Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History
Ben Mezrich
It sometimes seems that everything, and, perhaps, everyone, has a price, but what of those things that are too unique, too valuable to be measured by any measure of value at all grounded in reality? Surely the lunar samples retrieved by the various Apollo missions belong firmly in this category, and thus the caper posed in Ben Mezrich's Sex on the Moon, which involves theft of several moon rocks, may indeed be called audacious. Though the book attempts to put this crime on a pedestal, however, much of the text simply undermines the task, which boils down to a NASA insider's not particularly keen observations, a lucky lockpicking trick plucked from a run-of-the-mill spy film, and a whole lot of gusto. And while these may not a brilliant Crime of the Century make, in Mezrich's hands they coalesce into a hell of an interesting story, if not particularly well told or able to really live up to its billing. Though Mezrich delights in trite clichés, the fact that the story is more of a character study of Thad Roberts, the perpetrator, makes it work, as Thad seems to be the kind of guy who revels in clichéd thinking and grandiosity. Despite his centrality to the narrative, however, it is difficult to tell whether Thad is intended to be sympathetic or, rather, whether the reader should wish to smack him into reality. Mezrich's tendency to catapult the reader through time and, occasionally, space does not help matters, and the relationship that ultimately moves Thad from "wouldn't it be cool to steal some moon rocks" to utterly lovestruck, moon-promising thief is woefully underdeveloped. And though one wonders whether, given Thad's somewhat impulsive personality, that was precisely the case in real life, the plot jumps seemingly at will, from an introductory getaway to the story's present day to a few years earlier to the narrative present to a year later. Mezrich always leaves hints as to the passage of time, but the effect is a bit jumpy, if not quite up to vomit-comet levels.
This effect is most destructive when the story rolls around to the grand act itself, with so little pomp that one wonders whether the author realizes it should, by rights, be the climax of the narrative. Instead, the energy is dissipated and the low-key theft is retold in a matching low-key tone, which may fit thematically but which makes the big reveal a bit of a letdown, to say nothing of the mundane nature of the theft itself. The getaway, aptly foretold in a prologue, is skipped entirely, and it seems that it takes only a few pages to get to the not-at-all-suspenseful conclusion. The narrative arc and pacing could have been handled better, yet despite all of its faults, Sex on the Moon is utterly compelling reading. Maybe it's Thad's strange mix of a mad scientist's determination, self-reinforcing inflated ego, and cluelessness, or maybe it's simply the fact that every kid wants to go to Space Camp; regardless, the book is difficult to put down, even if its calling itself audacious is really the most audacious thing within. The idea of going behind the scenes at NASA is as enthralling to readers as it first was to Thad, and readers are treated to nifty behind-the-scenes visions of the space shuttle simulator and the astronauts' zero-gravity training pool, visions that add to the atmosphere of the novel and keep it interesting despite other missteps and mishandlings. Mezrich's unseemly pleading for a movie deal toward the end (I actually groaned when characters began saying, "My life could be a movie!") is immature and very quickly gets out of hand, yet there is something of a compelling story in all of this, though told in a stilted manner and with only two or three particularly interesting main players. Additionally, one gets the feeling that the story, held so closely to Thad's view of events, may occasionally stretch the truth, but despite a number of literary problems Sex on the Moon is an enchanting, if flawed, character study wrapped around a not-quite-classic heist tale.
Grade: B+
Ben Mezrich
It sometimes seems that everything, and, perhaps, everyone, has a price, but what of those things that are too unique, too valuable to be measured by any measure of value at all grounded in reality? Surely the lunar samples retrieved by the various Apollo missions belong firmly in this category, and thus the caper posed in Ben Mezrich's Sex on the Moon, which involves theft of several moon rocks, may indeed be called audacious. Though the book attempts to put this crime on a pedestal, however, much of the text simply undermines the task, which boils down to a NASA insider's not particularly keen observations, a lucky lockpicking trick plucked from a run-of-the-mill spy film, and a whole lot of gusto. And while these may not a brilliant Crime of the Century make, in Mezrich's hands they coalesce into a hell of an interesting story, if not particularly well told or able to really live up to its billing. Though Mezrich delights in trite clichés, the fact that the story is more of a character study of Thad Roberts, the perpetrator, makes it work, as Thad seems to be the kind of guy who revels in clichéd thinking and grandiosity. Despite his centrality to the narrative, however, it is difficult to tell whether Thad is intended to be sympathetic or, rather, whether the reader should wish to smack him into reality. Mezrich's tendency to catapult the reader through time and, occasionally, space does not help matters, and the relationship that ultimately moves Thad from "wouldn't it be cool to steal some moon rocks" to utterly lovestruck, moon-promising thief is woefully underdeveloped. And though one wonders whether, given Thad's somewhat impulsive personality, that was precisely the case in real life, the plot jumps seemingly at will, from an introductory getaway to the story's present day to a few years earlier to the narrative present to a year later. Mezrich always leaves hints as to the passage of time, but the effect is a bit jumpy, if not quite up to vomit-comet levels.
This effect is most destructive when the story rolls around to the grand act itself, with so little pomp that one wonders whether the author realizes it should, by rights, be the climax of the narrative. Instead, the energy is dissipated and the low-key theft is retold in a matching low-key tone, which may fit thematically but which makes the big reveal a bit of a letdown, to say nothing of the mundane nature of the theft itself. The getaway, aptly foretold in a prologue, is skipped entirely, and it seems that it takes only a few pages to get to the not-at-all-suspenseful conclusion. The narrative arc and pacing could have been handled better, yet despite all of its faults, Sex on the Moon is utterly compelling reading. Maybe it's Thad's strange mix of a mad scientist's determination, self-reinforcing inflated ego, and cluelessness, or maybe it's simply the fact that every kid wants to go to Space Camp; regardless, the book is difficult to put down, even if its calling itself audacious is really the most audacious thing within. The idea of going behind the scenes at NASA is as enthralling to readers as it first was to Thad, and readers are treated to nifty behind-the-scenes visions of the space shuttle simulator and the astronauts' zero-gravity training pool, visions that add to the atmosphere of the novel and keep it interesting despite other missteps and mishandlings. Mezrich's unseemly pleading for a movie deal toward the end (I actually groaned when characters began saying, "My life could be a movie!") is immature and very quickly gets out of hand, yet there is something of a compelling story in all of this, though told in a stilted manner and with only two or three particularly interesting main players. Additionally, one gets the feeling that the story, held so closely to Thad's view of events, may occasionally stretch the truth, but despite a number of literary problems Sex on the Moon is an enchanting, if flawed, character study wrapped around a not-quite-classic heist tale.
Grade: B+
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