Vessel by Lisa Nichols

Reviewed by Laura

            This book is described as a tense psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Martian. It isn’t. I’m a sucker for space novels. Not the technical jargon of a NASA manual, but the nitty gritty of life in space. Vessel disappointed in this crucial area. It is the story of Catherine Wells, an astronaut who mysteriously returns to earth six years after a catastrophic event decimates the crew of her ship and all are believed dead. Joy ensues, someone has returned from the outer reaches of the cosmos to tell their story! Except she can’t, or won’t—she remembers nothing and what she does remember, she isn’t prepared to share.

            The majority of the story focuses on the aftermath of returning to a job and family where everyone has already accepted your death and moved on. Catherine’s husband is about to become engaged to one of her best friends and her daughter is ready to graduate from high school. Her time in space is told periodically through flashbacks interspersed throughout the drama of her return to earth. In my humble opinion, this book would have been much improved had the majority of the story been set in space where the main drama unfolds. Perhaps a prologue of her return to earth followed by her time on the ship as the bulk of the story. If I’m reading about space exploration, I want space exploration!

            Sadly, this book focused more on the drama of the unexpected family reunion than on the suspenseful happenings in outer space. I stayed with it and finished the book, though the last third became extremely unbelievable (I know, we’re talking about space travel, but still…). The ending was, for me, unsatisfying and something of a let down. If you want a true space thriller, I suggest leaving this book on the shelf and reaching for The Wanderers by Meg Howrey instead. On the other hand, if you would enjoy a family drama with a little bit of space thrown in, this is definitely the book for you!

The Astronaut from Bear Creek by Nick Allen Brown

Reviewed by Brenda G.

             Jim Mayfield is a recluse and a retired astronaut. He lives alone in the inn his parents ran, a once thriving business, in the small town of Bear Creek, Pennsylvania. He is an enigma to the town, and few have seen him.

            The book begins with jarring detail of a drugged, drunken, well-fed couple, and a fiery accident that claims both their lives. They leave behind, left alone at home, a nine-year old niece, abandoned by her mother, who lost a leg due to infection. Accustomed to fending for herself, Abbey has found breakfast and maneuvered herself to the school bus.

            Jim’s sister Mallory is a social worker. Once the accident victims are identified, Mallory is charged with finding a home for Abbey. Trouble is, the local orphanage is closing, and all approved foster homes are at capacity. Wilkes-Barre is fifteen miles away and has an orphanage, but Mallory wants to keep Abbey local. She has lost enough.

            Another complication. NASA needs Jim. He has not been idle during his period of withdrawal from society. While spending much of his time handcrafting rocking chairs, he has also written textbooks and continued his scientific research. He has unique knowledge of seals on the International Space Station, knowledge that is needed.

            In a seemingly unrelated story thread, Kelly Ann White, the pregnant wife of a Staff Sergeant recently killed in action, comes to Bear Creek for her husband’s funeral.  She collapses at the funeral and awakes to find herself hospitalized, having miscarried.

            In this complex tale, these forces converge at the now-closed Inn, against Jim’s will, surely, but there they are. Orphans and foster children can legally be housed in licensed inns; Jim’s still is. Kelly Ann is weak and must have a place to stay; there is nothing else. NASA and its representatives are at Jim’s door, requesting an audience to hear their proposal.

            The tale takes some curious twists. The ending is not exactly what one might expect. Despite a few typos and the fact that I occasionally became impatient with either story line or lack of progress, I enjoyed the book and cried buckets.

            The author lives in Kentucky, thus can be called regional. This is his second book. It has not gained widespread attention but should. I look forward to reading his first effort, Field of Dead Horses.

Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space And Other Stories of My Years with NASA by Homer Hickam

Reviewed by Jeanne

Paco:  The Cat Who Meowed in Space And Other Stories of My Years with NASA by Homer Hickam

Homer Hickam has led a very varied life.  He was born in Coalwood, West Virginia; graduated from Virginia Tech; served in Vietnam; worked as an engineer for both the U.S. Army and for NASA; became an expert scuba diver and teacher; and, of course, wrote books. He’s probably best known for his nonfiction works such as Rocket Boys but he also has written some novels, the latest of which is Carrying Albert Home:  The Somewhat True Story of a Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator.

