The Defector

Former International Space Station Commander Channels Spirit Of Tom Clancy. Growing up, I *loved* Tom Clancy's writing - and yes, I was reading it as a young teen, including Without Remorse in just 8th grade. Here, Hadfield - he the Canadian who rose up the astronaut ranks in NASA to have quite a remarkable career in actual space - brings us a historical fiction / alternate history spy thriller that truly does channel Clancy in both the spycraft and the technobabble. Yes, there are some intensely thrilling fighter action scenes, particularly in the early and late phases of the book. But while there is no 10-pages-covering-the-first-nanoseconds-of-a-nuclear-detonation level intensely detailed technical description... there is quite a bit show more more than at least some readers will prefer. I personally enjoyed it... but I'm also a guy that wrote a HS paper on the technical specifications and capabilities of the F-14 Tomcat fighter. Overall, the tale as told works quite well, though in the end it does almost feel like this was always meant to be the middle tale of a trilogy. As such, it does have quite a few spoilers for Book 1, The Apollo Murders, so those who are particularly sensitive about those things should absolutely read that book first. But then this book picks up soon after, and trust me... you're gonna want to read this one too. Very much recommended. show less

After years of conflict in the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula (both occupied by Israel) in 1973 the Arab coalition chose the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur to launch a counter-offensive taking Golda Meir and her ministers by surprise. NASA flight controller, Kaz Zemeckis, happens to be there and watches a Soviet MiG plane plummet to the ground unaware that it is the beginning of a series of lies in which he is destined to take part. The Soviet pilot has planned to defect and Kaz is given the job of accompanying him to the US.

Hadfield's ability to provide details that can actually be followed is outstanding - whether they are about political intrigue or procedures for flying a supersonic plane - all while keeping up the excitement show more of a first class thriller inspired by historic events. And, as Hadfield says in the prologue: “Many of these people are real, much of this actually happened”. A terrific read. show less

Yes, that Chris Hadfield, astronaut, recorded a video of himself playing ‘Space Oddity’ on the ISS and it went viral. That Chris Hadfield. This is his second work of fiction, after The Apollo Murders, and also features one-eyed ex-test pilot Kaz Zemeckis in the lead role. A Soviet pilot defects with a MiG-25, landing in Israel the day before the Yom Kippur War. He and his aircraft are shipped to the US, to Groom Lake, AKA Area 51, where USAF plans to learn as much as possible about the plane. Complicating matters are the three cosmonauts assigned to the Apollo-Soyuz Project, two real historical figures and the invented female cosmonaut who was the first Russian on the Moon in The Apollo Murders. I enjoyed the first book in what is show more now plainly a series because of the hardware–I mean, just look at the fiction I’ve written–and this one is centred around a topic also of interest to me: Cold War supersonic military aircraft. But not, unfortunately, to the same degree. And, I must admit, Zemeckis is starting to smack a little of Dirk Pitt. I was a fan of Clive Cussler’s novels when I first read them back in the early 1980s, but the writing grew too bad to be forgivable and I eventually gave up on them over 20 years ago. Sadly, recent rereads of those early Dirk Pitt novels have shown they were always bad and I’m somewhat surprised I bothered reading past the first one. (I didn’t read them in order, so I’ve no idea which of the first half-dozen or so I read first.) Hadfield is a marginally better writer than Cussler at his best, although this is not a field in which writing chops are much on display–in fact, it’s possibly the reverse. But when Zemeckis dogfights in a F-15 after one leg has been shredded below the knee by a shotgun blast, some of Dirk Pitt’s more incredible physical exploits spring to mind. If Hadfield sticks to areas that interest me, my “enthusiasms” as I call them–deep sea exploration next?--then I’ll probably continue to pick up cheap copies of his books. show less

Definitely a smoother read than his first thriller. The reader can almost feel how much Chris has read his Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney and others in the genre.

He's still far too obsessed with naming every single piece of equipment, or talking about it's function, or even giving short history lessons on it (I didn't really care about the half and half kerosene/gasoline history for jet fuel).

That being said, while the story is still a touch clumsy, overall, it's a fun read and, when he gets out of his own way to just tell the story, it's an engaging one as well.

Overall, yes, I'll definitely read the next one in the series. Just...dial it back on the forced verisimilitude, dude.

Take a seat and strap it to ya, this is going to be a wild ride. The Defector, by Chris Hadfield, starts off at Mach 3 and keeps giving from there. A Russian pilot has landed his supersonic Mig-25 in Israel and wants to defect to the United States. It’s Oct 1973, the U. S. has nothing currently to match the performance of this jet. Needless to say the U. S. government is salivating over the thought of actually getting their hands on this latest Russian marvel and it’s knowledgeable pilot. A former U. S. test pilot and current flight controller for NASA, Kaz Zemeckis happens to be on the scene in Israel and recognizes the importance of what has almost fallen into his lap. He makes contact with his higher ups and starts the wheels show more rolling to get this prize home to the States for testing and analysis at a top secret testing site in Nevada. What a windfall. How lucky can the U. S. Government get to have this prize fall into their hands. A Russian pilot willing to share all he knows about the Mig-25 and he has brought the aircraft with him as a gift. What was that old saying, beware of Greeks bearing gifts? Well it may also apply to Russians. A wild ride from beginning to end. This is a follow up to Hadfield’s previous book, The Apollo Murders, although it stands alone very well. This book was provided for review by the good folks at NovelSuspectsInsiders. show less

Chris Hadfield who sang David Bowie's Space Oddity on the Int'l space station also writes interesting detective novels set in NASA, and cislunar space.
This one didn't leave orbit but it was well done, lots of action and great characterization.
I liked all the tech stuff about fighter jets, electronics and communications.
I'm going to read the last installment if I can get over having to pay $15 for electrons...

Apollo Murders book #2

This top gun thriller is rich with inside details and political intrigue taken from real events and people that made the news at the time.

It opens in Israel in October 1973 when a Soviet MiG fighter pilot crashes his mythical “Foxbat” MiG-25 on landing and pleads to defect to the USA. Kaz Zemeckis, a former test pilot, is assigned to accompany him to the military’s most secret site in the US, Area 51. What happens next is a thrill on its own....and nerve- shredding rush of aerial combat till the very end. Tom Cruise step aside....

From start to finish the plot moves at full throttle and is an adrenaline laced espionage page turner at its best. This Cold War era story is drawn from the author’s combat show more experience. As a fighter pilot, test pilot and astronaut Chris Hadfield has a lot to say and makes his story of the Soviet-era exciting to read. We are taken to the sky in aerial combat to hunt down a high-level defector and at the same time uncover Soviets secrets what a way to get readers attention. I like the characters, they are well-defined and many represent real-life people both in the USA and Soviet Union. The narrative brings a vast knowledge in science and technology including the development of fighter jets and missiles.

Dogfight described by one that was once a fighter pilot is exciting. We are immediately placed in the cockpit; you can feel the pressure and the thinness of the air and the rotation you are subject to at high speed. Strap yourself in and enjoy the wild ride I know I did. Well said and well-done.

My thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for this ARC show less