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Crater

(Helium-3 #1)

Homer Hickam (Goodreads Author)

3.43 · Rating details · 878 ratings · 164 reviews

A MINING COLONY ON THE MOON. A DEADLY MISSION. AND A SECRET BIGGER THAN TWO WORLDS.

It's the 22nd Century. A tough, pioneering people mine the moon for Helium-3 to produce energy for a desperate, war-torn Earth.

Sixteen-year-old Crater Trueblood loves his job as a Helium-3 miner. But when he saves a fellow miner, his life changes forever. Impressed by his heroism, the owner ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published April 10th 2012 by Thomas Nelson (first published April 1st 2012)

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· 878 ratings · 164 reviews

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Oct 21, 2014 Addie rated it did not like it

The cons of this book outnumber the pro by a very wide margin. The author of this book has written an adequate memoir previous to Crater, which did well not because of its writing, but because of the inspiring and heartwarming story. In the memoir the characters were actual people who were already developed with their own lives and personalities. The characters in Crater lack any depth or development throughout the book. Crater’s backstory is the average tragic hero’s tale of dead parents. This The cons of this book outnumber the pro by a very wide margin. The author of this book has written an adequate memoir previous to Crater, which did well not because of its writing, but because of the inspiring and heartwarming story. In the memoir the characters were actual people who were already developed with their own lives and personalities. The characters in Crater lack any depth or development throughout the book. Crater’s backstory is the average tragic hero’s tale of dead parents. This has been used too many times as a quick way to develop character. He, and everybody else in the book, lack any sort of personality. When reading a good book the characters feel so real and that what they say and do feels natural and not like everything they did had been decided by a writer. The character’s words are so heartless they at times seem robotic. An incredibly annoying example of the robotic dialogue is when Crater is explaining who he is and says “Yes, ma’am, but my parents were in a lander crash. My father was killed. My mother was brought here for me to be born. I was adopted by another couple after she died.” It’s as if the author was just too lazy and had given up on writing in any emotion or was so used to writing in a scientific, expository style which may please some people if it annoys others. Much as their words were very uncomfortable to read the interactions of Crater are just too unrealistic and unbelievable. Crater and Maria’s relationship comes from, it seems, nowhere as they first see and like each other, then for a while in the middle of the book they are really annoyed with each other and exchange what could be called “witty banter,” after not seeing each other while Crater is off on his own, they for some reason meet up and start dating. Other books have used this setup to develop relationships, but it usually takes whole series for this to happen. The reader does not find themselves invested in Crater and Maria’s relationship. While on the subject of how Crater fells about Maria, at certain points his opinions are very sexist in nature. This can be clearly seen when Crater thinks “Somehow, even though he has only spent a few minutes in her presence, Crater had decide Maria Medaris was worthy of his complete and utter worship and adoration. That she was allowing Petro, who could not understand her perfection, the favor of her presence and probably lots of kisses was tearing him up inside.” Crater decides what Maria needs. Let that sink in. Crater, someone who hasn’t known Maria all that long, has already decided what Maria needs and wants. He doesn’t like the idea of Petro and Maria being an item because he believes that he is the only one that appreciates Maria and that he has to protect her from other guys that worship her as he does. Maria is not there to be put on a pedestal and protected by Cater. She is perfectly capable of making her own decisions about who she spends her time with, and doesn’t need Crater’s appreciation to feel good about herself. Crater is a poorly-written, sexist book with a lack of character development, that’s only good feature is how short it is. ...more

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Feb 14, 2016 Beau rated it did not like it

///////////////////////Spoilers//////////////////////////
The main reason I finished this book was so I could write this review. There were so many things wrong with it I felt overwhelmed with things I could write about it. First off the book seemed like it was an assignment and the author was forced to write it. There were many important parts where Homer failed to deliver a sufficient amount of details keeping me from getting a decent picture in my head. Even the climax of the book was bland an ///////////////////////Spoilers//////////////////////////
The main reason I finished this book was so I could write this review. There were so many things wrong with it I felt overwhelmed with things I could write about it. First off the book seemed like it was an assignment and the author was forced to write it. There were many important parts where Homer failed to deliver a sufficient amount of details keeping me from getting a decent picture in my head. Even the climax of the book was bland and dry. Secondly the fact that Crater feels obligated to protect Maria is totally sexist. He has no respect for Maria making her own decisions and protecting her own self. Also the "love" between Maria and Crater was so forced it was almost laughable. There was no point in the book where it described Crater and Maria getting to know each other. They just kissed when they felt like it. 3rd I think the idea of the whole gillie being illegal and then Crater saying "it knows" is pretty cute. But after around the 20th time it started to get old. I mean Crater would be arrested by at least 3 people for owning a gillie and by saying "it knows" he just gets out of it. My next thing to rip on is Justice. He was intended to be the "Dumbledore" of this book, but I actually laughed at how he was only brought up for around 5 pages. He was also intended to have some good quotes but they all seemed forced as well. It is also annoying how Crater can do anything even if its really hard. He can kill 20 demons, win a race against experts on his first attempt, out run crow hoppers and destroy them, and even find water on the moon on his first attempt. This whole story was a great idea but it was executed terribly. This book could be used as an outline for the real thing. There should be a different plot than an expedition to get a bag of bones, and there needs to be many more details. I would not recommend this book to anybody who likes the Martian or is looking for anything science fiction. In fact I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. ...more

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May 21, 2012 Denae Christine rated it it was ok

2.5
Crater, the person, was boring. He was overly nice to everyone and didn't seem to every make mistakes. He was supposed to be super-duper smart and educated, but he had no ambition. He cared for everyone, even a girl who was bossy and rude. Crater was also brave. And won a race. And won this ball game. He would try new things and succeed almost with no effort in a page or two. The most interesting thing that happened was that he found out about his parents and he invented something awesome. Wh ...more

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Jul 27, 2014 Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish, read-reviewed

I'm impressed I made it to page 88. Because, honesty? The writing was basic and there was lots of head-jumping (like a little children's story form), which annoyed me to no end. The two mentions of two somethings being millions of years old made bothered me very much as I'm a firm believer in creation. I'm always sadden when there's evolution mentions in a so-called Christian book. And just in case your thinking that since this is a Dystopia I should let it slide, you're very mistaken. The back ...more

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May 01, 2012 Julie Davis rated it really liked it

Crater Trueblood is an orphan and helium 3 miner on the moon, 100 years in the future. This coming of age story features an annoying best friend, a pretty tomboy, and a sidekick—Crater's gillie, a sentient and sometimes insubordinate clump of slime mold cells. Crater is chosen by "the Colonel" for a mysterious mission because he feels Crater may succeed where others have failed. All Crater has to do is travel to the capital city, pick up a package and deliver it to the Colonel. That sounds almos Crater Trueblood is an orphan and helium 3 miner on the moon, 100 years in the future. This coming of age story features an annoying best friend, a pretty tomboy, and a sidekick—Crater's gillie, a sentient and sometimes insubordinate clump of slime mold cells. Crater is chosen by "the Colonel" for a mysterious mission because he feels Crater may succeed where others have failed. All Crater has to do is travel to the capital city, pick up a package and deliver it to the Colonel. That sounds almost too easy and, of course, it is. Along the way we get to see other places on the moon, meet memorable characters, and learn about Crater's ingenuity. As with many of these stories the journey teaches Crater as much, if not more, than finishing his quest.

I requested this book from Amazon Vine because the gillie was an intriguing concept. I am pleased to say that it was a totally justified decision because the gillie rose far above the "slime mold cells" description by being rather charming and a bit of a know-it-all.

Crater made me feel the way I did when I could sink into the Heinlein juveniles for a rattling good story. This author shows original thinking in such details as the way they bioengineer space suits for outside Moon working, which kept me interested in more than just the adventure. Overall it was a great read and one that left me wishing the sequel was available.

I was interested to note that a few times there was prayer in the book and then I noticed that the publisher is known for their Christian books. However, the book didn't come off that way at all. It was just a rattling good adventure.

In fact, one of my favorite parts was actually a commentary on prayer which made me laugh aloud.

===========

Teller pointed at the woman. "It was your stupidity that killed Tilly." He cut his eyes back to Crater. "Say a prayer for her, Crater."

Crater didn't know why the captain wanted him to say a prayer, but he gave it some thought and said, "Dear Lord, I didn't know Tilly, but I hope You'll take her into heaven. She messed up here at the last but that doesn't matter now, not to her and maybe not to You either."

