What do you think?
Rate this book
Battle Luna
AN EPIC FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE ON OUR MOON
Something has been uncovered on the Moon that might have great scientific and economic importance. The Lunar colony is a mining colony with only internal security capabilities. Nobody had even considered that there might someday arise a need to defend the colony from the Earth! But that day has come.
The Lunar colonists made this great discovery and perceive it as their own. Finders keepers and possession being nine tenths of the law is how things are seen on the Moon. But the governments of the Earth don’t quite see eye-to-eye with the Lunarian’s philosophy. As far as the Earth is concerned, they paid for everything on the Moon, so it belongs to them.
There is only one solution: Battle Luna!
About Travis S. Taylor:
“[E]xplodes with inventive action."—Publishers Weekly on Travis S. Taylor’s The Quantum Connection
“[Warp Speed] reads like Doc Smith writing Robert Ludlum. . .You won’t want to put it down.”—John Ringo
About Timothy Zahn:
“Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Y]ou can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel.”—Blogcritics
“[Conqueror’s Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.”—Booklist
“Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.”—Kirkus Review
About Michael Z. Williamson:
“A fast-paced, compulsive read . . . will appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.”—Kliatt
“Williamson's military expertise is impressive.”—SF Reviews
Something has been uncovered on the Moon that might have great scientific and economic importance. The Lunar colony is a mining colony with only internal security capabilities. Nobody had even considered that there might someday arise a need to defend the colony from the Earth! But that day has come.
The Lunar colonists made this great discovery and perceive it as their own. Finders keepers and possession being nine tenths of the law is how things are seen on the Moon. But the governments of the Earth don’t quite see eye-to-eye with the Lunarian’s philosophy. As far as the Earth is concerned, they paid for everything on the Moon, so it belongs to them.
There is only one solution: Battle Luna!
About Travis S. Taylor:
“[E]xplodes with inventive action."—Publishers Weekly on Travis S. Taylor’s The Quantum Connection
“[Warp Speed] reads like Doc Smith writing Robert Ludlum. . .You won’t want to put it down.”—John Ringo
About Timothy Zahn:
“Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.”—Publishers Weekly
“[Y]ou can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel.”—Blogcritics
“[Conqueror’s Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.”—Booklist
“Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing.”—Kirkus Review
About Michael Z. Williamson:
“A fast-paced, compulsive read . . . will appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.”—Kliatt
“Williamson's military expertise is impressive.”—SF Reviews
432 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2020
30 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Travis S. Taylor
54 books224 followersTravis Shane Taylor is a born and bred southerner and resides just outside Huntsville, Alabama. He has a Doctorate in Optical Science and Engineering, a Master’s degree in Physics, a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, all from the University of Alabama in Huntsville; a Master’s degree in Astronomy from the Univ. of Western Sydney, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Alabama.
Dr. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years. He is currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space based beamed energy systems, future combat technologies and systems, and next generation space launch concepts. He is also involved with multiple MASINT, SIGINT, IMINT, and HUMINT concept studies.
He has published over 25 papers and the appendix on solar sailing in the 2nd edition of Deep Space Probes by Greg Matloff.
His first science fiction novel is, Warp Speed, and his second is The Quantum Connection published by Baen Publishing. He is also working on two different series with best-selling author John Ringo also by Baen Publishing. He has several other works of both fiction and nonfiction ongoing.
Travis is also a Black Belt martial artist, a private pilot, a SCUBA diver, races mountain and road bikes, competed in triathlons, and has been the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several hard rock bands. He currently lives with his wife Karen, his daughter Kalista Jade, two dogs Stevie and Wesker, and his cat Kuro.
Dr. Taylor has worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years. He is currently working on several advanced propulsion concepts, very large space telescopes, space based beamed energy systems, future combat technologies and systems, and next generation space launch concepts. He is also involved with multiple MASINT, SIGINT, IMINT, and HUMINT concept studies.
He has published over 25 papers and the appendix on solar sailing in the 2nd edition of Deep Space Probes by Greg Matloff.
His first science fiction novel is, Warp Speed, and his second is The Quantum Connection published by Baen Publishing. He is also working on two different series with best-selling author John Ringo also by Baen Publishing. He has several other works of both fiction and nonfiction ongoing.
