Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Anderson is one of the most prolific SF writers. His output, not surprisingly, is uneven. At its best, his work is very entertaining. His writing style, however, can be cloying and his characterizations thin. This is not one of this better efforts. Operation Luna is the belated (by decades) sequel to an entertaining series of linked stories published in book form as Operation Chaos. Where the older book had clever plotting and considerable humor, the plotting of this book is plodding and the writing often cliched. Readers who enjoy this type of romantic fantasy should find a copy of Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions, his best effort in this genre.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Having not read "Operation Chaos," I can't say whether or not its sequel, "Operation Luna," is similar. It's not really necessary, however, to read "Chaos" before reading "Luna," since Anderson apparently decided to redo all his expository work. And my god, did he redo it! It took me two days to get through the first 150 pages, and I can normally finish a 700 page book in an afternoon. The book does get better after those first 150 pages, but I'm not sure it's worth plowing through that morass of banality."Operation Luna" is set in an alternate world, where magic was reawakened by an unexplained physics experiment in the early 20th century. People ride broomsticks and flying carpets; traditional deities, fairies, ghosts, and other magical creatures exist; the IRS uses the tax code as dread incantations; etc. The time period is not terribly clear; Steve says eleven years have passed since "Chaos," which was apparently set during this world's WWII, but the tone seems very modern. As the story opens, Steve Matuchek, an engineer and werewolf, and his wife Ginny, a beautiful witch (must the women always be beautiful?), are working with NASA to send people to the moon. When NASA's program is sabotaged, they begin -- oh-so-slowly! -- to work on their own space program, and to discover who's behind the sabotage. There are complications with the IRS, the FBI, Steve and Ginny's children, a Chinese spy, and demons of various nationalities, which eventually come together in a climactic battle, after which the book abruptly ends, without ever quite resolving its issues. Also, the overarching theme of the story never becomes clear, though Anderson seems to think there is one. Steve Matuchek is a lousy narrator; the book would have done much better in third person. Steve has three main functions: to tell us he can't describe things well, thus excusing Anderson's lack of descriptive ability; to be confused by magic, thus allowing Anderson to avoid showing a clear system of spells; and to wonder what his world would be like without magic, thus allowing Anderson to show differences between this world and ours, in one of the clunkiest expository techniques it has ever been my misfortune to read. I know Anderson can write, and I enjoy his other books. But this one is too long for its own good, and the charm of some later scenes (particularly those with the enchanted sword Fotherwick-Botts and his/its smith, the dwarf Fjalar) is dampened by the tedium of the exposition and Steve's narration. Also, Steve tends to reveal plot twists before they occur, and, despite his loud claims of not being able to think clearly as a wolf, he narrates exactly the same way in wolf form as in human form! Yeesh. I feel somewhat cheated by "Operation Luna." It could have been amazing, and it just wasn't. I give it one star for an interesting concept, and another for some good scenes, but I can't, in good conscience, do more than that.
Rating:
Summary: NOT one of his better efforts!
Review: Having not read "Operation Chaos," I can't say whether or not its sequel, "Operation Luna," is similar. It's not really necessary, however, to read "Chaos" before reading "Luna," since Anderson apparently decided to redo all his expository work. And my god, did he redo it! It took me two days to get through the first 150 pages, and I can normally finish a 700 page book in an afternoon. The book does get better after those first 150 pages, but I'm not sure it's worth plowing through that morass of banality. "Operation Luna" is set in an alternate world, where magic was reawakened by an unexplained physics experiment in the early 20th century. People ride broomsticks and flying carpets; traditional deities, fairies, ghosts, and other magical creatures exist; the IRS uses the tax code as dread incantations; etc. The time period is not terribly clear; Steve says eleven years have passed since "Chaos," which was apparently set during this world's WWII, but the tone seems very modern. As the story opens, Steve Matuchek, an engineer and werewolf, and his wife Ginny, a beautiful witch (must the women always be beautiful?), are working with NASA to send people to the moon. When NASA's program is sabotaged, they begin -- oh-so-slowly! -- to work on their own space program, and to discover who's behind the sabotage. There are complications with the IRS, the FBI, Steve and Ginny's children, a Chinese spy, and demons of various nationalities, which eventually come together in a climactic battle, after which the book abruptly ends, without ever quite resolving its issues. Also, the overarching theme of the story never becomes clear, though Anderson seems to think there is one. Steve Matuchek is a lousy narrator; the book would have done much better in third person. Steve has three main functions: to tell us he can't describe things well, thus excusing Anderson's lack of descriptive ability; to be confused by magic, thus allowing Anderson to avoid showing a clear system of spells; and to wonder what his world would be like without magic, thus allowing Anderson to show differences between this world and ours, in one of the clunkiest expository techniques it has ever been my misfortune to read. I know Anderson can write, and I enjoy his other books. But this one is too long for its own good, and the charm of some later scenes (particularly those with the enchanted sword Fotherwick-Botts and his/its smith, the dwarf Fjalar) is dampened by the tedium of the exposition and Steve's narration. Also, Steve tends to reveal plot twists before they occur, and, despite his loud claims of not being able to think clearly as a wolf, he narrates exactly the same way in wolf form as in human form! Yeesh. I feel somewhat cheated by "Operation Luna." It could have been amazing, and it just wasn't. I give it one star for an interesting concept, and another for some good scenes, but I can't, in good conscience, do more than that.
