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vancampc's review against another edition
2.0
Guilty pleasure sci-fi conspiracy, with a truly disappointing ending that made me wish I'd never started.
pange13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
matosapa's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
trike's review against another edition
2.0
What if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin weren't the first astronauts to walk on the moon? Why would the US cover up earlier landings? What's on the moon to cause them to do so?
I stopped reading Jack McDevitt's work years ago because he starts with a tremendous premise and then fails to follow through. I felt that most of his books simply don't have endings. Despite the collaboration with Mike Resnick, this book has the same problem. The answer to the above questions are mind-blowingly awesome... and these guys don't do anything with it. Another fizzle.
The writing is fine; workmanlike rather than poetic or inspiring. The characters are one-dimensional, but they don't really need to be complex for a potboiler like this. There are some weird quirks, such as everyone insisting they be called by their first name. Who does that? Wouldn't at least one person insist on formality? Even just to spice things up a bit, for variety's sake if nothing else. You can tell this was written by a couple of older white guys who haven't had contact with the corporate world in along time. When is the last time anyone called someone a "secretary"? They're all assistants now and have been for at least 20 years.
There are some structural problems, too, such as the three-day voyage to the moon taking a sentence, yet once they discover the key to the mystery the scene cuts away and the flow is interrupted. If you're sending one of your protagonists to the moon, have the others do things *while* they're in transition, don't chop it up randomly.
I mean, this book isn't BAD, it just doesn't deliver on its promises. Hence the 2 stars.
I stopped reading Jack McDevitt's work years ago because he starts with a tremendous premise and then fails to follow through. I felt that most of his books simply don't have endings. Despite the collaboration with Mike Resnick, this book has the same problem. The answer to the above questions are mind-blowingly awesome... and these guys don't do anything with it. Another fizzle.
The writing is fine; workmanlike rather than poetic or inspiring. The characters are one-dimensional, but they don't really need to be complex for a potboiler like this. There are some weird quirks, such as everyone insisting they be called by their first name. Who does that? Wouldn't at least one person insist on formality? Even just to spice things up a bit, for variety's sake if nothing else. You can tell this was written by a couple of older white guys who haven't had contact with the corporate world in along time. When is the last time anyone called someone a "secretary"? They're all assistants now and have been for at least 20 years.
There are some structural problems, too, such as the three-day voyage to the moon taking a sentence, yet once they discover the key to the mystery the scene cuts away and the flow is interrupted. If you're sending one of your protagonists to the moon, have the others do things *while* they're in transition, don't chop it up randomly.
I mean, this book isn't BAD, it just doesn't deliver on its promises. Hence the 2 stars.
sheltzer's review against another edition
5.0
Once upon a time, it was discovered that Neil Armstrong was not the first man on the moon...
This book received some mediocre reviews. It won't receive one from me. I was completely hooked. I HAD to know what they found on the moon and why it could possibly have been that controversial that it needed to be kept quiet.
I liked the way the narrative switched between three points of view. It kept the story clicking along and was a smart way to slowly unfold all of the details surrounding the secret moon missions. I wonder if there was a particular author in charge of each point of view... and if not, how they worked the collaboration.
I am a McDevitt fan, but I do not believe I have read anything by Resnick. That situation will need to change soon!
This book received some mediocre reviews. It won't receive one from me. I was completely hooked. I HAD to know what they found on the moon and why it could possibly have been that controversial that it needed to be kept quiet.
I liked the way the narrative switched between three points of view. It kept the story clicking along and was a smart way to slowly unfold all of the details surrounding the secret moon missions. I wonder if there was a particular author in charge of each point of view... and if not, how they worked the collaboration.
I am a McDevitt fan, but I do not believe I have read anything by Resnick. That situation will need to change soon!
troetschel's review against another edition
1.0
I read this one a few years ago and felt compelled to review it when I stumbled across it while browsing GoodReads.
I wasn't disappointed in this book until the last quarter of it. I like a good conspiracy and I thoroughly enjoy not being able to predict a plot twist. The writing was decent, the characters were ok, and I wanted to find out what was going on.