Travis is also a Black Belt martial artist, a private pilot, a SCUBA diver, races mountain and road bikes, competed in triathlons, and has been the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several hard rock bands. He currently lives with his wife Karen, his daughter Kalista Jade, two dogs Stevie and Wesker, and his cat Kuro.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 26, 2024
Interesting origin for this book, it came from a discussion among the panelists at a SF convention. Interesting premise - something on Luna to move the earth government from its current exploitative taxation to an active invasion. Some of the underlying thinking about battles under lunar conditions was really good. Three interesting stories and four mediocre ones.
August 6, 2020
Battle Luna is seven short stories by five different authors all with one theme and a connected story-line, that Luna will no longer be controlled by Earth! The inhabitants of Luna have found an ancient alien artifact and have decided it belongs to Luna. But as far as the governments of the Earth are concerned—they paid for everything on the Moon, so it belongs to them and they aim to take it by force if necessary. These stories describe the many and varied methods used by the various colonies on the Moon to defend themselves. These stories are written by five of today's top writers in the Military Science Fiction genre. This book is a great collaboration and a great, fun read.
June 8, 2020
Battle Luna by Travis S. Taylor, Timothy Zahn, et al. 07/7/2020 Baen Books
Here's an interesting and unusual approach to both moonwar and writing. Born on a panel at Libertcon (you may remember Libertycon from an anthology in last month's column (Give Me LibertyCon) it's a series of stories by different authors that all move the overall arc forward, sort of tag-team writing.
The subject is a high stakes game of "Steal the Flag" where lunar colonists have found a cool thing and the Earthers want to take it away from them. The thing is a piece of cool alien tech, but that's not really important. What's important is the rules of the writing game, which is set up to be a serious look at how a conflict might be handled. No superweapons, allowed, just lunies cobbling together whatever regolith miners can find and weather troops not quite used to working on the surface of the moon.
The classic Moon versus Earth has to be Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, where the lunies wind up throwing magnetically launched cargo cans at the Earth. Some of that spirit is here, but all in all, it's much closer to Myke Cole's Sixteenth Watch (3/10/2020 Angry Robot). Battle Luna isn't so much about a colony breaking away from it's parent as it is about the mechanics of resistance. A fond saying about conflicts is that amateurs discuss tactics and professionals talk logistics, and the very well informed trio of authors here are definitely professionals, lending credence to their tales, though somewhat at the cost of daring-do.
In space/moonwar, you usually get seasoned troops with overwhelming firepower, or neutronium space axes or something, but here you get professional troops with real constraints on their supply lines and rules of engagement facing off against engineer astronauts and miners who know the terrain. To a degree, there ain't no good guys (except of course the lunies are), there ain't no bad guys, there's only us and them and Battle Luna!
Here's an interesting and unusual approach to both moonwar and writing. Born on a panel at Libertcon (you may remember Libertycon from an anthology in last month's column (Give Me LibertyCon) it's a series of stories by different authors that all move the overall arc forward, sort of tag-team writing.
The subject is a high stakes game of "Steal the Flag" where lunar colonists have found a cool thing and the Earthers want to take it away from them. The thing is a piece of cool alien tech, but that's not really important. What's important is the rules of the writing game, which is set up to be a serious look at how a conflict might be handled. No superweapons, allowed, just lunies cobbling together whatever regolith miners can find and weather troops not quite used to working on the surface of the moon.
The classic Moon versus Earth has to be Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, where the lunies wind up throwing magnetically launched cargo cans at the Earth. Some of that spirit is here, but all in all, it's much closer to Myke Cole's Sixteenth Watch (3/10/2020 Angry Robot). Battle Luna isn't so much about a colony breaking away from it's parent as it is about the mechanics of resistance. A fond saying about conflicts is that amateurs discuss tactics and professionals talk logistics, and the very well informed trio of authors here are definitely professionals, lending credence to their tales, though somewhat at the cost of daring-do.
In space/moonwar, you usually get seasoned troops with overwhelming firepower, or neutronium space axes or something, but here you get professional troops with real constraints on their supply lines and rules of engagement facing off against engineer astronauts and miners who know the terrain. To a degree, there ain't no good guys (except of course the lunies are), there ain't no bad guys, there's only us and them and Battle Luna!
