Uninhabited Space I couldn't tell if it's a science fiction book or not...
The book consists of two very distinct parts, one part like the Flying Dutchman mixed with a Science Fiction novel, and then, clearly, a Fantasy and semi-Epic novel part. So it is difficult to classify it in a single genre.
The plot presents us with an astronaut who is disillusioned with the current plan for space exploration (which is limited to sending astronauts to the International Space Station) and who dreams of being able to fly to the Moon one day. The action takes place a few years in the future and everything begins the day after Neil Armstrong's funeral, when a phantom rocket, identical to a Saturn V, appears at Cape Canaveral and takes off towards the Moon. This repeats itself for three months, until our astronaut decides to get into one of these phantom ships and go to the Moon in it... first passing by the International Space Station to pick up a "friend". On the trip to the Moon they discover that when humanity is interested in the ship, the ship works, and when humanity loses interest, the ship becomes invisible. So it becomes clear to them that reality is created by the collective thought of humanity and that therefore they have to channel the will of humanity (all very Zen up to this point... I would have liked to see this part developed more from a scientific point of view).
When they return to Earth, the novel takes a complete turn towards Fantasy and explores what our society would be like if reality could be created with thought… the bad thing is that it doesn’t analyze it from a scientific perspective, but from a fantastic one… they even create flying dragons from the will of the people and make King Arthur appear… luckily, we also have the CIA that wants to control the channeling/creative powers that our protagonists possess, and towards the end, a dictator also appears in Europe who tries to conquer the continent with an army created with the minds of its people and channeling their will through it. As far as I’m concerned, it loses interest from the moment the astronauts return to Earth, although it is a book that I have read in 3 days because it is engaging, well written and imaginative.
The book is based on a short novel by Jerry Oltion who won the Nebula Award in 1997 and which has the same title as this one: “Abandon in Place”. As for the author, I admit that I did not know him and had never heard of him. The review of him included in the book mentions that he has been a gardener, stonemason, carpenter, oilman, forester, surveyor, rock disk jockey, typographer, proofreader, editor, computer specialist, film extra, excretory and garbage truck driver… it also indicates that he is the author of about a hundred short stories and a dozen novels.
Overall, it's a weekend book that doesn't make you think too much (beyond the question of whether we really create reality with our thoughts), but it's entertaining and easy to read. 100% recommended if you don't have high expectations.
