Meta: Lua

Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. #3

by Hugh Walters, Maria Augusta Damásio (Translator)

The lunar astronauts of East & West clash in a deadly race for space...

Genres: Science Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Brad B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read (and re-read) several of Hugh Walters' novels when I was young. First On the Moon is the first one I've revisited as an adult and, despite being dated, it holds up remarkably well. What surprised me was how much this story reminded me of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. Of course, First On the Moon is aimed at younger readers, so it lacks the salacious details of Bond's women and excessive food/drink. But we have a British author depicting post-War Britain as having a much greater role on the global stage than it really did. We spend a great deal of time in the protagonist's head as he ponders the life-and-death events he's engaged in. And we have a younger man (Godfrey/Bond) sent as a representative of Queen and Country by an older man (Frayling/M) to perform international feats of derring-do. The comparison is a bit of a stretch, but I believe both franchises are cut from the same cloth. One profound difference, however, is that Ian Fleming saw the darkness inherent in human nature, including his own protagonist, whereas Hugh Walters remained an optimist.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

First on the Moon is the third book of a juvenile U.K. series (what's called YA these days) of twenty books that ran from the late 1950s into the early '80s. It follows the adventures of Chris Godfrey of U.N.E.X.A. This one was published in 1960 with the title Operation Columbus and was reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap's mass market Tempo imprint early in 1969 with the current title, probably to capitalize on the imminent Apollo landing. I got my copy via the wonderful monthly Scholastic book club a few months after the Eagle landed. I remember enjoying it, despite the dated technology, though I never read any of the other books in the series. It's a tight little thriller, owing more to Ian Fleming than Heinlein, and I liked the message of the necessity of needing to work together in space despite Terrestrial political oppositions. It focuses more on Cold War intrigue than space exploration and shows the U.K. as a major player in the Moon race, so it may have been my first foray into alternate history.

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cold war stuff is a little exaggerated, but only a little.
This book was published in 1959, long before Apollo 11 but the author figures out that
the best way to get around on the Moon is to do a kind of kangaroo hop.
This is what the astronauts would do on the Moon about 10 years later
I am enjoying these more than I expected and so far, these would be pretty easy to update for modern times.

[Angela Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

A re-read. the scientific information in this (and all of Mr. Walter's books) was accurate at the time it was written. The views on society were somewhat progressive for the time. We've learned a lot since these books were written, but I still enjoyed reading this book again.

[R Frueh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely boy's adventure. Fun.

[Ronald]

read during school year 1965-66, possibly in spring 1966