And the winner of the space race is…….Denmark. There’s humor, paranoia and a very ironic ending to this book. It may appear to be just a comic novel but it’s much more. Well worth picking up.
Israeli physicist Arnie Klein invents an anti-gravity device he calls The Daleth Effect. He defects to the country of his birth, Denmark. He calls his friend and fellow physicist and Nobel Prize winner Ove Rasmussen.
The two combine the Daleth Effect and a fusion generator and they’re ready for their first test. The put the equipment on an old icebreaker. The ship rises and then takes a fall causing several injuries.
The second test on a small submarine goes a lot better. Joining them is airline pilot Nils Hansen. He’s married to Martha, an American citizen. The Russians and the Americans will do anything to get their hands on the Daleth Effect.
A three man Russian ship crashes on the Moon. There’s no hope of rescue until the Daleth Effect. While Moscow is broadcasting long and boring speeches to the men on the Moon the sub moves in for the rescue. Now the race is on to try and steal the technology.
A Soviet agent breaks into a Minister’s office and kills a watchman so he can break into a file cabinet. No luck. Martha is called to the American Embassy to see Bob Baxter. He says there’s something wrong with her passport. He looks it over and says it’s okay and then puts it in a drawer. He told Martha he wants her to spy on her husband and the scientists and report back to him.
Arnie, Ove and the others establish a base on the Moon with Mars the next stop. They build a huge ship for the next flight and invite dignitaries along for the ride. All is going well until paranoia takes over America and Russia.
The book touches on Denmark’s WWII risky actions and the politics of the Cold War. The ending is an eye opener that will probably make you think it could all have happened this way and may even occur in the future.
Harry Harrison
