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A review by justine_ao
Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald
4.0
"The might and magic of money is not what it allows you to own; it is what it allows you to be. Money is freedom."
Truer words were never spoken. People left Earth looking for a new kind of freedom and frontier, not wanting to be constrained by old ideas. On the moon, anything goes, for a price: offer, acceptance and consideration. The only law is the law of contract, enforced by courts and if necessary in bloody trials by combat. In effect, everything is freely available, but nothing comes without a price.
Of course it shouldn’t be a surprise then that dynastic corporate families would rise to power in this environment and that blood feuds would fester and rage as hotly as they ever did on Earth. Environments may change, but people don’t.
If this book was set on Earth instead of the moon, it would be a good, old-fashioned story we have all read before about wealthy families fighting each other for more money and more power, with typically bloody results and lots of collateral damage. What makes this one new and fresh is McDonald’s fantastic world-building, his wonderful use of almost-here technology, and most importantly, and an amazingly diverse cast of characters that bring the story vibrantly to life.
The only downside, and I feel fair warning people about this in advance:
Cliffhanger ending! So, if you don’t like those, I advise waiting for the next book to come out before embarking on this one. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this one.
Truer words were never spoken. People left Earth looking for a new kind of freedom and frontier, not wanting to be constrained by old ideas. On the moon, anything goes, for a price: offer, acceptance and consideration. The only law is the law of contract, enforced by courts and if necessary in bloody trials by combat. In effect, everything is freely available, but nothing comes without a price.
Of course it shouldn’t be a surprise then that dynastic corporate families would rise to power in this environment and that blood feuds would fester and rage as hotly as they ever did on Earth. Environments may change, but people don’t.
If this book was set on Earth instead of the moon, it would be a good, old-fashioned story we have all read before about wealthy families fighting each other for more money and more power, with typically bloody results and lots of collateral damage. What makes this one new and fresh is McDonald’s fantastic world-building, his wonderful use of almost-here technology, and most importantly, and an amazingly diverse cast of characters that bring the story vibrantly to life.
The only downside, and I feel fair warning people about this in advance:
Cliffhanger ending! So, if you don’t like those, I advise waiting for the next book to come out before embarking on this one. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this one.