• Beyond

  • The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space
  • By: Stephen Walker
  • Narrated by: David Rintoul
  • Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (222 ratings)

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Beyond  By  cover art

Beyond

By: Stephen Walker
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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Publisher's summary

“This remarkable account of the 1961 race into space is a thrilling piece of storytelling.... It is high definition history: tight, thrilling, and beautifully researched.” (The Times, London, front-page lead review)

Beyond has the exhilaration of a fine thriller, but it is vividly embedded in the historic tensions of the Cold War, and peopled by men and women brought sympathetically, and sometimes tragically, to life.” (Colin Thubron, author of Shadow of the Silk Road)

09.07 am. April 12, 1961. A top secret rocket site in the USSR. A young Russian sits inside a tiny capsule on top of the Soviet Union’s most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile - originally designed to carry a nuclear warhead - and blasts into the skies. His name is Yuri Gagarin. And he is about to make history.

Travelling at almost 18,000 miles per hour - 10 times faster than a rifle bullet - Gagarin circles the globe in just 106 minutes. From his windows, he sees the Earth as nobody has before, crossing a sunset and a sunrise, crossing oceans and continents, witnessing its beauty and its fragility. While his launch begins in total secrecy, within hours of his landing, he has become a world celebrity - the first human to leave the planet.

Beyond tells the thrilling story behind that epic flight on its 60th anniversary. It happened at the height of the Cold War as the US and USSR confronted each other across an Iron Curtain. Both superpowers took enormous risks to get a man into space first, the Americans in the full glare of the media, the Soviets under deep cover. Both trained their teams of astronauts to the edges of the endurable. In the end, the race between them would come down to the wire.

Drawing on extensive original research and the vivid testimony of eyewitnesses, many of whom have never spoken before, Stephen Walker unpacks secrets that were hidden for decades and takes the listener into the drama of one of humanity’s greatest adventures - to the scientists, engineers, and political leaders on both sides, and, above all, to the American astronauts and their Soviet rivals battling for supremacy in the heavens.

©2021 Stephen Walker (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Beyond

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A remarkable story on many levels

This is one of the most captivating stories that I've come across in all of the more-than-ninety books that I've listened to on Audible. Not only is this the story of one remarkable young man but it is also a fascinating look at the frenetic behind-the-scenes maneuvering involved in the intense competition between the Soviets and the Americans to be the first nation to put a man in space. I've come away with a much more complete understanding of the dramatic events that were part of my youth. It's a well written book that is clearly delivered. I highly recommend it.

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The other side of history

Although familiar with the history of US road to the moon, I knew very little detail of the early Russian program. Walker did excellent research and presenting the story in a chronological narrative contrasting the efforts of both US and Russian programs makes the book captivating. Outstanding story and performance by the narrator. Best book ever using Audible (and my first review ever which emphasizes my rating.)

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excellent to know the other side of the race

Having read so many books about the USAs space program it was really interesting to know more about the USSRs effort and the push to be at the top. A must read for the space enthusiast.

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The beginning from the Soviet first man in space.

Not much information from the Soviet side of the Space program that many new about. This story give a better view of what went on behind the scenes.

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Excellent. Well worth the listen!

Such a powerful story that I had no clue about. It certainly leaves you wondering how Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin really died. His name was unknown to me before listening to this book. Yuri was such a brave man, What a hero. This was one of those, "I can't stop listening" books.

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Wow!

As a student of the Russian language, I learned a bit about this story, but the historical records from the time left something to be desired.

I was very excited to listen to this book once I heard the author on the BBC History Extra podcast. I was not disappointed! The story and the performance of this book are phenomenal!

Thank you, Stephen Walker, for making this history come alive.

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One of the best books on the space race.

Impeccably researched, a masterful telling of one of the most important events in history from a perspective largely unknown in the west. You feel like you’re right there in the capsule nervously waiting for the countdown to reach zero. Bravo.

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Fascinating story of first person in space

Great details of early Soviet and U.S. space programs. Many little-known and personal details of space pioneers.

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Fantastic story with superb narrator

Having read many books on the moon missions and missions that led to those Moon missions this account of the first man in space was unexpectedly fascinating and gripping. It is really researched and recounted with a very fine balance of detail and context. the author manages to really bring to life the people involved and their humanity as well as many lesser known aspects. It's clear that without this 'first' done by the Soviet Union at enormous risk that the US would never have reached the moon by 1969. The narrator is superlatively good and manages to vary not only his pace from slow scenes to faster tense ones, but even the accents whether his native British, affected American, or Russian names. This is one of the great audiobook experiences and you should not miss out.

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Marvelous Detail!

This is an unprecedented look into the most secret heart of the Soviet space program! A fascinating story from an era steeped in misinformation and bravery! Very worth a listen!!

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