless, a very interesting and absorbing read.
May 3, 2020
I happened on to this book by chance. I saw it in a regular email of books I might like to read and thought the subject matter is definitely something I'd be interested in. I'm so glad I took a chance on this. I bought it and it was sitting in my queue of books to read for a few months and when I was looking for something new, there it was waiting for me. I found it to be a novel that I wanted to keep coming back to and find out what was going to happen next. Mike Jenne does a good job of mixing technical facts, history, interesting characters, and great storytelling, which are the ingredients for me that make a great novel that I want to read. As an avid space, aeronautics, and Cold War buff, I have immensely enjoyed this book, and usually, when I finish a novel, I'm right back to reading non-fiction. In this case, I couldn't wait to continue the story with the next book in the series, Blue Darker than Black, and jumped right into it after I finished this. It's unusual for me to read back to back books by the same author, but I'm glad I'm doing so! I highly recommend picking this book up and giving it a read.
September 2, 2020
I’m giving this review for the whole trilogy because this is really a super long book divided into three. While each book has a big event to mark the climax, there are also plot lines that begin in one book and have no significant event until the second or third book. But what is great about how this is written is that it feels quite real.
The premise is that during the space race while NASA was trying to put men in orbit and on the moon, the US Army/Air Force was running a secret space program to put men in orbit to intercept and destroy Soviet satellites.
It feels historical. It feels like these things really happened and the author just put the events in novelized form. And it is relatively clean. There isn’t a lot of swearing, No lewd sex scenes, and no social messaging or anachronistic virtue signaling. It’s just a good story.
The premise is that during the space race while NASA was trying to put men in orbit and on the moon, the US Army/Air Force was running a secret space program to put men in orbit to intercept and destroy Soviet satellites.
It feels historical. It feels like these things really happened and the author just put the events in novelized form. And it is relatively clean. There isn’t a lot of swearing, No lewd sex scenes, and no social messaging or anachronistic virtue signaling. It’s just a good story.
May 13, 2023
A good yarn, found in the mystery category of the Audible Plus catalog.
Setting aside the one dimensional characters and the veritable mountain of cliches this historical fiction held up well. My perspective is colored as a child of the 50’s and 60’s as well as an Army brat.
There are a few problems that need attention. First, plot holes- yikes so many gaffes. Second - the theft of the Gemini computer by the Russians was absolute nonsense. NASA NEVER sends any spacecraft or components out for display without removing all working equipment. I know this from personal experience. Third - the narrator has a great voice but if he or the director decided to vocalize the ersatz Russian (approve-ed, etc.) they should rethink this decision.
All that said, I’m going to listen to the second installment to test a hypothesis. I’ll share the results after finishing the next book.
Be Well.
Setting aside the one dimensional characters and the veritable mountain of cliches this historical fiction held up well. My perspective is colored as a child of the 50’s and 60’s as well as an Army brat.
There are a few problems that need attention. First, plot holes- yikes so many gaffes. Second - the theft of the Gemini computer by the Russians was absolute nonsense. NASA NEVER sends any spacecraft or components out for display without removing all working equipment. I know this from personal experience. Third - the narrator has a great voice but if he or the director decided to vocalize the ersatz Russian (approve-ed, etc.) they should rethink this decision.
All that said, I’m going to listen to the second installment to test a hypothesis. I’ll share the results after finishing the next book.
Be Well.
March 31, 2021
You need to read all three books. They are great.
First off the characters are full fledged and you will experience different and changing attitudes toward each as they develop. The dynamic between the two main characters grows from experienced veteran and his unwanted sidekick to two professionals with a deep bond experiencing and surviving some of the most dangerous and insane space adventures I've ever read.
The science is spot on. The technical details are perfect. The characters are people I 100% believe could have existed. Even the more mundane stuff really works to tie the story together as something more than historical science fiction.
Read this book, then read the other two. You won't be disappointed.
First off the characters are full fledged and you will experience different and changing attitudes toward each as they develop. The dynamic between the two main characters grows from experienced veteran and his unwanted sidekick to two professionals with a deep bond experiencing and surviving some of the most dangerous and insane space adventures I've ever read.
The science is spot on. The technical details are perfect. The characters are people I 100% believe could have existed. Even the more mundane stuff really works to tie the story together as something more than historical science fiction.
Read this book, then read the other two. You won't be disappointed.
July 23, 2020
For anyone with an interest in the early, pioneering days of the space program, the Cold War and the often turbulent late 1960s, I can't recommend this novel enough. It's meticulous attention to detail about the former two subjects makes it a tactile experience, and there's just enough of the latter to add flavor, but not so much that it overwhelms it. If you don't, then I'd say your mileage will vary.
Our main protagonist is a prototypical Gary Stu, and supporting characters are thin archetypes, but the basic story is such that they pull the wagon together and it succeeds largely on the backs of their workman-like effort.
Our main protagonist is a prototypical Gary Stu, and supporting characters are thin archetypes, but the basic story is such that they pull the wagon together and it succeeds largely on the backs of their workman-like effort.
