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NASA Trilogy #3
Moonseed
It Eats Planets. And It's Here. It starts when Venus explodes into a brilliant cloud of dust and debris, showering Earth with radiation and bizarre particles that wipe out all the crops and half the life in the oceans, and fry the ozone layer. Days later, a few specks of moon rock kicked up from the last Apollo mission fall upon a lava crag in Scotland. That's all it takes . . .
Suddenly, the ground itself begins melting into pools of dust that grow larger every day. For what has demolished Venus, and now threatens Earth itself, is part machine, part life-form: a nano-virus, dubbed Moonseed, that attacks planets.
Four scientists are all that stand between Moonseed and Earth's extinction, four brilliant minds that must race to cut off the virus and save what's left of Earth--a pulse-stopping battle for discovery that will lead them from the Earth's inner core to a daredevil Moon voyage that could save, or damn, us all.
Suddenly, the ground itself begins melting into pools of dust that grow larger every day. For what has demolished Venus, and now threatens Earth itself, is part machine, part life-form: a nano-virus, dubbed Moonseed, that attacks planets.
Four scientists are all that stand between Moonseed and Earth's extinction, four brilliant minds that must race to cut off the virus and save what's left of Earth--a pulse-stopping battle for discovery that will lead them from the Earth's inner core to a daredevil Moon voyage that could save, or damn, us all.
672 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1998
103 people are currently reading
1291 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Baxter
403 books2,596 followersStephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
May 19, 2013
The whole aspect of destruction is one that arouses a lot of interest for a non-connected observer. This could explain why newsreel footage of terror attacks, calamities and accidents glue so many viewers across continents to their television sets. Movies like Independence Day ,Deep Impact and Armageddon were totally unsettling for me when I watched them as a child. Dinosaurs roaming around in my hometown was an aftermath (in a dream form !) of Jurassic Park. The common thread across most of these have been this obsession with destruction, the widespread net of chaos on a mostly global scale. Stephen Baxter takes such a premise and spins a truly enjoyable yarn from it and from it is born : Moonseed.
The sole reason why I truly liked this novel is its unique antagonist. The alien form which in short time devours our earth is a rather unique one in my short reading experience. It is not a horrendous, horizon spanning, tentacled monstrosity but a microbial form which may or may not be sentient. There is however no stopping this agent as it turns our greatest ally against us : nature. The images of catastrophe that Baxter conjures up are truly terrifying in terms of their destructive power. The conclusion is something that you can anticipate considering the number of clues that the author leaves during the narrative.
While all these have been factors in favor of this entertainer, this tale brought in that cliche back from oblivion : America saves the world ! Yes, I know it is called the NASA trilogy and that I should have anticipated this but then a line in the book like So there he was, the man that saved humanity seriously set my eyeballs rolling ! How could you possibly imagine that a tale that spanned the entire world with so many people involved could finally be resolved by a single man figuring out the impossible solution ? Then again there seemed to be a lot of characters crowding into the narrative at the start almost all of who were killed off at one point of time or the other. Well, you can't complain about a disaster novel !
The focus is mostly on the apocalypse here and not on the post-apocalyptic side of things although I would have loved to understand how life went on. Baxter though reserves a few pages for this thought.
Excellent thought process behind the book. A few tweaks here and there would have made a brilliant one !
The sole reason why I truly liked this novel is its unique antagonist. The alien form which in short time devours our earth is a rather unique one in my short reading experience. It is not a horrendous, horizon spanning, tentacled monstrosity but a microbial form which may or may not be sentient. There is however no stopping this agent as it turns our greatest ally against us : nature. The images of catastrophe that Baxter conjures up are truly terrifying in terms of their destructive power. The conclusion is something that you can anticipate considering the number of clues that the author leaves during the narrative.
