Luna: Luna nueva

Luna #1

by Ian McDonald, José Heisenberg (Translator)

LA LUNA QUIERE MATARTE. Y TIENE MIL FORMAS DE CONSEGUIRLO.

La gélida acritud del vacío. La letal lluvia radiactiva. El polvo que la recubre, tan viejo como la Tierra. La creciente debilidad de los huesos… O puedes quedarte sin dinero para agua. O para aire. O puedes caer en desgracia con uno de los Cinco Dragones, las corporaciones que dirigen la Luna y controlan sus amplios recursos. Pero te quedas, porque la Luna puede hacerte más rico de lo que eres capaz de imaginar…, mientras sigas con vida.

Adriana Corta tiene ochenta años. Su familia dirige Corta Hélio. Han sobrevivido a las implacables guerras corporativas y a la peligrosa paz subsiguiente. Pero ahora esa paz se resquebraja. Es probable que Adriana tenga que morir, aunque no la matarán sus rivales ni la Luna. Sea cual sea su destino, sin embargo, Corta Hélio no morirá.

EL JUEGO DE TRONOS EN LA LUNA, EN QUE SE BASARÁ LA NUEVA SERIE DE TV DE LA CBS Y LOS CREADORES DE NCIS: LOS ÁNGELES. LA OBRA FINALISTA DEL PREMIO BSFA 2016 A LA MEJOR NOVELA, POR UNO DE LOS MEJORES ESCRITORES DE CIENCIA FICCIÓN DEL MUNDO.

«La mejor novela que he leído en muchos años.» Locus Mag

«Mucha intriga, violencia, sexo… una suerte de Dallas en la Luna.» The Guardian

«Preveo abundantes nominaciones para este libro. Recomendado.» SFF World

«Ian McDonald es uno de los mejores escritores de ciencia ficción del mundo.» Kim Stanley Robinson

«Atentos a este libro en las nominaciones de premios del próximo año.» Publishers Weekly

Ian McDonald nació en Manchester en 1960, hijo de madre irlandesa y padre escocés, y pronto se trasladó a Irlanda del Norte, donde vive desde entonces. McDonald es hoy reconocido como uno de los mejores y más reputados escritores de ciencia ficción del mundo. No en vano, su vasta obra ha sido galardonada con el premio Locus, en dos ocasiones con el British Science Fiction Association Award (BSFA) a la mejor novela, el John W. Campbell Memorial y el Hugo al mejor relato corto. Con Luna nueva inicia una trilogía que ha convencido por igual a público y crítica.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space, Audiobook, Space Opera, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2015

About the author

Ian Neil McDonald was born in 1960 in Manchester, England, to an Irish mother and a Scottish father. He moved with his family to Northern Ireland in 1965. He used to live in a house built in the back garden of C. S. Lewis's childhood home but has since moved to central Belfast, where he now lives, exploring interests like cats, contemplative religion, bonsai, bicycles, and comic-book collecting. He debuted in 1982 with the short story "The Island of the Dead" in the short-lived British magazine Extro. His first novel, Desolation Road, was published in 1988. Other works include King of Morning, Queen of Day (winner of the Philip K. Dick Award), River of Gods, The Dervish House (both of which won British Science Fiction Association Awards), the graphic novel Kling Klang Klatch, and many more. His most recent publications are Planesrunner and Be My Enemy, books one and two of the Everness series for younger readers (though older readers will find them a ball of fun, as well). Ian worked in television development for sixteen years, but is glad to be back to writing full-time.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

All right! What an ending! I won't spoil it, but it's one hell of a satisfying ride.

As I read it, I kept saying to myself, "Damn! This was MADE for HBO. (Or Showtime.) This could be done Brilliantly as a well-funded high-quality production. Hell, this would be even better than GoT, and not only because it's SF instead of F! It's full of glitz, sex, the weight of history, capitalism, and tradition, not to mention all the sprinkling of assassinations and attempted assassinations to liven the party. Plus, it has all the glory of THE MOON. Heinlein, eat your heart out."

First off, expect nothing less than a huge story of dynastic families struggling for control of the moon. There's tons of characters and a great many of them get stage time. That's not really a problem if you're used to some of the great epics. Hell, Even SOIAF (or GoT for everyone else) is rife with it. Tons of characters, lots of build, lots of tearing down, and a sense of something truly grand being laid out before us.

Now, I have to be honest. I've never read Mario Puzo, but I am, like most red-blooded males and females, quite familiar with the Godfather. I've enjoyed the character builds, the struggle for family, business, and love. I've loved the struggle so much that I get giddy even at the flashbacks and the humble beginnings. All these things rambled in my mind as I read Luna. Gloriously.

But.

Ian McDonald's wonderful novel is not a retelling or a knock-off of the Godfather set on the moon. But it is just as deep and complex and wonderfully fleshed out as if I was growing up in New York City, carving and empire out for myself in Adriana's reminiscence, or living in modern day Luna, seeing all the fruits of your labor and feeling a deep pride in your accomplishments, knowing that family, whether by flesh or sentiment, is the most precious thing in either world. Earth is the old world, literally, and the Moon is the New World. It flows very naturally, and all of these wonderful lives made a stunningly detailed tapestry.

I generally don't prefer epic dynasties in my reading habits, but when I do get through them, I'm generally floored by the amount of care and precision placed into every line, every word. There's something truly brilliant about the effort placed into this novel in precisely the same way.

So: Total Respect.

Soon after starting it, I did have to scale back a few expectations. I've read a few of his novels, before, and I've learned to relax into the characters, never expect grand revelations early or even mid-novel. On the other hand, I've learned that I can always expect a huge revelation or an action at the end.

I've learned to be patient. Trying to discover a plot in his books is like digging for clues of a lost civilization in ten meters of sand.

Fortunately, the civilization always exists. We did buy the shovels and dustpans and brooms. And McDonald even provided us a wide cast of characters (read archeologists and interns) to do all the heavy sifting. All we have to do is sit back and enjoy the process in mute admiration. Things have a way of unearthing themselves.

And what a story! I find myself itching all over to pick up the next novel, setting google alerts on his writing status for it, bemoaning the fate that I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO READ IT FOR SOME HORRIBLE FUCK OF A TIME. Gaaahhhhhrrrrgggghhhh!

Did I love this book? You better fucking believe it.

Did this manage to make my list of the best SF of the year? Yes. In fact, I would not be disappointed if it earned itself the Hugo for 2015 for Best Novel. It's hellaimpressive. It's a great epic read. It's also filled to the brim with imminently plausible science. Not a single thing was out of place. No handwavium for 68 thousand kilometers. That's also pretty damn impressive. But the bad? It doesn't break new SF ground EXCEPT in how it teaches SF to fear an awesomely new height in epic familial dynasties. I've seen things like this in Fantasy, too, but this happens to rooted deliciously and consummately in our Earth.

This was totally worth it.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/11/12/r...

If you can imagine the Starks and Lannisters as two rival families with competing mining operations on the moon, I daresay the situation might look a lot like the plot of Luna: New Moon. I can’t remember the last time I read a sci-fi novel featuring a richer and more compelling premise, and I am also amazed that the characters are all so developed and well-defined. Where do I even begin when it comes to the many things I loved about this book?

First, the story. The sheer scope of it is simply ridiculous, with a multi-perspective narrative following more than half a dozen characters from three generations of a powerful family. At the center of it all is the matriarch Adriana Corta, who arrived on the moon many years ago and built Corta Hélio, a company and a dynasty. Through her successes, the Cortas became the fifth “Dragon”, joining four other lunar families in the control of the moon’s trade—the Mackenzies, the Vorontsovs, the Suns, and the Asamoahs.

Of course, not all were happy with the Cortas’ rise to power. It’s like the mafia, and everyone knows what happens when a new player enters the fold. As expected, several rivalries immediately developed but none were as bitter as the one that sprung up between the Cortas and the Mackenzies. Cortas cut—hard, sharp and fast. But the Mackenzies will always pay back three times. No peace has ever existed between the two families, despite all the political marriages and attempts to reconcile.

Next, you have the setting. You’re as likely to die from the harsh conditions of the moon as you are from a rival assassin’s blade. On the moon, the Four Elementals are king: Air, Water, Carbon and Data. Without these basic commodities of lunar existence, you are nothing. If you run low on funds to pay for them, then you’d better learn to breathe less.

