Fiction/Nonfiction Quick Reviews: The Out of This World Edition

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel (2014)

Many of us have heard of America's first astronauts, but few of us know about the women and families of those men.  Lily Koppel gives us an inside look at the astronaut wives who became overnight celebrities, whether they wanted to or not.  I thought this was a really interesting read - I've read other books about astronauts, how they were chosen, how they trained, and their professional achievements (and sometimes tragedies, unfortunately), but I've never seen a book focus on their wives and family lives.  Koppel explores how these women became somewhat famous in their own right, were touted as the "perfect" wives and homemakers, and had to keep up appearances even when they were going through tough times.  There were a lot of people to keep track of, especially as the astronaut classes grew bigger, but several of the women stood out, and overall I thought this was an honest and intimate look at astronaut wives.  4 stars

Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes (2025)

Halley is looking for a place to hide while she rides out a political scandal, so she takes a job as a sort of caretaker on a space barge that was previously used as a glamorous place to store the cryogenically frozen bodies of the rich and famous, years ago.  Soon after, though, weird noises and odd images on the security cameras make her wonder if something truly horrible is happening on the ship.  SA Barnes is always good for a space horror, although I have to admit, this one was a bit convoluted for me.  Halley is a well-rounded character, even if her backstory isn't totally clear at first.  The space barge is an eerie, atmospheric setting for a horror novel, with all the defunct cryo chambers around the ship and a handyman who just seems a little off.  The whole bit with AI, though, just added too many layers and made this already unbelievable story almost a bit laughable, unfortunately.  3 stars

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