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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Game of Thrones on the moon? Yes and no.
Powerful, feuding families - check
pacts, alliances, and double crosses - check
a lot of well-developed characters - check
sex and violence - check
There are some differences too and they mostly amount to the fact that human history on the moon (in the book) is about 100 years old versus the thousands of years in GoT. This matters because the legends and myths come to life are a powerful driver of the GoT story.
Also, there is no honor on the moon, no moral compass to tell the reader who is "good" and who is "bad" in this story. Everyone is self-interested and there is no right or wrong. It makes it hard to know who to root for. This is not a strike against the book at all, but it is a marked difference from Game of Thrones where characters' complex relationship with the honor code is important.
Finally, the moon itself is a major player in Luna. It is an adversarial environment, killing indiscriminately and without malice.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. Especially the ending (no spoilers) and am definitely looking forward to reading book two. 4.5 stars
Powerful, feuding families - check
pacts, alliances, and double crosses - check
a lot of well-developed characters - check
sex and violence - check
There are some differences too and they mostly amount to the fact that human history on the moon (in the book) is about 100 years old versus the thousands of years in GoT. This matters because the legends and myths come to life are a powerful driver of the GoT story.
Also, there is no honor on the moon, no moral compass to tell the reader who is "good" and who is "bad" in this story. Everyone is self-interested and there is no right or wrong. It makes it hard to know who to root for. This is not a strike against the book at all, but it is a marked difference from Game of Thrones where characters' complex relationship with the honor code is important.
Finally, the moon itself is a major player in Luna. It is an adversarial environment, killing indiscriminately and without malice.
I loved pretty much everything about this book. Especially the ending (no spoilers) and am definitely looking forward to reading book two. 4.5 stars
That was a hell of a tale. Political chicanery and treachery, dynastic power grabbing set against a lunar landscape. The author suggested it should have been called Game of Domes - bring on. Part 2!
Five families (Five Dragons) control the Moon. They are in constant competition to have more influence, more control.
A trip to the Moon, if you stay long enough, becomes one-way as your bones and body won't stand Earth's gravity well. So there is no leaving, unless you choose to leave early. After that, you swear allegiance to one of the Five Dragons and are swept into the politics and everything short of open combat between the families.
Characterization and society are detailed and complex. You can understand how this all came about, even if it seems so very alien at the same time as completely human.
I listened to the audio book and am very glad I did, as the singsong of Brazilian Portuguese was lovely.
A trip to the Moon, if you stay long enough, becomes one-way as your bones and body won't stand Earth's gravity well. So there is no leaving, unless you choose to leave early. After that, you swear allegiance to one of the Five Dragons and are swept into the politics and everything short of open combat between the families.
Characterization and society are detailed and complex. You can understand how this all came about, even if it seems so very alien at the same time as completely human.
I listened to the audio book and am very glad I did, as the singsong of Brazilian Portuguese was lovely.
Luna: New Moon is the first in Ian McDonald’s soon to be trilogy set amongst warring rival families on a Moon which has been turned over to industrial mining and power generation.
Much of what I’d read about this before reading the book sounded a lot like elevator pitches for the story - as if it had been designed to be picked up in a TV deal (and I’m sure we will eventually see it on screen). It’s been called Game of Domes and compared to or The Godfather in space. More than anything else it reminded me of Noble House - James Clavell’s doorstop of an airport novel about business rivalries in Hong Kong in the 1960s.
That’s all well and good, but how does is stand on its own feet as a work?
In truth, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the face of it this is very much in my sweet spot - a long, complicated character driven piece set on a lunar colony with a lot of hard SF trappings. I’m not sure it ultimately works as well as it could - there are an insane number of characters involved and early on it’s tricky to figure out exactly how everything hangs together. A number of plot points are put out there but not fully closed off (one in particular involves “Wolves” and left me completely baffled, although given the next book in the series is called Wolf Moon I suspect this is just laying down some markers for later). McDonald does reward patience however and this definitely picks up definition and momentum as it goes on.
The ending is a little unsatisfying - it feels like McDonald is moving his pieces to prepare for the next book in the trilogy, but overall it made me want to pick up the next book straight away so on that level, mission accomplished.
Much of what I’d read about this before reading the book sounded a lot like elevator pitches for the story - as if it had been designed to be picked up in a TV deal (and I’m sure we will eventually see it on screen). It’s been called Game of Domes and compared to or The Godfather in space. More than anything else it reminded me of Noble House - James Clavell’s doorstop of an airport novel about business rivalries in Hong Kong in the 1960s.
That’s all well and good, but how does is stand on its own feet as a work?
