Crescent Review

Crescent (A Helium-3 Novel) Description:

Her motto is "Life is Death! Death is Life!" Can a warrior trained from birth to kill be trusted?

Crescent is a gene-tweaked mercenary programmed to fight to the death. When she's captured by Crater Trueblood, a miner turned soldier, she can't understand his kindness.

Maria Medaris, once Crater's girlfriend, has become a ruthless competitor in business and in life. When a murderous band of assassins attack, Crescent, Crater, and Maria escape to a lunar ghost town called Endless Dust. To survive they must do more than navigate the desolate moonscape and battle a persistent band of killers. They must decide what--and who--is truly worth fighting for.

My Review:

I admit, the description sounds really corny.  The video book trailer is even worse!  (You can view it here.)  But I am a sucker for a sequel and after reading Crater, I had to read this.

While the first book in this series focused on relationships, this installment touches on social issues instead.  Can we overcome our training?  How do we treat people that were raised with different morals and beliefs?  These questions are brought up, but there really isn't any depth to how the characters work them out.

The book felt as if it just stumbles from one scene to the next.  Crater never really understands why he chose not to kill Crescent, or why he decides to show her kindness.  He just meanders through the story as the guy who does good things, which really leaves the reader unsure of his motives.  I found that really disappointing, especially when Crater is confronted with "Helpers", humans bred to have less than average intelligence and trained to live as slaves to the person who purchases them.  They are disposable; when they are no longer able to help just trade them in for a new one.

The discussion questions at the end of the book felt as if Hickam was seeking reader input for his next novel.  "Crater often does what others want him to do....Do you like him better when he goes against authority?"  Is Hickam regretting this series?  Is he unsure of what to do next with it?  The ending of this book leaves me questioning where the story is going, and whether the hours I spent reading this was worth it.

Crater Review

Book Description:

  A Helium-3 miner named Crater makes a treacherous journey through space to find a mysterious and priceless treasure.
It's the 22nd Century and a tough, pioneering people are mining the moon to produce energy for a desperate, war torn Earth. Crater Trueblood, an orphan, loves his life in Moontown, a frontier mining settlement. Just turned sixteen, Crater is already a seasoned Helium 3 miner, hoping someday to be a foreman on the scrapes. But "the Colonel," the man who owns the mine, has a different plan for Crater which includes Maria, the Colonel's daring young granddaughter. Crater, accompanied by Maria and his gillie--a sentient and sometimes insubordinate clump of slime mold cells--must shepherd a convoy of Helium 3 trucks across a forbidding river of dust while also looking for a mysterious, historical artifact that could mean the difference between life and death for every inhabitant on the moon.

My Review:

I had read Homer Hickam's Rocket Boys and seen the movie October Sky that had been based upon the book and really enjoyed them.  Add to that the fact that he is from the state I now live (and where my parents are from) and I just couldn't pass up the chance to review this sci-fy, young adult foray of his. 

Now don't let the description fool you, this isn't a book on mining on the moon.  It is about relationships, doing what is right, overcoming obstacles, coming of age and it is good!  Just as with Rocket Boys the characters in this novel feel real.  Despite being set on the moon, the situations feel real.  You can relate to Crater as he encounters situations with friends that cause him to question who he really is and who they really are.  You find yourself encouraging him to make the right choice, to overcome his self doubt, to go for the girl.  You just can't help but like him!

Being the first in a series there are several questions left unanswered by the end of the book, but you aren't left feeling like you were gypped by the ending.  I know I can't wait for the next installment.  I found that I would be comfortable allowing my middle school children to read this and in fact I have encouraged them to do so.  Perhaps they will pick up some of Crater's "do the right thing" mentality even when the right thing isn't always the easy thing. 

So two thumbs up for this title!

 Order Crater online