While all these have been factors in favor of this entertainer, this tale brought in that cliche back from oblivion : America saves the world ! Yes, I know it is called the NASA trilogy and that I should have anticipated this but then a line in the book like So there he was, the man that saved humanity seriously set my eyeballs rolling ! How could you possibly imagine that a tale that spanned the entire world with so many people involved could finally be resolved by a single man figuring out the impossible solution ? Then again there seemed to be a lot of characters crowding into the narrative at the start almost all of who were killed off at one point of time or the other. Well, you can't complain about a disaster novel !
The focus is mostly on the apocalypse here and not on the post-apocalyptic side of things although I would have loved to understand how life went on. Baxter though reserves a few pages for this thought.
Excellent thought process behind the book. A few tweaks here and there would have made a brilliant one !
August 18, 2010
I've read many Baxter novels, so when I started reading this, it seemed apparent that it was an earlier effort. I could hear his Scottish accent throughout!
The idea is, if you'll pardon the pun, novel, and he fleshes it out fairly well. The characters aren't nearly as well developed as in his later attempts, which was, again, something that told me it was an earlier book, yet they were still quite good... fairly believable. His science is VERY hard in this book except for the MacGuffin -- the seed itself -- which is essentially unknowable, yet he tells what can be divined from it. There is a lot of action in the story, and he handles it more or less well, yet there was so much, that he couldn't spend a lot of time making all the scenes and situations as three dimensional as could be done. Yes, if he had, the book would have been 900 pages.
Overall, I enjoyed the ride, and didn't mind the length because I would much rather see all the interesting subplots resolved and have a long book, than leave them dangling just to save a tree or two. I think some people will complain about some of the overly technical explanations, and while I felt they were pretty lengthy even for hard-sf, I didn't mind even though it slowed the pace a bit. I mostly felt like he was just showing off. Kind of made me smile a bit.
So, I can easily recommend it, especially for hard-sf fans. But I hope I won't scare off anyone else; it's not like he's showing mathematical proofs or anything. Just think of it as well researched!
The idea is, if you'll pardon the pun, novel, and he fleshes it out fairly well. The characters aren't nearly as well developed as in his later attempts, which was, again, something that told me it was an earlier book, yet they were still quite good... fairly believable. His science is VERY hard in this book except for the MacGuffin -- the seed itself -- which is essentially unknowable, yet he tells what can be divined from it. There is a lot of action in the story, and he handles it more or less well, yet there was so much, that he couldn't spend a lot of time making all the scenes and situations as three dimensional as could be done. Yes, if he had, the book would have been 900 pages.
Overall, I enjoyed the ride, and didn't mind the length because I would much rather see all the interesting subplots resolved and have a long book, than leave them dangling just to save a tree or two. I think some people will complain about some of the overly technical explanations, and while I felt they were pretty lengthy even for hard-sf, I didn't mind even though it slowed the pace a bit. I mostly felt like he was just showing off. Kind of made me smile a bit.
So, I can easily recommend it, especially for hard-sf fans. But I hope I won't scare off anyone else; it's not like he's showing mathematical proofs or anything. Just think of it as well researched!
May 27, 2019
I read Moonseed quite a few years ago, probably somewhere, I think, in the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school. I remember loving the novel since it fit in my wheelhouse of disaster stories and, I’m sure, marked my first real “hard” SF story if ever read. I say all that because, somewhere in the last 15 years, my original copy disappeared and, finding this book again for a measly dollar at my local used bookstore, was the perfect excuse to reread one of my previous favorite novels of all time.
Now, did it still stand the test of time to my now jaded and cynical outlook?
Obviously, that answer is a resounding yes. Moonseed is still a fantastic novel, and, now that I’m older and able to understand just what Baxter was able to accomplish, I think I can appreciate Moonseed even more so.
This book has a lot going for it: massive destruction that would give Michael Bay and Rolland Emmerich raging boners, science that’s deep but makes sense, characters that, while not exactly the most original, still stick with you and drive the story forward. The pacing is even great too. A slow burner at first, what with all that rock talk, but as the destruction and race against time come to end, it’s super difficult to find any place to stop for a break.
Now, did it still stand the test of time to my now jaded and cynical outlook?