In truth, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the face of it this is very much in my sweet spot - a long, complicated character driven piece set on a lunar colony with a lot of hard SF trappings. I’m not sure it ultimately works as well as it could - there are an insane number of characters involved and early on it’s tricky to figure out exactly how everything hangs together. A number of plot points are put out there but not fully closed off (one in particular involves “Wolves” and left me completely baffled, although given the next book in the series is called Wolf Moon I suspect this is just laying down some markers for later). McDonald does reward patience however and this definitely picks up definition and momentum as it goes on.
The ending is a little unsatisfying - it feels like McDonald is moving his pieces to prepare for the next book in the trilogy, but overall it made me want to pick up the next book straight away so on that level, mission accomplished.
Game of Thrones meets Dune, on the Moon (in mostly a good way)
Got about halfway through, didn't connect with any of the characters, the world building while interesting didn't really engage me, and the actual science is a bit questionable. Too much stuff out there more my speed to waste any more time here, YMMV.
Pretty decent hard science fiction. I liked the general setup - somewhat near future, the moon has been colonized but just like earlier waves of colonization the destination is generally a one-way trip and it's a dirty, crime-ridden place where some people do get obscenely wealthy. There are 5 big families that own most of the wealth, and they have 2-3 generations since the moon colonization started; this first book in the trilogy sets off as a new fight among many of them is breaking out.
Honestly, the hardest thing I found with this book was that it was very heavy in slang, names, etc - it was hard to immerse myself in it for a long time because of that. The flow of the writing and plot wer a bit uneven, some areas I raced through, other areas felt like side stories that dragged on without a good payoff. Overall still enjoyable, just wish it was a bit tighter of a story.
Honestly, the hardest thing I found with this book was that it was very heavy in slang, names, etc - it was hard to immerse myself in it for a long time because of that. The flow of the writing and plot wer a bit uneven, some areas I raced through, other areas felt like side stories that dragged on without a good payoff. Overall still enjoyable, just wish it was a bit tighter of a story.
Calling it Game of Thrones on the Moon is not inaccurate, but it felt more like what a telenovela would be if it were made to today's tastes and with today's budgets and effects.
It sticks in my brain, but I don't know that I want to read more of it.
It sticks in my brain, but I don't know that I want to read more of it.
What a fantastic beginning to a series. I've seen other reviewers call it 'Game of Thrones on the moon', and others mention the Godfather movies, and yes, that's about right. HBO/Netflix, someone, anyone, should be all over this.
The cast is diverse, and I absolutely loved all of them. They're well developed, with amazing arcs, and McDonald put a lot of care and effort into the world building. The pace never slows; not a dull moment in this book.
Now, I won't lie, this book took a lot of effort. Damn those families are huge. I have a notebook for difficult reads, and I used it. A lot. I basically kept drawing family trees, until the characters clicked into place. It takes a while, but eventually they do click into place.
I immediately bought the second book and can't wait to dive in. Highly recommended to people who enjoy dynastic families struggle for power with a generous dash of drama...on the moon!
The cast is diverse, and I absolutely loved all of them. They're well developed, with amazing arcs, and McDonald put a lot of care and effort into the world building. The pace never slows; not a dull moment in this book.
Now, I won't lie, this book took a lot of effort. Damn those families are huge. I have a notebook for difficult reads, and I used it. A lot. I basically kept drawing family trees, until the characters clicked into place. It takes a while, but eventually they do click into place.
I immediately bought the second book and can't wait to dive in. Highly recommended to people who enjoy dynastic families struggle for power with a generous dash of drama...on the moon!
DNF on page 42. This is clearly written with some skill.
However, from the start I didn't like the tone of the world and the characters. Especially not the affluent ones. They are designed to be unlikeable, but they are also who the inciting incident is focused on: the assassination of the leader of the influential Cortas family. I have not been told why I should care about them. They're not likeable but they're also not interesting. The author simply hasn't given me a reason for caring about what happens.
Furthermore, the POV is strange. In a scene clearly told from the perspective of a small child, I wouldn't expect sentences like 'Anger is his sin.' It's as if the POV sometimes briefly flicks to a different mind before reverting back to the original POV character, without this being signposted in the text.
However, from the start I didn't like the tone of the world and the characters. Especially not the affluent ones. They are designed to be unlikeable, but they are also who the inciting incident is focused on: the assassination of the leader of the influential Cortas family. I have not been told why I should care about them. They're not likeable but they're also not interesting. The author simply hasn't given me a reason for caring about what happens.
Furthermore, the POV is strange. In a scene clearly told from the perspective of a small child, I wouldn't expect sentences like 'Anger is his sin.' It's as if the POV sometimes briefly flicks to a different mind before reverting back to the original POV character, without this being signposted in the text.