Customer Reviews
And across the line... - By: J. A. van Biljon, 08 Nov 2008 
Deborah's way of telling this amazing story reallly makes you feel as if you're in the race, or a spectator at least. An excellent read, with lots of facts (I trust) based on plenty of research. Highly recommended.
Get the physics right! - By: Mr. Adrian R. Moore, 18 Nov 2007 
I found that the reading & enjoyment of this book somewhat marred by the type of basic A level physics mistakes commonly made by my students when they do not consider the situation carefully. For example the centripetal force IS the force of gravity on the satellite or capsule, not just equal to it. Circular motion relies on unbalanced forces, in this case the centripetal force to accelerate the capsule towards the centre of the Earth; there is no outward force to be balanced & forces are not balanced by speed! I would have thought that these errors should have been spotted by the scientific proof-readers. The author undoubtedly has far greater literary skills than I, but in a science/technology based book the physics has to be correct. By alll means read this book, it is paced well & as a story there is much to commend it.
Mills and Boon space history - By: Nick Stevens, 09 Aug 2007 
I was reallly looking forward to this book, but it is a big disappointment.
I expect a hardback book of a TV series to be well illustrated, particularly if the BBC is involved, but there are very few pictures & those included are very well known. In particular, there is no photo of the Russian N-1 moon rocket, a major omission in a book on this subject surely.
The book does not appear to have been type set properly (or proof read properly?), because many, many words have extra hyphens inserted in them for no apparent reason, sometimes several on one page.
The language is, er, florid, purple, hyperbolic & more suited to a Mills & Boon bodice ripper than a serious biography. Try "... the wind dispersing their treasonable words into the vast Nordic sky". Way over the top, often.
Underneath alll this is a good story, & some good information on von Braun & Korelev - which is why I gave it 2 stars. If this style is what you like add one star, if you are hoping for a serious history of the space race, subtract two.
race to space - By: Paul Tapner, 19 Apr 2007 Written to accompany the bbc series of the same name, this is a non fiction book that relates the story of the american & russian race to be furthest ahead with their space programme. Starting at the end of the second world war & ending with the first moon landing, it tells the story by focussing on the two chief designers, von braun in america & korolev in russia.
Having seen & liked the tv series I thought this would just be a retread of that & I wouldn't get anything else out of it, but it turned to be quite an engrossing read. The style of the writing is good enough to make this work as a book in it's own right, rather than just a transcript of the tv show. An enjoyable & engrossing read.
Space Race - By: J. Otto, 29 Nov 2006 
It was the greatest race of the 20th century ... the race to rule the heavens ... a race between the two superpowers, Russia & the USA. It is an explosive thriller of international espionage & treachery. A dual biography of two driven men with one ambition; the brilliant Russian rocket designer Sergei Korolev & the German rocket genius Werner von Braun.
Falsely accused under the brutal Stalin regime of disruptive activities & forced to give a false confession, Korolev was sentenced to 10 years in the worst of the Gulag camps (network of labour camps) situated on the fringes of the Arctic Circle in Siberia where thousands died each month. Korolev survived & eventuallly good sense prevailed as the Russians realised this brilliant man had the ability to translate fundamental principles of physics into rocket design. But so fearful were the Russians that the West could assassinate Korolev he was known only as the "Great Desiner" & constantly shadowed by the KGB.
Werner von Braun was the designer of the fearsome V-2 rocket that had targeted London during the Second World War. When the conflict ended the USA for political & military requirments cynicallly secured his talents along with his fellow German scientists. But it wasn't until John F Kennedy was elected president that his dream of a Moon landing came closer.
After many risky & often fatal experiments, two men finallly left the cradle of Earth & left their first footpints on another world ... the airless Moon
Set against the dark days of the Second World War & the Cold War years Space Race is a truly splendid read ... a gripping read. I found it hard to put down. I am sure you will too.
