A press release from AEC Stellar Publishing:
Raymond Vogel is a rocket scientist-turned-writer who worked as a systems engineer on NASA’s Orion Program. His science fiction imagining, Matter of Resistance (AEC Stellar Publishing Inc., August 22, 2013), pushes technology and human nature to the limits as it chronicles our Mars settlement’s struggle for independence from Earth.
Born into a world of political tension, the book’s central character, Isaac, is one of the brightest members of the upcoming Martian generation. With a number of his peers and a curious, new element known as Magnematter, Isaac builds on the technologies of the past to accomplish previously impossible feats. But he will soon have to weigh the continued defense of Mars against a devastating attack on Earth, as he struggles to hold on to his childhood values in the midst of conflict and loss.
Meanwhile on Earth, Robert Daniels is an average employee at the space trade giant Red Planet, Inc. He doesn’t always agree with the political motivations of his management chain, and their ruthless search for more Magnematter, but what can he do? Luckily, his new relationship to the clever May Gadeshi has been a welcome distraction. That is, until he learns of her involvement in the elusive activist organization known as Mr. G. Fraught with mixed feelings of love and betrayal, Robert will have to choose sides before it is too late for him make a difference.
Though Matter of Resistance was written for young adults, it’s received high praise and recommendations from top minds throughout the field. Here’s what the experts are saying:
Michael Dawson, Retired NASA Senior Executive Service and Associate Director for the Stennis Space Center; Retired USAF Colonel and Mission Support Group Commander; General Manager at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility: “Adding real science to its fiction, Matter of Resistance gives an eerily accurate portrayal of where we may find ourselves one day. With great character interactions and the use of believable technology advancements to solve intractable problems, it kept my attention until the last page.”
Col. Ross Nunn, USAF Retired; former Commander of the Air Force Astronautics Lab, and early proponent of antimatter and fusion-based propulsion research: “Picked up the book to read the first chapter – didn’t put it down until I finished the entire book. Captivating, suspense-filled reading, beginning to end. The interplay of human tendencies for domination coupled with the sense of caring for our fellow man was gripping.”
Mark Cantrell, PhD, Materials and Processes, Senior Staff, NASA’s Orion Program: “A really interesting story that examines space travel within the possibilities of today’s technology and in the context of natural human drives. A balance between technology, the drive for independence of a colony, the drive to make profit by a company, and the natural good found in people in both worlds. The story is interesting, fun to read and makes you think. I loved this story. I recommend it.”
About the Author: Raymond spent several years in the aerospace industry, as a Materials and Processes engineer helping with the design of Boeing aircraft components and then working for Lockheed Martin on the NASA Orion Program as a Systems Engineer at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, LA. During his time working on Orion, Matter of Resistance was first conceived and drafted. This Second Edition release represents a six-year-long process of editing, rewriting, and learning to convert technical writing into fiction (a task easier said than done).
Today, Raymond is the owner AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. – a small, new publishing company with stellar ambitions. He lives in Tennessee, trying desperately with his wife to keep up with their three daughters and their active imaginations.
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Matter of Resistance by Raymond Vogel
– AEC Stellar Publishing Inc. – ISBN-10: 0989312836
– Price: $13.49 ISBN-13: 978-0989312837
– Pub Date: August 2013 – Pages: 318, Paperback, 8.3 x 5.8
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