After watching the film Apollo 13, I discovered it was based on a book. Originally titled Lost Moon, it was published in 1994, with the film following the year after.

The book describes what happened to the Apollo 13 mission, which was supposed to be the third manned lunar landing in 1970. Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise were on their way to the Moon, when there was an explosion in an oxygen tank – on April 13th. They had to abandon the Moon landing and focus on getting home, with the odds stacked against them.

Although the book was co-authored by Lovell, the perspective is third person. At first I thought that was strange, as there are chapters of his biography every so often, but then it made sense. A lot of the time we are following the various teams on the ground as they battled to solve problems and communicate to the crew. We also follow Marilyn, Jim’s wife, as she tries to reassure their children and fend off the media frenzy, while praying that he would come back. As a non-technical person, the book had too much detail for me and I think it could have been shorter, but for a science nerd I’m sure it would be perfect. I appreciate how it was carefully researched and structured. There is a good deal of background on previous missions and astronaut selection before we get to number 13. With a few diversions, the rest of the narrative, which is written in quite a journalistic style, follows the events closely. I liked the epilogue best, which manages to blend the investigation into what caused the explosion, with fast-forwarding to 1993 and Jim showing his space souvenirs to his grandchildren. At the end of the book, there is a timeline, list of Apollo missions, and dramatis personae. I think some images would have been a good addition, but I’m sure plenty can be found elsewhere.

Published by Hodder and Stoughton, 2015.

Related reviews: Space: The Human Story by Tim Peake, Magnificent Desolation by Buzz Aldrin, Look Up: Our Story with the Stars by Sarah Cruddas, The Moon by Oliver Morton, Challenger by Adam Higginbotham.