The only law on the moon is that there is no law—everything is negotiable. For the families of the five Dragons, this means a lot of power…and a lot of danger. However, the Cortas have another saying: Family first, family always. No matter what, Corta Hélio takes care of its own. And since it is your only protection on the moon and the only thing you can count on to keep you alive, so too must everything be done with the family company in mind.

Which brings me to the characters. Adriana Corta has five children, and they in turn have their own spouses and children, so we’re talking about a HUGE cast of characters. And that’s not even counting the members of the other four families or the various important figures in lunar society. Thankfully, other than Adriana herself, the narrative mostly focuses on her children (Rafa, Lucas, Ariel, Carlinhos, Wagner) and her grandchildren (Lucasinho, Robson, Luna). Occasionally there are also parts of the story told through the eyes of Marina Calzaghe, a surface worker newly arrived on the moon who gets entangled with the Cortas and their politics.

I won’t lie, things were very confusing, especially at the beginning. There was so much going on and a whole village’s worth of characters involved, I found myself constantly referring to the Character List until I was comfortable with the names and all the relationships. But once I got that down, I was completely addicted to this book! The story is intensely powerful, with a plot filled with political scheming and Machiavellian designs. There’s also a strong focus on the characters. I feel like I got the chance to know each Corta on a deep and personal level, an amazing achievement considering how often we bounced around between perspectives. Adriana also stood out with her first-person chapters. She’s an amazing character, a woman who conquered her fear, heartbreak, and the unforgiving landscape of the moon itself.

Finally, the writing. Ian McDonald struck the perfect balance between all the various elements in this story. He tackled a very complicated idea but still managed to make it very easy to understand and enjoy. He also handled difficult themes well. Luna: New Moon wasn’t my first book by McDonald, but all I’d read before this were the novels of his Young Adult series, Everness. His Adult fiction is very different from his YA, but I love his style regardless.

If you’re a sci-fi fan looking for a character-driven story with complexity, scope and depth, then do yourself a favor and check out Luna: New Moon. This book sucked me in completely and left me hungry for more. I can’t wait for the next volume in this two-part series.

[Tamora Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my assistant brought this book home as part of her grad school semester reading, I thought I'd give it a try, remembering how much I liked the author's RIVER OF GODS a couple of years ago. Now I have to say that McDonald is one of the best world builders I've ever read.

This is about the colonization of the moon by industrial entrepreneurs who supply an energy-short Earth where jobs for human beings are scarce and expensive higher education is needed for anyone to get ahead. The cast of characters is perfectly varied. One is a woman newly arrived from the earth and on her way to starving (of food and of oxygen) before she gets a lucky break. Other leads are members of one family, the Cortas, that is trying to claw its way onto the uppermost level of lunar rule, having reached its very outskirts. Most remarkable is the matriarch, who came when the moon is first being colonized/mined and formed as a new social, economic, sexual, and governing system based solely on gain and loss. Others of her family are as diverse as the culture itself: Carlos, the roughneck surface miner and fighter; Lucasinho, the spoiled darling son who bakes cakes, has sex with anyone who allows it, and struggles to defy his family; Lucas, the obedient son who desires more than anything to run the family company, and Ariel, the brilliant attorney who aspires to lunar, not family, power. Arrayed with these people are their servants, their mates, the women who carry, bear, and nurse their children, and the people who maintain their machines and their industries, in addition to their many cyber- and human guards. Against them are the four great families of the moon, who despise them as social and business climbers with no right to the affairs of the government's top table.

It only takes a few small battles, a few small betrayals, and one shift in the power structure for everything to change, and there's no way to tell if it's for the better or the worst. You'll have to read for yourself. It's fascinating, the culture(s) McDonald has created in this world. Sex is anything goes for anyone. There is an entire group of people that is born with a body chemistry that responds to phases of the moon, and prefers to associate--and run--with one another during some of those phases. There is a Christian Church that ministers to people here, but there is also a Sisterhood that is comprised partly of South American religions with other elements (many of the immigrants to this moon came from Latin America, the first part of the world to lose jobs and education to computers and robots). The world is built in layers tunneled down into the rock, and tunnels are adapted to luxury habitats for the wealthy. Everyone has a fixture in their eyes that registers how much air, water, food, and information they have paid for--and the gods help them if they run out.

Best of all, McDonald is one of those rare sf writers who does not over-indulge in info-dumps. Some are unavoidable in a story about technology, industry, and the medicine of the future, but I am green with envy over how much he conveys within the stream of the story. I've ordered at least three more of his books (yes! hardcover!), plus my own copy of this one to join what I expect will be a growing Ian McDonald shelf.

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza-pie...That’s amore!"

Dean Martin certainly sang how we see the the moon here on Earth. It’s a brilliant light in the night sky that is the symbol of romance as well as a tantalizing beacon of wonder and discovery that inspired one the greatest scientific and engineering achievements in human history. However, that’s looking at it from a distance. On closer examination it’s a lifeless hunk of rock in a vacuum that is irradiated constantly by the sun. And since people suck, when you send a bunch of us there it only gets worse.

In the future the moon has been opened for business and after a couple of generations it’s now developed into a feudal state where the five families (a/k/a the Five Dragons) who control its most profitable businesses reign supreme under the watchful eye of the Lunar Development Corporation. The Corta Hélio company mines helium-3 for Earth’s energy needs, but the founder and matriarch Andriana Corta is elderly and ill. She fears that her children will fight for control once she dies, and their most bitter rival seems to have made an assassination attempt on one of the family that could turn into open warfare.

It took me a while to warm up to this story, but eventually it did grab my attention thanks to its well thought out sci-fi elements as well as detailed ideas about how a human society would function in that environment. I was particularly intrigued by the notion that their are no laws on the moon, only negotiations where everything is controlled by contracts with a court system dedicated to parsing the fine print, and where a duel might be used to settle a dispute.

Another interesting aspect is that since oxygen and water are the most precious of commodities that everyone is charged for every breath and every drop of water. So having a contract that allows you to pay for these things is very important, and unemployment could turn into an extended death sentence. Everything from the health effects of living in low gravity, the future version of the internet, fashion trends, sexuality, and the best way to make a cocktail are brought up ways that show that McDonald put a great amount of thought into this story.

The one piece I felt short changed on was a sub-plot that involved one character being a ‘wolf’ who seemingly gains extra intellectual and physical prowess when the Earth is in certain positions. Obviously, this is meant to be a kind of reverse werewolf thing, but it really seems to come out of left field and is never as fully explained as most of the other details.

The story has invited comparisons to other works like Game of Thrones, Dune, and The Godfather and you can certainly see elements of all of those and more in this, but the one that really caught my eye was in an interview that McDonald did where he cited the old TV show Dallas as one of his main inspirations. That makes a lot of sense because for big chunks of this I was thinking that it felt like a soap opera with a big wealthy family fighting each other and outsiders, and like a soap opera you’ll find yourself rooting for and against various characters.

So that’s what this is: Dallas on the moon, and just as Dallas once captivated the country with its ‘Who shot JR?’ cliffhanger McDonald tries a similar thing here by not wrapping anything up and leaving the reader with multiple storylines hanging. That’s not a fatal flaw, especially since this is supposedly going to be just a two-book story. (Although the sheer number of characters suggest that McDonald may be hoping for a TV deal of his own.) Still, it’s irksome to read all of this and end in such an open ended way.

I’ll call it three stars for now while reserving the right to adjust once I read the second part.

On a side note, isn’t it weird when you get through a whole book and don’t realize you read something else by the author? I got all the way through this one without realizing that I had also read his Brasyl.

[Mangrii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nos situamos en una luna que posee una sociedad completamente ya establecida en un futuro indefinido. Cinco familias pioneras en la explotación de los recursos, conocidos como los Cinco Dragones, ejercen un control sobre los territorios colonizados y parte de la población, mientras que de forma oculta y paralela existe una lucha de poder con intrigas, alianzas y traiciones por doquier. La novela se centra en la familia Corta y en su encarnizada lucha por el poder económico en la Luna, los cuales poseen la empresa Corta Helio creada por la matriarca brasileña Adriana Corta, dedicadas a la extracción de helio-3 destinado a la mayoría de empresas energéticas de la tierra.

