Awesome story though the end is a little so-so. Not really an action type book but I found the mystery of the space program 50 years ago to be fun. ( )

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. ( )

I picked up this book mainly because Jack McDevitt was one of the authors. He’s a nice guy to sit and chat with, if you ever have a chance, and his books often have an old fashion pulp science fiction flavor that I rather like. The Cassandra project does, which is good in some ways, but in this particular case, I think the ending suffers as a result. I’ll try to explain why later without too many spoilers.

The story is set in the U.S.A. in 2019. The world economy is in the doldrums, the rich have gotten richer, and NASA has been underfunded for years. Some people are dismayed by the fact, but no one doubts that the last moon landing was in 1972. However, there are recent rumors that Apollo XI in 1969 may not have been the first. Were there two secret landings before this, and, if so, why?

This is the central mystery of the story. It is told from multiple points of view, but the main character is Jerry Culpepper, who enters the tale as the public affairs director for NASA, and he comes to suspect that there may be some truth to the rumors. The official position he is told to convey is that there is not. He eventually quits because of this. You have to admire his personal integrity.

The other central character is Montgomery “Bucky” Blackstone, Owner of Blackstone Enterprises, Blackstone Development, and Blackstone Innovations. He’s a bit crude and extremely arrogant, but he’s a likeable rogue. Essentially, he’s a grown up kid with a LOT of money. One of the things he wants to do with it is to go to the moon — not for any noble purpose, really, but because he’s always wanted to be an astronaut, and he thinks money can be made in space.

One scene that resonated with me was a not too subtle slap at traditional publishers. In it, Jerry, after leaving NASA and realizing he needs an income, briefly takes a job with a small publisher in Wisconsin. He is given a manuscript, for which he holds no high hopes, and unexpectedly finds that it is fantastic. One of the best things he’s ever read. He tells his new employers, and they tell him to write a nice rejection letter. Why? Because, they explain, they are not in business to publish what’s good. They’re in business to publish what sells. This got a smile from me because I’ve concluded much the same thing, and it’s why more and more of my reading list is comprised of ‘indie’ published books now. That’s all beside the point, I suppose, but I wanted to mention it, and since I’m writing this, I can.

A minor point of annoyance came when Jerry, needing some analysis done, turns to someone at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Why didn’t he contact the Florida Institute of Technology instead? It’s physically closer and probably has stronger ties to NASA than UCF does. This probably would not bother someone outside the area, but it struck me as not making sense. Like I said, just a minor point.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to reveal that in the course of the novel, clues are uncovered and the mystery is explained. I found it a bit contrived, and I think a better explanation consistent with all the clues up to this point was possible. When I reached the end, I wondered if the brief scene about Jerry’s experience working for a publisher was a clue about why this particular ending was chosen. I have no evidence of that, of course. It’s just idle speculation.

You may want to stop reading now because the next bit is a sort of spoiler, but I’ll try to keep it vague. At the end, those who can, choose not to reveal the full truth to the world. Instead, they decide to perpetuate a deception originally contrived by the Nixon administration to manipulate the Soviets (although I could not see how this would have worked on them). The deception provides a depressing and cautionary message that seems designed to preserve the status quo. The true account seemed far more hopeful and could encourage human cooperation and progress. After the last sentence, I couldn’t help wondering why they all agreed to perpetuate the lie.

Up until the last chapter, this is an interesting mystery full of secrets and conspiracy. The characters are likeable, the dialogue is believable, and the prose is suitable for the genre. Pulp sci-fi fans who also enjoy a good conspiracy novel may want to pick this up, but if you are looking for something like McDevitt’s highly enjoyable Alex Benedict novels, this isn’t one.
( )

Hmm...okay, well I'm do wish I could go with a half star here -as in 2.5. It's a well-written book but the whole mystery you're reading and waiting to be revealed is too long in coming. If the author's had tightened the book it would be less critical but 340 pages for what is mystery most will figure out before the end is simply asking too much.

Bottom line: Character development is superb and the concept is solid, but the pay-off is too long coming and underwhelming if you guess it ahead of time. ( )

More of a mistery than a sci-fi book, somewaht reminding me of a "lighter" version of a Dan Brown novel. Fairly enjoyable, even if light on plausible engineering/science. ( )