March 11, 2022
A surprisingly good read (actually listen, audio). It makes like a "procedural" on military training and space flight procedures, which normally I would not be a fan of (ala a police procedural). This book draws you in with a good plotline but really takes hold of you with well-built characters. You really care about Scott and Drew, and even the bosses come off the page (or out of my AirPods), though the sappy Texas twang isms get a little too thick. The ending was slightly predictable, but still palatable. I will read (or listen, the audiobook is more than likely) the next in the series, well done Mike Jenne!
March 25, 2024
First things first: Blue Gemini is a very good read
Centered around the fruition of a real life program proposal, Blue Gemini takes the idea and runs. While a few storylines are introduced in the beginning of the novel, they soon tie together and the novel gains pace before reaching a satisfying conclusion. As an Aerospace student, the technical details and nods to other projects were quite numerous and just as enjoyable. Due to some travel I had the opportunity to read the entire book over the course of four days, and in a world where in-flight entertainment is near limitless, Blue Gemini kept me rapt for hours.
Centered around the fruition of a real life program proposal, Blue Gemini takes the idea and runs. While a few storylines are introduced in the beginning of the novel, they soon tie together and the novel gains pace before reaching a satisfying conclusion. As an Aerospace student, the technical details and nods to other projects were quite numerous and just as enjoyable. Due to some travel I had the opportunity to read the entire book over the course of four days, and in a world where in-flight entertainment is near limitless, Blue Gemini kept me rapt for hours.
February 26, 2021
This is a fascinating, intelligent and well-paced Cold War thriller. I liked the details of how this secret program (which in real life, was cancelled before it got very far) gets put together, and especially the relationship between the two main characters, seeing them grow from reluctant partners to loyal and devoted friends. A minor negative is that several plot threads are left unresolved without even a half-conclusion, presumably being saved for the follow-up books. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in space exploration (as well as novels).
January 25, 2022
Blue Gemini is a most enjoyable book for fans of techno-thrillers and "historical" (i.e., Mercury/Gemini/Apollo-era) space stories.
The book had a few structural flaws:
- The "big" scene doesn't happen until you're through 90% of the book.
- There are a lot of little sub-plots that either resolve themselves in some way unknown to the reader, or are left completely hanging, presumably to be resolved in another book.
Despite what I think of as structural flaws, the book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
The book had a few structural flaws:
- The "big" scene doesn't happen until you're through 90% of the book.
- There are a lot of little sub-plots that either resolve themselves in some way unknown to the reader, or are left completely hanging, presumably to be resolved in another book.
Despite what I think of as structural flaws, the book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
Read
April 9, 2023Dnf, Oracky is an engineer working as an engineer for the air force In the 1960. He is picked to work on a top secret manned space orbit programme. All male characters and alot of technical detail. Just didn't hit the mark for me. Great narration by Stillwell. Very long at 22 hours, I think I made it to 4 hours. Probably a good read for someone interested in the 1960 space programmes and cold war politics.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2018
I set aside everything else I was reading and went straight through this book. I liked the characters and the adventure, and I was impressed by the level of research. Fast, fun fiction. Recent world events made the setting and scenario more relevant than I would have expected. I am planning to continue with the series.
March 17, 2020
I have to go against the grain here and give a so so review. The writing and the characters were OK,
but the story line was a grind. Out of 550 pages, 500 were background and endless training. Only one tenth of the book was the actual mission! For a "thriller", that is just too much build up for a not very exciting thrill.
but the story line was a grind. Out of 550 pages, 500 were background and endless training. Only one tenth of the book was the actual mission! For a "thriller", that is just too much build up for a not very exciting thrill.
May 7, 2020
Clearly, if Tom Clancy had written about the Space Race, this is most likely how the first book would read. So many seemingly unrelated happenings are introduced, leading the reader down paths of mystery and excitement, until they all flow together into one or two huge and compelling plots, with lovers of suspense and history cheering on the heroes, American and otherwise!
March 11, 2025
I liked it but didn't find it the most well-written, plot-wise or otherwise. It didn't seem particularly believable. Kind of felt like a worse version of The Apollo Murders. But I did still give it 3 stars, so I'm more focused on what I didn't like than what I did. I'll likely finish off the series.
July 6, 2018
Great read!
Realistic presentation of space program in a story with adventure romance and likeable characters. Thoroughly enjoyable and well able to sustain interest.
Realistic presentation of space program in a story with adventure romance and likeable characters. Thoroughly enjoyable and well able to sustain interest.
December 22, 2019
Spies in space
Perfect for the space junkie in all of us. I lived through these times and remember space fever. Good story and interesting thought experiment.
Perfect for the space junkie in all of us. I lived through these times and remember space fever. Good story and interesting thought experiment.
March 27, 2020
Excellent read!!! I'm headed off to buy the #2 book in this series. How's that for a recomendation!
September 9, 2020
I tried but found the characters very one-dimensional. Made it a third of the way through before finally admitting defeat.
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