Rating: 
Summary: Space by James A. Mitchener
Review: This is a highly involved book about the dynamics of space
exploration beginning circa 1944 and marching through beyond
the year 2100 and into the third millenium. Mitchener relates
a story of 6 men and women-their backgrounds and experiences
in the highly disciplined environment surrounding military and
scientific endeavors. The author describes World War II and the
Korean war together with sojourns into space exploration
on the Moon, Mars and the rings of Saturn. A complete depiction
of an Apollo-type space ship design is set forth showing the
various stages of the payload. Later on in the work, the author
computes 15 civilizations in our universe and the distances
of various stars in a range from 16 light years to 360 light
years. Although the work is "fiction", the style of
writing is highly technical and scientific in spots. This book
will appeal to scientists, readers of technical literature and
space exploration. The book is written for an audience at the
collegiate level. The work challenges our ability to understand
and predict space life into the far future.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the lot
Review: This is about the only book of Michener I like since the ones with multi-generational sagas leave me cold. Here it is in all its glory, triumph, personal pain, sacrifice and unbelievable scientific achievement: The Story of man's attempts to transcent these "earthly bounds." The characters are simply awesome - only word to explain. The setting (mainly in Huntsville) was of particular interest since it was presented as a normal town - not as a "Southern" city with all that implies. The story of the German scientists was captivating but the emotional heart of the story was the love story between the main character and his wife which survived the disappointing choices of his children and his profession. The mixing of real and fictional characters (along with real and fictional places, i.e. Fremont) only added to the authenticity of the story. Yes, there were some technical mistakes but these were nothing compared to the overall arch of the story. The repeated question, "What is the role of man in space?" was never really answered. Speculations abound and it seems we will always have the "but we have so many problems on Earth" crowd with us. In the end, this is not only a tribute but a requiem for a heroic era. Needless to say, the television version was about as close to the book as a GI Joe action figure is to a real Marine. The emphasis was on (what else?) SEX and all the little intrigues that seem to monopolize TV land. The science, the wonder, the awe thatone found in, for example, CONTACT, was conspicuously absent. Skip the show, buy the book.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the lot
Review: This is about the only book of Michener I like since the ones with multi-generational sagas leave me cold. Here it is in all its glory, triumph, personal pain, sacrifice and unbelievable scientific achievement: The Story of man's attempts to transcent these "earthly bounds." The characters are simply awesome - only word to explain. The setting (mainly in Huntsville) was of particular interest since it was presented as a normal town - not as a "Southern" city with all that implies. The story of the German scientists was captivating but the emotional heart of the story was the love story between the main character and his wife which survived the disappointing choices of his children and his profession. The mixing of real and fictional characters (along with real and fictional places, i.e. Fremont) only added to the authenticity of the story. Yes, there were some technical mistakes but these were nothing compared to the overall arch of the story. The repeated question, "What is the role of man in space?" was never really answered. Speculations abound and it seems we will always have the "but we have so many problems on Earth" crowd with us. In the end, this is not only a tribute but a requiem for a heroic era. Needless to say, the television version was about as close to the book as a GI Joe action figure is to a real Marine. The emphasis was on (what else?) SEX and all the little intrigues that seem to monopolize TV land. The science, the wonder, the awe thatone found in, for example, CONTACT, was conspicuously absent. Skip the show, buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative and well-researched !!
Review: This is my second Michener novel, earlier one being 'The Covenant'. It was exciting to know in detail about an interesting domain of science. Thick , the novel is , but one gets the satisfaction of having read an exciting well-researched work.
Rating:
Summary: All realistic and great!
Review: This is truly my favorite Michener novel. Since I am a space buff and I have always dreamed of going to space, Michener takes me there. A must read!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother
Review: This was my third book by Michener, and also my last. All the Michener staples are here in full force; reworked characters from other Michener novels, blurring of fact and fiction, plot twists which leave the reader underwhelmed, and, of course, the obligatory interracial romance, without which, it seems, no Michener book would be complete. Maybe he grew up a bit before writing this book, though - at least the woman in question in this book doesn't come off like some leftover Mother Earth type 1960's flower child, but somewhat like a real human being. So, there is good news; the author was abandoning his stereotypes by the time he wrote this. Flattering stereotypes, perhaps, but stereotypes nonetheless. Michener can't resist taking a few jabs at Tom Wolfe, whose book "The Right Stuff" apparently came out toward the end of Michener's work on "Space". Comparing the two books, though - well, let's just say that truth is stranger - and more entertaining - than fiction. And just what is this business of the State of "Fremont"? Inventing fictional towns is acceptable and sometimes necessary, but an entire state? Reading about "Fremont" is like having a bucket of ice water poured on you - no matter how much you're getting into the story, it's sure to yank you right back out of Michener's world and plop you firmly right back onto your sofa. All in all, not a bad thing, actually... In short, if you've never read anything by Michener before, be warned - his books are repetitive in several important ways, and you may want to start with one of his other (better) books.
Rating:
Summary: A Good (Fictional) Chronology of the Space Program
Review: This was the first Michener book I read, and I loved it. His books fascinate me with their blending (or is it blurring?) of fact and fiction, and do an excellent job of paralleling their historical subject to the people. While I have to agree with the reviewer that the non-standard creation of a fictional state (Freemont) was a bit bizarre, it doesn't detract from the book in any way, and frees Michener from having to totally parallel certain historical characters (or omit them to make room for his own). Having decided early to be an aerospace engineer, I truly enjoyed this book, even though it may have at times presented a romanticized view of the field. The only trick was having to remind myself of the difference between fact and fiction in this book.
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