Obviously, that answer is a resounding yes. Moonseed is still a fantastic novel, and, now that I’m older and able to understand just what Baxter was able to accomplish, I think I can appreciate Moonseed even more so.
This book has a lot going for it: massive destruction that would give Michael Bay and Rolland Emmerich raging boners, science that’s deep but makes sense, characters that, while not exactly the most original, still stick with you and drive the story forward. The pacing is even great too. A slow burner at first, what with all that rock talk, but as the destruction and race against time come to end, it’s super difficult to find any place to stop for a break.
January 15, 2015
There may be a bunch of geology-heavy sci-fi out there, although if so I certainly don't stumble over much of it despite reading voraciously. It gave this book a novel (heh) flavor that I definitely enjoyed. And, hey, the end of the world, so you know I'm in. :D
(Don't get the impression that because these books are known as the "NASA Trilogy" they're related in any form whatsoever. They vary widely in tone, timeframe, and plot. The world depicted in each novel is a completely different one. The only thing they have in common is that some form of NASA plays a role in each book.)
(Don't get the impression that because these books are known as the "NASA Trilogy" they're related in any form whatsoever. They vary widely in tone, timeframe, and plot. The world depicted in each novel is a completely different one. The only thing they have in common is that some form of NASA plays a role in each book.)
July 3, 2010
If you ever wanted to be an astronaut, this is the book for you.: This is really two novels in one. In the beginning of the first half, Venus explodes into a cloud of gas. However, this is merely coincidental and has nothing directly to do with the rest of the plot (except to foreshadow what may happen to Earth.) The scientists begin examining this problem and eventually figure out that a substance (which eventually gets called "moonseed") was brought back to Earth along with geologic samples from the Moon by Apollo in the 1960's and 70's. When this material comes in contact with terran soil it begins a transformation which will eventually cause the Earth to turn to lava and explode. (It affected Venus because some of the material reached there when we sent our unmanned probes.)
The scientist who figures this out (or rather theorizes it) ends up getting onto a mission to the Moon to try and figure out how to stop the process. (Because the Moon is full of this stuff and yet doesn't explode.) This begins the second novel within the book, in which the Earth is left behind and is largely forgotten. This part goes into great detail about training to be an astronaut, getting launched, space travel, and landing on and exploring the Moon. I enjoyed the detail of this part, it made me feel like I really have an idea what it would be like to stand on the Moon, see the Apollo landing site, drive the lunar rover, etc. If you are a space buff or wannabe astronaut, this section will really be enjoyable, it gives you a great experience of "being there."
The ending is kind of an afterthought and is heavily summarized, I found it disappointing and sad. As a story overall, this novel is somewhat disjointed, except to show how all our global preoccupations and petty lives are insignificant in contrast to the vast impersonal infinity of space. For me, the experience of landing on the Moon was what made this book a worthwhile read.
The scientist who figures this out (or rather theorizes it) ends up getting onto a mission to the Moon to try and figure out how to stop the process. (Because the Moon is full of this stuff and yet doesn't explode.) This begins the second novel within the book, in which the Earth is left behind and is largely forgotten. This part goes into great detail about training to be an astronaut, getting launched, space travel, and landing on and exploring the Moon. I enjoyed the detail of this part, it made me feel like I really have an idea what it would be like to stand on the Moon, see the Apollo landing site, drive the lunar rover, etc. If you are a space buff or wannabe astronaut, this section will really be enjoyable, it gives you a great experience of "being there."
The ending is kind of an afterthought and is heavily summarized, I found it disappointing and sad. As a story overall, this novel is somewhat disjointed, except to show how all our global preoccupations and petty lives are insignificant in contrast to the vast impersonal infinity of space. For me, the experience of landing on the Moon was what made this book a worthwhile read.
January 10, 2024
***1/2
The Earth dies hard in this novel, puking lava, belching toxic gases, crying acid rain; all because of the Moonseed infection. What will mankind do if the Earth dies completely?
