Space

A Novel

By: James A. Michener

Narrated by: Larry McKeever

Already a renowned chronicler of the epic events of world history, James A. Michener tackles the most ambitious subject of his career: space, the last great frontier. This astounding novel brings to life the dreams and daring of countless men and women—people like Stanley Mott, the engineer whose irrepressible drive for knowledge places him at the center of the American exploration effort; Norman Grant, the war hero and U.S. senator who takes his personal battle not only to a nation, but to the heavens; Dieter Kolff, a German rocket scientist who once worked for the Nazis; Randy Claggett, the astronaut who meets his destiny on a mission to the far side of the moon; and Cynthia Rhee, the reporter whose determined crusade brings their story to a breathless world.

Praise for Space

“A master storyteller . . . Michener, by any standards, is a phenomenon. Space is one of his best books.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A novel of very high adventure . . . a sympathetic, historically sound treatment of an important human endeavor that someday could be the stuff of myth, told here with gripping effect.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Space is everything that Michener fans have come to expect. Without question, the space program’s dramatic dimensions provide the stuff of great fiction.”—BusinessWeek

“Michener is eloquent in describing the actual flights into space, as well as the blazing, apocalyptic re-entry of the shuttle into earth’s atmosphere.”—The New York Times

Critic reviews

“A master storyteller . . . Michener, by any standards, is a phenomenon. Space is one of his best books.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A novel of very high adventure . . . a sympathetic, historically sound treatment of an important human endeavor that someday could be the stuff of myth, told here with gripping effect.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Space is everything that Michener fans have come to expect. Without question, the space program’s dramatic dimensions provide the stuff of great fiction.”—BusinessWeek

“Michener is eloquent in describing the actual flights into space, as well as the blazing, apocalyptic re-entry of the shuttle into earth’s atmosphere.”—The New York Times

great historical fiction

Great for both men and women and anyone fascinated with our space program. The narrator was fantastic changing up his voice and lending emphasis.

Narration is fine. Story is thin.

Ignore the whining about the narrator, he is fine. Michener, as usual, did his homework to deliver a backbone of historical facts surrounded by his fictional characters and their stereotypical soap opera lives. It is the balance of these two things that is frustrating to me. In a novel of over 37 hours, I would much more prefer to hear about the historical facts, than the fantasy lives. For example, the whole history of the space shuttle is whittled down "the tiles were an engineering embarrassment, and there was a successful first launch", that is then followed by twice as much material about two fictional characters - one, a gay son of a Nasa administrator living at a ski resort, and the other a musician composing his own twists on Christmas music. Way to much superfluous drivel.

Great Story average performance

If you are NASA and history geek you’ll find the story very enthralling, I particularly liked the description of the test pilots lives and selection. I also learned that there was a precursor agency to NASA. Unfortunately, the narrator was average at best. I’ve been more excited waiting to get my repaired.

Really good book but less historical

I liked this book but was hoping for more actual space history. The narrator was a little bland.

First Rate

Michener the storyteller weaves a thorough, though long-winded at times, narrative of mankind's exploration of "Space."

I lived this historical Era and felt right at home with the story. The historical information and the human-interest invested in the characters made it special.

The dry-tone narration is off-putting but leaves it to the imagination to color between the lines.

Inspiring.