Blue Gemini

A Thriller

By: Mike Jenne

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Scott Ourecky wanted to fly - he never dreamed he'd end up in a secret military space program.

The year is 1968: The Cold War is far from over, and nuclear annihilation is always only a heartbeat away. America is racing the Soviet Union to land men on the moon, a war is raging, and a pivotal presidential election looms on the horizon. A child of the early space age, Lieutenant Scott Ourecky joined the air force with aspirations of going to flight school. A brilliant engineer, he repeatedly fails the aptitude test to become a pilot but is selected to work on a highly classified military space program - the innocuously named Aerospace Support Project - in which air force astronauts are slated to fly missions to intercept and destroy suspect Soviet satellites.

When one of the astronauts in training abruptly falls out of the project, Ourecky is asked to fill in for the two-man simulated missions and survival training only. He's asked to serve with a headstrong and abrasive test pilot, Major Drew Carson, until another astronaut can be assigned. By far the most proficient pilot assigned to the project, Carson has a dangerous propensity to engage in pick-up dog fighting sessions while on cross-country training flights. And although Ourecky was only a temporary place holder, not destined to fly in space, he soon finds himself much more involved than he ever anticipated - and in deepest peril.

Based on a real secret space program, Blue Gemini combines high-altitude action with edge-of-your-seat storytelling to create a modern Cold War thriller.

©2015 Mike Jenne (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Middle era space exploration thriller that works!

What did you love best about Blue Gemini?

Technical, interesting, historically correct and full of fascinating characters. All of it actually. This is very good offering.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Maybe added aliens, ( just kidding ). Overall this is very enjoyable audiobook.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Stillwell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I likely have, but I have forgotten them only because I listen to so many audiobooks. Notwithstanding, this is a solid performance, well produced and consistent, which I use as my benchmarks.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing extreme, but it did make me laugh at times.

Any additional comments?

A surprising, solid offering, with drama and tension set against a historically accurate ( if not slightly altered ) back drop. I genuinely enjoyed this book, and anyone who enjoyed the US Space Programs early and middle years will enjoy it as well.

I was given a copy of this book by the narrator free of charge in return for an honest review through Audiobook Boom.

good story, but over detailed

good story line, but story is overloaded with unimportant details like plate colors and such

Great Thriller

Loved it! Jenne grabbed and held attention.
I was drawn in from the beginning.. A true thriller.

Must read for space geeks

I was sad when I got to end of Into the Blue Gemini, but upon discovering that I still had two books left in the series, my spirits immediately lifted. Of course, now that I’ve finished the series, I’m sad again all over.

These books are a must-listen for any space geek or even just a lover of Cold War thrillers. Jenne’s technical accuracy is utterly impeccable to my amateur ears, and his character development is even better. As well, the story itself never slows, and you always seem to want to listen for, “just one more chapter.”

Likewise, the narrator for the series, Kevin Stillwell, was a perfect choice. Stillwell nailed at least eight different regional accents and offered perfect impressions of two different presidents. His reading and acting truly brought the story to life. I sincerely hope that Stillwell voices more of Jenne’s work, and I will be patiently waiting.

Interesting Story

Very well done book, both the story and narration. evenly paced, good character development. Looking forward to listening to book two.

Great all aroud

I really enjoyed everything about this story. The storyline was captivating all the way through. The performance by Kevin Stillwell was outstanding.

Great!

I really enjoyed this one! Don't expect every storyline to be finished though which was super weird (uhh... Hansen? The Russians?) but the main two get their due! Great story!! Enjoyed learning all the technical aspects.

Fantastic story with great narration.

Where does Blue Gemini rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best audiobooks I've completed so far.

What did you like best about this story?

It's a great story based on events as they happened in the Cold War and the infancy of a maturing space program. The was a great mix of life lessons the characters learned and action of the military and space program. I have always been intrigued with the space program and the military. I also liked how Mike used songs and other things to tie the story to era it was set in throughout the story. Many authors forget about that and only set the story a couple times in the book.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Stillwell – was your favorite?

He did a great job with all characters. In most cases he had me intrigued with the character of Virgil Wolcott. His reproduction of Virgil's dialogue painted a vivid picture of the character and allowed you to create that image in your mind when he spoke.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely! I listened to the book everyday on my commute to and from work. Approximately 1 hour each way.

Any additional comments?

Mike did a great job in so many aspects when writing this book. It has action, historical reference mixed with aspects of human life. I can't wait to read the sequel.

Wild Ride - Sierra Hotel

A well thought out, researched and detailed story. As a former USAF pilot, the training scenes brought back memories (good and bad). And, I know that I knew several friends who fit the described personalities.
As a teen and young adult, I followed the activities of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions; great details here for these, too.
The narrator made me cringe with a couple of mispronounced terms and places. it's TAC-AN, not TA-CAN. The USAF base in Alaska is Eielson eye-el-son, not eel-son.

Outstanding

I had tempered my expectations as this was a "free" book for Audible Plus members, but I was really happy to have discovered it. The author both writes well and has command of the subject matter. The narrative arc of the story doesn't strain credulity too much, and the social commentary isn't heavy-handed. If you enjoy stories about Cold-War era aerospace intrigue, this is a fantastic choice. Additionally, the narrator is as good, if not better, as any I've come across on Audible.