Not all historical novelists give their characters what they long for. But author Brian d’Eon is willing to tweak history just enough to give his protagonist, German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, his dream of journeying to the moon with the Apollo space program. Brian d’Eon is launching his recently published, mostly historical novel Lunatics at the Nelson Public Library on Saturday, October 12th, 7pm.
Wernher von Braun, a talented and complicated man, was a very real person in the history of the space race, even deemed by the history books as the “Father of Space Travel.” But where the Apollo XX mission was actually cancelled, d’Eno writes a different ending, sending von Braun to the moon and fulfilling the dreams he had as a young scientist in Nazi Germany. The author takes readers on an intimate and visceral journey, recreating the sensations known only to moon walkers. But more than just a technological adventure, d’Eon wanted to explore the poetic impact the moon landings have had on the human psyche, to look beyond the politics and technology and try to understand why this last moon landing should be remembered as mankind’s last great collective act of optimism. “Looking back all those years,” says d’Eon. “I still find it remarkable, even miraculous, that the Apollo Program succeeded, that human footsteps actually made it to the Moon.”
Brian d’Eon has always been a space-nut, but his writing pursuits have been forged in the fires of live theatre, where for thirty years, he participated as an actor, director and playwright. Brian now focuses his attention mostly on fiction. His short stories and poetry can be found in a variety of publications, and even won the 2009 Okanagan short story contest and first prize in the Kootenay Literary Competition. Brian’s collection of short stories, Loose Ends (2020), was published by Wipf and Stock and his novels and novellas are available online in many different formats (including audiobooks). His earlier novels are Big Ledge (2018) and the Draper Catalogue (2023). Also available are three of his novellas: Echoes (2023), Eta Carinae (2024) and Letters to Icarus (2024).
Nelson Public Library