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Rating: 
Summary: What this novel could have been. . .
Review: "Rogue Moon" was a novel I had never heard of until I started scouring Science Fiction's "Best of" lists. "Rogue Moon" was mentioned on a few so I gave it a chance. It's a quick read, and gives some good insight into the multiple characters that surround this moon experiment. The experiment itself is interesting, and adds to the character of the book. The problem I have is that when you finally become absorbed with the characters emotions, and actions the novel ends. The idea of "Rogue Moon" is large in concept, but Budrys cut it off so abruptly. It's obvious that Budrys has a talent for character detail, and he's in fine form for most of the novel. It's too bad he didn't expand on his idea, and create a climax that has, well, a climax. Still a recommended read. Nominated for the Hugo Award in 1961.
Rating 3/5
Rating: 
Summary: Someday...
Review: "Rogue Moon" may be out of print at times, but someday, an animation genius will see it on every list of the greatest sci-fi novels -- and some lists not so limited. Then we'll see what "2001" and "Solaris" could have been, should have been.
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Summary: Sci-fi as a character study of men who live dangerously
Review: During science fiction's Golden Age, it was almost taken for granted that the characters of sci-fi were the same characters found in fantasy: consummate wizards who could solve any problem, helpless damsels in distress, and intrepid heroes who could slay the toughest dragon. True, the wizard wore a lab coat rather than a pointed hat, and the hero flew a rocket ship instead of riding a white horse, but at essence, they were the same types: flat, flawless, and wholly unbelievable. Budrys explodes the myth in this painfully honest look at what drives the kind of man who would risk his life, and the lives of others, in the name of Science.Dr Edward Hawks heads a project that, through the miracle of teleportation, puts men on the moon. He does this by transmitting taped copies of human beings across the void, where the men are then reconstructed alive from this data. Communication is handled by an inherent psychic link between the original and his copy. With unique insight, Budrys sees this journey as a one-way trip, since the men so sent are mere duplicates of their earth-side counterparts, with no lives of their very own to come back to. Thus Hawks' machine creates life, but it is life that has no real place in our world. While exploring the moon, these doomed men have found an inexplicable artifact. Attempts to enter this structure and learn its secrets have always resulted in the demise of the explorer. And staying in constant contact with "themselves" as they die again and again has taken a tragic toll upon even the hardened military men whose avatars are doing the investigating. So Director of Personnel Vincent Connington chooses fearless tough guy adventurer Al Barker for the job. But how will Al react to not just facing death, but actually experiencing it, dying day after day? And what of his beautiful and flirtatious girlfriend Claire, whose coquettish ways threaten to undermine the entire project? If life is this cheap, then how valuable are relationships? Originally published in the early sixties, perhaps in response to the Nedelin catastrophe in which 126 people were killed on a Soviet launch pad, this short but strangely gripping novel focuses on the people who undertake dangerous ventures, rather than on the science behind this sketchily-drawn quest. The point of view usually lies with Hawks, and his relationships with Al, whom he sends to his death on a daily basis, and Claire, who seems anxious to shatter his inscrutable composure. Fans of whiz-bang science fiction may be disappointed by the fairly weak and dated explanations of the science involved, and the fact that many of the more scientific questions remain unresolved at the end. But despite the outrageousness of the back story, this is a unique, gripping, and very hard-boiled book that takes a hard if somewhat simplistic look at what drives the people who do dangerous work.
Rating:
Summary: First rate, thought provoking sci fi at its best!
Review: The creation of human replicants allows for the study of a mysterious alien artifact on the moon. The humans and their alter ego replicants become one mentally, and both share the experience when one enters the artifact, in which all who enter ultimately die. The remaining human can then describe what the other saw and felt inside, allowing further study of the artifact. When the remaining humans are unable to communicate the information, due to insanity brought on by the memory experience of dying, a search begins for a man who can withstand the experience. That search brings together some fascinating characters, who find that facing the project is less difficult than facing their own demons, brought out fully during participation in the project. The character interactions and development are superb, and ultimately elevate this gripping story to the highest level. Fundamental human issues of life and death are explored effectively, as the characters struggle to define their lives in the face of an uncaring, unyielding and mysterious object.
Rating:
Summary: You may never have heard of this book.
Review: This is a book you may never have heard of, which is a shame; it's an absolute diamond. First of all it's a book about people, the way they manipulate each other and allow themselves to be manipulated. It has a very worldly outlook for a book, which could easily appear to be a simple piece of pulp sci-fi. Most notable is that it is the first book I ever read which explained that a teleportation device is not a means of transport, but a means of killing someone and building a replacement of them in another location. The fact that it is an instrument of death is a theme that pervades the book. It's not quite Heart of Darkness, but it also offers an insight into the less pleasant motivations that can lead our actions. It won't take a long time to read, but I suspect you will want to read it again and again. It may indeed be pulp sci-fi, but I for one like pulp sci-fi, especially not when it is as engaging as this.
Rating:
Summary: Coulda'..Woulda'..Shoulda..'
Review: Very, very interesting book. I like very hardboiled mystery books and got turned on to "Rogue Moon" by an intellectual hb mystery chat group I subscribe to. The SciFi premise of this book is highly original and very interesting...and also somewhat underdeveloped in the book. It's really a character study of a number of very unique and interesting characters. Just because I gave it four stars and not five doesn't mean that I don't recommend that you should read this book if you can find it...you definately should. Maybe you will feel like I did....what could have been one of the best books ever...what was is a really stimulating, mind-boggling and ultimately...a very good book. Find it, read it..and think about what could have been.
Rating:
Summary: Coulda'..Woulda'..Shoulda..'
Review: Very, very interesting book. I like very hardboiled mystery books and got turned on to "Rogue Moon" by an intellectual hb mystery chat group I subscribe to. The SciFi premise of this book is highly original and very interesting...and also somewhat underdeveloped in the book. It's really a character study of a number of very unique and interesting characters. Just because I gave it four stars and not five doesn't mean that I don't recommend that you should read this book if you can find it...you definately should. Maybe you will feel like I did....what could have been one of the best books ever...what was is a really stimulating, mind-boggling and ultimately...a very good book. Find it, read it..and think about what could have been.
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