Jetpack Dreams: One Man's Up and Down (but Mostly Down) Search for the Greatest Invention That Never Was

Augusta Metro Spirit , 11/19/08
A well-crafted narrative built around an odd historical background...A story concerning one of the more interesting creation and dreams of recent science... ...With a witty humorous tone, Montandon shows us just how much of our collective insanity can be inspired by the simple dream of flying, and in so doing, points out the tragic obsessions that come to dominate the human imagination.

The Skimmer, Time.com, 10/26/08
Buckle up. Armed with lively prose and voluminous research on an invention that never flowered as promised, [Montandon] takes readers on a tour of the jetpack's strange history and stranger modern subculture. Montandon traces the jetpack's history with gusto, and he's evocative when explaining the invention's allure...As a witty and likable writer, he makes a good companion for this quixotic journey.

Men.Style.com, 10/28/08
If you only read one book about jetpacks this year, make it Mac Montandon's Jetpack Dreams ...The book is far better reported than it has any right to be.

BoingBoing.net, 10/28/08
A delightful and engrossing story of the quest for one of humankind's greatest technological fantasies--to strap on a device and fly like a bird.

io9.com, 11/08
A detailed report of [Montandon's] quest to find the jetpack of his dreams...It's an exhilarating ride for anyone who thrills to the sight of Star Wars 's bounty hunter, but its anecdotes, mini-biographies, photos, and tales from the edge of science will rouse even the most Earth-minded... Jetpack Dreams is certainly food for the souls of people like us, whose eyes leap to the sky to search for contrails every time we hear an engine. Montandon uses his considerable talent and experience to craft an engaging and accessible narrative of North American jetpack dreamers. His book is at once a history of and update on the emergence of this futuristic device...He deftly catalogues every detail of the 'voluptuous panic' that is flight...This nonfiction story of the jetpack's evolution reads as easily as chick lit, and it rewards with adventures through aerospace. It could be a fun holiday read, but it's also a necessity for the library of anyone who wants--to take a line from the book--'[to kick] gravity's ass like it [has] never been kicked before.'

Rocky Mountain News , 11/27/08
Montandon is a humorous--and at times irreverent--writer who delivers more than just a simple history lesson. He mixes in adventure writing, his personal memoirs and even a bit of murder and mayhem. Despite the many directions this book takes, somehow it all works.

Brooklyn Paper , 12/4/08
[A] uniquely pop-cultural take on an engineering obsession.

Powell's Books blog, 11/26/08
Until the day when we can all pony up $200K for our very own jetpacks, Montandon's tremendously entertaining book will have to make do.

January , 11/28/08
Such a delight...It's a great ride and since you're unlikely to find an actual jetpack under your tree, Jetpack Dreams may well be the next best thing.

Technoprobing blog, 11/16/08
Montandan does an excellent job...of showing how those demo flights grabbed the imaginations of a fair number of obsessive tinkerers.

Augusta Metro Spirit, 11/19/08
A well-crafted narrative built around an odd historical background...A story concerning one of the more interesting creation and dreams of recent science... ...With a witty humorous tone, Montandon shows us just how much of our collective insanity can be inspired by the simple dream of flying, and in so doing, points out the tragic obsessions that come to dominate the human imagination.

Rocky Mountain News, 11/27/08
Montandon is a humorous--and at times irreverent--writer who delivers more than just a simple history lesson. He mixes in adventure writing, his personal memoirs and even a bit of murder and mayhem. Despite the many directions this book takes, somehow it all works.

Brooklyn Paper, 12/4/08
[A] uniquely pop-cultural take on an engineering obsession.

Powell's Books blog, 11/26/08
Until the day when we can all pony up $200K for our very own jetpacks, Montandon's tremendously entertaining book will have to make do.

January, 11/28/08
Such a delight...It's a great ride and since you're unlikely to find an actual jetpack under your tree, Jetpack Dreams may well be the next best thing.

Technoprobing blog, 11/16/08
Montandan does an excellent job...of showing how those demo flights grabbed the imaginations of a fair number of obsessive tinkerers.

The Skimmer, Time.com, 10/26/08
Buckle up. Armed with lively prose and voluminous research on an invention that never flowered as promised, [Montandon] takes readers on a tour of the jetpack's strange history and stranger modern subculture. Montandon traces the jetpack's history with gusto, and he's evocative when explaining the invention's allure...As a witty and likable writer, he makes a good companion for this quixotic journey.

