The Gatekeepers

I read this book because it was the 1996 Compton Crook winner for best new author in the genre and because it had an introduction by astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin. I'm glad I did. If you want a Jack Ryan hero, who never makes mistakes, you'll be disappointed. The principal characters in The Gatekeepers make mistakes in their professional and personal lives. Usually they outsmart themselves. The CIA tries to control Industrialist Rolf Bernard, and ends up creating a loose cannon. A desperate Rolf Bernard tries to make himself indispensable by controlling low-Earth orbit and ends up making a target of himself. Rolf's wife Cynthia tries to control Rolf's security man, Bobby Taylor, and nearly gets herself killed. The people trying to control Cynthia to get at Rolf do get themselves killed. The more the characters struggle, the more entangled they get. And despite all the mistakes, miscalculations and accidents, the technology pushes ahead. Therein lies the point of the book: the three technologies-strategic defense of space, single stage to orbit spacecraft, and solar power satellites-will eventually succeed regardless of human foibles.I thought the book was fun. Frankly, I found the flawed characters more believable than the more conventional characters that reviewers have trained themselves to expect.

I liked this book, but then anything that advocates a progressive return to space has alwasy attracted me. It was a good read but some of it just seemed a little to preposterous. If you enjoy return to space type book give this one a try.