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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I liked this book a lot. It totally reminded me of Michael Crichton, who is one of my favorite authors. I loved how the build was so slow and then suddenly it was kind of terrifying.
What to say about this book? Well I suppose the first thing that drew me to it was the subject. It was a great subject and therefore the storyline should have been great to match but unfortunately for me the author fell short. It seemed that the first three quarters of the book could have been condensed by a heck of a lot and then the final part where they’re actually on the moon seemed to fly by which in my opinion suggests the last part is very good.
So here are some of my major gripes about the book.
1) the characters:
As often seems to be the case when older writers try to write about teenage characters they can’t do it well. Take Mia for example not only is she selfish, self absorbed and completely unlikeable but also her reaction to going to the moon seems completely unlikely. I know most people would probably kill to go to the moon. The other two seemed rather shallowly developed and completely uninteresting.
2) the time on the moon
It just seemed too short a part of the book considering it should have been the main part of the story. It needed fleshing out a lot and some of the plot points shoved in should have been developed more. Overall I felt it was a shallow and rushed aspect of the whole book.
3)the ending.
So the ending and here come the SPOILERS! It was totally confusing to me. I’m sure that Mia made it back to earth but then it seemed to suggest it was her doppelgänger - this is one the aspects that could have been developed - so I can’t say I understand the ending.
So overall I liked this book but was left frustrated because it had so much potential and ultimately it did fall flat in my opinion. As always this is my opinion only and I always say don’t just take it as gospel and read the book yourself to make up your own mind. Happy reading.
So here are some of my major gripes about the book.
1) the characters:
As often seems to be the case when older writers try to write about teenage characters they can’t do it well. Take Mia for example not only is she selfish, self absorbed and completely unlikeable but also her reaction to going to the moon seems completely unlikely. I know most people would probably kill to go to the moon. The other two seemed rather shallowly developed and completely uninteresting.
2) the time on the moon
It just seemed too short a part of the book considering it should have been the main part of the story. It needed fleshing out a lot and some of the plot points shoved in should have been developed more. Overall I felt it was a shallow and rushed aspect of the whole book.
3)the ending.
So the ending and here come the SPOILERS! It was totally confusing to me. I’m sure that Mia made it back to earth but then it seemed to suggest it was her doppelgänger - this is one the aspects that could have been developed - so I can’t say I understand the ending.
So overall I liked this book but was left frustrated because it had so much potential and ultimately it did fall flat in my opinion. As always this is my opinion only and I always say don’t just take it as gospel and read the book yourself to make up your own mind. Happy reading.
A book can be terrifying without being pointlessly mindfucky, or it can be pointlessly mindfucky without being terrifying. It can defy genre boundaries without being unrealistic, or it can be unrealistic without defying genre boundaries. For all I care, it can be fun without lacking cohesion, or it can lack cohesion without being fun.
172 Hours on the Moon was the latter on all accounts...and in the worst, laziest ways possible.
We start out with NASA planning to hold a lottery to allow 3 "lucky" teens to go to space and to help the organization secure future financial assets. Even at this point in the beginning, there are already several issues with that decision; my three biggest are as follows:
From there, the story devolves into a generic YA novel of romance and extreme chance, featuring a whiny Japanese girl whose only purpose is to bring in cultural fun-facts when relevant; a kind-hearted but stereotyped French boy; and a Norwegian punk. Not only are they all mostly untrained before going to space (as has already been stated) - there is a near-complete lack of scientific accuracy present throughout the entire novel. Every part of it, down to that "horrific" plot-twist (which honestly was too laughable to be scary), made me - a former multidisciplinary scientist who specialized in meteorology and astronomy - cringe.
Also, unnecessary and detrimental romance. That was fairly instant. And useless.
And the ending...haven't I seen it before, just done way better? (Answer: yes, I have.)
If you're only in it for shock value, feel free to read this book - but scientifically-minded people should probably stay as far away from it as possible.
172 Hours on the Moon was the latter on all accounts...and in the worst, laziest ways possible.
We start out with NASA planning to hold a lottery to allow 3 "lucky" teens to go to space and to help the organization secure future financial assets. Even at this point in the beginning, there are already several issues with that decision; my three biggest are as follows:
1. Multiple official documents showcase the requirements and foreshadow the training needed to become a fully-qualified astronaut. You can't just go to space, untrained, within a matter of months.