Men.Style.com, 10/28/08
If you only read one book about jetpacks this year, make it Mac Montandon's Jetpack Dreams. ..The book is far better reported than it has any right to be.

BoingBoing.net, 10/28/08
A delightful and engrossing story of the quest for one of humankind's greatest technological fantasies--to strap on a device and fly like a bird.

io9.com, 11/08
A detailed report of [Montandon's] quest to find the jetpack of his dreams...It's an exhilarating ride for anyone who thrills to the sight of Star Wars 's bounty hunter, but its anecdotes, mini-biographies, photos, and tales from the edge of science will rouse even the most Earth-minded... Jetpack Dreams is certainly food for the souls of people like us, whose eyes leap to the sky to search for contrails every time we hear an engine. Montandon uses his considerable talent and experience to craft an engaging and accessible narrative of North American jetpack dreamers. His book is at once a history of and update on the emergence of this futuristic device...He deftly catalogues every detail of the 'voluptuous panic' that is flight...This nonfiction story of the jetpack's evolution reads as easily as chick lit, and it rewards with adventures through aerospace. It could be a fun holiday read, but it's also a necessity for the library of anyone who wants--to take a line from the book--'[to kick] gravity's ass like it [has] never been kicked before.'

RoyChristopher.com, 2/6/09
When I was a kid, my uncles and elders told me that we wouldn't have cars when I got old enough to drive. We'd have personal planes, hovercrafts, and jetpacks. If you were similarly lied to growing up then Mac Montandon's Jetpack Dreams is the answer to your prayers, and/or your queries about where your promised jetpack is.

Salt Lake Underground, February 2009
Montandon tackles the subject with a very appropriate sense of humor. This book is an inspiration.

Science Books & Films, 2/09
This is a splendid premise for a science book.

Bookviews.com, 4/09
[Montandon] uncovers all manner of entertaining stories.

Fantasy & Science Fiction, December Issue
Explores the past and current science of the jetpack...The book is very readable and entertaining, including a section of photographs of real-life flights and an endless treasure of trivia and information on the subject.

io9.com, 11/08
A detailed report of [Montandon s] quest to find the jetpack of his dreams It's an exhilarating ride for anyone who thrills to the sight of Star Wars's bounty hunter, but its anecdotes, mini-biographies, photos, and tales from the edge of science will rouse even the most Earth-minded Jetpack Dreams is certainly food for the souls of people like us, whose eyes leap to the sky to search for contrails every time we hear an engine. Montandon uses his considerable talent and experience to craft an engaging and accessible narrative of North American jetpack dreamers. His book is at once a history of and update on the emergence of this futuristic device He deftly catalogues every detail of the voluptuous panic that is flight This nonfiction story of the jetpack's evolution reads as easily as chick lit, and it rewards with adventures through aerospace. It could be a fun holiday read, but it's also a necessity for the library of anyone who wants to take a line from the book [to kick] gravity's ass like it [has] never been kicked before.
Baltimore City Paper, 11/19/08
Traces the history and development of man's quixotic quest for a flying backpack from the pages of Buck Rogers stories to a physics student's dorm room at Queen's College in Ireland.

BoingBoing.net, 10/28/08
A delightful and engrossing story of the quest for one of humankind's greatest technological fantasies to strap on a device and fly like a bird.
New York Press, Speed Reads, 11/5/08
Takes the reader from the invention s fantastic origins with Buck Rodgers to modern men still chasing the dream.

January, 11/28/08
Such a delight It s a great ride and since you re unlikely to find an actual jetpack under your tree, Jetpack Dreams may well be the next best thing.

Technoprobing blog, 11/16/08
Montandan does an excellent job of showing how those demo flights grabbed the imaginations of a fair number of obsessive tinkerers. The Shelf Life, 12/13/08
Here in one handsome, ardcover book is the whole ugly, heartbreaking and frequently hilarious story of what really happens when one tries to fly by putting rockets in one's backpack. A sad and sorry business it has been, but a very good book has resulted.

RoyChristopher.com, 2/6/09
When I was a kid, my uncles and elders told me that we wouldn t have cars when I got old enough to drive. We d have personal planes, hovercrafts, and jetpacks. If you were similarly lied to growing up then Mac Montandon s Jetpack Dreams is the answer to your prayers, and/or your queries about where your promised jetpack is.

Salt Lake Underground, February 2009
Montandon tackles the subject with a very appropriate sense of humor. This book is an inspiration.

