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BOOK REVIEW: Oxygen
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by: Ethan C. McDonald Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: Oxygen Author: John B. Olson and Randall Ingermanson Publisher: Bethany House ISBN: 0-7642-2442-5 Genre: Inspirational/Science Fiction
NASA's first manned mission to Mars is plagued by trouble. Someone has gained unauthorized access to secured offices, computers and even the Mars spacecraft. And now top secret information has been leaked to a foreign government. Have these security breaches jeapordized the safety of the misson and the crew?
At launch, the Ares 10 sustains damage and the four astronauts onboard are badly shaken up. After assessing the damage, the crew members have to decide whether to abort the mission. Once the team starts the trans Mars injection, there'd be no turning back.
Sixty-eight days into the mission, during a spacewalk, a near-fatal explosion rocks the ship, critically injuring one of the astronauts. A second crew member is knocked out and left floating outside of the Ares 10. Was the explosion an accident or the result of sabotage? Who'd want to keep the Ares crew from fulfilling its mission?
The Mars mission director suspects Japanese terrorists may be involved. But evidence points to an inside job. The saboteur could even be one of the crew members. Commander Kennedy "The Hampster" Hampton blames each of his crew members, but his own erratic behavior leads them to believe that he has a few screws loose.
Extensive damage to the spacecraft robs the crew of their crucial power source and leaves them with little oxygen. Any hope of reaching Mars quickly dims. Paranoia sets in as the astronauts realize a killer may be on board.
NASA comes up with a plan to save the crew, but there's a hitch. Two of the astronauts must be put in medically-induced comas, monitored by the third in order to conserve oxygen. How do they know whether the one they leave awake isn’t a killer? Will they stay alive long enough to survive their oxygen shortage?
Oxygen is obviously well-researched, vividly descriptive, thrilling, dangerous and is filled with fast-paced action. Olson and Ingermanson clearly earned the Christy Award they received for this book. The story often made my heart race. During many critical moments I anxiously willed the astronauts to breathe and to hold on to life as they raced time. Oxygen is worth every breathtaking moment.
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