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A review by folly_problem
A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke
4.0
A fun little story full of conversation and engineering, the two staples of Clarke's golden age sci-fi. This one more than others I've read deals with topics related more to the then-contemporary Earth, and it is maybe these that most show the age of the book, or rather perhaps some of the more uncomfortable views that may have been totally unquestioned at the time.
For example infrequent but repeated mentions of a woman's weight, emphasising at the end how the journey has influenced the men, and a brief mention of Australian history that manages to mention both the violence of colonialism and yet also claim it turned out okay. None of these derails the book, they are small details, not much dwelt upon, which can pull you out of the experience for a few sentences before you once more immerse yourself.
In spite of this the majority of the book plays out like a nice little thriller, how will they get out? How will they cope? And the pacing is good as always in Clarke's work.
For example infrequent but repeated mentions of a woman's weight, emphasising at the end how the journey has influenced the men, and a brief mention of Australian history that manages to mention both the violence of colonialism and yet also claim it turned out okay. None of these derails the book, they are small details, not much dwelt upon, which can pull you out of the experience for a few sentences before you once more immerse yourself.
In spite of this the majority of the book plays out like a nice little thriller, how will they get out? How will they cope? And the pacing is good as always in Clarke's work.