He’s also a cat lover, so several of the stories in this slim 65 page volume have to do with his cats, mostly a very special cat named Paco.  When Hickam went to work for NASA, his then girlfriend suggested he buy a house.  Paco didn’t exactly come with the house but he might as well have:  after his family moved away, he’d become a sort of neighborhood cat.  He seemed to take a special shine to Hickam and soon moved in with him.  

There are some interesting glimpses into the behind the scenes work at NASA, the astronauts, and the shuttle program.  For example, levels of space sickness are measured in “Garns,” so named because Senator Jake Garn was so memorably ill on his journey into space.  Hickam avoids technical jargon and explains things clearly and concisely. He is careful to point out that he’s an engineer, not a scientist, so he’s concerned with the nuts and bolts of how things works—literally, in some cases.  His background in scuba diving also comes into play as part of the astronaut training.

This book is probably best described as short collection of loosely linked anecdotes, which suited me just fine.  I prefer this to books that try to draw out the story just to add more pages.  Paco was a much adored cat with an outsized personality.  Given that most of the book takes place some decades ago, it’s obvious that Paco is no longer with us but his passing his handled with brevity and dignity.  This isn’t a tear-jerker book but one that both pet lovers and NASA fans can appreciate.

From Rocket Boys to October Sky by Homer Hickam, Jr.

Reviewed by Jeanne

It’s always a bit of a gamble when a book is turned into a movie.  Most of the time the movie loses many of the layers, the nuances, of the book, although there are rare exceptions (*cough* “Jaws” *cough*) Good or bad, I frequently wonder how the book author feels about seeing his or her creations brought to life.

That’s why I wanted to pick up a copy of From Rocket Boys to October Sky by Homer Hickam.  As the title indicates, the book is his take on the process of how his story was turned into the movie “October Sky.”  The first surprise was that technically, the film was not based on the published book; Homer was still writing it.

The process began when Hickam wrote an article for the magazine Smithsonian Air & Space. He’d written articles for the publication previously, but this time he decided to write about what it was like to have been a kid growing up in a West Virginia coal town in the 1950s and wanting to build rockets.  The article was a bit of a sensation, and requests for more stories about the “Rocket Boys” came in—including two inquiries from independent film companies.  He found an agent, wrote out a ten page synopsis, and the next thing he knew, his life story had been optioned by Universal Pictures.

The rest of the book explains both the process of movie making and Hickam’s struggles to put the youthful portion of his life on paper.  One of the things I appreciated about the story is that he tries to be fair to all concerned.  This isn’t a hatchet job on Hollywood.  There were changes made that seemed totally unnecessary—changing his father’s name from Homer to John, for example—while other changes sacrificed accuracy to either move the film along or to be more visually pleasing.  At dinner one night, Hickam tells the director that the chemicals the boys are using in a scene couldn’t ignite.  The director replied, “You do realize, Homer, that we’re only trying to sell popcorn here, don’t you?” 

This isn’t a gossipy book about backstabbing in Hollywood or demanding actors, though the actors are always on the lookout for that little something to give their performances more depth—or themselves more screen time.  There’s a very young Jake Gyllehaal in his first starring role, Chris Cooper as Homer Hickam, Sr.—er, I mean, John—and Laura Dern as Miss Riley.  The book is brief, but covers a lot of territory.  I enjoyed some of the behind the scenes tidbits (for example, noted train photographer O. Winston Linke had a cameo in the movie as an engineer.)   A few mysteries were cleared up along the way.  While Hickam titled his book Rocket Boys, the studio didn’t like that as the movie title.  Someone realized that “October Sky” was an anagram of Rocket Boys and reflected the Sputnik launch which helped inspire young Homer and his friends.

I enjoyed the book.  If I had any quibbles at all, it would be with some of the layout and typeface which I found a bit off-putting at first.  Linda, Homer’s wife, was allowed to take photos during some of the filming so there are some behind the scenes shots as well as some old photos of the real people involved in the story.

Now I want to watch the movie again!

Homer Hickam's website is www.homerhickam.com.  His latest book is the novel Carrying Albert Home:  The Somewhat True Story of a Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator.