The setting is the Moon in the 21st century and it is depicted with brilliant imagination.
But the vital core of the novel is this: will the crew ...
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reviews
Jul 30, 2011
Stephen
rated it: 
As satisfying as a good HARD SF can be, one complaint often leveled against them is that they are TOO LONG-winded and pageTHICK and that those employing IT don't have the proper skills (story-making, that is) to create the narrative friction and plot rhythm requisite to bring the reading experience to a truly enjoyable climax. Well, at under 225 pages, this story's tight, well-honed body is a classic example of "hard" science fiction doing it right. I DID IT, liked it and I would DO IT
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Feb 05, 2012
Henry
rated it:
The Earth's Moon, in the mid 21st century.This frontierland is slowly growing ,in cities, under the lunar domes ( Clavius City,population 52,647!). Tourism is a key to financial survival in this remote world.Selene(Moon Goddess), a hovercraft designed to float over the lunar surface, especially on the treacherous Sea of Thirst, above the moondust.Only one of these "boats"have been built.If successful others will follow ,you think?In charge of Selene, is the unambitious but capable Ca
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Jan 11, 2012
Mars
rated it:
A tale about the sorts of trouble that can befall a spice harvester dust skimmer on the Moon.
It starts with a freak accident, and goes on to explain the rescue operation and the twenty thousand things that can go wrong during one.
It's actually not bad, but at some point I found myself wishing that the author would quit throwing yet another "hey, it's ok, we're going to be rescued, just a matter of hours now! ... oh, wait, no, false alarm, we're all gonna die. again." and More...
It starts with a freak accident, and goes on to explain the rescue operation and the twenty thousand things that can go wrong during one.
It's actually not bad, but at some point I found myself wishing that the author would quit throwing yet another "hey, it's ok, we're going to be rescued, just a matter of hours now! ... oh, wait, no, false alarm, we're all gonna die. again." and More...
Jan 21, 2010
John
rated it: 
I hate that "what I learned from this book". As if reading were somehow edifying, like art is supposed to be.
Anyway, A fantastic book, written in 1961, and still packs a punch.
And brief. It never felt flaccid and padded, as most SF books at some point do. Certainly A.C.C didn't want to waste my time as a reader, god bless him. Or maybe it was just editors then were less cowed.
A disaster book with great science, which manages not to portray scientists as a. magicians, or More...
Anyway, A fantastic book, written in 1961, and still packs a punch.
And brief. It never felt flaccid and padded, as most SF books at some point do. Certainly A.C.C didn't want to waste my time as a reader, god bless him. Or maybe it was just editors then were less cowed.
A disaster book with great science, which manages not to portray scientists as a. magicians, or More...
Feb 07, 2012
Kat
rated it: 
Pat Harris is the captain of Selene, the only tour bus on the moon. Every day he and his stewardess, Sue Wilkins, take passengers on a trip across the moon's Sea of Thirst. This crater filled with moondust seems similar to a lake on Earth, and Selene, like a motorboat, smoothly skims across its surface. By the light of Mother Earth, Selene's passengers are entertained by glorious views of the moon's topography, including the impressive Mountains of Inaccessibility.
Pat Harris loves his More...
Pat Harris loves his More...
Dec 30, 2010
Cybergit
rated it:
Somethings just don't age and a truly well written, science based novel is one of them. Re-read this book after what must be forty years and it was still good. OK some of the attitudes were a little off particularly around the role of women, bit these are just historical anomalies and don't really distract from a cracking good story.
Interestingly this book was first published in 1964 well before the moon landings. At one point in the narrative Clarke mentions the fact that from the More...
Interestingly this book was first published in 1964 well before the moon landings. At one point in the narrative Clarke mentions the fact that from the More...
Oct 07, 2009
Michael
rated it:
No book exists in a vacuum. By that I mean you can't come to a book or story without the history of your own reading or viewing experiences across the same or other genres and in other mediums.
For example, my own love and fascination with "Doctor Who." During the second Doctor's era, there were a lot of stories that fell into the category of base under siege. Basically, you had an external threat menacing an isolated group of human beings. It's a fairly simple premise b More...
For example, my own love and fascination with "Doctor Who." During the second Doctor's era, there were a lot of stories that fell into the category of base under siege. Basically, you had an external threat menacing an isolated group of human beings. It's a fairly simple premise b More...
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Aug 10, 2011
James
rated it:
If I had read this even twenty years ago instead of in 2011, I'd have easily given it a top rating. Clarke's stories are always interesting and the style is impeccable even though A Fall of Moondust suffers slightly from the constant march of technological innovation.
It is only when one realizes that this novel was written in 1961 that Clarke's genius becomes evident. In chapter 7, Clarke envisions not only the development of programs to check spelling and grammar, but asserts that, More...
It is only when one realizes that this novel was written in 1961 that Clarke's genius becomes evident. In chapter 7, Clarke envisions not only the development of programs to check spelling and grammar, but asserts that, More...
Jun 06, 2010
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it:
Well, it's outdated now, since we've been to the moon and know that the surface isn't covered with tens of feet of dust. Still, I enjoyed the story when I was a teen, and found it quite suspenseful-- a disaster on the moon!
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Oct 30, 2011
David
rated it:
I remember reading this one when I was a teenager. Many moons ago now. Well, not THAT many moons ago, but enough. <ahem>
This one read like a sort of Poseidon Adventure, set on the moon. That might oversimplify the plot a bit, as there were other bits and pieces involved. A pleasure cruiser that glides along the moon's surface gets somehow trapped beneath the surface. The people on the cruiser must find a way to get help and time is running out because slowly, the cruiser is sink More...
This one read like a sort of Poseidon Adventure, set on the moon. That might oversimplify the plot a bit, as there were other bits and pieces involved. A pleasure cruiser that glides along the moon's surface gets somehow trapped beneath the surface. The people on the cruiser must find a way to get help and time is running out because slowly, the cruiser is sink More...
Jan 12, 2012
Misha
rated it:
This book requires a bit of patience. Although it is novel-length, for long stretches of the book surprisingly little happens. The premise is very good, but it requires an emotional touch that Clarke doesn't quite manage. Much of the book is taken up by shallow character development, descriptions of the moon, and even a very clumsily-told love story. What fundamentally drives the book is the meticulously-researched science, something Clarke is extremely good at analyzing and illustrating. By th
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May 07, 2009
Ben
rated it:
I've been picking up the SF Masterworks series books one by one from the local library and loving the range of them. Picked this one up as it was a thin tomb and I was looking for a quick read. I found it instantly gripping, even if the futuristic setting was now somewhat dated. A mooncraft gets buried in a sea of dust on the moons surface. Can they rescue its passengers before they run out of air. A gripping read that sent me looking for more Arthur C Clarke!
May 15, 2011
Katrina
rated it:
I would give it 3.5.
It is a riveting story, with lots of science, events and some interesting characters.
But after a while, it reads like one of those old silent movies, where the card comes up and says "Uh-oh..." or "Something bad is going to happen...".
Once or twice is fine, but highlighting th3 twist 2-3 pages before it happens gets a little trying after a while.
That said, it is not a bad read. Entertaining.
It is a riveting story, with lots of science, events and some interesting characters.
But after a while, it reads like one of those old silent movies, where the card comes up and says "Uh-oh..." or "Something bad is going to happen...".
Once or twice is fine, but highlighting th3 twist 2-3 pages before it happens gets a little trying after a while.
That said, it is not a bad read. Entertaining.
Jan 10, 2011
Darren (Live Event Victim #3)
rated it:
One of Clarke's earlier works this stands out because it's not about the science or the huge vistas that came later. This is about a small group of people in a dangerous situation that they have to think themselves out of. It's one of his more human books and one of his most exciting.
Aug 07, 2011
Aaron
rated it:
This was a great story because it's a sci-fi story about the moon before we had ever gone there: it's interesting to see what Clarke imagined and compare it to "everything we know now" (if you buy that whole...'we landed on the moon thing') (heheh)
Oct 21, 2011
D.C.
rated it:
One of the earliest sci-fi novels I remember reading. The story of a doomed tourist cruise ship on the Moon that suddenly falls into a deep sink hole of moon dust with no rescue in sight and time running out for the desperate passengers.
Jul 29, 2011
A highly entertaining little tale about a tourism disaster on the moon. Although written almost ten years before the moon landing it shows some impressive insight. The pace of the action and suspense makes it very screen friendly.
Jun 28, 2009
Simon
rated it:
This is a story of a disaster and it's ensuing rescue attempt set on the moon. Clarke is a stickler for details and he seems to take great pains to get the science right and explore the implications. In particular, the phenomenon of dust seas on the moon. I have no idea of whether they are a genuine feature of the moon or not as this was written well before Man landed on it but he makes you believe in it the way he writes about them.
It is a tense and exciting read that maintains the More...
It is a tense and exciting read that maintains the More...
Nov 21, 2011
Sylvia
rated it:
I read this in the early 70's, and loved it. High adventure, keep-your-wits-about-you action. Even then, it felt a lot like a James Bond thriller, but who could avoid the thrill of being on the moon.
Dec 09, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
As always, Clarke does a great job of making you feel like you yourself are right out there in space. I don't think there's a Clarke book I don't enjoy. The suspense and detail are excellent.
Aug 31, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
My first hard science fiction book & I fell in love with the genre. To see so much of hard science fiction & it's ideas come to pass in reality over the years has been a joy.
Aug 13, 2011
Guy
rated it: 
It was okay. Oddly enough, it was assigned school reading and I had to write a paper on it. I'm not sure that I would even remember it if I hadn't had to write that paper.
Jul 31, 2009
Jake
rated it:
Close on the heels of the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 seems like a good time to revisit this book. A very real fear scientists had in the 60s was that a vehicle landing on the Moon would sink into deep pools of dust. In fact, this fear was real enough to dictate how Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon: carefully with one foot testing the ground, and with his hands still holding firmly to the lunar lander.
Such lethal quicksand-like dust pools appear not to exist after al More...
Such lethal quicksand-like dust pools appear not to exist after al More...
Jun 12, 2008
Amy
rated it:
I don't often read science fiction, I'm more into the fantasy genre, but I liked this book. It was a good read. The passengers and crew of the tourist cruise ship, 'Selene,' are buried underneath moondust on the moon with limited resources. The story was supposed to be 'futuristic,' set in the 21st century, which is now, so it seemed a bit out-dated. That aside, the story was interesting, suspenseful, and short enough for me to be able to stick with it so I would recommend it to others. My only
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Apr 07, 2011
Andreas
rated it:
An accident story on the Moon. Has not aged well, but still enjoyable to pass the time.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=557
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=557
May 09, 2011
Gendou
rated it:
An exciting and disastrous adventure on the moon.
Despite claims to the contrary, I'd say this story has aged well!
Despite claims to the contrary, I'd say this story has aged well!
Mar 13, 2011
William
rated it:
A good book, with a very believable story. No heros, not in the classic sense, just a story about ordinary people trying to overcome a disaster.
Jan 10, 2009
Mike
rated it:
I love this book. Humor, drama, suspense. Well done. I have read it several times.