Ian McDonald crea una historia compleja llena de giros de guion y tramas palaciegas entre las altas esferas de poder en la luna. El autor tiene un estilo peculiar y personal, cargado de mucho ritmo con situaciones que ocurren al mismo tiempo, estableciendo una novela coral con una enorme cantidad de puntos de vista, donde con cuatro pinceladas es capaz de desarrollar a sus personajes y meternos de lleno en este inhóspito paraje. Reconozco que es duro entrar en la novela, las primeras 100 hojas me resultaron apabullantes, pero traspasada la barrera, se convierte en un relato adictivo plagado de intrigas y giros.

Si algo fascina de la lectura de Luna es su worldbuilding: Un paraje lleno de ciudades subterráneas donde habitan millares de personas; si no tienes dinero para pagar los cuatro elementos básicos (oxigeno, agua, carbono y datos) estas muerto; diferentes detalles tecnológicos como las impresoras de objetos; la sociedad autorregulada por un derecho contractual, el desarrollo de las diferentes generaciones lunares o el tratamiento del sexo e identidad sexual fuera de los tabús habituales.

Luna: Luna nueva cumple con bastantes de las expectativas que prometía, y se coloca de lleno en la lucha por las mejores lecturas de ciencia ficción de 2016. Aparte de la intriga de como continuará tras todos los cliffhanger finales; tengo curiosidad de cómo puede la CBS, que compro los derechos de la novela, enfocar una serie de televisión con una complejidad tan enorme como la que supone la historia y sobre todo su sociedad, veo difícil que un canal que no sea HBO pueda darle la libertad creativa que necesita.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"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 going in prepared to potentially read the next book before embarking on this one. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this one.

[Chris Haught · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!! I devoured this book over a few days, skipping television and movie options to just immerse myself into the low gravity. I'm still depressurizing.

I've seen this book called "Game of Thrones in Space", and I'd have to say not so much. Only in the sense that it would make a fantastic series on HBO which would compare. I've also seen it compared to "Dallas", and there is a bit of that, but the most accurate comparison is easily The Godfather. That book/movie's sense of family and survival against long odds and adversaries definitely struck more of a moonbeam here.

When is the sequel coming out?? That one will shoot straight to the top of my TBR as soon as it's available.

[Allison Hurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book was good, but that it missed several opportunities for greatness. It's very obviously the set up book for the series, stuffed full of world-building and explaining the who's who of Luna. The end was fascinating, but the rest just felt...pedestrian, which is surprising given the concept.

CONTENT WARNING: (list of topics) body horror, sexual assault, child abuse

Things that were awesome:

-The world. Or I guess moon? The concept of the tunnels, dusters, corporations, the frontier-meets-opulence imagining of society was super cool.

-The complexity. There are moving parts all over the place in this book. It never stays still.

-The kids. The children we follow in this story are definitely going to do something epic when their superhero backstories end and they manifest as Moon Man or whatever it is they're about to do.

-The diversity. I was very glad to see that McDonald had been forthright in how the obvious people on the moon, like Americans and the Chinese, weren't the only ones by far, and that as always, a bit of of individual exceptionalism mixed with education and desperation sometimes yields greatness large enough to change a landscape. I thought that was well done. I'm a bit iffy on the "everyone is bi" thing as I think it actually turns into erasure at some point, but whatever, it was nice to see approximately the same amount of time dedicated to same sex couplings as opposite sex, as well as ace folks and people with different pronouns invented just for the moon.

-The action sequences. Very tense and dramatic.

Things that were just meh:

-The feuding. I get it, this is in fact a corporate espionage-meets-mafioso story but it was just...idk...normal. And the shit they pull as the book goes on is like...I really don't think people dependent on a closed environment would do things like that. It sacrificed plausibility for the cool factor and most of the time for me plausible but imaginative is way cooler than people leaping from bombs or whatever it is they're doing in Hollywood these days.

-The characters. I don't care about any of them except the kids, and we got very little time with the kids. They're all dumb and/or trash, and the Moon eats space trash for...I actually don't know how the moon determines what time breakfast is, but the point is that I don't have much sympathy for idiots doing idiot things in lethal situations.

-The law. I very much want you to picture Judge Dredd saying that. It's...well. It's not well thought out lol. There are no laws, only contracts. Well, except that of course that means there's all of contract law. But no one cares about contract law. Except that everyone abides by it. Except that...etc. Miss me with this juvenile interpretation of law and anarchy. Societies come to consensus in the absence of written rules, and that consensus forms LAWS. Sorry, teenage anarchists, real anarchists know that there is no such thing as no law, there is only a lack of central government. Everything else is inevitable.

-The minutiae. I didn't want or need that much detail about Adriana. I didn't want or need that much detail about how people had sex. I didn't want or need to know about every water fountain and meal. Push it out the airlock and then talk to me about the things that make it obvious we're on the moon.

-What was up with Wagner? I...what? I did not get what was going on with him and his "friends" and why this was at all relevant to the world.

-The end. It just...ends. Not quite a cliffhanger, more like feeling that you got to the top of the stairs only to realize you're just at the landing and have to climb more to get to where you are going.

-Repetition. I'm reading a lot of books that focus on spit lately. I don't think I needed quite so many reminders that in low grav spit flies further, people jump harder, Earth-born people have more mass etc. I got it, I really did. I was able to keep that in my head pretty well throughout.

It was enjoyable, fun, and the writing was good. I don't know that I'll continue and I'm certainly not pressed to do so immediately, so I'm rounding my 3.5 stars down. If you like crime family dramas and space ships, this one may well be for you!

[Liam || Books 'n Beards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread March 2017 - Still fantastic.

“Nothing tells you that you are not on Earth anymore than exhaling at one price and inhaling at another.”

This is easily my book of the year - and so late! Truly, it is the most well-written, intriguing, believable, unique science fiction I have read in a long time, let alone this year - and it is an absolute roller coaster to boot.

Luna: New Moon (the first in a duology!!! Hooray for short and sweet series! Now a trilogy, damn and blast) follows the lives of the Corta family - a lunar Brazilian dynasty whose fortune is built upon the extraction of Helium-3 from the lunar regolith a-la fantastic film Moon. It hops between the 'present', the trials and tribulations of several different members of the Corta family and others, and a retrospective account of the Corta's powerful matriarch Adriana's rise to prominence.

As literally everybody who has even sniffed the concept of this book has stated, somewhat accurately, Luna comes across largely as Game of Thrones, but on the moon. It's all there - the complex political web of backstabbings and dealings in a setting where they aren't usually present, a world based predominantly around warring familial dynasties rather than nations, and a gritty, sleazy world filled with violence, sex and debauchery.

Luckily, unlike Game of Thrones, this book isn't a heaping pile of overrated horse shit. Whilst the similarities are there, the Cortas and the Mackenzies of Luna strike far more fear, love, respect and loathing into my heart than the Starks and Lannisters of George R. R. Martin's (very) extended bowel movement ever did. Much like The Godfather, the sheer emotion of the characters leaps off the page (rather than screen), as do the characters themselves for that matter - I was living, breathing the air of João de Deus, feeling every slight and smirking at every revenge.

The world is believable and fascinating to the extreme - familiar AIs for everyone, the entire concept of the Four Elementals; that you are paid with the air you breathe!? Get out of here, that had me on the floor straight away. Such an obvious idea, but so well thought out and executed. The different lunar strongholds and cities - stunning Boa Vista and the ceaseless, grinding Crucible, the radiation-soaked Palace of Eternal Light. Amazing.

The five powerful dynasties of the moon - the Five Dragons - are some of the most excellently conceived characters I've experienced. From the strong, hard dignity of Adriana Corta to the grotesque, conniving and controlled hideousness of Robert Mackenzie - Luna focuses not on the importance, not of loyalty to country, but to family. Every Corta has a deep love for their family that transcends their differences, and although they may scheme and plot against one another, they are all sympathetic and interesting in their own ways - Rafa the firstborn, the golden child; Lucas the schemer, the second; Ariel the lawyer, the aristocrat; Carlinhos the fighter, the claws of the Dragon; and Wagner, the outcast, the wolf. Rarely have I experienced such rich characterisation - and in so few pages!

The-series-that-must-not-be-named(-or-probably-finished-lets-be-honest-here) feels to have covered less ground in its... 6? 7? volumes than McDonald has covered in this sole, 392 page novel. I felt like I was thrown from pillar to post reading this book. Probably part of why it took me so long - almost a full week! Luna is brutal, and I loved it.

A couple of slight annoyances did crop up - the main one being some very shoddy editing. A lot of odd little typos and grammatical errors that felt like they should have been caught, and stuff like it being capitalised Mackenzies one sentence and MacKenzies the next, nothing awful. Also the persistent use of Portuguese throughout some parts of the book, while awesome and flavourful, were somewhat lost on me as a lowly English speaker. Regardless, it is fairly easy to extrapolate what they're saying just out of context, and there's a helpful glossary and dramatis personae (which I had to refer to a few times) to help with some of the bizarre concepts and terms. However, this cast contains a couple of light spoilers (i.e. what someone's role is later in the novel is mentioned and so on), which could be a bit irritating if you read through the cast before the novel.

I didn't even touch on some of the weirder stuff - the Lunar Wolves, the Sisterhood, and so on - but I'm up til 2am finishing this book and my brain is starting to shut down. Read it. It's amazing. Arrgghjfghfjgh I can't believe I have to wait for the second one.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 31%

I gave it a shot but boy did I not get along with this book. From the off I had no idea of what was happening up to about 10%. Then things sort of slotted into place and I was with it, but by about 25% I lost all interest. I read what could only be a handful of pages last night before deciding to listen to my audiobook in bed which never happens. This was a sign that I wasn’t into this book whatsoever and made me realise that it was time to call it quits.

There are some good ideas here from what I could grasp, I like the idea of feuding families on the moon but it was told in such a way that I didn’t get who was who or what was what. Probably not the books fault and more my own, a number of highly rated reviews are out there for this.

I feel bad for not finishing as NetGalley gave me a copy as I “wished” for this and it’s been out for a little while now. But time is precious, why waste more time on something you don’t like when there are so many things out there that will appeal so much more?

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy

[Paul O’Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all my reviews at http://constantreaderpauloneill.blogspot.co.uk

The moon has a cold heart.

For me, this was a frustratingly great read which should have received a full five stars. However, due to the many, many mistakes I had to lower my rating.

Hailed the “Game of Domes”, the story follows one of the five dynasties, or ‘Dragons’, who control the moon. We follow all members of the Corta family, and some others, through their various political, financial and romantic challenges.

McDonald cites the Godfather as a key influence and you can see that throughout. The interfamily struggles and the battles with the other Dragons are all handled superbly and remain intriguing all the way from start to finish.

McDonald won a Gaylactic Spectrum Award in 2016 for this book, which was well deserved. In the world he has created, discrimination against sexuality doesn’t exist and people can marry whoever they want. Reading this gave me hope for what could become a reality, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Another great thing about this story is McDonald’s description of the difference between poor and rich. Anyone who has ever been in financial difficulty will be able to relate to this.

Poverty stretches time. And poverty is an avalanche. One tiny slippage knocks on another, knocks loose yet others and everything is sliding, rushing away.

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.

Characters

The characters are sculpted really well, probably one of the crowning achievements of the book is how McDonald is able to write so many good characters, storylines, trials and tribulations within 400 pages. A lesser author might have had to write 800 pages but McDonald is able to write concisely, which moves the story along.

Notable issues

The writing is altogether beautiful, jarring and erroneous. Most frustrating of all is the sheer amount of errors. I’m not sure who is at fault but another pass by the editor should have fixed this.

Forgetting to include full stops at the end of sentences, or place commas anywhere in sentences that clearly need them are huge mistakes in my view. And this happens often.

There is a whole interaction in chapter four where speech marks are totally forgotten about.

There are just some obvious spelling mistakes. blood oh-two = O2. Plashing = Splashing.

There is an absolute doosey near the end where something is happening between the Cortas and the MacKenzies. In the Corta dock, Rafa, Lucas, Wagner and Ariel Mackenzie. It isn’t the Mackenzies, it’s the Cortas.

Some of the writer’s style choices annoyed me, namely his need to say things three times. Every time this happened it jarred me out of the story. To me it was a bit much.

…out of boredom and familiarity and monotony. Flat flat flat. Monotony monotony monotony.

Is it a minimalist refuge from the endless voices and colours and noise and rush of people, people, people?

…all wrong, and real real real.

I just saw faces faces faces, all around me…

...question after question, questions, three hours of questions. Details. Memories. Tell me again again again.

I might just be nit-picking, but all of the above, and the multiple other mistakes throughout the book tear you out of the world in your head and stop the flow of the story. Above all, they could’ve been easily fixed.

Final thought

You shouldn’t let my minor rant about the mistakes above stop you from reading the book. It was a great story and I will be reading the next book very shortly (release date 23 March). This should have been a five star book as it got everything right, it was just too many errors that knocked down my rating.

[Sad Sunday (Books? Me?!? NEVER!!!)]

DNF at 59%

"Game Of Thrones" on the Moon.

NOBODY COMPARES TO GOT!!!



"Luna" it's not a Space Opera, it's Space Telenovela. There is soooo much drama on the Moon that it can blow you away from more than one episode of "Black Mirror". Everyone here is a bad guy (or gal). They plot evil schemes even if they are taking a shit. Sex, killing, bodies exploding, dresses from the 1950s, parties, architecture, rich people, reminiscences about life on Earth, multiple lovers, space equipment weren't enough for me too keep reading. Or it was too much and everything was all over the place. This book is like Moon crater - one paragraph you are on the edge and the next chapter you are rolling in the deep deep bottom. Inconsistent. I also didn't understand why rich people had to be such ass-holes all the time and why fucking everything that moves was such a big deal. I know, polyamory would have worked well, and it's not that common in the book world, but in my very humble and not sexy opinion, it was handled carelessly.

The author had a few ideas that I liked (that living itself costs, space suits had a few good ideas, the comparison of life on Earth and Moon was cool too), but I feel like he had material for few books but decided to put everything into one just to make a more fake impact on the reader. Now everything explodes, space tech everywhere, sex everywhere, no laws and all it just makes me yawn because there is nothing really there.

I also think there were way too many characters for the author to handle. The thing with GOT that it is quite slow - GRRM takes time with description, events, and stuff, and in Luna, everything is mashed into mashed potatoes. My Kindle version had no spaces between paragraphs that jumped from one character to another and it was hard as hell to read and follow the plot sometimes. And with everyone in love with everyone and everyone looking amazing it was hard to tell who was who and who's family alliance (or enemies) they were.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was confusing, too fast paced and encompassed too many points of view to be really absorbed by the readers . Nonetheless the story of families feuding agains each other for power is a classic tale that can be enjoyed by almost everyone, and to its core , this book was exactly that, the only difference is that the it happens on the moon in a futuristic society. There are things I had against this book, the use of graphic scenes when there were none needed , the speed in which you were expected to jump from perspective to perspective. But I also liked that it had a sense of family. In conclusion not a great book, not the worst one I have read .

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is hard for me to evaluate. I did not click with the story at all for a good third of the book, although the last third was pretty fantastic. The tech was brilliantly imagined and I appreciated how well thought out the science was (to my untrained eye). I loved some of the characters. Where I didn't enjoy it was exactly why many have loved it - the much acclaimed grittiness just didn't do it for me. Many of the societal structures McDonald imagines, especially the endless parties, didn't resonate with me. (Also, while I appreciated the mystery, I really needed MORE on the whole lunar werewolf thing.) Nonetheless, once I fell for the book - I think it was Adriana's personal history that did it - I was absolutely captured by the Corta family. I'm sure I'll be reading the second.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
This one I expected to love a touch more than I did. I wished I had dived deeper into the politics and world building but the story felt very surface level. It is very character driven which would be fine if I had found the characters more engaging. It was a fine piece of science fiction but I hoped I would love it.

[Alexander Páez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reseña completa

Una portada. Sí, una simple portada fue lo que me llevó a comprar Luna: New Moon de Ian McDonald. Curioso que dejándome llevar por una portada (y, alguna que otra recomendación) haya caído en una de las mejores novelas de ciencia ficción que he leído nunca y entre mis tres o cuatro mejores lecturas de este año. Ian McDonald es un autor de ciencia ficción veterano, y muy conocido entre los lectores asiduos de este género. No en mi caso, ya que esta ha sido mi primera toma de contacto con el autor anglosajón.

Luna: New Moon recuerda a Dune, de Frank Herbet (la lucha entre casas en un contexto de ciencia ficción y que se perpetúa de forma generacional), y a su vez tiene la complejidad de «Canción de Hielo y Fuego» en cuanto a maquinaciones, giros de guion y tramas palaciegas. Una combinación alucinante. En Luna: New Moon la trama ocurre en la Luna. No hay viajes interestelares, no hay grandes planetas alienígenas. Lo más lejos que ha podido llegar la humanidad ha sido la colonización de nuestro satélite. En la Luna hay cinco familias que gobiernan, apodadas Los Cinco Dragones: los Vorontsov, los Sun, los Mackenzie, los Asamoah y los Corta. Cada una de estas familias tienen su fuente de riqueza y poder explotando de diferentes maneras lo recursos de la Luna. En el caso de los Corta, los “protagonistas” de esta primera novela, se trata del comercio de Helio-3 en la Tierra. El Helio-3 es la fuente de energía más potente descubierta hasta ahora por la humanidad.

Reseña completa

[Beige · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.33 dynasty-building-stars

I loved the writing style it was rich and visual and forced me to slow down. Some reviews praised the second half and its faster plot, but I prefered the earlier half. I thought the style best suited the introduction of the large cast of characters and the dusty, claustrophobic, over populated world they inhabit. It includes some of my favourite scifi tech to date. I might not mind swapping my privacy for something as helpful as a "familiar". Also kudos for gender diversity and a fascinating female main character in her 70s.

The overall experience was closer to something like The Fifth Season rather than a twisty plot driven story like Leviathan Wakes

[Javir11 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al final le he puesto tres estrellas porque dos me parecía demasiado poco, pero si hubiera decimales, creo que 2.75/5 hubiera sido una puntuación más acorde.

Decepcionado es como me he sentido al terminar esta novela. Mis expectativas eran altas y mira que me ha encantado la ambientación Lunar que nos presenta McDonald, pero la trama estilo telefilme malo de antena 3 ha terminado por superarme.

Ni la historia, ni los personajes me han parecido a la altura de la ambientación y es una verdadera pena, porque había material para hacer algo mejor.

La comparación con Juego de Tronos, a parte de absurda, creo que no favorece en nada a la novela.

En definitiva, mucho hype y pocas nueces.

Os dejo un enlace a mi blog por si alguien quiere leer una reseña más completa.

http://fantasiascifiymuchomas.blogspo...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh! What a cliff hanger! I’m dying over here. Warning: don’t pick this up until your prepared to commit to both books. (Aaaanndd... apparently the third is due out this year.)

I keep seeing this describes as Game of Thrones in space. I sort of get it? But I also don’t. It’s like Capone vs O’Banion in space. Except instead of bootlegging they’re fighting about Helium-3 and turf. They have dazzling parties and beautiful clothes. They’re wealthy. Their lives are always in danger.

We follow the story of the Cortas. A Brazilian family that heads up Corta Helio. They are the youngest member of the Five Dragons (in other words- the five leading families) and we witness their turf war with the Mckenzies. We are provided with an epic cast of characters. Primarily Cortas, though we do get one outsider viewpoint who is slowly brought into the family.

There’s action- but it’s a slow sort of action, a slow escalation of events. An assassin bug at a party. A runaway. An accident, etc. The last chapter is where it all ramps up and then it ends. A little disappointing but I was never really bored and found the book hard to put down.

Half the characters make your skin crawl. Rafa with his rage and ridiculous handball addiction and stupidity. Lucas with his raw ambition. Lucasinho and his endless sexcapades. Wagner is just effing weird- and I STILL don’t understand the werewolf thing. I kept expecting the author to go: oh yeah, he’s undergoing gene splicing or whatever. But nope. It seems he’s just adopted into a pack of random other wolf people, and randomly gets (or imagines) he has heightened abilities because of it.

There are a few characters I really enjoyed. Ariel Corta first and foremost. She’s very well written. Ambitious, cunning, independent. Adriana Corta- head of the family, also ambitious and intelligent. Marina and Carlinho were also very likeable.

The world building was mostly well done. Everything is printed (clothes, weapons, furniture, food, etc.) There are four elements necessary to survival on the moon: air, carbon, data, and water. Every ounce of the four elements must be paid for. That’s right, you might be so broke you can’t afford to breathe. Then I guess you just die of poverty. There’s no law. Everything is negotiable via contracts.

I do feel like there were a few holes. Namely- if there is no “law” on the Moon, what is the point of trial by combat? Why bother when you can just go murder someone? I didn’t really get it. Supposedly Adriana loves coffee and is a super duper millionaire, but never bothers to have it imported until she’s very old. I’m not sure why. It seemed silly. I get not buying it all the time but not even as an indulgence once in awhile? Live without coffee... the horror.

Finally, the plot. I enjoyed the plot and the pacing overall but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t predictable. I didn’t see the end coming but I had the whodunnit pegged very early on.

Will I continue with the series? You bet! Going to check to see if my library has it as we speak. Hopefully it’s not another cliff hanger ending.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

review on reread - 2017 (before reading volume 2)

Looking at the review below from my first read on the book in 2015 shows once again how much the act of reading and appreciating a book is subjective, depending on desire, mood, experience as a reader and even factors like reading it because it is new and everyone else is reading it rather than actually really wanting to read it so to speak, familiarity etc; this time for example I really loved it - it helped that I once went through it so the mixture of languages, terms and invented future words were familiar, but also i really wanted to read it so had patience with it and maybe the extra 2 years and my substantially less reading in the sff genre in recent times helped too as after a while genre books commingled and only ones with something special are keeping my attention

Anyway, excellent book with lots to like (though it is not the sometimes hyped Game of Thrones in space so if you are looking for that you will face disappointment) and book 2 became an immediate read





(review on original publication 2015)
read some 25 pages and I am not decided if this is (or will be) a brilliant book, or a colossal waste of time as it's full of jargon (and more and more I find jargon to be just an excuse for the lack of storytelling ability) but there are some moments with great promise too; will remain close to the top of my pile for a while and I plan to try it seriously soon

went through the book and while I liked its "trying" (to write a future that well it's not the present with tech baubles as in the usual modern space opera), the jargon just did not work for me and the book seemed forced

overall, ambitious but not really for me

[Olivia · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

What a fantastic beginning to a series. I've seen other reviewers call it 'Game of Thrones on the moon', and others mention the Godfather movies, and yes, that's about right. HBO/Netflix, someone, anyone, should be all over this.

The cast is diverse, and I absolutely loved all of them. They're well developed, with amazing arcs, and McDonald put a lot of care and effort into the world building. The pace never slows; not a dull moment in this book.

Now, I won't lie, this book took a lot of effort. Damn those families are huge. I have a notebook for difficult reads, and I used it. A lot. I basically kept drawing family trees, until the characters clicked into place. It takes a while, but eventually they do click into place.

I immediately bought the second book and can't wait to dive in. Highly recommended to people who enjoy dynastic families struggle for power with a generous dash of drama...on the moon!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.

The comparisons for Luna: New Moon are seemingly endless: Tai-Pan, Noble House, A Game of Thrones, The Godfather, Dune, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (although instead of Heinlein's lunar utopia, Luna is a lunar dystopia). Just like these classics, the Mafia-styled families are doing all they can to increase their wealth and holdings at the expense of everyone else.

As in his book, Brasyl, which is set in a future South America, McDonald uses Brazilians as his main characters, but this time, they are mining the Moon for raw material. Luna is an in-depth tour inside the now-honeycombed Moon with the rich people living deeper under the surface (it’s safer) and the poorer people living closer to the surface, much riskier due to the solar radiation and hazardous lunar dust. The scenes set on the surface were among the best in the book.

Even though I see dozens of 4- and 5-stars reviews, I struggled to get into this book. I didn't connect with most of the characters, with the exception of Marina Calzaghe. She’s one of the first characters introduced, and is struggling to survive in an extremely harsh physical and economic environment. She’s a highly sympathetic character, but unfortunately, very little time is devoted to her story, which only occasionally pops in for an update. Most of the other characters are completely unsympathetic, simple cutthroats with no morals or purpose other than to grab more than the next guy.

The book constantly jumps from viewpoint to viewpoint of the sons and daughters of the Corta family. The thing that bothered me most is that while the Corta siblings are the ones we are supposed to care about, there is little in the story to make me want to care about them. I understand they are competing against each other for the family mining company, while attempting to protect each other from other competing families that want to destroy them, but they really had no redeemable characteristics that drew me to them.