The answer was Jesus. Jesus was going on. Ok, I definitely didn't see that one coming. Basically the stupidest, most unbelievable ending I could have imagined. Jesus was a benevolent pacifist alien, they landed on the moon, he came down to Earth and they killed him, so the aliens left. Um, no. Just no. And that is revealed in less than five pages. And the book ends.
This ruins the book. Any redeeming factors are made completely irrelevant. Do not waste your time, money, or brain cells reading this book.
I wasn't disappointed in this book until the last quarter of it. I like a good conspiracy and I thoroughly enjoy not being able to predict a plot twist. The writing was decent, the characters were ok, and I wanted to find out what was going on.
The answer was Jesus. Jesus was going on. Ok, I definitely didn't see that one coming. Basically the stupidest, most unbelievable ending I could have imagined. Jesus was a benevolent pacifist alien, they landed on the moon, he came down to Earth and they killed him, so the aliens left. Um, no. Just no. And that is revealed in less than five pages. And the book ends.
This ruins the book. Any redeeming factors are made completely irrelevant. Do not waste your time, money, or brain cells reading this book.
midnightgarden's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved this book. Until it kinda crapped the bed in the end.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
Closer to a 3.5, I think. I love first contact novels, I love government conspiracies, and The Cassandra Project combines both together for a fairly quick novel. It's not going to win any writing awards, for sure, but as a quick bit of riveting escapism, I'm glad I grabbed this.
The book takes place in the near future, where NASA is underfunded as is the rest of the government as the nation continues to come out of the economic doldrums. Our main character, a high-ranking NASA official, trips up on a piece of information that quickly unravels into a far-reaching conspiracy involving former presidents, a billionaire working on a rocket of his own, and unwitting astronauts.
The book comes out of nowhere with the conclusion, and I had to laugh when we finally came to the payoff, and the ride to get there was almost a little too long, but given the fast clip of the dialogue and action, along with the interesting future history that the book sets up on and off, it was ultimately worth the trip.
The book takes place in the near future, where NASA is underfunded as is the rest of the government as the nation continues to come out of the economic doldrums. Our main character, a high-ranking NASA official, trips up on a piece of information that quickly unravels into a far-reaching conspiracy involving former presidents, a billionaire working on a rocket of his own, and unwitting astronauts.
The book comes out of nowhere with the conclusion, and I had to laugh when we finally came to the payoff, and the ride to get there was almost a little too long, but given the fast clip of the dialogue and action, along with the interesting future history that the book sets up on and off, it was ultimately worth the trip.
tome15's review against another edition
4.0
McDevitt, Jack, and Michael Resnick. The Cassandra Project. Ace, 2012.
McDevitt and Resnick are old pros in the science fiction field. McDevitt is best known for far-future space opera, and Resnick writes a lot of political/sociological science fiction. This time they have gotten together for a very near future (by the time I am writing, maybe not even that) alternate history of lunar exploration. The premise is that some video surfaces from 1969 that suggests that American astronauts landed on the Moon more than six months before Apollo 11. Further, Russian and American governments have conspired to cover it up. A NASA public relations man and an industrialist interested in privately funded space flight start to investigate. There is not much action and some seemingly hurried plotting near the end, but the suspense is high. I read it with pleasure.
McDevitt and Resnick are old pros in the science fiction field. McDevitt is best known for far-future space opera, and Resnick writes a lot of political/sociological science fiction. This time they have gotten together for a very near future (by the time I am writing, maybe not even that) alternate history of lunar exploration. The premise is that some video surfaces from 1969 that suggests that American astronauts landed on the Moon more than six months before Apollo 11. Further, Russian and American governments have conspired to cover it up. A NASA public relations man and an industrialist interested in privately funded space flight start to investigate. There is not much action and some seemingly hurried plotting near the end, but the suspense is high. I read it with pleasure.
celtdrgn's review against another edition
3.0
I've enjoyed most of Jack McDevitt's books, so far. This was no exception. This is different from many of his other books in that it takes place here on Earth, and it takes place around our current time. Many of his other books involve other planets and space in a more direct way. While I did predict the main plot point before I got there, it wasn't presented in quite the way I expected when it came. I would recommend this book as an enjoyable, quick, easy read. However, I like many of his books better.