Farside Cannon

by Roger MacBride Allen

Allen, Roger MacBride, Farside Cannon

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Roger MacBride Allen is a US science fiction author of the Corellian Trilogy, consisting of Ambush at Corellia, Assault at Selonia, and Showdown at Centerpoint. He was born on September 26, 1957 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He grew up in Washington D.C. and graduated from Boston University in 1979. The author of a dozen science-fiction novels, he lived in Washington D.C., for many years. In July 1994, he married Eleanre Fox, a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. Her current assignment takes them to Brasilia, Brazil, where they lived from 2007 to 2009.

Reviews

[Economondos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reread for me and I enjoyed it once again. If for no other reason, read it as a travelogue.

SAIL: your drilling rig through the brisk Icelandic winter seas!
RELAX: in cold sleep as you cruise interplanetary space!
MINGLE: with the cheerfully grifting 'Conners' of Luna's Central Colony!
RACE: the 6,000 km Sunway! [Don't fall behind - you will get cold during the two week night.]
MEET: your new neighbors; the exiled, rejected, and eccentric residents of Farside Station!
BEHOLD: the amazing Farside Cannon!

RMBA has good characterization and excellent worlds. It goes back on the shelf and will be read again some time.

[Kevin Phyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garrison Morrow is on an island north of Iceland with a geological drill team, ostensibly fossil hunting, but in reality he is looking for evidence of a giant asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. It seems that somebody is very keen to sabotage his efforts, and a fire and withdrawal of funding look like dooming his research until last minute funding comes via a previously unknown organization. Morrow eagerly accepts the funds but he is unaware that two of his colleagues are spying and trying to thwart his efforts for different people and reasons. Cornucopia is a large comet remnant that is to be towed into low-Earth orbit (some thousand kilometres) to be mined. The close proximity will make transport cheap, but many are perturbed at having something that big so close to the home planet, and an unscrupulous (and possibly insane) entrepreneur has plans to steal it. Meanwhile, Morrow and his reconciled colleague Ben Moscowitz, have been exiled to the Moon after being tricked into giving a press conference which was maliciously altered. Once on the Moon they are further exiled, to Farside, to build some comm lasers. It’s there that they devise a scheme of breathtaking audacity. But when an operation involving enormous energies is conducted in secret the reasons can be open to speculation…and reprisal. Roger MacBride Allen has given us an exciting page turner with a satisfying conclusion and real characters.

[Pack Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this book is spent telling the story of a scientist who is trying to prove that the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs impacted in Iceland. This book was released in 1988, and the Chicxulub crater wasn't confirmed to be the actual culprit until a few years later.

But that is OK - just makes the first 20-25% of the story dated. The cool science fiction stuff is in the rest of the book anyway. The worldbuilding of the Moon setting is great - I love that stuff. It is obvious that the author did a lot of research on how to move an asteroid and how living and traveling on the Moon would work.

The plot and action are great, and the characters are, mostly, pretty well fleshed out. There are a few scenes with some political types that don't seem to have any bearing on the main story. The political intrigue could have been amped up a little more to add more tension. But if you like to read a book that immerses you in a great hard SF setting, I recommend this book.

[STU · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farside Cannon is not an overly inspiring title to me.
However, I really enjoyed this book.

Political intrigue, people screwing each other over for their own gains.
Different factions with common goals or opposite goals, miscommunications and misunderstandings.
A comedy of errors with different parties attempting to save the world and instead sabotaging each other's efforts until tragedy looks inevitable.

Couldn't put this book down towards the end. I'll have to look up some more Roger MacBride Allen in the future. Good real characters and very easy reading.

[Alec Drumm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent story. I enjoyed it

[Ram Chadalavada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page turner, plot keeps you engaged till the very end. Scientists turning the tables on formidable foes and politicians, warding off inter planetary war in the process, is a welcome plot.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't remember a lot of details about the book. But I remember liking it a lot.

This is one of those books where a couple people are living their normal life, yet stumble into events that sweep them into a position where they end up having to make decisions that change the whole of the political power struggles across the solar system, particularly with Earth verses everyone else.

[Baboucarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time hasnt been so kind to it in hindsight, but I remember loving it then. How it ties up the mass cataclysm event of 65 mya (death of the dinosaurs) with... ok I'll stop there. lol

Shiro Ishida was baddass though! Can't believe I remember that name.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's simple, dumbed down space drama but with some interesting ideas on space politics. Reminds me of the expanse. Easy reader for the poolside.

[Brian R. Mcdonald]

The book opens with a go reference, then never mentions the game again. Bummer.