2. "We're going to spend money to secure more potential money" is very flawed logic.
3. Teenagers? Really? You'd legit send youth with not-yet-fully-developed brains into space, even with the physical repercussions known? Yeah, no. Miss me with that.
From there, the story devolves into a generic YA novel of romance and extreme chance, featuring a whiny Japanese girl whose only purpose is to bring in cultural fun-facts when relevant; a kind-hearted but stereotyped French boy; and a Norwegian punk. Not only are they all mostly untrained before going to space (as has already been stated) - there is a near-complete lack of scientific accuracy present throughout the entire novel. Every part of it, down to that "horrific" plot-twist (which honestly was too laughable to be scary), made me - a former multidisciplinary scientist who specialized in meteorology and astronomy - cringe.
Also, unnecessary and detrimental romance. That was fairly instant. And useless.
And the ending...haven't I seen it before, just done way better? (Answer: yes, I have.)
If you're only in it for shock value, feel free to read this book - but scientifically-minded people should probably stay as far away from it as possible.
adventurous
medium-paced
3.5 stars. A solid YA sci-fi horror.
I really wished that some of the pacing was reworked in the beginning. Much of the teens' backstories could have been revealed through flashbacks while spending more time with them together on the moon.
We get to know them individually, but what I really liked was the chemistry they had with each other and I would have loved to see more of that either while they were training/preparing for launch or on the moon base itself. Spending more time on the moon base would have also allowed for more empathy with the adult astronauts.
There were a lot of side POVs, one of which (an elderly man at a nursing home) I really enjoyed, while a couple of others could have either been expanded upon or omitted altogether.
Had there been more focus on the teens and adults working together with their backstories sprinkled in through flashbacks or conversation with each other, the horror would have been more thrilling and the ending more impactful.
Still, I enjoyed it overall. I got a few chills, particularly when real-life accounts were woven into the story. This would be a good introduction to horror for younger folks.
I really wished that some of the pacing was reworked in the beginning. Much of the teens' backstories could have been revealed through flashbacks while spending more time with them together on the moon.
We get to know them individually, but what I really liked was the chemistry they had with each other and I would have loved to see more of that either while they were training/preparing for launch or on the moon base itself. Spending more time on the moon base would have also allowed for more empathy with the adult astronauts.
There were a lot of side POVs, one of which (an elderly man at a nursing home) I really enjoyed, while a couple of others could have either been expanded upon or omitted altogether.
Had there been more focus on the teens and adults working together with their backstories sprinkled in through flashbacks or conversation with each other, the horror would have been more thrilling and the ending more impactful.
Still, I enjoyed it overall. I got a few chills, particularly when real-life accounts were woven into the story. This would be a good introduction to horror for younger folks.
Knew immediately this was not a book for me. It is the definition of telling, not showing. Only read the first chapter and already got tired of the 'As you know', 'as I've hinted', 'as you already know' - heavy handed exposition dumping.
Also I was ready to suspend disbelief in sending kids to the moon, butsending kids to the moon, when you know there's something up there, as a way to 'entice' people to get interested in moon missions again? No thanks.
Also I was ready to suspend disbelief in sending kids to the moon, but
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
How am I going to describe what I felt about this book?
MIND=BLOWN. No. That's not appropriate.
MIND=EXPLODED. TORN OFF. RIPPED. Much better.
If you love the moon, do not read this.
I used to love the moon.
But after reading this book,
Holy crap.
I'm never gonna look at the night sky anymore.
MIND=BLOWN. No. That's not appropriate.
MIND=EXPLODED. TORN OFF. RIPPED. Much better.
If you love the moon, do not read this.
I used to love the moon.
But after reading this book,
Holy crap.
I'm never gonna look at the night sky anymore.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
DNF'ed at 127 pages (sorry, I couldn't make it till 172). This was just so bad. Might have been good in 2010s(?) or whichever this book was first published but it certainly did not stood the test of time. Mia is infuriating me so much the first time she was introduced and she just keeps annoying me and I know'll she'll be the main character so I don't wanna be miserable the whole time reading this. The other is guy is no better, maybe I could read this for Midori but kinda liking 1 of 3 main characters is not for me. The concept is so stupid too, it just wants to be YA scifi so bad. Just be more futuristic/dystopian if you really want me to suspend my disbelief. Like why would you set this in 2016.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No