This is a hard Sci-fi novel that is:
(1) weak on characterization; after 662 pages I still don't know who Henry is as a person, other than a cardboard cut-out of The Scientist, and I don't care about him
(2) has too many throw-away characters (some of which are introduced simply to die and elicit some sort of emotion from the reader, which Baxter fails to do; he could take lessons from Ben Bova who is a master at creating whole life-story-filled characters in a few paragraphs only to kill them off in a page or two and make you feel bad about it!)
(3) is TOO LONG by about 200 pages
(4) has themes that are not carried through the narrative successfully (I am thinking of the Venus radiation/protection from it)
(5) Baxter leaves characters for 100-200 pages before returning to them; a more even cross-cutting between characters/scenes would have helped the narrative flow.
Baxter has an easy, conversational writing style that doesn't get bogged-down in long descriptive paragraphs or technical dissertations. If only he knew how to self-edit.
I enjoyed his origin story for the Moonseed; and, I thoroughly enjoyed his detailed description of spaceflight. Now I understand what the astronauts went through.
Finally, his omnipresent view cataloging the dying Whole Earth was chilling and sad.
The Earth dies hard in this novel, puking lava, belching toxic gases, crying acid rain; all because of the Moonseed infection. What will mankind do if the Earth dies completely?
This is a hard Sci-fi novel that is:
(1) weak on characterization; after 662 pages I still don't know who Henry is as a person, other than a cardboard cut-out of The Scientist, and I don't care about him
(2) has too many throw-away characters (some of which are introduced simply to die and elicit some sort of emotion from the reader, which Baxter fails to do; he could take lessons from Ben Bova who is a master at creating whole life-story-filled characters in a few paragraphs only to kill them off in a page or two and make you feel bad about it!)
(3) is TOO LONG by about 200 pages
(4) has themes that are not carried through the narrative successfully (I am thinking of the Venus radiation/protection from it)
(5) Baxter leaves characters for 100-200 pages before returning to them; a more even cross-cutting between characters/scenes would have helped the narrative flow.
Baxter has an easy, conversational writing style that doesn't get bogged-down in long descriptive paragraphs or technical dissertations. If only he knew how to self-edit.
I enjoyed his origin story for the Moonseed; and, I thoroughly enjoyed his detailed description of spaceflight. Now I understand what the astronauts went through.
Finally, his omnipresent view cataloging the dying Whole Earth was chilling and sad.
May 7, 2023
Number 3 of the NASA trilogy. Might be my favorite of the three. What I liked the most were the stories and plot lines that the author didn’t write about and skipped over. Also, there could easily be a follow-on book.
October 9, 2024
This is a big book, but also, like the other 2 books in the series (Voyage, Titan) deals quite a lot with personal relationships on earth before getting on with the business of the story. But its worth holding out for, its good, very good. The science is spot on, as one would expect from Baxter!
The only niggle I have is probably down to the particular edition I have (Voyager paperback)
Baxter is British, yet there are a lot of Americanisms-aluminum instead of aluminium for example. It seems it was geared towards an American audience.
But apart from that it is definitely a Good read!
The only niggle I have is probably down to the particular edition I have (Voyager paperback)
Baxter is British, yet there are a lot of Americanisms-aluminum instead of aluminium for example. It seems it was geared towards an American audience.
But apart from that it is definitely a Good read!
March 4, 2025
My friend recommended me this book ....
It's one of her favourites ....
I'm not a massive Sci fi reader ....
There's a lot of scientific stuff in this book (expected, right lol) the author clearly did his research, some went a little over my head tbh but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story!
It's one of her favourites ....
I'm not a massive Sci fi reader ....
There's a lot of scientific stuff in this book (expected, right lol) the author clearly did his research, some went a little over my head tbh but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story!
March 13, 2025
Solid. The disaster bits were incredibly well drawn, but I felt like the physical timescale of things happening hadn't always been thought through properly. Needs more volcanoes and less space-tech exposition.
March 20, 2022
Fairly awful. Reminded me at times of Greg Bear's haunting, The Forge Of God, except not haunting, or um, good. Stuff happens, and I just didn't really care. Perhaps I'm feeling somewhat misanthropic these days, or perhaps the characters just weren't that interesting.
