Moonfall

Rating:
Summary: McDevitt's Best -- Exciting and believable
Review: Forget "Armeggedon". Forget "Deep Impact". This is THE space/disaster book that SHOULD have been made into a movie. Jack McDevitt's "Moonfall" presents the reader with a gripping plot, solid character development, and cutting edge "hard" science fiction.

From the opening of "Moonbase" to the final hair-raising solutions, this book is not to be missed.

From the coattail-riding Vice-President who wants to be a real hero; the chaplain (yes, unlike many SF writers, McDevitt is not ashamed to recognize that most people have and need a faith) who truly discovers his own faith; the young wife who discovers that her "Casper Milquetoast" husband is far more of a hero than she ever believed; to the brilliant young scientist who finally discovers the solution which may save the planet, McDevitt's characters are deep and believable.

Finally, McDevitt's science is plausible. This is not a novel of the 24th century; rather it is set in the mid 21st century, using technological concepts quite feasible in the near future.

Of all the McDevitt books I own and have read (5), this one is my favorite. Buy it -- you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: What Armageddon should have been!
Review: Found this book listed in the Sci-Fi book club catalog, and it is the best one of the disaster genre I have ever read. You will not put it down for anything. It truly makes you wonder what you would do if the Moon started falling toward Earth.

Rating:
Summary: A Thrilling Sci-Fi Romp
Review: Good science fiction is just fun to read. In Moonfall, Jack McDevitt has given us a gripping, enjoyable story that held this reader's interest throughout. I don't know if all of the science presented herein is wholly believable, but the author certainly makes it sound plausible. The main characters are inherently interesting, especially Vice President Haskell; McDevitt actually makes the prominent politician very human, noble, and heroic. The story is an exciting twist on the old planetary catastrophe theme--rather than have a comet hit the earth, McDevitt has a comet hit the moon. That major event is really just the start of the action, though, as earth finds itself having to confront the effects of that spectacular explosion. The race to evacuate the newly established Moonbase and then to find a way to avert a potential extinction event on the earth is thrilling and happens in the context of a dramatic, well conceived pace.

While the "macro" story was riveting and well-done, the "micro" stories were slightly problematic. The events are related in a chronological fashion, with constant shifts from one scene to another and back again. It was hard to remember exactly who some of the secondary characters were, and some of them, especially those being employed to relate the devastating events happening on the earth, hardly seemed to belong in the story and, in a couple of cases, seemed to be left dangling at the novel's end. Many of the main characters reacted to events in ways I would not have anticipated. The president worried more about his "legacy" than the welfare of millions of Americans; many Americans refused to believe the situation was very serious at all; several astronauts were more worried about a future mission to Mars being scrubbed than losing the moon; even the main scientist suddenly risked the future of the planet out of narrow-mindedness. I was surprised that the possible devastating effects on earth's tides was not mentioned until well into the story and never really addressed again--that's the first thing I think of when I contemplate the sudden destruction of the moon.

For a suspenseful, thrilling science fiction adventure story, you will find few novels that surpass this one. It has more twists and complexities than your typical catastrophic science fiction story, and the plot is held together and developed very well. The small things that bothered me a little bit do not really hurt the story in any way and certainly do not slow down its compelling pace. Finally, as an added bonus, this book highlights the ingenuity, heroism, and greatness of the American spirit. This is the first McDevitt book I have ever read, but I have a feeling it will not be the last.

Rating:
Summary: A Thrilling Sci-Fi Romp
Review: Good science fiction is just fun to read. In Moonfall, Jack McDevitt has given us a gripping, enjoyable story that held this reader's interest throughout. I don't know if all of the science presented herein is wholly believable, but the author certainly makes it sound plausible. The main characters are inherently interesting, especially Vice President Haskell; McDevitt actually makes the prominent politician very human, noble, and heroic. The story is an exciting twist on the old planetary catastrophe theme--rather than have a comet hit the earth, McDevitt has a comet hit the moon. That major event is really just the start of the action, though, as earth finds itself having to confront the effects of that spectacular explosion. The race to evacuate the newly established Moonbase and then to find a way to avert a potential extinction event on the earth is thrilling and happens in the context of a dramatic, well conceived pace.

While the "macro" story was riveting and well-done, the "micro" stories were slightly problematic. The events are related in a chronological fashion, with constant shifts from one scene to another and back again. It was hard to remember exactly who some of the secondary characters were, and some of them, especially those being employed to relate the devastating events happening on the earth, hardly seemed to belong in the story and, in a couple of cases, seemed to be left dangling at the novel's end. Many of the main characters reacted to events in ways I would not have anticipated. The president worried more about his "legacy" than the welfare of millions of Americans; many Americans refused to believe the situation was very serious at all; several astronauts were more worried about a future mission to Mars being scrubbed than losing the moon; even the main scientist suddenly risked the future of the planet out of narrow-mindedness. I was surprised that the possible devastating effects on earth's tides was not mentioned until well into the story and never really addressed again--that's the first thing I think of when I contemplate the sudden destruction of the moon.

For a suspenseful, thrilling science fiction adventure story, you will find few novels that surpass this one. It has more twists and complexities than your typical catastrophic science fiction story, and the plot is held together and developed very well. The small things that bothered me a little bit do not really hurt the story in any way and certainly do not slow down its compelling pace. Finally, as an added bonus, this book highlights the ingenuity, heroism, and greatness of the American spirit. This is the first McDevitt book I have ever read, but I have a feeling it will not be the last.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent sci-fi / earth disaster
Review: Great book with some excellent examples of how individuals and families would be personally effected when the moon takes a hit. Be prepared to call in sick since you'll be up all night reading this excellent book !

Rating:
Summary: Recommended reading
Review: I enjoy catastrophe books, especially dealing with cataclismic natural events. This book about a comet smashing into the moon, with subsequent large chunks of the moon threatening the earth is very intreguing. The characters are well developed, although there may be a few too many characters. The detail in the book is very good and relatively realistic, given its setting in the year 2024. There's also a pretty good jab at Clinton in this book! The only disappointment I felt was that the ending was far too abrupt and anti-climatic, I felt. I had some questions at the end. I would recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Who needs sleep? I have to finish this book tonight!
Review: I have enjoyed all of McDevitt's books to date, but this one was the most exciting piece he has turned out yet. The characters actually breathe!

I'm looking forward to McDevitts next offering.

Rating:
Summary: Nature always finds a way of changing even the most familiar
Review: I just finished Moonfall and I still have goosebumps. Its not a typical asteroid-crashin-into-the-earth story that seems to be popping up these days. It's the destruction of the most familiar, the most honored object in the sky...the moon. A comet coming from the far reaches of the universe is on a destructive path that is aimed directly toward our moon. It was by accident during a solar eclipse that the comet was seen for moments until the sun prevented it from being observed from earth. But with the skylab and other spacestations they are able to observe the comet, and plot its fate to the minute of impact. A universal moonbase that had been established, a new presidency that is about to take place, and a voyage to Mars were all in the works until Tomiko was found. The author's telling of the story leads you day by day, hours by hours with a smooth storyline that keeps you in suspense until the impact occurs. The imagery of the POSSIMs slamming into the Earth's surface was intense and suspenseful. This is an up-all-night type of sci-fi book, one that would make into a fantastic movie.

Rating:
Summary: Not a good book
Review: I liked the premise - tidal waves caused by a comet exploding the moon. What I did not understand is why the author continued to introduce new (and minor) characters up until the last few pages of the book! There was no reason I could see related to the story, or the characters that we already knew by then. This was distracting, confusing, and I did not enjoy it. This book made me tired.

Rating:
Summary: FAST TO PEICES...
Review: I picked up and put down this book in one day. I read from cover to cover and when I was done, I gave it away... with a warning, this book misses the mark by a long chalk. Slow to build, quick to end, this book seems to have been written at the pace of a last second Hail Mary term paper. There's a great idea here toally killed by the conference type writing by McDevitt. Everyone in this book seems to be stuck in committee... talking just to pass the time until the disaster actually passes them by. And boy, does this disaster pass them by. McDevitt wastes no time by the last quarter of this book to totally gloss over any actual destruction on Earth, by the last page a year has passed since the Moonfall, and everything... and I mean everything, is just peachy! Bypass this book if you can, it literally reads like it was meant to be produced for television.