As expected from this author, the world-building is spectacular, which actually increased my rating. McDonald really created an exceedingly harsh, believable world. It reminded me a lot of Los Angeles as depicted in the brilliant movie, Blade Runner.

The writing is interesting, especially considering that it is written in third-person present tense. That took some getting used to, but ultimately, the book is well-written and well-developed. If you enjoy complex storylines that employ mafia-style generational families and all that entails, this one is right up your alley.

[Antonio TL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luna: Luna Nueva es una novela de ciencia ficción ambientada en un futuro asentamiento lunar donde tenemos a varias empresas familiares enfrentadas entre si. La historia se centra en los Corta, una familia brasileña encabezada por Adriana Corta, que construyó un imperio basado en el helio, vital para la energia en la Tierra. Mientras Adriana se está muriendo, la familia se enfrenta a conflictos tanto internos como amenazas exteriores,

Este libro es una de las mejores representaciones de una sociedad feudal futurista que he visto. Combinado con su naturaleza brutal, la descripción "Juego de tronos en el espacio" como presenta la publicidad de la novela es lo que más me viene a la mente. La luna no tiene derecho penal, solo derecho contractual. Tienes que pagar el aire y el agua, y si no puedes pagar, te lo cortan. Las familias crean alianzas matrimoniales y se asesinan unos a otros y van a la guerra cuando esas alianzas no funcionan. La familia Mackenzie, los enemigos jurados de Cortas, son uno de los más poderosos, en parte gracias a un matrimonio aventurero de uno de sus hijos con el jefe de la Corporación de Desarrollo Lunar (el hombre que funciona como rey en esta metáfora feudal).

La construcción del mundo es muy buena. Además de la dura estructura corporativa que ya he mencionado, McDonald piensa en todas las demás áreas de la sociedad, desde la mezcla de idiomas hasta la tecnología futurista, el género y la sexualidad. Los asentamientos lunares no tienen discriminación perceptible basada en la orientación sexual, y gran parte del elenco POV era bisexual.

Y eso si, hay un gran elenco de POV. Los personajes principales son Adriana (que en su mayoría cuenta flashbacks de cómo llegó a dominar la luna), sus cinco hijos, sus tres nietos y una humilde trabajadora que la familia Corta acoge gracias a un giro del destino. Para crédito de McDonalds, tuve poco o ningún problema para seguir quiénes eran todos los personajes, y rara vez tuve que revisar la extensa hoja de protagonistas del principio del libro. Tenemos un buen elenco de personajes y muchos de ellos consiguen su tiempo en el escenario. Eso no es realmente un problema si estás acostumbrado a algunas de las grandes epopeyas. Juego de tronos está plagado de eso. Muchos personajes, mucha construcción, muchas victimas y una sensación de que algo realmente grandioso se presenta ante nosotros.

Mientras lo leía, no dejaba de pensar: "Parece que esto fue escrito para la HBO". La novela esta llena de ostentación, sexo, el peso de la historia, el capitalismo y la tradición, sin olvidar toda la salpicadura de asesinatos e intentos de asesinato para animar la fiesta. Además, tiene toda la gloria de la Luna. Que más se puede pedir.

El argumento es interesante, especialmente considerando que la novela está escrita en tiempo presente en tercera persona.Te tpuede tomar un tiempo acostumbrarte a eso, pero finalmente, el libro está muy bien escrito y muy bien desarrollado. Si te gustan las historias complejas que emplean familias generacionales al estilo de la mafia (o bueno, Dune) y todo lo que eso conlleva, esta novela es perfecta para ti.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dynastic tale of powerful families that owes something to both the Medicis and Dallas as well as a healthy dose of Game of Thrones.

The Cortas are the newest of the Five Dragons, the most powerful and wealthy entrepreneur families of the fledgling moon civilization. They live in a delicate balance of power within the family itself and with the other great families, including the Corta's main rival, the MacKenzies. The story follows three generations of the Cortas as their matriarch readies herself to hand over power to her children, the fiery and impulsive Rafael Corta, calculating Lucas Corta, the fighter Carlinhos Corta, the icy law advocate Ariel Corta and the strange Wagner Corta. There's also the viewpoints of some of the third generation and that of a new moon arrival Marina Calzaghe who becomes a retainer with the family.

By the end of this book you have a very good idea of how the moon works as an economic entity, politically, socially and technologically. The world-building is brilliant and little is left untouched. We get a look at all aspects of this world, from food production and diet, to religion, reproduction and sexual mores. And all of this while painting incredibly detailed characters with plenty of strengths and flaws. And all of that with a solid escalating plot that takes the Moon from the status quo into the chaos of warring families.

Another interesting note are the origins of the Dragons. We have Brazilians (the Corta family), Chinese (the Sun family), Australians (MacKenzie), West African (Asamoah) and Russian (Volotsov), at least three of which are the real economic powerhouses in the world economy at the moment, and the others make sense in terms of expertise, Australians and mining and Russians and space. The religions here are interesting as well from the old ones to the sort of religion that would have to come about to make the jump to a place like the moon with a focus on the things religion has been historically good at: helping civilizations last for the long term. Even sexuality is treated sensibly, with a wide range of sexual preferences (the common language doesn't even have words for gay/straight) and gender/pronouns. Probably the only thing I didn't think was particularly successful was the concept of the wolf packs. An extra paragraph or two of explanation there wouldn't have gone astray.

Masterful science fiction and highly recommended.

[J.J. Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

La luna no es de queso. Tampoco es de malvavisco. No hay un hombre con una linterna ni un gran conejo. La luna puede aliviar a los que se han intoxicado de filosofía, mientras uno la vea desde 600,000 kms de distancia. En la vida real, la luna es letal.

Ya nuestro amigo Andy Weir nos mató el romanticismo por Marte. Marte no es un lugar exótico donde una civilización decadente lucha guerras con poca ropa. Marte es un deshierto helado y asesino. Ahora viene McDonald a decirnos que la luna no es muy distinta. Helada e hirviente, bombardeada por radiación. Dona Luna nos quiere muertos. También es un desierto.

Sólo que a las tribulaciones de sobrevivir solo en un cuerpo astral inhóspito, añadámosle las tribulaciones de sobrevivir acompañado por gente que tiene todos los incentivos para matarte.

Porque esta luna de finales del siglo XXI ha sido colonizada por un millón y medio de personas. La Corporación del Desarrollo Lunar es un medio árbitro que media en un mundo en el que no hay efectivamente un gobierno y todo es controlado por cinco corporaciones poderosas. Los australianos MacKenzie son mineros. Los chinos Sun en telecom. Los rusos Vorostov que son dueños del transporte. Los ghanianos Asamoah controlan la agroindustria lunar. Y la familia principal, unos Stark lunares, son los brasileños Corta, la última gran familia en constituirse gracias a la mano de su fundadora Adriana.

Esta novela tiene dos grandísimas virtudes: crea un retrato convincente, relativamente duro aunque asequible, de cómo funcionaría una sociedad humana en la luna. Eso por un lado, y por el otro, desarrolla una saga familiar que hemos visto bastante en otros ambientes (en Nueva York, en Florencia y en Westeros) con todas las puñaladas traperas, luchas de poder, guerritas civilizadas y no tan civilizadas que cabría esperar. Hay una familia protagónica, una familia antagónica, una familia 'neutra' aunque no tan maquiavélica y dos familias que sólo desean jalar agua a sus molinos. Corleone, Tattaglia, Stracci, Cuneo, Barzini. Stark, Lannister, Arryn, Tyrell y Martell. Corta, Mackenzie, Asamoah, Vorostov, Sun.

La sociedad lunar está desconectada de la tierra, salvo el hecho de que la mantiene encendida. La situación en el planeta sin ser distópica sí es bastante sombría (aunque previsible: demandas crecientes de energía y altísimo desempleo por automatización). En la luna todo se mueve por contratos: todo es derecho civil privado y no hay derecho militar. Todo está en la mesa y las peleas entre abogados (y sus inteligencias artificiales legaloides) pueden escalar hasta convertirse en duelos a cuchilladas. Hay mezcolanza de religiones y orígenes nacionales. Todos practican una sexualidad libre y fluida. Los cuerpos humanos han evolucionado para adaptarse al 1/6 g lunar y no pueden regresar a la tierra. El oxígeno, el agua, el carbono, el internet, imprescindibles para la vida; son comprados y vendidos. Adivinen qué pasa si a uno se le acaba uno y no puede pagar por más.