November 28, 2021
A slog to get through, at the 50% mark I started skimming chapters, and at 60% I was looking for a summary to get the ending. I enjoyed the premise but the writing didn't flow for me.
So for those in the same boat, you can read below for the spoiler version.
So for those in the same boat, you can read below for the spoiler version.
May 17, 2012
I enjoyed this book, but don't have too much to say about it. Probably the second best of Baxter's NASA trilogy after Voyage. This book is hard-core geology fiction with some space and disaster fiction thrown in on the side. A good read if that appeals to you at all.
I do have one comment I'd like to make about the entire series in general about all the comments people have about the trilogy being depressing. I disagree completely. While it is the case that two of the books feature , I feel concentrating on that misses the main point: that a few dedicated people with big ideas can overcome the short-sightedness of the rest of humanity.
I do have one comment I'd like to make about the entire series in general about all the comments people have about the trilogy being depressing. I disagree completely. While it is the case that two of the books feature , I feel concentrating on that misses the main point: that a few dedicated people with big ideas can overcome the short-sightedness of the rest of humanity.
March 27, 2011
This novel starts off rather slowly and without fanfare, with our hero moving to Edinburgh to work on a moon rock. This moon rock is taken out of the lab and lost. It slowly starts to devour the landscape. Weird premise, but Baxter does it well. It’s all about how the humans of today would cope with the Earth literally disappearing under them.
I very much enjoyed how the novel starts small and events snowball into a massive cataclysm by the end. Well worth a look.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=431
I very much enjoyed how the novel starts small and events snowball into a massive cataclysm by the end. Well worth a look.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=431
October 14, 2021
Brilliant book. I keep going back to re-read this time and time again.
January 19, 2012
I love the concept of this one! It is so possible, and so ingenious. Talk about a disaster movie… I have actually bought this book multiple times to give to several people.
May 20, 2021
Sci-Fi and Action blended at their finest. A hallmark of speculative fiction.
June 1, 2021
This was a riveting story on the preservation of humanity theme.
February 21, 2022
Mad plot, serious hard science fiction. Space flight, geology nuts, and those loving orbital mechanics will find much to wonder upon this book.
January 7, 2023
Another tale set around the turn of the 20th Century. This time the Earth is under threat from a 'bug' transported to the Earth from the Moon in a rock sample collected during an Apollo mission in the early seventies. This "Moonseed", as it becomes known, begins transforming the rock and soil it comes in contact with. Henry Meacher is the geologist responsible for the initial research of the Moonseed and his struggle to stop its progress of destruction leads him on a trip to the Moon.
Like TITAN before it, MOONSEED depicts a near future where space exploration and technology has stagnated due to political and economic pressures. Both books argue for the need for change, especially in the light of the threat we may face from the stars.
MOONSEED is a tale of disaster. We are given graphic depictions of volcanic eruptions and fire storms that devastate the surface of our planet. This is done via a number of characters who struggle to exist as the Earth changes around them.
I feel that both TITAN and MOONSEED could have benefited from tighter editing. Rather than being both good books they could have been great. Baxter continues to educate us on the rigours of toileting in space - thank goodness for gravity.
Like TITAN before it, MOONSEED depicts a near future where space exploration and technology has stagnated due to political and economic pressures. Both books argue for the need for change, especially in the light of the threat we may face from the stars.
MOONSEED is a tale of disaster. We are given graphic depictions of volcanic eruptions and fire storms that devastate the surface of our planet. This is done via a number of characters who struggle to exist as the Earth changes around them.
I feel that both TITAN and MOONSEED could have benefited from tighter editing. Rather than being both good books they could have been great. Baxter continues to educate us on the rigours of toileting in space - thank goodness for gravity.
