The crew's efforts to reactivate the long-abandoned Moon Base Delta are hindered by a desperate food shortage which begins to sap their mental and physical energy.
Their dire situation is not helped by an influx of refugees and rebels fleeing the brutal resource conflicts erupting throughout the lunar colonies. Moon Base Delta quickly becomes a melting pot of desperate souls caught in the crossfire, all fighting for survival.
As the pressure on limited resources escalates, and the demands on Renton and the crew intensify, they come to a stark and uncompromising realization: If they are to survive, they must confront the harsh reality of their predicament - they must fight back.
This series is definitely becoming part of my "Waiting for the next novel" list.
Just like the first one, you got some flaws in the novel that prevent it from becoming "excellent"instead of "very good", but it's still a damn good space yarn that has the heart in the right place.
What grated a bit in this novel was the repetition of certain information. I get that you want to keep the reader on board, but do we really need a dastardly plot explained four or five times in the course of a book? First you get the protagonists suspecting the dastardly plot X, then we have another protagonist see the dastardly plot X planned then we get the dastardly plot X enacted from the perspective of another protagonist and then, for good measure, the story mentions the dastardly plot no less than two times. It's not like the story was progressing across several door stopper sized novels, making constant refreshers necessary.
Stuff like this aside, the book does so many things right. The trajectory of the story changed from engineering/politicking to having to deal with many violent encounters in clever ways (because the protagonists stand no chance against military professionals). Nothing in the story felt contrived, and there was a nice, organic feeling of things snowballing from simply surviving to something bigger. Same with the politics. After just piling on the complexities of pre-catastrophe earth politics, things have consolidated, less diverse. You got some big players left, streamlining the politics in a believable way and the big players act highly rational (aka ruthless) without turning into cartoon villains.
The main villain occasionally teeters on the brink but again, it's understandable why a person of this character might become slightly unhinged in their situation. Also, thankfully, the author almost completely refrains from cheap shots like making the villain queer/fat/sexually deviant.
All in all, another good entry in the series, I'm very interested in where this is going.
The Earth requires helium-3 as a power source but most of the helium-3 is on the moon. The moon requires a new and regular supply of seeds for food due to the short term replication built into them. Currently there is no way through the atmosphere due to the cloud of debris inbetween.... On the moon the Xinilis corporation is competing with SINO to run things while Moon Base Delta is just attempting to survive.... New 'refugees' try and get to Moon Base Delta and plans to secure supplies are made..... Once they have the mass accelerator, Xinilis will be coming for Moon Base Delta...
This book explores a number of ethical gray areas for all involved as they strive to survive and get leverage over others. There is revolution and rebellion, EMPs, battles, daring raids, executions, suspense, intrigue, a budding romance, and numerous other human traits and interactions as the story advances. A highly entertaining read.
This book was an absolute joy to read. Renton, Alice and everyone else on Moon Base Delta must be prepared to survive for a long time since Earth is in no position to send up rockets to help them and take them back to Earth. The SINO, Xilinix Corporation and Moon Base Delta all need food supplies and are more than willing to raid each other' strongholds. And let us not forget the computer at Moon Base Delta, DOA. As he finally gets access to LunaSat computer system, he is able to see more of the moon's surface and to anticipate likely outcomes of actions. So who is going to lead the motley crew of Moon Base Delta? Thank you, Gerald M. Kilby for another wonderful book to read. Makes me definitely want to read Book 3. Can't wait.
Another exciting addition to the series, with great action, thrills, and suspense in a well-paced narrative. The characters are relatable and well-rounded, and the plot is intriguing. The members of Moon Base Delta have some difficult decisions to make and must plan for their future. Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard! Food is the new currency for the inhabitants of Luna, so Renton and his team must plan a daring heist to steal a food parcel sent from Earth from right underneath the noses of Xilinex Corporation, just like the Italian Job, but in space. Exciting stuff!
I almost stopped reading this book as I found the beginning too dark and without hope, however, I stuck with it and…I am so glad I did.
The atmosphere changed because of some key and clever happenings, obviously orchestrated by the author. Since that aha moment I was totally immersed in this captivating power struggle regarding life and death.
A top book and series that is currently in a cliffhanger state waiting to be revealed.
Where do I go from here? I can’t say much more than I did in the review of book one. I believe the one thing not previously addressed though is Author Kilby’s commitment to describing the location, the equipment in use, the transporters and station. It is always with a clear mental vision of the surroundings the reader is able to envision what is happening. It makes for a great read as a result. Forward with book three! VR, Mags
The Moonbase Delta series is as action packed and captivating as the authors series about Mars and the asteroid belt. The character development took a while to develop in the first book in the series, but once the solar flare hit, it has been hard to put these books down. I especially appreciate that he deals with the effects of a massive corona mass ejection on earth, as well as on the moon. Brilliant plot setting.
Brilliant. I'm a massive Kilby fan, I've read everything he's written. If you're into science being in your science fiction, he's your man. This story keeps getting better as it goes, I hope we get a good 6 books out of this.. I'm interested to see how or if anything in this story leads onto events in his mars and belt series.
I really enjoyed moon base delta. It has a plot that is well rounded. Characters that you truly like. The bad guys are well thought out too. It is hard to put down, a real page turner. Of you enjoy sci-fi this is the series for you!
I started reading Moon Base Delta based an Amazon suggestion. How well the algorithm knows me. Hard science fiction at its best. Good character development and an age old struggle of good over the corporate power base. Can not wait for the next installment.
Part tow of a trilogy on survival on the Moon after a massive solar flare hits. Two corporations are fighting for control while everyone else is fighting to survive.
The first tow books have been great and I have number 3 all set up to read.
Always a challenge to overcome and always innovative ideas to do so. Yes our hero's do win the day but not without hardship. Decent morals, human greed and power plays are also on display. I can't wait to read the next one!
More pedantic than Book 1, this book secures the site and characters of Moon Base Delta, and sets the scene for what is to come in conclusion. It’s not that there is less action, it just all has a purpose of building the plot structure.
Can hardly wait for next installment to find out what happens. Hoping the moon base crew comes out on top and that the narcissist head of Xilinex gets what they deserve.