Apollo's Outcasts

Apollo's Outcasts by Allen Steele, November 6, 2012. 311 pages. Published by PYR. Source: Publisher.

In the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile classics, crafted with a modern sensibility. Jamey Barlowe has been crippled since childhood, the result of being born on the Moon. He lives his life in a wheelchair, only truly free when he is in the water. But then Jameys father sends him, along with five other kids, back to the Moon to escape a political coup detat that has occurred overnight in the United States. Moreover, one of the other five refugees is more than she appears. Soon Jamey is front and center in a political and military struggle stretching from the Earth to the Moon.

First Sentence:

On my sixteenth birthday, I went to the moon. 

Apollo's Outcasts was another incredible read that just so happens to take place on the moon. I seriously never thought I'd read an amazing book that takes place on the moon, let alone two in one year.

As I was reading Apollo's Outcasts, I could not help but enjoy the setting that the author used and the changes that the author used to separate our time from that of the book. I frankly enjoyed the fact that he added hovercars because they were unique in the way that they worked-not always in hovermode. While that and a few other advances were definitely interesting to read about, what really sets the story apart is the writing of Allen Steele and how he was able to take the plot (the US government being overthrown by the crazy VP) and make it tens times crazier.

I really thought that the 'bad' guys in the book were excellently crafted because they were truly messed up, and because, takeout the futuristic stuff, what happened seems like something that could almost happen (or be happening) in our times. What really made the villain all the more interesting was that she was insane to the max, and because she kind of reminded me of The Umbridge...

Okay, so the Rangers were one of my absolute favorite parts of this book. I loved that they were created to be a SAR group for those leaving on Apollo. I liked them as an addition to the story line because it was interesting to see how they worked together and that they were there to rescue those of Apollo from accidents that occurred. There really are no words to describe why I enjoyed reading about them, other then that they were an essential element to the book and to the outcome of what would happen.

So, the characters of Apollo's Outcasts. What I enjoyed must about the characters would have to be that they're were flawed, but not so flawed that they became unlikable. One of the things I liked best about Jamey, the protagonist from the book, would have to be that he had the most interesting story and journey in the book. I really enjoyed watching him overcome the obstacles that limited him on earth and seeing what exactly he was capable of.

What really made Apollo's Outcasts an interesting read, and thus what I liked best about it, would have to be Jamey. I really liked him as the protagonist of the story because it was really interesting to see how much he changed from the short span on time that you saw him on earth where he was confined to a mobile to seeing all the things that he achieved and the progress he made while seeking asylum on the moon.

Even though Apollo's Outcasts surprised me with how much I enjoyed it, there were a couple of things I did not like about it. What ended up being my least favorite thing about this book would have to be the female characters. I felt that had Hannah and Nicole been portrayed just a little differently I would have liked them, but the way they came across in the book just made it hard for me to like them. I wish I could explain what I found missing in their characters but for the life of me I cannot put it into words.

Final Verdict: Apollo's Outcasts is perfect for those wanting a fast paced read that just so happens to take place on the moon

Apollo's Outcasts earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.