United Moon Colonies

by Tom Merritt

Richard Chong just led the United Moon Colonies to victory over the Fundamentalist Union, or Fundys, saving Earth from a totalitarian madman. Now as the Moon finally gains respect on its parent planet, a new madman wants to kill Chong. But it's not all about the President. They have an even more insidious plot to rule both worlds and bring the Fundys back for good.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera

ebook

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Tom Merritt is a technology journalist and broadcaster. Tom has previously worked at TechTV, CNET and TWiT. He currently hosts the Sword and Laser book club podcast, Daily Tech News Show, Current Geek and Cordkillers among others.

photo by Andrew Mager

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun book. The story moved along at a brisk pace with plenty of twists and turns. After listening to Tom Merritt on countless podcasts over the years I think I have a bit of a feel for his personality, it was fun to see it coming through in this story. Mostly I'd say this is a Sci-Fi thriller, with some humor mixed in and a dash of hard boiled style to it. Merritt did a good job with the narration of the audio book. The mistakes in his reading were minor and easily forgivable. It's free for download on his blog, so whaddaya want, huh? I especially like the inclusion of Lake Merritt at the end of the book. I thought this was made up by the author, but such a lake actually exists in Oakland. This was a quick listen/read and definitely worth checking out, very enjoyable.

[Alfredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast pace, very engaging and interesting read. The topic of a religious war combined with Moon colonies makes it both a current and interesting book. The fact that Venezuela appears promptly, even if in the side of the bad guys, was just icing in the cake. My only criticism is the use of phrases like "he looks Venezuelan" I don't care how advance is the future, distinguishing between different nationalities in Latin America will always be more a question of accent than of looks.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

So my rating was a bit higher than most would expect. I enjoyed the book and note it probably could have used a bit more body to it, however, it was written in a month as part of NaNoRMo (or however you abbreviate it). I enjoy the others work on Buzz Out Loud, Tech News Today and The Sword and Laser Book Club so it was nice to see this side of him as well. Interesting to see if there is a part two.

[Bill Nobes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got it from Amazon to support one of my favorite podcasters and was expecting to write a polite review. Turns out I can write a very honest review and say I quite enjoyed it. There were some hints of Slippery Jim DiGriz with a little Scalzi for flavor. Nice work Mr. Merritt!

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a stellar read, but produced enough moments to be enjoyable. It was a National Novel Writing Month project, so that makes it more impressive.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth your time

An Inter planetary war ... ish, a tightly paced story of political intrigue, spiced with religion fueled conflict and sprinkled with notes of The Manchurian Canidate - who could ask for more?

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A NaNoWriMo project of Tom's I found this hard to read. But it's not the standard for Tom's writing.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book dealing with politics in minor ways, but turns into a great adventure story of conspiracy and mistrust. The hero is believable and likable, as is his love interest and their relationship that adds a little lightness to the adventure. The universe of a future world where the Moon colonized and influential to the war torn Earth is something I'd like to see more of. It's a shorter book, but well worth the time.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well done (especially for a Nanomo project) science fiction yarn.

The characters are nicely fleshed out and the background story seems to hold up. I think the science part is a bit more space opera than hard science fiction but that is a stylistic choice.

[Jim Corbett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read for a National Novel Writing Month book. It is paced well, with good suspension to keep you reading.

[John Hester · Rating 3 out of 5]

You go Tom!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable, simple romp into the near future

[Dan Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it