An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

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At the end of the book, I was surprised that most of the characters, except for the fictional Kaz, were real people, and the Russian spy satellite and their moon rover were actually in place at the time. The first Canadian to walk in space, Hadfield has flown two Space Shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station. Have you ever read a book where it feels like the author thinks they may only get one and only chance, so they throw absolutely everything they have at the one book?

Young Chris is afraid of the dark until he sees the Eagle land on the moon and is moved by the beauty of space. NASA flight controller Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis knows that all too well, as he helps prepare for the launch of Apollo 18. So much minutia of mechanics, chemistry, hydraulics, physical components that my comprehension of the intervening plot has succumbed beyond retrieval. Probably 200 pages of absolutely unnecessary detail and side story could (and I'd argue should) have been cut out and the true thriller meat of the story would not have been affected at all.

alongside Kevin Fong and Iya Whiteley, where 12 contestants compete to earn Hadfield's approval and recommendation as a candidate for future applications to become an astronaut. Having discovered the work of Fan brothers in their gorgeous picture-book debut, The Night Gardener, I was very excited to see this second title, and I was not disappointed. Maybe Russia couldn't prove it, but it would certainly cause accusations to be made and an international incident.

So this book is as close to reality as you can get, for a fictional story on account of moon-landing that is. It was also interesting to contemplate how the Cold War mentality of suspicion and secrecy would play out should the U.Written by a former astronaut, The Apollo Murders has a realistic feel to it whenever technicals details—how mission training works, the feel of being strapped to a rocket blasting into space, moving around a confined ship in zero gravity, reentering Earth’s orbit and splashing down in the ocean—are being described. Author, Chris Hadfield, is a much-decorated Canadian astronaut, a former fighter pilot, engineer, spacewalker, served in both the American and Russian space programs, and Commander of the International Space Station. Hadfield attended White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville, Ontario until his senior year and then graduated as an Ontario Scholar from Milton District High School in 1977. Yet, the training seems to be about doing the standard moon stuff of grabbing some rocks, making some observations, taking some samples, setting up some experiments, and trying to get back to Earth without dying. And yet they still decide to land on the fucking moon rather than just orbiting once and coming back immediately.

It was full of conveniences, constant head-hopping, useless characters, annoying stereotypes, unnecessary detail, inconsistent pacing, bizarre character motivations, bland dialogue, too many subplots, no character development, and boring prose.Hadfield has an array of those who could be protagonists in their own right, but I choose not to choose a single individual for this piece. When writing a story like this, I imagine there is a constant tug-of-war between including enough technical details as to be authentic, but not so much that it bogs down the narrative and the pacing.

Being written by an astronaut gives the book a weight that could not otherwise be achieved and creates the sense of being able to reach your dreams whatever the dream is. Having just recently watched in awe at William Shatner blasting off into space and always having a fascination in our solar system, I couldn’t wait to read this highly anticipated space thriller. I did like the fact he used real characters and places through the book to add some authenticity to this, but I just wonder if 100 pages or so less would have kept my interest.

The book has garnered a lot of attention due to the author—there are 554 people waiting for it at my library. The illustrations provide a further depth to how broad a child’s imagination can be, with hidden aliens scattered throughout.