Si bien estamos en otra ambientación, los personajes caen con comodidad en estereotipos de la saga familiar. El patriarca/matriarca cansado y deseoso de que a su muerte la dinastía no se venga abajo. El hijo carismático. El hijo calculador. El hijo bravucón. La hija independiente y rebelde. El hijo oveja negra. El nieto hedonista. La nieta infantil. Sin embargo, al leerlos uno siente cierta comodidad de que ya ha estado ahí y puede encajar bastante bien en la historia una vez que los hilos de la misma quedan templados.

McDonald hace también un homenaje gentil y sonriente a varias obras titánicas de la ciencia ficción. Tenemos homenajes a Dunas (el barón Harkonnen, la hermandad Bene Genesserit, el estilo de pelea), a La Fundación (un algoritmo capaz de predecir el futuro) y a que la Luna es una Cruel Amante (pulsiones independentistas). No sé qué tanto sea el haber incurrido en clichés, pero me pareció que sí lo hizo como un buen homenaje.

No se va a ganar las cinco estrellas. Estuve debatiéndome furiosamente si ponerle cuatro o cinco, pero al final dije que eran 4.5 (y para mí 4.5 baja, no sube). Creo que su principal falla es una caracterización inconstante. Hay personajes que verdaderamente conoces y sufres con ellos, como Adriana, Marina, Carlinhos, Ariel y en menor medida Lucasinho. Los dos hermanos principales que serían el Patrick Duffy y el Larry Hagman, Rafa y Lucas, no logran conectar con la audiencia. Asimismo, el desarrollo de personajes que no sean Corta brilla por su ausencia. Definitivamente faltó un MacKenzie fungiendo como personaje POV para entender un poco más sus motivaciones (además de que los australianos por lo general son gente tan relajada que me cuesta verlos como unos maquiavélicos Lannister lunares). Yo soy de los que les encanta la idea de que los escritores de ciencia ficción y fantasía luchen contra esa maldita tendencia de extender interminablemente los libros, pero aquí sí sentí que le hicieron falta páginas. El desarrollo del mundo está bellamente trabajado, pero faltó introspección en muchos personajes.

De cualquier modo, la novela despertó en mí un gran asombro (que no despertó el Marciano quizá por su retahíla de info-dump científico) y empezó a resquebrajar ese prejuicio que tengo de que ya no hay Grandes Novelas de Ciencia Ficción.

Caveat emptor: esta novela termina en un cliffhanger, así que es forzoso leer la secuela. Estoy sorprendido y enojado de que hayan pateado el release date en inglés de Septiembre a Febrero de 2017.

Nota: en mis actualizaciones de estado estuve poniendo trozos de canciones sobre la luna. El resto lo pondré cuando lea la secuela, pero aquí van:

1. La Luna (Sarah Brightman)
2. Hijo de la Luna (Mecano)
3. Moon River (Audrey Hepburn)
4. Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

[Ante Vojnović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mjesec. Povijest kaže da smo ga osvojili 1969. godine, kada je Neil Armstrong napravio onaj poznati maleni korak za čovjeka, ali velik za čovječanstvo. U proteklih pedeset godina, koliko smo daleko odmakli u pokušaju da taj korak učinimo još većim?

Mnogo. Toliko da smo, u beskonačnosti našeg svemira, već debelo u potrazi za planetima koji bi nam pružili približno dobre uvjete kao naša Zemlja, koju smo već poprilično ranili.

Ian McDonald nije otišao toliko daleko, ni vremenski ni prostorno. Prostorno, otišao je svega sitnih 384 400 kilometara daleko, na satelit koji nam se s visina smiješi za vedrih noći. Mjesec. Vremenski, toliko daleko da bi ga čak i mi, da se McDonaldov scenarij obistini, mogli doživjeti.

I dok nam Mjesec, promatran sa Zemlje, izgleda toliko romantično, uvjeti na njemu su mnogo brutalniji i siroviji, i dovoljan je samo jedan mali pogrešan korak kako bi nas Mjesec lišio života. Ne samo zbog neprijateljski nastrojenog okoliša u kojem, pogađate, vlada odsutnost kisika i gravitacije, već i zbog načina na koji se život na Mjesecu ''uredio''.

Zamislite život u kojem su norme podložne izuzetno slobodnom tumačenju, u kojem ne postoje društveni ugovori već samo dogovori, život u kojem se odjeća i hrana mogu riješiti jednostavnim 3D printanjem, u kojem je pitanje spola apsolutno nebitno, a sve vrvi napetom seksualnom energijom. Život u kojem ne postoji novac kao takav, već se sve plaća vodom, kisikom, prostorom i podacima.

Naravno, ako imate sreće da sve to posjedujete, jer ''radnička'' klasa mora pošteno odvagati svaku jedinicu prije nego je potroši dok prava moć, pravo bogatstvo leži u rukama korporacije Lunar Development i povlaštenih obitelji, tzv. Zmajeva, koje su imale priliku među prvima sudjelovati u kolonizaciji Mjeseca i proglasiti monopol nad njegovim resursima. A odnosi između Zmajeva prožeti su spletkama, podmetanjima, seksualnim odnosima, ugovornim brakovima i ubojstvima.

Ian McDonald u roman Luna: Mladi Mjesec upakirao je sve što čini jedan zabavni SF zabavnim.

Prije svega, radnja Lune izgrađena je na fantastičnoj scenografiji koju autor postepeno, sloj po sloj, razotkriva i pretvara jedan naizgled dosadnjikav sivi satelit u bogatu i tehnološki zapanjujuću arenu koja postaje poprištem sukoba bogatih obitelji koji, iako se dobrim dijelom odvija u rukavicama, ne oskudijeva u brutalnosti.

A kad smo već kod sukoba Zmajeva ili pet obitelji koje ''vedre i oblače'' prilike na Mjesecu... iako smješten u tehnološki napredno doba- zbog kojeg mnoge prilike i običaji, kao što je apsolutna irelevantnost spolova, u potpunosti odudaraju od nekih drugih vremenskih crta- sukobi Zmajeva neodoljivo podsjećaju na prave sočne srednjovjekovne dvorske intrige, smicalice i podmetanja. Doduše, uz manje količine krvi- i dvorovi nisu omeđeni teškim kamenim blokovima, već ogromnim staklenim stijenama- ali ne može se ignorirati prisutnost tog osjećaja zaintrigiranosti, golicanja mašte i iščekivanja u čijim će leđima završiti bodeži koji se skrivaju u rukavima i čija će se dvorska luda pokazati mnogo pametnijom i prepredenijom nego što se predstavlja.

I dok se pojedini likovi igraju paževa i dvorskih luda, na drugom kraju spektra se nalaze likovi koje bi bez greške mogli smjestiti u malo bližu nam prošlost, u vrijeme prohibicije, na čelo gangsterskih obitelji. Važne pojave koje zahtijevaju poštovanje za sebe i svoju obitelj.

Naravno, takve smicalice i nadmudrivanja nikako ne odgovaraju dosadnim i jednoličnim likovima- a za pronaći takve u ovom romanu treba se čovjek zaista svojski potruditi- no ono što ovaj roman nikako ne dopušta jest vezivanje za likove- jer nikako ne možete biti sigurni i spremni na sudbinu koja ih čeka- iako sam i sam pronašao nekolicinu njih za koje bih stvarno volio imati u svom društvu (pa čak i onom intimnijem). Osebujnost likova ipak ne ugrožava jedan izrazito bitan detalj ovog romana. Obitelj. Obitelj koja je iznad pojedinca, obitelj za koju se živi i za koju se napravi sve što je moguće, pa i više od toga.

A vidi vraga, sve je krenulo od povrijeđene časti- i monopola- jedne obitelji.

Luna: Mladi Mjesec prvi je roman trilogije Luna u kojem su obitelji tek počele poduzimati konkretne korake jedne protiv drugih, u kojemu su se događaji tek počeli zahuktavati, u kojem se dobiva tek dašak pakla koji na Mjesecu može nastati.

