Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivals That Ignited the Space Age

One of my favorites. Well read (except for the eery 1950s communist background music that is interspersed at the end/beginning of some of the chapters that comes out of nowhere). As a space race/apollo fan i woudl like to think i knew a fair bit about the milestones in this area, but this book is full of stuff you don't get anywhere else, especially the inner workings of the USSR. Well paced, and in the end, has a great summary of the impact of these decisions on the next 40 years of history. Just awesome, highly highly recommeneded.

Excellent writing - so much historic facts and very objective behind the scenes information. I have listened to about 25 audiobooks so far in this year and this is the one I have enjoyed the most. Charles Stransky as narrator also did a great job - his reading style and the voice makes listening joyful and I hope there will be more books coming out narrated by him.

I was born in 1956, when several of the key events in this book took place, so I found myself feeling very connected to the story. And, like many of my generation, I was totally tuned in to the space race in the 1960's. What a different perspective to hear how it really happened. Highly recommended.

As a fan of Cold War history, I thought this a wonderful exploration of the pre-glamour years of the Space Race. The book explored the deep connection between the arms race and space race to a degree that's often overlooked. Like so many accounts, this book makes me wish I had been around for this unique time in history.

As has been mentioned, the interspersion of dramatic music is annoying, and I tend to wonder if the narrator correctly pronounces Sergei Korolev's name, but the book is nevertheless absolutely worth your time.

To those who remember The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe…this book covers what was left out!!...the origins of space race and dooms day scare. Better than fiction, Brzezinski details the unseen struggle between the USSR and the US…the genius of Korolev, the surprising US treatment of Werner Von Braun. Unbelievable!! Mysteries revealed, cold war history that few will ever know. Recommended as...a MUST read...for the military history fan!

This is one of the few audiobooks I've managed to listen to "cover to cover" (twice, at that). The writing style and the narrator make this as much an engaging story as it is a history lesson. The focus is on the race to put a satellite in space and the aftermath, but the story also sets up the origins of the space race in a broader sense.
Listening to this book made me want to know more about the "characters" that drive the story; Korolev and the Russian scientists, Von Braun and his rockets, and even the political players.
I'd love to see more books written in this style that cover other phases of the space race as well.

This audio book kept me listening to the end, never a dull moment!!!! I wish all historical audio books were as interesting as this one.

I liked the book. Some interesting history and the background to the dawn of the space race. The narrator had a tone and pace that was neither over-bearing or monotonous.

A very interesting story which tells the full story of the complete space race.

I inside look at the space race and the cold war politics that drove it. I learned so much from this book. Truely an incredible story of science fact!

The fact that our own government kept us from launching the first satellite before the USSR. Our own government forced Von Braun's Jupiter C rocket to fly 1,300 lbs. of sand as a second stage to keep his rocket from going into orbit. All because the elected officials wanted there pet Navy Vanguard program to be the first to orbit.