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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.
mongoose's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the writing style and story, but I felt the ending was a little anti-climatic. Too much of the book was spent in the build-up and so the ending felt a little rushed.
museoffire's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite thing about Jack McDevitt's books is their firm grounding in reality despite the fantastical things that happen in them. McDevitt has long since established himself as the go to sci-fi author for books that pack an emotional punch and really examine the repercussions of man's hubris in our never ending attempts to discover the secrets of life and the universe.
With "The Cassandra Project" McDevitt and his co-writer the equally talented Mike Resnick delves again into the pitfalls and prizes that can result when we strive to hard to find answers to questions that perhaps shouldn't have been asked.
Set in a not very distant 2016 we meet Jerry Culpepper, the charismatic, moral, and perhaps slightly naive public spokesman for the rapidly dying NASA. Faced with a near constant lack of funding and a public that no longer cares about the space program Jerry spends his days trying to drum up public enthusiasm for space probes and new galaxies in a world that is about to be confronted with life changing drugs that will increase the human life span by almost 100 years and rapidly dwindling natural resources.
Through a series of seemingly unconnected events Jerry finds himself immersed in a strange mystery concerning the original moon landings in the 1960's. Doctored photos, strange references in personal diaries and witness accounts from people who have nothing to gain shortly have him convinced that Neil Armstrong was not the first person on the moon and there seems to be a decades old, massive scale international cover up in place to keep anyone from every finding out.
McDevitt does his usual excellent job of delving into the mystery and carefully connecting dots though there are points when things feel slightly contrived. Witnesses just happen to show up just when Jerry is losing steam and there's a very useful multi billionaire with boundless enthusiasm for Jerry's story who takes care of literally every financial worry he might have and provides all the access he needs to find more information. So there isn't a lot of tension in terms of whether he'll get to the truth.
The truth however is pretty damn cool and I didn't see it coming. Yes, it stands to reason that if international super powers appear to have engaged in some sort of massive cover up about the moon landings they were probably doing it for national security reasons, but the actual reason kind of blew my mind.
McDevitt asks his usual fascinating rights of the few versus safety of society questions, is it better to know the truth and deal with the fallout or keep everyone in happy ignorance? Things feel a little ham handed this time out and I found his usually spot on character creation a little lacking, Jerry kind of disappears from the story about 3/4 of the way through in favor of the billionaire character and his conflict with the well meaning but restricted by his job and responsibilities president of the US. Still its a ripping good story and I had to really stop myself from skipping to the end to find out what was going on and when I finally got there I literally sat with my mouth hanging open for five minutes.
If you're a McDevitt fan and even if you've read the shorter story this novel is based on its worth picking this up while you wait for the next Alex Benedict novel.q
With "The Cassandra Project" McDevitt and his co-writer the equally talented Mike Resnick delves again into the pitfalls and prizes that can result when we strive to hard to find answers to questions that perhaps shouldn't have been asked.
Set in a not very distant 2016 we meet Jerry Culpepper, the charismatic, moral, and perhaps slightly naive public spokesman for the rapidly dying NASA. Faced with a near constant lack of funding and a public that no longer cares about the space program Jerry spends his days trying to drum up public enthusiasm for space probes and new galaxies in a world that is about to be confronted with life changing drugs that will increase the human life span by almost 100 years and rapidly dwindling natural resources.
Through a series of seemingly unconnected events Jerry finds himself immersed in a strange mystery concerning the original moon landings in the 1960's. Doctored photos, strange references in personal diaries and witness accounts from people who have nothing to gain shortly have him convinced that Neil Armstrong was not the first person on the moon and there seems to be a decades old, massive scale international cover up in place to keep anyone from every finding out.
McDevitt does his usual excellent job of delving into the mystery and carefully connecting dots though there are points when things feel slightly contrived. Witnesses just happen to show up just when Jerry is losing steam and there's a very useful multi billionaire with boundless enthusiasm for Jerry's story who takes care of literally every financial worry he might have and provides all the access he needs to find more information. So there isn't a lot of tension in terms of whether he'll get to the truth.
The truth however is pretty damn cool and I didn't see it coming. Yes, it stands to reason that if international super powers appear to have engaged in some sort of massive cover up about the moon landings they were probably doing it for national security reasons, but the actual reason kind of blew my mind.
McDevitt asks his usual fascinating rights of the few versus safety of society questions, is it better to know the truth and deal with the fallout or keep everyone in happy ignorance? Things feel a little ham handed this time out and I found his usually spot on character creation a little lacking, Jerry kind of disappears from the story about 3/4 of the way through in favor of the billionaire character and his conflict with the well meaning but restricted by his job and responsibilities president of the US. Still its a ripping good story and I had to really stop myself from skipping to the end to find out what was going on and when I finally got there I literally sat with my mouth hanging open for five minutes.
If you're a McDevitt fan and even if you've read the shorter story this novel is based on its worth picking this up while you wait for the next Alex Benedict novel.q
bmartino's review against another edition
2.0
Oh. Oh, no. It was chugging along well enough, if a little boring (how many press conferences can you describe in one book?) but right at the end the revelations of the plot took a sharp left turn and ended up in Crazyville. When a book makes me roll my eyes that hard, it only gets two stars.
northeastbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
It is not unusual for an author to take a short story and turn it into a novel. Daniel Keyes did so with "Flowers for Algernon". The real question is whether the core idea of the story can be successfully transferred and re-told in the novel. Jack McDevitt, in June 2010, published in Lightspeed magazine, an online SF&F magazine, a what-if story of the discovery of an alien landing
site on the Moon during the Apollo program. It is a firecracker of a story. I was delight to find out earlier this year that "The Cassandra Project" was going to be expanded into a novel.
Let me first say that I enjoyed the book. It is a good story. I was expect something that followed the short story a little more closely. The novel takes certain threads from the short story to weave this new tale. However, it is not a novel that blows your socks off in the first reading. I found myself thinking about the plot after I finished. McDevitt, and is co-author Mike Resnick, attempt to
explain recent history in the context of the First Contact plot. This more or less works. Unfortunately a couple of the main characters, especially the current President of the United States,
come off as two dimensional. Also there is the question of reaction. What would the press say, or for that matter, what would be the reaction of the public to a story telling of First Contact? Given
the anti-science, bread-and-circus, eye-for-an-eye, mentality of the present day age I really wonder if we, the people of Earth,could comprehend and deal with this idea. Certainly the question of this idea is one that is being explored by a number of SF writers. Perhaps the best thing about "The Cassandra Project" is that it leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
site on the Moon during the Apollo program. It is a firecracker of a story. I was delight to find out earlier this year that "The Cassandra Project" was going to be expanded into a novel.
Let me first say that I enjoyed the book. It is a good story. I was expect something that followed the short story a little more closely. The novel takes certain threads from the short story to weave this new tale. However, it is not a novel that blows your socks off in the first reading. I found myself thinking about the plot after I finished. McDevitt, and is co-author Mike Resnick, attempt to
explain recent history in the context of the First Contact plot. This more or less works. Unfortunately a couple of the main characters, especially the current President of the United States,
come off as two dimensional. Also there is the question of reaction. What would the press say, or for that matter, what would be the reaction of the public to a story telling of First Contact? Given
the anti-science, bread-and-circus, eye-for-an-eye, mentality of the present day age I really wonder if we, the people of Earth,could comprehend and deal with this idea. Certainly the question of this idea is one that is being explored by a number of SF writers. Perhaps the best thing about "The Cassandra Project" is that it leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
irate59's review against another edition
4.0
If it's written by Jack McDevitt you'll be entertained and provide thoughtful action with a conscience. The only problem I have found with his writing is that there's just not enough of it yet. Keep up the good works old man.