Rocky Mountain News, 11/27/08
Montandon is a humorous and at times irreverent writer who delivers more than just a simple history lesson. He mixes in adventure writing, his personal memoirs and even a bit of murder and mayhem. Despite the many directions this book takes, somehow it all works.

Brooklyn Paper, 12/4/08
[A] uniquely pop-cultural take on an engineering obsession.

Powell s Books blog, 11/26/08
Until the day when we can all pony up 200K for our very own jetpacks, Montandon's tremendously entertaining book will have to make do.

The Skimmer, Time.com, 10/26/08
Buckle up. Armed with lively prose and voluminous research on an invention that never flowered as promised, [Montandon] takes readers on a tour of the jetpack s strange history and stranger modern subculture. Montandon traces the jetpack s history with gusto, and he s evocative when explaining the invention s allure As a witty and likable writer, he makes a good companion for this quixotic journey.

Men.Style.com, 10/28/08
If you only read one book about jetpacks this year, make it Mac Montandon s Jetpack Dreams The book is far better reported than it has any right to be.

io9.com, 11/08
A detailed report of [Montandon's] quest to find the jetpack of his dreams...It's an exhilarating ride for anyone who thrills to the sight of Star Wars's bounty hunter, but its anecdotes, mini-biographies, photos, and tales from the edge of science will rouse even the most Earth-minded...Jetpack Dreams is certainly food for the souls of people like us, whose eyes leap to the sky to search for contrails every time we hear an engine. Montandon uses his considerable talent and experience to craft an engaging and accessible narrative of North American jetpack dreamers. His book is at once a history of and update on the emergence of this futuristic device...He deftly catalogues every detail of the 'voluptuous panic' that is flight...This nonfiction story of the jetpack's evolution reads as easily as chick lit, and it rewards with adventures through aerospace. It could be a fun holiday read, but it's also a necessity for the library of anyone who wants--to take a line from the book--'[to kick] gravity's ass like it [has] never been kicked before.'
Baltimore City Paper, 11/19/08
Traces the history and development of man's quixotic quest for a flying backpack--from the pages of Buck Rogers stories to a physics student's dorm room at Queen's College in Ireland.

The Skimmer, Time.com, 10/26/08
Buckle up. Armed with lively prose and voluminous research on an invention that never flowered as promised, [Montandon] takes readers on a tour of the jetpack's strange history and stranger modern subculture. Montandon traces the jetpack's history with gusto, and he's evocative when explaining the invention's allure...As a witty and likable writer, he makes a good companion for this quixotic journey.

Men.Style.com, 10/28/08
If you only read one book about jetpacks this year, make it Mac Montandon's Jetpack Dreams...The book is far better reported than it has any right to be.

BoingBoing.net, 10/28/08
A delightful and engrossing story of the quest for one of humankind's greatest technological fantasies--to strap on a device and fly like a bird.
New York Press, Speed Reads, 11/5/08
Takes the reader from the invention's fantastic origins with Buck Rodgers to modern men still chasing the dream.

Rocky Mountain News, 11/27/08
Montandon is a humorous--and at times irreverent--writer who delivers more than just a simple history lesson. He mixes in adventure writing, his personal memoirs and even a bit of murder and mayhem. Despite the many directions this book takes, somehow it all works.

Brooklyn Paper, 12/4/08
[A] uniquely pop-cultural take on an engineering obsession.

Powell's Books blog, 11/26/08
Until the day when we can all pony up 200K for our very own jetpacks, Montandon's tremendously entertaining book will have to make do.

January, 11/28/08
Such a delight...It's a great ride and since you're unlikely to find an actual jetpack under your tree, Jetpack Dreams may well be the next best thing.

Technoprobing blog, 11/16/08
Montandan does an excellent job...of showing how those demo flights grabbed the imaginations of a fair number of obsessive tinkerers. The Shelf Life, 12/13/08
Here in one handsome, ardcover book is the whole ugly, heartbreaking and frequently hilarious story of what really happens when one tries to fly by putting rockets in one's backpack. A sad and sorry business it has been, but a very good book has resulted.

RoyChristopher.com, 2/6/09
When I was a kid, my uncles and elders told me that we wouldn't have cars when I got old enough to drive. We'd have personal planes, hovercrafts, and jetpacks. If you were similarly lied to growing up then Mac Montandon's Jetpack Dreams is the answer to your prayers, and/or your queries about where your promised jetpack is.

Salt Lake Underground, February 2009
Montandon tackles the subject with a very appropriate sense of humor. This book is an inspiration.