Dragon Moon

by Scott E. Tarbet

A new space race explodes into violence when China quietly sets its sights on the Moon. Now, an unlikely team of US Navy SEALs, Russian Spetsnaz, and a Chinese-American agent have one chance to stop the activation of China’s powerful new weapon before all hope is lost. The cost of failure: worldwide Chinese empire.

450 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2017

About the author

Scott Tarbet is the author of a growing library of published novels and short stories. He writes in several speculative fiction genres, including technothriller, steampunk, fantasy, and paranormal. He sings opera professionally, and was married in full Elizabethan regalia. He loves Steampunk waltzes, cosplay conventions of all flavors, and slow-smokes thousands of pounds of authentic Texas-style BBQ. An avid skier, hiker, golfer, and tandem kayaker, he makes his home in the mountains of Utah.

Follow Scott E. Tarbet online at http://scotttarbet.timp.net/ or on Twitter @SETarbet

Reviews

[Scott]

As author, I decline to give a star rating, to preserve the integrity of the rating system. But I sure enjoyed writing it. ;-)

[John Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style flows easily, and the tech in the book is well thought out and plays an important part in the plot. The author knows his astronomy. The tech is cool, but readers want a story. Tarbet delivers several stories, all intertwined as part of an overall plot with surprising scope and forethought.

There is love both lost and found, trust in the goodness of others, betrayal on innumerable levels, misunderstandings, and abuse of power, all dancing between the teenagers swept up in events beyond their control, the faction bent on world domination, and those who are assigned to keep that from happening.

One minor downside is that a lot of characters are introduced in a hurry, which is kind of typical for thrillers. It's a little hard to follow until you get to know who is who. I'm glad I read this ARC, and encourage you to give it a go.

[Trish Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, but this is a rattling good tale - grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. I won't give out any spoilers, but the premise is all too possible, and it's very heart-in-mouth stuff; our respect for the folks who st themselves against these unimaginable odds can only grow.
Very, very nice, Mr. Tarbet. This one's a keeper.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the editor-in-chief of Xchyler Publishing, I generally refrain from reviewing the books we place on Goodreads for the benefit of our readers. I prefer our ratings to be as unbiased as possible. However, I'm breaking my own rule in this instance because this book is of such high caliber that I feel the need to do a bit more than my usual habit of pointing the right readers its way.

More than ten years in the making but topical to the minute it went to press, Mr. Tarbet has produced a work of intelligence, humanity, and action, all delicately balanced on the head of a pin to provide a fast-paced but satisfying read. Fans of works by Tom Clancy and other technothriller authors will definitely be delighted in this book. Those who haven't experienced the genre will find DRAGON MOON the perfect excursion into it. While rich in well-researched technical details and far from far-fetched possibilities, the bells and whistles do not suffocate the human element of the story. His characters are intriguing, in-depth, and widely varied. His plot both believable and cautionary.

Mr. Tarbet is an award-winning author of novels and short stories, with several works in the pipeline. I highly recommend DRAGON MOON, and that readers explore his other works.

[Dallas Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My uncle wrote this book. Arguing with him in family email chains helped make me who I am intellectually. Even so, I had no idea he had this level of a book in him. This thing is a fast- paced, reasonably-credible exploration of what Chinese space dominance might mean to the rest of us here on the ground. Uncle Scott was the first person I knew personally who opposed the Iraq War, so it surprised me to see how much he respects soldiers and admires their ability to kill people who need to be dead.
This didn't feel like a book I was reading as a favor to my uncle, it felt like I was reading a low-end Tom Clancy novel. Not Sum of All Fears, but a lot more fun than The Cardinal and the Kremlin.
So why only four stars? My rule for that is the book has to make me laugh or cry and this one didn’t quite do that for me. Also, I didn’t relate to the astronomer kids. Sorry, Uncle Scott! Great job, otherwise.

[Bleu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the pace and descriptiveness of this book! The premise and order of events was so believable it had me hooked by the first few pages. The character story lines all intertwine deftly and the author obviously did a lot of research on details, both scientific and political. Great read, easy to follow and very captivating.

[Nephi Jenks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book! It illustrates well what may happen if a nation decides to weaponize the moon. The US can't give up its space program and make itself vulnerable to things like this.

[Dan Melson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good modern action sf

China has figured out a way to build a metaphorical Sword of Damocles on the Moon, and there are only a few days to prevent them from being able to annihiliate any enemy, anywhere on the face of the Earth or nearby.

US Special forces are called in on a cobbled together one way trip to the Moon, with all of our allies helping.

The writing kept me reading, even if I did spot a couple plot holes and if there was an entirely unnecessary subplot that did nothing but pad the word count. Well that and cater to the teen demographic. A little leaner and fixing the most gaping of the plot holes, and I'd have likely given it the fifth star.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This one is as realistic as it is terrifying. The story features a near-future race between the US and China to get control of a weapon, that once installed, gives control of the future to the nation that’s wielding that weapon. The author did his research, and both the plot and the compelling characters kept me fully engrossed.

[Kaitlin Landen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comparable in style to Tom Clancy's Patriot Games, this book keeps you on your toes the entire time. With the intricately woven storylines of each of the major players and the contemporary geo-political and militaristic material, it presents relatable concerns and imaginative twists. I would recommend this to any fan of the Jack Ryan series.

[B.A. Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I first read this book nearly two years ago, I re-read it this last month to prepare to write this review.
In the vein of Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October", Tarbet weaves the threads of different characters from varying backgrounds and with varying purposes together into a story line worthy of the classic science fiction storytellers.
When the Chinese government places a weapon of unparalleled destruction on the moon, it is up to a team of U.S. and Russian special operators to stop them. As the stakes on Earth rise ever higher, a secret is slowly revealed that will make the reader tingle with anticipation. It's a no-holds-barred fight for the control of humanity.
Tarbet's characters are diverse and well-developed to suspend readers' disbelief. He demonstrates thorough research and understanding in astrophysics, politics and even the relationships of teenagers to create mind-tugging story packed with action, drama and humor.
Dragon Moon is worth a double-read, and I recommend it to all young adult and adult readers.