October 13, 2017
I wanted to like this book, and I did to some extent, but finishing it felt like a chore. On the upside, I loved the plot and thought it was compelling. There were a number of major issues I had with the novel though. First, I felt the balance between being concise and being descriptive wasn't done well. Baxter was very thorough in his descriptions, which helped to visualize a landscape, although I thought some things were drawn out. On a similar note, the book was overly dense and dry with scientific material. And because of this, some sections were hard to understand with me not having a background in science. While I appreciate Baxter's knowledge of science, I personally felt the implementation of it was too much. I enjoy when sci-fi novels try to set the scene with some science to justify the plot but then the rest is left to the imagination. It almost came off as though Baxter didn't think his plot was believable and he thought he needed to have scientific explanations backing everything up. I stand by my statement in saying I enjoyed the plot, as it was the execution of the plot in its wordy scientific descriptions that made the novel less appealing.
January 9, 2022
A great story about humankind's desire to explore; but also to break the rules; with undesirable consequences. The moon is a really underrated and under-explored rock and deserves more investigation. This book touches on that and journeys through the realms of investigation, compulsion, and fear. I would recommend this; without a doubt.
I requested this book for my birthday 20 years ago after borrowing it from the library because I was enjoying it. I was bought the hardback version which was difficult to take around while I commuted... I started it three times but always got distracted about half way through. A few years ago, I found d the book as paperback in a charity shop and started reading again. I've not picked the book up again for over 5 years though, only because I never have the mindset to read. When Covid hit, I started with an audio book and was again captivated. Stephen Baxter has written some truly amazing books, and also wrote a couple in collaboration with Arthur C Clarke. The Origins series is also good. When I have finished the Audio book, I will read the book again (because the delivery was not what I expected).
I requested this book for my birthday 20 years ago after borrowing it from the library because I was enjoying it. I was bought the hardback version which was difficult to take around while I commuted... I started it three times but always got distracted about half way through. A few years ago, I found d the book as paperback in a charity shop and started reading again. I've not picked the book up again for over 5 years though, only because I never have the mindset to read. When Covid hit, I started with an audio book and was again captivated. Stephen Baxter has written some truly amazing books, and also wrote a couple in collaboration with Arthur C Clarke. The Origins series is also good. When I have finished the Audio book, I will read the book again (because the delivery was not what I expected).
August 10, 2019
Hmm, the description in Goodreads is not quite how I characterize this book, which I found focuses almost exclusively on the life and actions of Henry Meacher, the NASA geologist in this story. I don't really feel the other scientist characters had that much to do with advancing the story. I enjoyed the parts about space travel and felt that the descriptions of the geological/environmental mayhem unleashed by the Moonseed were compelling. It was very sobering to think that if geologic catastrophe were to happen, it would really quickly throw the Earth's environment off-balance. The character relationships to me were incidental to the rest of the goings-on and didn't really grab me. Entertaining overall, and the ending was thought-provoking.
June 26, 2024
I liked this one.
Henry is a wonderful jerk. Like he's clearly rude and relatively unlikable, but Baxter presents it in such a way where you get the impression that the character isn't *trying* to be a jerk. He doesn't lack empathy, he just "is blunt". Liked him a lot.
The story itself is Geology Porn that transitions into Astronaut Porn. By this I mean that it is extremely indulgent of these subjects. If you love details about rock layers of rocket stages, there is a lot of good content here.
I also liked the pacing. The situation becomes more and more bleak until Henry's plan is revealed and the reader gets the dual feeling of "that's never gonna work" and "well I guess it might work".
I've been out of sci Fi for a while and this was a pleasant book to get back into it.
Henry is a wonderful jerk. Like he's clearly rude and relatively unlikable, but Baxter presents it in such a way where you get the impression that the character isn't *trying* to be a jerk. He doesn't lack empathy, he just "is blunt". Liked him a lot.
The story itself is Geology Porn that transitions into Astronaut Porn. By this I mean that it is extremely indulgent of these subjects. If you love details about rock layers of rocket stages, there is a lot of good content here.
I also liked the pacing. The situation becomes more and more bleak until Henry's plan is revealed and the reader gets the dual feeling of "that's never gonna work" and "well I guess it might work".