Rating:
Summary: Never quite takes off
Review: I had been looking forward to Poul Anderson's _Operation Luna_, a sequel to _Operation Chaos_, a fix-up of stories in F & SF from the 1950s and 1960s. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it in hardcover and possibly not even in paper. First, while not absolutely required, I think that reading the earlier book would be extremely helpful (and a new pb edition is out). Second, Anderson made a decision to bring the story forward to an equivalent of our "now". The three 1950s stories take place either in that universe's equivalent of WWII (called that in the first story, but now called the Caliph's War (WWI is now the Kaiser's War)) or a little bit later. The last story in the fix-up has elements of the late 1950s and late 1960s. But while no year is mentioned, this novel takes place in some age resembling our present. Problem is the protagonist's daughter has aged only 10 or so years and it simply doesn't work for someone more concerned about continuity instead of plot. Third, the first part of the book is clunky like a square wheel trying to set up the storyline, throw in how that universe works versus ours, describe what has happened since _Operation Chaos_, etc. Fourth, we know more than the characters do, a distraction for us. Fifth, while there are a number of in the sf field jokes and puns, some of the points concerning our world are mean-spirited without a specific reason. I finished it, but I consider it to be fairly minor league Anderson.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks the sparkle of "Operation Chaos"
Review: I loved Operation Chaos, and really looked forward to this book, but it didn't enthrall me the way the original book did. It just seems like things never take off, and I was never thrilled the way I was by the first book. The climactic "quest" (admittedly a poor choice of words, but I have none better) doesn't capture the imagination like the descent into Hell of the original, and climax seems short and unsatisfying. Not a bad book, and adequately readable, but it just isn't what it's predecessor was!
Rating:
Summary: Lacks the sparkle of "Operation Chaos"
Review: I loved Operation Chaos, and really looked forward to this book, but it didn't enthrall me the way the original book did. It just seems like things never take off, and I was never thrilled the way I was by the first book. The climactic "quest" (admittedly a poor choice of words, but I have none better) doesn't capture the imagination like the descent into Hell of the original, and climax seems short and unsatisfying. Not a bad book, and adequately readable, but it just isn't what it's predecessor was!
Rating:
Summary: neat ideas hindered by an unsuspenseful narration
Review: I was delighted when I heard that a sequel to _Operation Chaos_, a collection of loosely-related stories set in a techno-magical alternate Earth, had come out. Unfortunately, I can't recommend _Operation Luna_ as I would its prequel. A lot of great elements are there: mankind's effort to reach the moon, our familiar protagonists from _Operation Chaos_ (Steve Matuchek, werewolf engineer, and Virginia Graylock, witch extraordinaire), a garrulous enchanted sword (named Fotherwick-Botts) from the Norse era and his forger, a dwarven smith who adjusts poorly to modern life, Coyote's schemes and uneasy dreams.... Alas, despite the attempts at levity, the story never really comes together. Steve Matuchek wasn't the best choice of a narrator. While he's definitely involved in the action in _Operation Chaos_, here he's relegated to reporting on everyone else's actions since, due to his lack of magical expertise, he can't actually get involved. As a result, a lot of potential suspense (will Virginia succeed in her quest for Mimir's knowledge? will their daughter Valeria survive her desperate attempt to foil the IRS?) trickles away. Another problem is that the evils and dangers confronted are rarely convincingly dangerous. Occasionally Anderson throws in social criticism of our world as it is (in contrast to this magical alter-Earth), but there isn't enough of it to fully convince, and it sits uneasily with the lighter tone of most of the story. All in all, while it's a light and often entertaining tale, _Operation Luna_ fails to live up to the wit, fine worldbuilding and daredevil adventures of its prequel.
Rating:
Summary: neat ideas hindered by an unsuspenseful narration
Review: I was delighted when I heard that a sequel to _Operation Chaos_, a collection of loosely-related stories set in a techno-magical alternate Earth, had come out. Unfortunately, I can't recommend _Operation Luna_ as I would its prequel. A lot of great elements are there: mankind's effort to reach the moon, our familiar protagonists from _Operation Chaos_ (Steve Matuchek, werewolf engineer, and Virginia Graylock, witch extraordinaire), a garrulous enchanted sword (named Fotherwick-Botts) from the Norse era and his forger, a dwarven smith who adjusts poorly to modern life, Coyote's schemes and uneasy dreams.... Alas, despite the attempts at levity, the story never really comes together. Steve Matuchek wasn't the best choice of a narrator. While he's definitely involved in the action in _Operation Chaos_, here he's relegated to reporting on everyone else's actions since, due to his lack of magical expertise, he can't actually get involved. As a result, a lot of potential suspense (will Virginia succeed in her quest for Mimir's knowledge? will their daughter Valeria survive her desperate attempt to foil the IRS?) trickles away. Another problem is that the evils and dangers confronted are rarely convincingly dangerous. Occasionally Anderson throws in social criticism of our world as it is (in contrast to this magical alter-Earth), but there isn't enough of it to fully convince, and it sits uneasily with the lighter tone of most of the story. All in all, while it's a light and often entertaining tale, _Operation Luna_ fails to live up to the wit, fine worldbuilding and daredevil adventures of its prequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: If you know Poul Anderson's work, this book will be a delight. If you don't, read it -- and then the rest of his work! OPERATION LUNA manages to pack space exploration, fantasy, and the 'Northern Thing' -- all Anderson specialties -- into one delightful package.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Fine Novel from the SF Master!
Review: Once again we have a joyful and entertaining novel from one of the last remaining masters from the Golden Age of SF. Close on the heels of STARFARERS comes this long-awaited sequel to his highly enjoyable OPERATION CHAOS. Set in the late 60's of his alternate universe were magic works, this novel deals with a Space Race with magic as the means vice straight technology. Along the way, Anderson takes some well-aimed shots at NASA, the IRS, and the government. A good read, particularly if you enjoyed OPERATION CHAOS.
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