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A review by nelsta
Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space by Stephen Walker
5.0
This brand-new popular history of Yuri Gagarin is reminiscent of Erik Larson's style. It reads less like a history and more like a novel. All of the dialogue spoken in the book was sourced from recordings, diaries, etc. Most of the book is told from the Soviet perspective, but Mr. Walker includes the American perspective occasionally to provide tension and conflict. Overall, the book is well-researched, entertaining, and easy to read.
I picked "Beyond" up because my father recommended we read a history of space travel from a non-U.S. perspective. Having previously read "A Man on the Moon" by Andrew Chaikin and "Apollo" by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox, I was immediately interested. If "A Man on the Moon" and "Apollo" are stellar (pun intended), "Beyond" is slightly more terrestrial. It is certainly an easier read than either.
The third act was honestly incredible. The narrator picked up the tempo, his voice rising as Gagarin's fateful rocket ride neared. As Gagarin tore into the sky aboard the most powerful rocket in the world (at the time), the narrator's intensity was such that I couldn't help but get excited. It was as if I was aboard Vostok 1, streaking into space at 17,000 miles per hour. The writing and the narration combined to make the moment memorable to someone listening to the story of history made 61 years before.
The final chapter of "Beyond" was a surprisingly somber reading experience. I mourned the early deaths of Gagarin and his fellow pioneers. My heart pined for the space age when the front pages of newspapers around the globe announced new accomplishments like "first human in space" and "first human on the moon." Thankfully, I still have the Artemis II mission to which I can look forward. Until then, books like "Beyond" scratch the itch.
I picked "Beyond" up because my father recommended we read a history of space travel from a non-U.S. perspective. Having previously read "A Man on the Moon" by Andrew Chaikin and "Apollo" by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox, I was immediately interested. If "A Man on the Moon" and "Apollo" are stellar (pun intended), "Beyond" is slightly more terrestrial. It is certainly an easier read than either.
The third act was honestly incredible. The narrator picked up the tempo, his voice rising as Gagarin's fateful rocket ride neared. As Gagarin tore into the sky aboard the most powerful rocket in the world (at the time), the narrator's intensity was such that I couldn't help but get excited. It was as if I was aboard Vostok 1, streaking into space at 17,000 miles per hour. The writing and the narration combined to make the moment memorable to someone listening to the story of history made 61 years before.
The final chapter of "Beyond" was a surprisingly somber reading experience. I mourned the early deaths of Gagarin and his fellow pioneers. My heart pined for the space age when the front pages of newspapers around the globe announced new accomplishments like "first human in space" and "first human on the moon." Thankfully, I still have the Artemis II mission to which I can look forward. Until then, books like "Beyond" scratch the itch.