June 19, 2021
3.5 stars
The intro by Travis Taylor explains the roots of this book - a number of Baen authors on a panel discussing how an attack could be carried out or defended against using current-day knowledge.
The first two stories by Timothy Zahn and Michael Z. Williamson are competent military fiction focusing on what could be done, no character development and not much of a plot. - 3 stars
The third story, by Kacey Ezell, is the shortest but will probably stick with me the longest. It could stand on its own and is not dependent on the overarching plot of the book. - 4 stars
Then there are two stories by Travis Taylor which expand the backstory and develop the circumstances for the finale - 3.5 stars.
The next story by Josh Hayes is another military episode. - 2.5 stars
The book ends with a major battle . - 2 stars
The intro by Travis Taylor explains the roots of this book - a number of Baen authors on a panel discussing how an attack could be carried out or defended against using current-day knowledge.
The first two stories by Timothy Zahn and Michael Z. Williamson are competent military fiction focusing on what could be done, no character development and not much of a plot. - 3 stars
The third story, by Kacey Ezell, is the shortest but will probably stick with me the longest. It could stand on its own and is not dependent on the overarching plot of the book. - 4 stars
Then there are two stories by Travis Taylor which expand the backstory and develop the circumstances for the finale - 3.5 stars.
The next story by Josh Hayes is another military episode. - 2.5 stars
The book ends with a major battle . - 2 stars
August 6, 2020
Outstanding Collection!
Every story adds to a plausible tale of what would look like on the moon. It's also nice to see the clever engineer as the hero again!
Every story adds to a plausible tale of what would look like on the moon. It's also nice to see the clever engineer as the hero again!
June 10, 2021
Battle Luna is a collection of short stories by a variety of science fiction authors, which together paint a picture of lunar colonies battling for independence from earth. The quality and relevance of the stories varies widely between the authors. The first two chapters, by Timothy Zahn and Michael Williamson, are the most interesting. Both these authors imagine how "unarmed" lunar colonists could conduct delaying actions against heavily armed UN forces. There's lots of creative use of materials on hand and taking advantage of "Loonie" familiarity with survival in a vacuum.
The quality of the stories (both in terms of plot and writing) drops off after that, and I ended up skimming most of the rest.
Violence: PG-13
Language: PG for the first two chapters, then R after
Sexuality: G
The quality of the stories (both in terms of plot and writing) drops off after that, and I ended up skimming most of the rest.
Violence: PG-13
Language: PG for the first two chapters, then R after
Sexuality: G
December 23, 2023
Spawned at a sci-fi fan convention, this is more than an anthology, and more than a collaborative work. Instead, each author contributes one part of a single coherent story arc. And it all gels nicely. Part history lesson with strong parallels with the American Revolution, part underdog story, and part hard sci-fi, each of the writers pays close attention to military and technical details, with compellingly progressive complications that escalate nicely. On occasion, someone's writing style didn't connect with me, but I barely noticed.
May 1, 2021
Would be 4 stars but...
This started off well, but quickly fell off a cliff at the end. Not sure if it was the different authors or what, what the set up by Zahn was good as were the following 2 or 3 chapters after, in setting up the plot and the stakes. But the couple middle chapters did nothing for the plot, and the very last chapter was way too rushed to give a satisfying conclusion. Also with no post-battle wrap up, there was a lot I was left wanting.
This started off well, but quickly fell off a cliff at the end. Not sure if it was the different authors or what, what the set up by Zahn was good as were the following 2 or 3 chapters after, in setting up the plot and the stakes. But the couple middle chapters did nothing for the plot, and the very last chapter was way too rushed to give a satisfying conclusion. Also with no post-battle wrap up, there was a lot I was left wanting.
Read
September 28, 2020Extremely good read!
Very good read! I love the practical and believable way in which things developed, and worked out. The characters are good, and believable in every way. You will not regret getting this, or any Michael Z. Williamson book!
Very good read! I love the practical and believable way in which things developed, and worked out. The characters are good, and believable in every way. You will not regret getting this, or any Michael Z. Williamson book!
February 26, 2021
A straight up fun, quick read. And a cool linking between each story, rather than a compilation of unique stories, each one builds on the other. So while it is a compilation, it is also a complete novel, in a sense. Pretty enjoyable!
