If you were looking for a feel good romanticization of the space program, The Astronaut's Son isn't that book. It's a provocative thriller that addresses a number of significant issues that can make for uncomfortable reading. This is especially true if you have a Jewish background, and the only thing you really know about Nazi scientists at NASA is Tom Lehrer's satiric song, "Wernher von Braun". If you don't remember this song or never knew it, you can watch Tom Lehrer sing it at the hyperlink I've provided.
The Astronaut's Son takes you inside the experience of protagonist Jonathan Stein. His father had been the Israeli astronaut Avi Stein who had tragically died of a heart attack just before his departure on a NASA moon mission. Jonathan's entire life has been devoted to honoring his father's memory by reaching that shining lunar destination in the sky. Yet what if his father hadn't died of natural causes? What if he'd been murdered? If Avi Stein had been murdered, then his first priority should be to find out the truth.
I found Jonathan Stein complex and sympathetic. The discoveries that he makes in trying to find out what really happened to his father create a very personal dilemma for him. Jonathan thinks about a range of ethical issues that trouble him throughout the book. I respected the fact that he had integrity.
I think that being an astronaut is a calling. It requires tremendous dedication to a very demanding career path. I read an award winning story called "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal dealing with a female protagonist who wrestles with a decision over life priorities like Jonathan Stein. You can read it at Tor.com here.
I admit to being bothered by Jonathan Stein putting science fiction fans on a list that included hoax believers, fraudsters and mass murderers. He also seemed to think that science fiction fans are generally male. I would like to point out that the demographics of science fiction fandom began to change in the late 1960's when women started to organize their own fan conventions and publications as a result of Star Trek.
Aside from the issue I had in the above paragraph, I was impressed by the Astronaut's Son. The plot and characters had a great deal of impact on me. There were revelations about NASA's history that caused me to place Tom Seigel's book on my list of top reads for 2018.
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If you would like to see the entire schedule of this blog tour, you can find it at https://www.tomseigel.com/blog-tour
GIVEAWAY!
The prizes will be a copy of THE ASTRONAUT’S SON, a package of freeze dried astronaut ice cream and a gift card for 2 movie tickets (hopefully people will use the tickets to go and see the Neil Armstrong movie, First Man which opens on October 12). There will be one winner from this blog. The giveaway is limited to the USA only. Sorry international readers, but Over The River Public Relations which has organized this blog tour only wants to mail prizes within the U.S.
In order to enter, you will need to comment on this review with a contact e-mail. Your deadline for entry will be October 18th. I will then select a winner. If you are the winner, I will e-mail you and request your postal mailing address. Then I will forward your info to Over The River Public Relations.
This giveaway is now over. Sadly, no one entered. This doesn't exactly encourage me to do future giveaways. OTOH, looking at the bright side, I can afford to do lots of my own giveaways if no one will take me up on it. There are no shipping costs for a failed giveaway. 😄
This giveaway is now over. Sadly, no one entered. This doesn't exactly encourage me to do future giveaways. OTOH, looking at the bright side, I can afford to do lots of my own giveaways if no one will take me up on it. There are no shipping costs for a failed giveaway. 😄
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