Svejedno, Luna je roman od kojeg sam, jednom kad sam se prepustio odsutnosti gravitacije, dobio sve što sam očekivao: fantastičan, zabavan, bogat SF roman u kojem svi aspekti izvrsno funkcioniraju i, naposljetku, roman za kojeg sam zakovao oči i zbog kojeg sam se prepustio agoniji čekanja nastavaka. Jer, igra je tek počela.

[The Captain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahoy me mateys! Grab your grog! Here be book 1 of the seventh installment of the 3 Bells trilogy showcase. Arrrr!!!

luna: new moon (Ian McDonald)

Damn. That was me first thought upon finishing this truly excellent book. I know this review won’t do it justice but I ended up loving this. I was instantly engrossed by the beginning of this novel and the wicked cool right-of-passage event. But then I became a tad worried because the POVs started jumping around quite a bit and there weren’t chapter breaks when the viewpoints switched. I had to backtrack a couple of times and wasn’t completely sure what was going on at first but I loved the set-up and was determined to go with the flow. It didn’t take too long and I am glad I didn’t give up.

The world-building in this novel is just exquisite. One of the first things that ye learn is that the moon is run by five corporate families that be collectively known as the Five Dragons. The Corta Hélio family is the latest addition to the bunch and is still seen as upstarts despite several moon-born generations. These corporations control every aspect of moon life where literally everything has a price. Residents have to pay for the four commodities, the Elements, that dictate the economy – air, water, carbon, and data. As one character states “Nothing tells you that you are not on Earth anymore than exhaling at one price and inhaling at another.”

But the Elements are only one intriguing (if terrifying) aspect of life on the moon. I absolutely loved the court system. The basic law is that the contract rules. Again everything has a price. The court system is kinda farcical in ideation but then also works in practice. For example ye can hire yer own judges or win cases by a fight to the death. Hard to explain and seriously weird but cool.

Other fun aspects: I loved the mixture of languages sprinkled throughout the book. Unlike in chilling effect, I could get meaning of the words through context even though there is a glossary at the back of the book for marriage customs and corporate titles. I didn’t use it but read through them at the end. I also loved how harsh life on the moon’s surface was, the different habits of the five families, the complicated and interesting politics, the different types of cities and living quarters, the diversity, the sexual freedoms, and even the weird retro fashion trends.

There were a ton of characters in this. I skipped the character list because I always be wary of spoilers but I counted after the fact and it lists 65 people by family affiliations. Though some of those listed are repeats because of marriages. Don’t worry though, there are not 65 POVs! Most of the focus is on about 9 Corta Hélio family members though there is an Earth-born employee in the mix. All of these people were very well defined and absolutely fun to follow. It be hard to pick a favourite even though I wanted to smack many of them for bad behavior or stupidity at times. Ultimately I be team Corta Hélio. I want all of them to succeed so badly despite their individual quirks and flaws.

This book also manages to do something hard – it be character driven and yet the plot be complexly written with a large scale. And it works. The build-up starts slow but is full of action, intrigue, assassination attempts, messy relationships, politics, character growth, and plot twists I didn’t see coming. In addition ye also get backstory on the company matriarch’s past and the founding of the company. The ending seriously rocked too!

The only minor gripe is that I could have done without the sex scenes but I still can’t wait to find out what happens next. Check in tomorrow for what me thinks of book two. Arrrr!

[Efka · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a strange thing, that occasionally it takes a whole lot of time to read a book that I really, really like. I'm not sure if it is because these books are not what you might call "a page-turner", them being slow paced, full of details and intrigues, or is it because I subconsciously tend to read them slowly, savoring every moment and every line like having an expensive, well matured drink in your bar - you don't down them in a single gulp or even worse, mix it with cola and pour on the rocks. It's just not the right way.

The same can be said about Luna: New Moon. This book, it took me quite a while to finish, despite the fact that it took only a quarter of it or so before I realized it will be a great read. And indeed it is. The anotation dubs this book as a "The Game of Thrones... on the moon" and while I can't say that it is similar, especially having every second book being louded as a some kind of GoT successor, the comparison is not terribly wrong. Sure, there's no Westeros, no magic, no great castles and deep woods and definitely no dragons (in a literall meaning of this word, at least), but the grit, the trickery, manipulation and cruelty this book can offer really won't make you longing for it's much more cheered-on cousin.

I won't give up any details about the setting or the plot as it inevitably would lead to some major spoilers, but what I can say, is that never in the books I've read before the colonized moon seemed so alive, so right and so deadly at the same time. The real treasure are the people, though. They are so full, so well-written that in the end you FEEL them, you know their motivations, you can predict their actions, like you are in their heads. There's a lot of different viewpoints, there's a lot of different secondary and tertiary characters, and still none of them seems to be generic or sort of a puppet or unimportant. That's quite an achievement. Yes, it does take some sweet time before things get really going. But the worldbuilding's still grandeur since page one.

I really hope that CBS studios, owning the tv-adaptation rights, will take advantage of it and sometime in the future we all will get a tv-show based on this book. If done right, this could be a huge hit. I'm not very generous in handing out stars, as you might know, but Luna: New Moon gets an undisputed 5* from me. It is a perfect sci-fi, albeit a little soft, peppered with abundant suspense, great characters and a never ending, intense battle for power. Ian McDonald succeeded in creating a wonderful setting and immersive story, and I'm definitely looking forward to the other books of the series. As they say, the first book is just an introduction, right?

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of this author. I don't like everything he writes, but some of his books really shine. For example, I thought River of Gods was very good, and Desolation Road just wasn't. This book is as good as River of Gods, and its structure is similar.

Writing was good: dialog, descriptive and action scenes. Frankly, its top notch for contemporary science fiction. I even thought the pr0n-y scenes were good. The characters in this book posed a problem to me like I had with War and Peace. There are a lot of characters and locations with foreign (typically Portuguese), unpronounceable names. I laughed and sympathized at the Marina Calzaghe character's lament about the difficulty of having to learn Portuguese. The tech-speak was also credible.

Plotting was good, but not excellent. Some reviews criticize the story for being a telenovela set on the moon. What's wrong with that? The multiple POVs that drove the plot threads forward were well done. Although, some members of the Corta family were better executed than others. Frankly, I liked the female characters better than the male. I would have liked one more Anglo-character in addition to Marina.

The world building is the great strength of this book. While this is not exactly hard science fiction, its very firm. I mentally poked at McDonald's Luna, and couldn't find a lot of holes. The largest being, that with an abundance of inexpensive AIs, how underutilized they were? (Why are there human shopkeepers?) In addition, in an energy and material-rich environment, labor should be at a premium? (There is an underutilized population of untermenschen living near the surface considered to be vermin-- not a source of labor.)

A great disappointment to me, was that this story is unfinished. A second, and perhaps a third novel are planned. There might even be 'spin-off' short-stories as the author tries to develop a James S. A. Corey-like franchaise. (The series has been optioned for television.)

I liked this book. Its not perfect, but its very good. It makes me think of a mash-up of Dune and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress with a dash of cyberpunk. Although, the plotting is not as byzantine and opaque as Dune. There was higher-degree of Edu-tainment with the planetary (lunar) science, and the mechanics of lunar survival than in Harsh Mistress. And finally, the lunar society had definite cyberpunk influences. The flavor of cyberpunk read Bruce Sterling-esque to me.

There are not a lot of science fiction novels out there set on the moon. (Its become an unpopular place since the 1970's.) Besides the above mention Moon is a Harsh Mistress, I can only recall Tongues of the Moon by Philip José Farmer, which was great Cold War-era pulp. I'm hoping this story spurs more stories set on the Moon like The Martian has done for Mars stories. I'm eager to read the next in McDonald's Luna series: Wolf Moon.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 for me. I really enjoyed this one. It's a bit complicated because there are a lot of characters and you'll need to refer back to the cast of characters and glossary section pretty often, but once you figure things out it gets much better.

I am really tired of reading reviews that call this Game of Thrones in space. Books about powerful families fighting each other were around long before GoT (plus the GoT books go downhill pretty fast after the first few - people mistake liking the show for liking the books). The last few GoT books are tedious and boring and filled with ridiculous amounts of details about what the terrain looks like and what food people are eating. The plot moves at a glacial pace. So please just stop comparing this book (or any book with rival families) to GOT.

Anyway - I liked this one, I recommend it if you're willing to put in a small bit of effort to keep track of who is who. It's not on the level of complicated as something like the Malazan Book of the Fallen, but it's not a zero effort read either.