July 2, 2021
It was okay. A little to Eric Flint fan boyish. Also, this was the kicker for me, a bunch of short stories about one place. One where you keep reusing names of places but everything else can and will change dramatically made me feel a little schizophrenic.
May 24, 2024
Individual short story ratings:
Foxhole (by Timothy Zahn): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Under the Hill: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Moondog: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Mimic: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mama's Express: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lunar Fury: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Battle of North Dome: ⭐️
Foxhole (by Timothy Zahn): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Under the Hill: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Moondog: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Mimic: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mama's Express: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lunar Fury: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Battle of North Dome: ⭐️
October 23, 2020
Very good near time (technology-wise) science fiction with excellent contributors.
November 30, 2020
Great collection & fun to read!
February 27, 2021
Bravo!
August 16, 2021
A good central story/multiple authors read.
June 22, 2022
Especially loved the paintballs!
May 16, 2023
Interesting intertwined stories... just scrapes into a 4 rather than a 3 because of some of the realistic well thought concepts rather than being science fantasy.
September 30, 2024
Short and worth your time, slight action lull at the beginning of the third third but was for a purpose. 83/100
February 23, 2025
A fair read. Battles on the moon using existing technology but, and it is a big but, alien technology as the prize. A tad weird.
August 27, 2025
While some of the politics were a bit questionable as expected from these authors, the book was excellent.
August 26, 2020
This book is an interesting concept. A group of eminent and renowned science fiction writers make up a plot for a military SF novel - a mining colony on the moon and its epic fight for independence. The day has come when they must defend the colony from an invasion by Earth.
This book is an anthology. Each writer writes their own version of the battle that follows. They each write a 20,000 word short story of their own take on Battle Luna.
Maybe a bit too military for my taste, but certainly a lot of fun. Varying degrees of seriousness, snarkiness and irreverance. The stories are all different. Some are really silly - almost Monty Pythonish. Some more serious. The most unlikely weapons. The stories are all fast paced and well written.
I would recommend this to all fans of military Science Fiction - you will love it. A whole lot of FUN!!!
Thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher and the authors for sending me this ARC.
This book is an anthology. Each writer writes their own version of the battle that follows. They each write a 20,000 word short story of their own take on Battle Luna.
Maybe a bit too military for my taste, but certainly a lot of fun. Varying degrees of seriousness, snarkiness and irreverance. The stories are all different. Some are really silly - almost Monty Pythonish. Some more serious. The most unlikely weapons. The stories are all fast paced and well written.
I would recommend this to all fans of military Science Fiction - you will love it. A whole lot of FUN!!!
Thank you to Edelweiss, the publisher and the authors for sending me this ARC.
February 16, 2022
This book has a fun premise and start, explained in the introduction.
Some of the top sci-fi writers in 2020 released an anthology where one story segues into another about a battle on the moon for alien technology that not everyone knows about. Some stories were okay, others kept me hooked (like Ezell's about moon dogs, which I didn't expect to like so much seeing as I rolled my eyes at the beginning), and I zoned out half the time with some of the stories. Basil Sands is a great narrator who can throw his voice well, but the content didn't keep me as hooked as I wanted to be.
The battle is between lunies (those living on the moon) and unies (those from Earth, living under the United Nations of Earth) and really focuses at the end on the fact that both sides have humans, and humans have to work together.
Some of the top sci-fi writers in 2020 released an anthology where one story segues into another about a battle on the moon for alien technology that not everyone knows about. Some stories were okay, others kept me hooked (like Ezell's about moon dogs, which I didn't expect to like so much seeing as I rolled my eyes at the beginning), and I zoned out half the time with some of the stories. Basil Sands is a great narrator who can throw his voice well, but the content didn't keep me as hooked as I wanted to be.
The battle is between lunies (those living on the moon) and unies (those from Earth, living under the United Nations of Earth) and really focuses at the end on the fact that both sides have humans, and humans have to work together.
August 5, 2021
A lunar revolt! Several short stories joined together based on an idea floated at LibertyCon. Luna is being invaded by Earth and only has a couple of days to improvise weapons and defenses. Ingenuity, mixed with some decent characters make for a good read that avoids some of the uglier tropes sometimes found in military SF.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews