Gerald Brennan

April, 1972. Three legendary astronauts embark on man's boldest space voyage yet--a yearlong mission to fly past our nearest planetary neighbor, Venus. Island of Clouds, the first full-length novel in the Altered Space series, is a gripping space epic based on NASA mission proposals from the late 1960s. Touching on literary and cultural influences ranging from Borges and Bukowski to Solaris and Star Trek, this story of exploration also offers a literary probing of the dark reaches of human nature: alcoholism, capitalism, authority, fatherhood, and the ephemeral nature of desire. Each entry in the Altered Space series is a wholly separate narrative, but all deal with the mysteries of space and time, progress and circularity. Every title is an ensō of words in which orbits of spacecraft, moons, planets and people allow us fresh perspectives on the cycles of our own lives.

The Great 1972 Venus Flyby

Island of Clouds

In late December of 1941, two parachutists dropped into occupied Europe on a mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, an SS leader whom one contemporary called "the hidden pivot" of Nazi Germany. Six months later, they succeeded. This is the definitive telling of this oft-forgotten story--its fascinating background, its thrilling climax, and its tragic consequences. It draws on diverse resources and influences, including Plato's Republic, Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, the writings of Czechoslovakian president TomAS Masaryk, Jaroslav HaSek's The Good Soldier Svejk, Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon, and even Camus' The Fall and Bukowski's Ham on Rye. In doing so, it creates something wholly unique--a powerful meditation on the subjective nature of history, and on the ways we distort the past in order to preserve it as memory.

Resistance

April, 1972. Three legendary astronauts embark on mankind’s boldest space voyage yet—a yearlong mission to fly past our nearest planetary neighbor, Venus. What follows will be a journey more harrowing than any of them can imagine. Island of Clouds, the first full-length novel in the Altered Space series, is a gripping space epic based on NASA mission proposals from the late 1960s. Touching on literary influences ranging from Borges and Bukowski to the Book of Job, this story of exploration also offers a literary probing of the dark reaches of human nature: alcoholism, capitalism, authority, fatherhood, and the ephemeral nature of desire. The titles in the Altered Space series are wholly separate narratives, but all deal with the mysteries of space and time, progress and circularity. Each one is an ensō of words in which orbits of spacecraft, moons, planets, and people allow us fresh perspectives on the cycles of our own lives.

May, 1970. After a one-month launch delay, Apollo 13 lands in the Fra Mauro Highlands of the moon—and then the trouble starts. The first in a series of what-if stories from the golden age of space exploration, Zero Phase was written based on meticulous research, and with assistance from two Apollo astronauts: Dr. Edgar Mitchell, who visited the Fra Mauro Highlands—and Captain Jim Lovell, who was supposed to. Dramatic, detailed, and finely written, this novella is a must-read for space aficionados and literary enthusiasts alike. The titles in the Altered Space series are wholly separate narratives, but all deal with the mysteries of space and time, progress and circularity. Each one is an ensō of words in which orbits of spacecraft, moons, planets, and people allow us fresh perspectives on the cycles of our own lives.

Apollo 13 on the Moon

Zero Phase

June, 1968. An air force astronaut flies to an orbiting observation platform for a forty-day stint spying on the Soviet Union from space—and discovers a plot that will determine the fate of the world. The fourth book in the Altered Space series, Infinite Blues imagines a militarized Space Race in a Cold War that never was, with America trying to find its way back to normalcy after the MacArthur presidency, and warily watching as Beria’s Soviet Union builds the ballistic missiles that threaten to destroy it on a half-hour’s notice. A thoroughly researched thriller full of political paranoia and imaginative intrigue, it’s also a look at today’s America through the lens of an alternate past, as well as a literary examination of observation and participation, individualism and collectivism, the ideas and attitudes that hold our country together—and the ones that might send it careening towards catastrophe. The titles in the Altered Space series are wholly separate narratives, but all deal with the mysteries of space and time, progress and circularity. Each one is an ensō of words in which orbits of spacecraft, moons, planets, and people allow us fresh perspectives on the cycles of our own lives.

A Cold War Fever Dream

Infinite Blues

In late December of 1941, two parachutists dropped into occupied Europe on a mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, an SS leader whom one contemporary called “the hidden pivot” of Nazi Germany. Six months later, they succeeded. This is the definitive telling of this oft-forgotten story—its fascinating background, its thrilling climax, and its tragic consequences.

May, 1970. A two-person Soviet crew approaches the moon, ready to accomplish the greatest feat in human history—provided they can overcome their own petty jealousies, and the unforgiving harshness of space. Alone on the Moon chronicles a Soviet moon mission through the eyes of Boris Volynov, a backup who’s been pressed into service helping Alexei Leonov (a man he despises) attempt humanity’s first lunar landing. Thoroughly researched, it’s a detailed and plausible rendition of two larger-than-life personalities facing incredible challenges. It’s also a meditation on luck, trust, the nature of observation, and the burden of being chosen—plus the way our personal narratives can shape (or poison) our perceptions of the present. Do the stories we tell ourselves shape our fate, or can we write a new chapter? The answer awaits. The titles in the Altered Space series are wholly separate narratives, but all deal with the mysteries of space and time, progress and circularity. Each one is an ensō of words in which orbits of spacecraft, moons, planets, and people allow us fresh perspectives on the cycles of our own lives.

A Soviet Lunar Odyssey

Alone on the Moon

Chris Woodstra

Allen Schrott

Offering comprehensive coverage of classical music, this guide surveys more than eleven thousand albums and presents biographies of five hundred composers and eight hundred performers, as well as twenty-three essays on forms, eras, and genres of classical music. Original.

The Definitive Guide to Classical Music

All Music Guide to Classical Music

October, 1967. Yuri Gagarin sits atop a Proton rocket, ready to launch. After several turbulent years in the public eye, he's been chosen in secrecy to captain the Soviet Union's latest space spectacular: the first manned flight around the moon. The second story in the Altered Space series, Public Loneliness is a detailed and imaginative look at a country and a space program with a curious schizophrenia regarding publicity and secrecy. Based on extensive research, it's also a lively and literary story that references familiar classics (like Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea) and forgotten landmarks of Soviet socialist realism, while also touching on universal themes of adventure, alcoholism, heroism and shame. It's a compelling look behind the massive posters at the all-too-real man who led the human race into space. The titles in the Altered Space series are wholly separate narratives, but all deal with the mysteries of space and time, progress and circularity. Each one is an ensō of words in which orbits of spacecraft, moons, planets, and people allow us fresh perspectives on the cycles of our own lives.

Gerald Brennan

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