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 US 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.

©1982 James A. Michener (P)2015 Random House Audio

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)

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.

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.

One question

When the story was discussing the sun, I was hoping to find out how it continues to burn with no oxygen in space.

Great listen. Love Michener.

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.

Really good book but less historical

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

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.

Wonderful story made totally lifeless by narration

Michener and this book deserves better than this automatonic reading.
Still, I recommend.
Just wish Paul Michael or Kevin Pariseau narrated.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Having lived through the time of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs I found the story very interesting.

I especially enjoyed learning about the the rocket programs during WWII and then in the late 1940 and early 1950 since I was not born until 1951.

Unlike others, I had no problem listening to the narrator’s voice. Could he had made the female voices more feminine sounding, yes.

But that did not take away my enjoyment of this audio book.

Listening to Michener post-script at the end of the book demonstrated he did a lot of research with the actual people who ran the various NASA programs.

Good and bad

This is my first Michener book and it was long. Very in depth details on how America’s space program came about. Sometimes very interesting and sometimes a little boring. This book focuses a lot on the character’s stories with brief interludes on actual space exploration. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in the early and I do mean early, workings of the American space program. Push your way through it if you have to and try to appreciate the extensive amount of time, research, and dedication Michener put in to writing this epic novel.

Captured the Mystery & Science of our history

intertwining the political, mechanical, emotional, and religious views of that era, this story captures the attention of the listener by revealing the mystery and complexity of our universe. Elaborating on the details and personal triumphs of our journey to travel amount the stars.