Blue and Gold Publishing is pleased to present:

SPACE: An Odyssey in Rhyme


Placed in a not-so distant future of interplanetary travel and terraforming, this action-packed thriller is the story of a young engineer who is thrust into a world of sinister interplanetary intrigue and a ship captain's desperate search for the missing Love of his Life.

Travel with them to the far reaches of the solar system as they and their companions face danger and adventure, tragedy and joy, and loss and reward through trials of personal discovery and rebirth in a desperate fight to bring justice to tyranny, love to the lost, and liberty to the oppressed.

Includes appendices and an extensive glossary.

Author's Preface:

Many who were born and grew up in the 1940s through 1970s were enraptured with the looming prospect of firsthand exploration of the solar system. Our imaginations soared in anticipation of colonization and development on the new frontier. The stars in our eyes grew yet brighter with exposure to the paintings of Chesley Bonestell, and the writings of men like Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein who transported us through the minds eye to that grand and exciting future. In this verse-novel I have tried to capture some of that spirit, whether nostalgic to the gray hairs or hopeful to the young.

With the rapid acceleration of technological advances in the past half century, the world of this story is no longer a far reach and the possibilities are legion. It is not hard to imagine environment suits made of nano-sized heat pumps, atomics-powered rockets, cold fusion reactors, laser weaponry, artificial intelligence, and any number of other emerging technologies. However, in this story I have refrained from describing much in the way of new technologies and I have used much of the current and familiar. Rather than the hardware they possess, this is a story about people, coping in a future that is patiently waiting for those who would dare to make it.

I hope you enjoy reading this novel-in-verse as much as I did writing it.

- James T. Sapp

Table of Contents

Preface xi
Prologue 1
The Captain's Lament 1
The Doctors View 2
1 First Flight 3
2 Introductions 8
3 Rude Awakening 23
4 Food for Thought 32
5 Mars 52
6 Soldana 61
7 Dinner and Delight 88
8 A Better Offer 103
9 Decision 118
10 Departure 122
11 Date Night 128
12 Discovery 139
13 Into the Deep 146
14 Progress 151
15 Nocturne 153
16 Snap Decision 166
17 Saturn 176
18 Titan 190
19 A Far Country 195
20 Catching Up 205
21 New Friends 212
22 Candlelight and Flowers 219
23 Off-Leash! 231
24 Job Well Done 235
25 Jonesy 239
26 Jackrabbit 251
27 Stroke of Darkness 259
28 Terror and Atrocity 269
29 Rewind 276
30 Worth His Salt 281
31 Revelations 290
32 A Small Request 297
33 Making the Point 303
34 Rendezvous and Pow Wow 313
35 Tripping the Trigger 323
36 Boomerang 330
37 Vignette 339
38 Iapetus 341
39 Message in a Bottle 344
40 Two Plus Two 349
41 Engagement 354
42 Moonshine and Musings 361
43 Descent 368
44 Kumbaru 377
45 Backlash 379
46 Mousetrap 389
47 A Message from Mars 398
48 The Black Ring 402
49 Confidence and Conscience 407
50 Its a Go! 411
51 Contact 414
52 Troubled Angels 425
53 Reunion 428
54 Dominos 441
55 Waiting 444
56 No Plan Lasts... 446
57 A Toast! 456
58 Raven Down 459
59 Nail in the Coffin 468
60 The Little Bird 473
61 Gloves Off 476
62 Getaway! 487
63 Shattered 496
64 A Necessary Evil 506
65 Spurs and Bugles 526
66 Dreams 535
67 Trouble at Veles 544
68 Judgment 556
69 Help Wanted 562
70 Enceladus 564
71 Respite 572
72 Banquet on Barsoom 575
73 Ribbons, Bows and Bells 590
74 Castle West 594
Epilog 599
Appendix A 602
List of Principal Characters 602
Captain Blue's Crew 603
Residents of Titan 604
Appendix B 605
Australian Slang as Used on Titan 605
Glossary 610

630 pages, available in Hardbound or Paperback.

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