A review by sonofthunder
A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke

4.0

And now for something a bit lighter! This was a brilliant little sci-fi novel. Published in 1961, this is truly a classic sci-fi work of the golden age. I need to start reading more Clarke! I loved this book because it posited a future in which man has a colony on the Moon...and that's just perfectly normal! The plot of the book revolves around a "tourist bus" of sorts being sucked into a sea of dust on the face of the moon...and the struggle for survival by the crew and passengers of the bus while meanwhile the sturdy engineers from the colony attempt to mount a search/extract/rescue operation. This book was a thrill ride...just when you think things are all well and safe...guess again! And I of course loved all the detailed accounts of the engineers' efforts to rescue the people. Plenty of delicious engineering details. The characters are sketched just enough for one to care about them, although they may come across a bit flat to modern sensibilities. But the sheer competence and intelligence of most of the main characters was a joy to experience. Heartily recommend, would read again. (And yes, I do need to read more by Clarke now)