I've been out of sci Fi for a while and this was a pleasant book to get back into it.
February 12, 2025
I hope Baxter got a lot better later on. In this, Henry - a very self-centered, rock-obsessed - geologist, single-handedly knows everything the best and is the only person with a shot at saving the world. That he can't communicate and condemns people to die because of his lack of communication never occurs to him. Women are a problem in this too.
Not everything goes Henry's way, but it's all fairly smooth and excited and he gets to elaborate to everyone. I started skipping stuff half-way through and didn't regret it because this book is too long and Henry sucked.
Not all is bad though. Specifically, the scenes of destruction are done quite well (sometimes) and they're reminiscent of the early 2000s disaster films, except bigger/better
Not everything goes Henry's way, but it's all fairly smooth and excited and he gets to elaborate to everyone. I started skipping stuff half-way through and didn't regret it because this book is too long and Henry sucked.
Not all is bad though. Specifically, the scenes of destruction are done quite well (sometimes) and they're reminiscent of the early 2000s disaster films, except bigger/better
July 3, 2020
A tiny handful of dust from a sample of moon rock brought back by the NASA astronauts is dropped on Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh which sets off a catastrophic series of events on Earth as it interacts with the aged volcanic rocks forming the Seat. Edinburgh itself is totally destroyed an the volcanic activity started there spreads world wide. The narrative follows three main characters, Henry Meacher, a geologist, his divorced wife Geena and her new boy friend, Arkady, both astronauts. There are a host of minor characters from a female Edinburgh police constable to an Irishman turned Japanese monk. Many of these characters come to a sticky end as the eruptions turn into an extinction event.
September 4, 2025
As a trilogy, book 1 is certainly the best. This is a fine book that takes you on a one way trip to destruction, as does book two. In books 2 and 3 we destroy the world and then have a magical post-earth save.
Great if bloated writing. Details on the science fiction are great, unfortunately meaningless, bloated detail on everything from food to architecture finally had me skipping long drawn out sections that did nothing for the story line. Observing your environment is not character building. I can take you step by step through my trip to the grocery store. It will do nothing to help you grasp my inner self.
I am not sorry I read it, but I am not thrilled either.
Great if bloated writing. Details on the science fiction are great, unfortunately meaningless, bloated detail on everything from food to architecture finally had me skipping long drawn out sections that did nothing for the story line. Observing your environment is not character building. I can take you step by step through my trip to the grocery store. It will do nothing to help you grasp my inner self.
I am not sorry I read it, but I am not thrilled either.
June 28, 2020
It's best to think of it as a very well researched disaster/apocalyptic movie.
It's a really fun read, at least for me, but the characters are pretty flat. That could be a good thing since there was no real sadness when the side characters keep dying. I did really enjoy the progression of events, and the sci fi aspects are top notch.
If you like disaster movies, seeing the impact of an apocalypse, or just hard sci fi, I do recommend it!
I knocked a star off for lack of characterization. Another star for the mix of a bittersweet ending and side characters introduced just to kill off.
It's a really fun read, at least for me, but the characters are pretty flat. That could be a good thing since there was no real sadness when the side characters keep dying. I did really enjoy the progression of events, and the sci fi aspects are top notch.
If you like disaster movies, seeing the impact of an apocalypse, or just hard sci fi, I do recommend it!
I knocked a star off for lack of characterization. Another star for the mix of a bittersweet ending and side characters introduced just to kill off.
September 20, 2017
Second time through. I read it when it was first published and recalled it to be better than I appreciated this time. Baxter was newer to the craft and I was younger, appreciating the science over the story at that time I am sure. Perhaps it is all just an aspect of aging..... Hell, I'll give it another star in light of my revelation....
October 14, 2018
I love a good sci-fi. This one is pretty decent. I like the details, I like the science in it, the plot is great. Some characters annoyed me a bit, and maybe too much geology at times, but good read overall. I would suggest, don't rush through it. Take your time. Chew on the sciency bits. I found it refreshing to take breaks (1-2 days) between chapters. Anyway, 5*.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews