Rating: 
Summary: Alternate History Fiction Reveiw
Review: I have read a goodly amount of alternate history fiction over the years and, in my opinion, "Ice" is at the top of my list of Three Personal Favorites. The other two in descending order are: "The Proteus Operation" by James P. hogan and
"The Guns of The South" by Harry Turtledove. As a science fiction novel involving the classic "what if..." question, Ice entertained me thoroughly and left me hoping for another book by Mr. Johnson paralell in theme and scope. Ice gave me more to think about than I ever expected and continues to provide food for thought in the year plus since I've read it. No novel of alternate history or science fiction ever did that for me.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT STORY
Review: I just finished a new-to-me Christian SF novel, ICE by Shane Johnson (Waterbrook Press 2002). Johnson is a great writer, spinning a tale that makes you want to keep reading until the end, then he surprises you with an ending that's both satisfactory and theologically provocative. Even unbelievers will appreciate the inferences. ICE is an alternative history of NASA in the mid 1970s that postulates a 1975 Apollo 19 moon landing. Johnson, who served as the design consultant for the HBO miniseries; FROM EARTH TO THE MOON, has a good grasp of NASA and the Apollo program, which greatly aids the believablity of this story. I highly recommend this novel - a 3 on Gregg's scale, 5 stars on Amazon, and a 9.5 on everyone else's.
~Bob
Rating: 
Summary: Forget it, unless you are a bible-thumper
Review: I picked this book because it combined a couple of interests of mine (alternative history, Apollo moon missions, etc.) The first 3/4 was a decent science fiction treatment of a Apollo mission gone bad and the struggle of some astronauts to survive. Not Heinlein but solid enough to keep me skimming through. The end, however, turned into a total Christian bible tract as the author turned from a fairly solid and technically sound story (at least in science fiction terms) to a tortured effort to connect what had come before to a literalist interpretation of the bible. I guess you if you are into that but it is really not worth it if you are not. Basically you are asked to throw out all scientific reason at the end and embrace Christian mythology. Yeah....that kind of attitude would have put man on the moon........sigh
Rating:
Summary: Forget it, unless you are a bible-thumper
Review: I picked this book because it combined a couple of interests of mine (alternative history, Apollo moon missions, etc.) The first 3/4 was a decent science fiction treatment of a Apollo mission gone bad and the struggle of some astronauts to survive. Not Heinlein but solid enough to keep me skimming through. The end, however, turned into a total Christian bible tract as the author turned from a fairly solid and technically sound story (at least in science fiction terms) to a tortured effort to connect what had come before to a literalist interpretation of the bible. I guess you if you are into that but it is really not worth it if you are not. Basically you are asked to throw out all scientific reason at the end and embrace Christian mythology. Yeah....that kind of attitude would have put man on the moon........sigh
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book From Shane Johnson!
Review: ICE, the second Christian fiction novel by Shane Johnson, has a somewhat more real-world approach than its predecessor, The Last Guardian. ICE is set in an alternate past. Its protagonists, NASA astronauts Gary Lucas and Charles Shepherd, have strange encounters during their Apollo 19 mission to the dark side of the moon in 1975. The last scheduled US manned mission to the moon, Apollo 19 begins in about as routine a manner as any mission to the moon can be, but Lucas and Shepherd soon discover something that reaffirms the faith of one astronaut, and inspires faith in the other.Johnson uses his extensive knowledge of NASA and the US space program to anchor this occasionally otherworldly story with a strong sense of verisimilitude. Although Johnson's Apollo 19 mission is fictional, he uses realistic technology, all of which existed or was under development at the time the Apollo program ended. The Apollo mission feels technically accurate without being overwhelming with technojargon, and the astronauts' attitudes during the routine moments of the mission are credible. Lucas and Shepherd seem like two ordinary astronauts, which is to say they're extraordinary men, as they venture to the moon and begin to explore its surface. The tragedy surrounding the astronauts, which you'll have to read about, is treated in a believable way, and the reactions of Lucas and Shepherd's families are believable. I read ICE on two separate occasions: once in late 2002, and once shortly after the tragedy surrounding the space shuttle Columbia. Memories of real-world tragedies in the space program, including Apollo 1, Apollo 13, and the shuttles Challenger and Columbia, make the events surrounding Apollo 19 all the more credible. ICE highlights one of the tales of the Old Testament in a unique way. Without spoiling the details, it applies a Twilight Zone-like slant to the tale, while remaining faithful to scripture. Johnson's prose is visually oriented. It is easy to imagine experiencing what the characters experience, whether as a participant or as a moviegoer; ICE would make an exciting and thought-provoking motion picture. My favorite scene in ICE takes place during chapters 9 and 10, as Lucas and Shepherd make an unexpected discovery while exploring the lunar surface in a long-range rover nicknamed Mirabelle. Religion and faith are components of the human condition that are rarely spotlighted in fiction, regardless of medium. Johnson's distinct way of exploring spirituality in otherworldly contexts, as demonstrated in both The Last Guardian and ICE, should appeal not only to religious-minded readers of the Christian fiction genre, but also to open-minded people of other spiritual belief systems -- or no belief system -- who have an interest in the space program, alternate history, science fiction, or fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book From Shane Johnson!
Review: ICE, the second Christian fiction novel by Shane Johnson, has a somewhat more real-world approach than its predecessor, The Last Guardian. ICE is set in an alternate past. Its protagonists, NASA astronauts Gary Lucas and Charles Shepherd, have strange encounters during their Apollo 19 mission to the dark side of the moon in 1975. The last scheduled US manned mission to the moon, Apollo 19 begins in about as routine a manner as any mission to the moon can be, but Lucas and Shepherd soon discover something that reaffirms the faith of one astronaut, and inspires faith in the other. Johnson uses his extensive knowledge of NASA and the US space program to anchor this occasionally otherworldly story with a strong sense of verisimilitude. Although Johnson's Apollo 19 mission is fictional, he uses realistic technology, all of which existed or was under development at the time the Apollo program ended. The Apollo mission feels technically accurate without being overwhelming with technojargon, and the astronauts' attitudes during the routine moments of the mission are credible. Lucas and Shepherd seem like two ordinary astronauts, which is to say they're extraordinary men, as they venture to the moon and begin to explore its surface. The tragedy surrounding the astronauts, which you'll have to read about, is treated in a believable way, and the reactions of Lucas and Shepherd's families are believable. I read ICE on two separate occasions: once in late 2002, and once shortly after the tragedy surrounding the space shuttle Columbia. Memories of real-world tragedies in the space program, including Apollo 1, Apollo 13, and the shuttles Challenger and Columbia, make the events surrounding Apollo 19 all the more credible. ICE highlights one of the tales of the Old Testament in a unique way. Without spoiling the details, it applies a Twilight Zone-like slant to the tale, while remaining faithful to scripture. Johnson's prose is visually oriented. It is easy to imagine experiencing what the characters experience, whether as a participant or as a moviegoer; ICE would make an exciting and thought-provoking motion picture. My favorite scene in ICE takes place during chapters 9 and 10, as Lucas and Shepherd make an unexpected discovery while exploring the lunar surface in a long-range rover nicknamed Mirabelle. Religion and faith are components of the human condition that are rarely spotlighted in fiction, regardless of medium. Johnson's distinct way of exploring spirituality in otherworldly contexts, as demonstrated in both The Last Guardian and ICE, should appeal not only to religious-minded readers of the Christian fiction genre, but also to open-minded people of other spiritual belief systems -- or no belief system -- who have an interest in the space program, alternate history, science fiction, or fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Be prepared for a lovely surprise!
Review: If you love Science Fiction, you are going tolove this book. Better still, it's Christian Science Fiction. That combination is very hard to find but author Shane Johnson does a wonderful job. As a space flight historian and consultant to the HBO miniseries FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, Johnson writes a very credible fictional version of NASA's last flight of the Apollo Moon Mission. Sometimes the NASA technical jargon is tedious but the glossary is very helpful. I have to admit that I had a bit of a problem with another of Johnson's SFs, THE LAST GUARDIAN. His portrayal of the symbolic "Christ" (savior) character made me somewhat uneasy. This being the case, I was concerned that ICE was going to follow suit with an equally odd twist when, in the story, an amazing discovery was made at the moon's south pole. The more I read, the more concerned I became about how he was going to resolve the tale yet it was very exciting and kept me racing to the next page. He kept me just a little off balance because I couldn't foresee where he was going (which, in my opinion, makes
the reading all the more enjoyable). At one point, nearing the end, I thought I saw a similarity to a scriptural event but never dreamed that I was, after all, correct, until it was wrapped up in the last chapter. I was overwhelmingly pleased at his surprising perspective of a very familiar Bible story we all learned in Sunday School. His proposition was very believable and very satisfying. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading it again. It is the best piece of Christian Science Fiction I have read; one I'm glad to have in my library. Be prepared for a lovely surprise! --- reviewed by Ginny Sutton for Christian Bookshelf
Rating:
Summary: He does it again...
Review: In the late 1960s, NASA proposed mission plans for an extended Apollo program. Decades after the missions never took place, the existence of ice beads was discovered and confirmed on the south pole of the moon. Spaceflight historian Shane Johnson takes us back to February 1975, to an alternate history of the Apollo program. Apollo 19 has successfully landed on the lunar surface. There, Commander Gary Lucas and pilot Charlie Shepherd explore a mysterious crater at the lunar south pole. When an equipment failure drives them further into the freezing atmosphere, they make a disturbing discovery - one that could change humankind forever.
Shane Johnson delivers a powerful "what-if" scenario in Ice, leaving the reader on edge with his in-depth knowledge of the NASA program, and his bone-chilling depiction of an unseen world. The story flows perfectly from giving us an Apollo 13 feel to that of The X-Files. Characters are realistic and heartfelt. Technical jargon tends to bog the story down in some places, and some characters are called by two different names, making the story rather confusing at times. Overall, a truly excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm...
Review: Mr. Johnson definitely made me scratch my head on this one. I put it down several times at first, swimming in the NASA jargon and not really identifying with anyone except the astronaut's wives, who didn't get many pages. But I hung in there and kept reading and boy am I glad I did. Talk about a pace change! Somewher in the middle, this book blasts off like the Apollo 19 team whose story is told within the pages. I started flipping pages like mad and ended up staying up all night and having to go to the second service for church. (Now that's a book!) There were some confusing parts (and some scary ones). There were times when I stopped and thought,"Where is this guy going with this?" but when he got there at the end...man. I had glimpses of things but I kept thinking I was wrong. He got me for sure. I had to stay up and finish it. I was thinking too hard to go to sleep. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it worked somehow! I'll be looking for the next book, Mr. Johnson. It'll be interesting to see what you think up next!
Rating:
Summary: A mission to the Moon is always dangerous.....
Review: Shane Johnson has written a tale of danger and discovery in an alternate history of the 1970's...one where our exploration of the Moon continued through Apollo 19. It is the last and most challenging landing attempted during the space program, and as the moonwalking astronauts discover, the most deadly. A well written, technically accurate story of the last landing on the moon, it is a gripping, eerie tale with a definite twist towards the end which leaves the main characters forever changed and perhaps the reader too. I found the book to be inspiring and a welcome addition to my spaceflight library.
|
