Voyage by Stephen Baxter

[Mr Shifty]

I just finished reading this novel this morning and was blown away. It's like Mr. Baxter set out to tickle the hindbrain of Kerbal Space Program players with this novel; it's got loads of (very realistic) orbital mechanics, exploding rockets, detailed descriptions of rocket engineering, orbital assembly, NERVA engines, and an interplanetary voyage.

The premise of the novel is this: Baxter imagines an alternate history, where NASA had just enough political support and acumen to push its late-60's Mars plans into actuality. The result is an interplanetary voyage to Mars that launches in March of 1985 using, basically, upgraded Apollo technology. He cuts back and forth between the Mars crew on their trip and the decade-and-a-half of planning leading up to it. The book is meticulously researched and very believable: a diamond-hard sci-fi with now-tech instead of future-tech. I thought a couple of things were particularly well done: it's clear from Baxter's postscript to the novel that he thinks the abandonment of the Mars project was a tragedy, but the novel itself is careful to show what trade-offs were made in the alternate history to make Mars happen. Solar system uncrewed exploration, near-Earth science, etc, all subordinated to the goals of the Mars mission. There is also a very poignant passage in the novel, where the Mars crew reveals the call-signs they've chosen for the various independent components of their spacecraft; it brought tears to my eyes.

Anyway, if you haven't read Voyage, you should be heading out to your local library at this moment to check it out.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Mr Shifty

[Sid]

Thanks for that, I'm definitely ready for some fiction having just finished Boris Cherkovs four volume history of the Soviet missile and space program...

[tom1499]

About 25% through the book!

[Sid]

Nearly finished it already. A great book but the female astronaut\geologist character is incredibly annoying - permanently angry about something or other, has a huge sense of entitlement and a massive chip on her shoulder.

I hope they leave her on Mars and come back without her

[Monkeh]

I've read all of Baxter's novels, (well except the Mammoth series stuff), and Voyage is, indeed, excellent. If you enjoyed Voyage try Titan by him as well, probably a better book imho but on similar themes.

Baxter has written some great stuff though. I strongly recommend the Manifold series Time, Space, Origin and Phase Space, his Xelee sequence, including Ring, and the Children of Destiny quadrilogy and a few shorter but fun novels like Raft and Flux.

His novel Evolution will literally change the way you look at the world, simply magnificent.

He isn't the greatest novelist ever, his writing is a little underwhelming and clumsy, but his ideas and the way he uses the science are just masterful. I love him.

I also highly recommend Dan Simmons' Hyperion series. 4 books that are so good, from a writer that actually has writing skills and the good science to back it up with. The 4 hyperion books, (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion), are probably my favourite sci-fi books of all time. If you like Sci-fi you simply HAVE to read those books.

Seriously.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Monkeh

[pxi]

I read one of his books that he co-wrote with Arthur C Clarke, Sunstorm, and I quite enjoyed it. I'll add Voyage to the list.

[Awaras]

His novel Evolution will literally change the way you look at the world, simply magnificent.

Started reading Evolution a few days ago after reading your comment in another thread. Very impressive so far.

[AceofPengwins]

I started reading baxter recently as a result of playing ksp, first voyage and now I'm nearly done with Ark. I've very much enjoyed the books, and the science is very inspiring for my kerbals. Definitely recommended. Athough Ark does have some very disturbing sections. (That's not necessarily bad, just if you're looking for a fluffy happy book you probably shouldn't read baxter).

[llamatoes]

To be fair Voyage was a bit of an meh for me, partly as I read titan first, which is a better book, and I have read all the Xeelee sequence, and they blow it out of the water.

Its not a bad book by any menas, but compared to Xeelee or Titan it is just a bit boilerplate.

[Mr Shifty]

Nearly finished it already. A great book but the female astronaut\geologist character is incredibly annoying - permanently angry about something or other, has a huge sense of entitlement and a massive chip on her shoulder.

I hope they leave her on Mars and come back without her

Blame the writer, not the character. Note that "huge sense of entitlement" describes every astronaut ever. "Massive chip on her shoulder" simply means she's aggressive about achieving her goals. If she were a male character, you'd call him "ambitious" or maybe "ruthless". "Permanently angry about something" means occasionally angry about things that would make anyone angry.

[Mr Shifty]

I also highly recommend Dan Simmons' Hyperion series. 4 books that are so good, from a writer that actually has writing skills and the good science to back it up with. The 4 hyperion books, (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion), are probably my favourite sci-fi books of all time. If you like Sci-fi you simply HAVE to read those books.

Seriously.

Yeah, I've read them; the first two were great, but I thought the Endymion novels sort of petered out. I've also read a bunch of Simmons's other books, though I'm on extended hiatus from his stuff due to the execrable Flashback. My favorite sci-fi authors are probably Alastair Reynolds, Chris Moriarty, Richard K Morgan. Though it's hard to choose favorites. I liked Voyage because it's as close to historical spec-fic as you can get. I wanted to read something that represents current science and respects orbital mechanics. It fit the bill perfectly.

[Moon Goddess]

This reminds me of something I should tell Kerbalers about.

The other day on reddit, someone asked, "What if Mars had an atmosphere like preindustrial earth, and neanderthals living on it"

Well, an awesome flash fiction writer picked up that idea and ran with it. http://redd.it/1lpj64

It heavily features Carl Sagan, Apollo era tech, and is a cool story.

Last time this writer did a flash fiction from a what if on reddit Warner Brother's bought the movie rights.

[Monkeh]

To be fair Voyage was a bit of an meh for me, partly as I read titan first, which is a better book, and I have read all the Xeelee sequence, and they blow it out of the water.

Its not a bad book by any menas, but compared to Xeelee or Titan it is just a bit boilerplate.

This llama speaks truth!

Yeah, I've read them; the first two were great, but I thought the Endymion novels sort of petered out. I've also read a bunch of Simmons's other books, though I'm on extended hiatus from his stuff due to the execrable Flashback. My favorite sci-fi authors are probably Alastair Reynolds, Chris Moriarty, Richard K Morgan. Though it's hard to choose favorites. I liked Voyage because it's as close to historical spec-fic as you can get. I wanted to read something that represents current science and respects orbital mechanics. It fit the bill perfectly.

Reynolds writes some epic stuff and I read Altered Carbon by a Richard Morgan, not sure if he had the 'K' though, that was good.

Seeing as someone is actually reading a book I recommended, and enjoying it, here's a few others that are pretty damn fine Sci-Fi:

Adam Roberts:

Land of the Headless is a really fine novel, unlike most things you will have read.

Salt is about the colonisation of a new world by very different human factions.

Stone sees you follow a deranged criminal after he is let out of his prison at the centre of a star by an unknown agency and for an unknown purpose. Superb.

On is very cute. You'll never, ever, guess the twist.

Gradisil examines the socio-political affects of colonizing the 'uplands' in low Earth orbit with private homes and businesses.

Roberts' novels always make you think, he's a great writer.

Iain M. Banks:

R.I.P. Simply a legend of Sci-Fi. Practically any of his 'Culture' novels are worth a go. Starting at the start with Consider Phlebas is a good idea as it's the first one and introduces the setting nicely. The second one, The Player of Games is particularly good and then the rest of them can be read in any order you like really, those first two really give you an idea of what The Culture is all about. Lots of love for Mr. M. Banks' books. (To be fair his non Sci-Fi stuff, written under the same name but without the 'M', are also mostly very good, Complicity is well worth a read, as are many others.)

Greg Egan:

This guy writes some of the 'hardest' Sci-Fi I've ever read. Intense passages of pure physics theory woven into ridiculous stories that kinda expand your mind and then leave it cowering in the corner, whimpering for it's Mommy.

Permutation City looks at simulated conciousness and the consequences of downloading yourself into a computer.

Diaspora has the most confusing opening I've read. Then it becomes a novel about a collapsing binary neutron star system sending a wave of destruction towards Earth.

Schild's Ladder is about an experiment that goes wrong and sends a bubble expanding outwards at half the speed of light and destroying whole star systems as it goes.

Heartily recommended all, let me know if you have a go of one of them and what you think of it, of course.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Monkeh

[Drunkrobot]

It breaks my heart that hard sci-fi isn't as loved by the mainstream as it deserves. I'll accept that people can get by in life without learning a thing about orbital mechanics, but don't call Transformers a "science fiction" movie, please?

I've read Red Mars, and my favourite parts were the more technically minded chapters, like Nadia (the Russian engineer) building Underhill, or the construction of the space elevator. I haven't read Voyage, but I did see this Orbiter video based on it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbvM5HuQRE

I'll have to see if the library has a copy somewhere!

[Kerbal01]

Sid: can you direct me to a place where I can find this anthology of Russian missile history? It seems interesting and I'd like to read it. The NASA Trilogy( Voyage,Titan,Moonseed) is my second favorite series,behind the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini,f you haven't read it, you should its great.

[Kerbal01]

I might try re making the ships in the orbiter mission, the propulsion stage looks like an Ares V core stage with SSET on each side with a DEC as a second stage.The Saturn VB might be more difficult as I don't think it would be able to lift the mission segments even with the SRB's

[llamatoes]

Sid: can you direct me to a place where I can find this anthology of Russian missile history? It seems interesting and I'd like to read it. The NASA Trilogy( Voyage,Titan,Moonseed) is my second favorite series,behind the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini,f you haven't read it, you should its great.

I'm guessing you haven't read anything by Tokein or George RR Martin, as, having read all of Paolini's books, all of Martin's, and most of Tolkein, Paolini did seem a bit Schizophrenic, as it both wants to be Tolkein high fantasy, as well as being dark and gritty.

You also probably haven't read the Xeelee sequence, as again, the blow the NASA trilogy out of the water. They are not bad books, but Xeelee was amazing.

[Sid]

Sid: can you direct me to a place where I can find this anthology of Russian missile history? It seems interesting and I'd like to read it.

My pleasure - best of all the books are free downloads - http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/rockets_people_vol1_detail.html#.UjBmkD-2B8s

[Mr Shifty]

I haven't read Voyage, but I did see this Orbiter video based on it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbvM5HuQRE

Very nice video! I actually downloaded the Voyage mod the other day, but couldn't get it to work with my Orbiter installation. Maybe I'll have to give it another try.

[Kerbal01]

Where was such mod? I couldn't find it when I looked.

[Mr Shifty]

Where was such mod? I couldn't find it when I looked.

It's here:

http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3393

And here's the forum thread about it. Though the thread says it won't work with Orbiter 2010, that video was clearly made with it in Orbiter 2010:

http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=1971