Firestar

Rating:
Summary: More than rocket ships
Review: While this book IS about returning to a space economy, author Michael Flynn also uses the opportunity to indirectly put forward views on other topics, such as Education, Parenthood and perhaps even The Meaning of Life.

His views on education would find acceptance with anyone who believes that people learn best when they are challenged to think. This intermixes with topics of parenthood, and whether it's good to manipulate somebody's life to help them find their own opportunities, or whether people should be fully responsible for finding their own destiny. Fortunately, he presents both sides of this argument.

As for the meaning of life... how long has it been since you were inspired by a dream, a cause to work towards? Maybe there isn't "one" goal, but rather one that we each create for ourselves.

Yes, it's a thick book which could easily have been split into separate books as-is, and the final third doesn't match the earlier parts, but it's still a darn riveting tale.

Rating:
Summary: The real space age...
Review: Will begin when it becomes profitable to go into space. Period. Anything else is simply propaganda.

Having said this, Flynn does a pretty good job of describing how this transition is going to occur, although he is somewhat optimistic about the technical issues involved with SSTO flight. His books are very grand in scope, encompassing a vast number of issues that go far beyond simply putting a rocket in LEO. This obviously helps to account for the great length of his novels. Firestar is a great book because it takes an honest look at the state of society in America today and shows how fundamental changes are necessary to allow mankind to move to the next stage of history. This is something I find contemptibly lacking in contemporary modern literature.

BTW I started reading this book the first time around at 7 PM on a friday night, and was unable to sleep until I finished it nearly 30 hours later. I do not recommend reading 980 pages in a single sitting unless you have a bountiful supply of highly caffeinated substances, so stock up on Jolt cola and nacho chips before buying this one.