"I said say a prayer, not write an editorial," Teller growled.

The gillie jumped in. "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, blessed be the Lord thy God who loves thee still. Amen and good-bye."

Teller stared at the gillie, then said, "Well, at least that thing's got some sense." ...more

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Mar 02, 2015 Louisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a pretty good book, but the way that it was written got on my nerves, a lot of tell, not show and explaining the terms that were created for this world. But a pretty good story. Just a lot of little annoyances!

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Jul 05, 2020 Glenn Haggerty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Crater is written in traditional sci-fi style, with realistic representations of what life on the moon could be like. Crater, the 17-year-old underdog-hero, is an interesting character. Although the omniscient point of view portrays Crater as somewhat distant, his inspiring faith and heroism shines through. In addition, the unique world-building and compelling quest make this a fun read.

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Feb 26, 2019 Hunter added it

Zero stars. Snickerdoodles, this was bad haha
We actually started this in English class, but it was so incredibly boring that my teacher didn't even care about finishing it.
I don't really want to waste time writing a review, so... ...more

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Dec 08, 2016 Brendan rated it liked it

Crater is the story of an average miner sent on a quest to retrieve an unknown item. Crater is an orphan living on the moon as a low level Heel-3 miner with his close friend Petro. Crater is recruited by his mining company’s owner to retrieve an item for him after hearing the stories of how Crater rescued a warehouse full of workers from a loose boulder. Crater embarks on his journey with with a convoy carrying the precious material Heel-3 accompanied by his friend Petro as well as the company Crater is the story of an average miner sent on a quest to retrieve an unknown item. Crater is an orphan living on the moon as a low level Heel-3 miner with his close friend Petro. Crater is recruited by his mining company’s owner to retrieve an item for him after hearing the stories of how Crater rescued a warehouse full of workers from a loose boulder. Crater embarks on his journey with with a convoy carrying the precious material Heel-3 accompanied by his friend Petro as well as the company owner’s granddaughter, Maria, who Crater is charged to protect. While traveling across the moon’s desolate frontier the convoy meets many different perils which seem to always be resolved by Crater and half of the time killing off a minor character. At one point Crater returns from settling a conflict, to have Maria confessing her love for him after seeming to hate him before he left. Later in the book Crater finds out what the package is that he is to retrieve and decides that it is not worth the death of so many people, but still continues on the mission solely because he loves Maria.
The universe that this story was set in is very interesting, but I feel that there were parts in the plot that were just too corny and stereotypical for a story of this nature. I also found some major flaws in the description of what was happening in the book, especially in action scenes, which were about 50% of the book. I did not recognize many of the tools that were being used or beasts being fought because I feel they were not described enough to give me a visual image. There were also many points in the book that I found absurd or cliche such as how Crater would have failed his mission if his rag-tag group of ball players didn't beat a professional team. I also wasn’t a huge fan of how Crater’s second most important job was just to protect Maria who seemed like a strong woman perfectly capable of protecting herself along with the naive and inexperienced miner Crater. The main character Crater, a boy who will follow a cause that he doesn’t believe in just because he likes a girl, did not interest me as much as I had hoped.
The place and time that this book took place seem interesting to me, but I found that there were too many flaws in the telling of this story and the plot for me to give this book a good review. ...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Online Eccentric Librarian rated it liked it

More reviews at the Online Eccentric Librarian http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

There's no question that Homer Hickam is an accomplished writer. His novels of young men in blue collar trying circumstances have become his hallmark and this book, despite being speculative fiction, is no different. Transporting his 'miners' to the moon from the Earth gives him a chance to add a mystical element in the mix.

Although the book is marketed as ubiquitous YA, I feel it is much more geared to adult men who ...more

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Apr 03, 2014 Skyril rated it it was ok

I'm sorry... I just could never get into this at all. I did read all of it, but it was partially through will power, partially through curiosity about Crater+Maria, and partially because by the time I realized how bored I was with it, I was already one hundred pages in and didn't want to waste it.

The plot was fine, interesting even. What is Crater going to pick up? What is in it? Why is it so important?? Unfortunately the pluses end there.

The writing style is with what I had a big problem. I h ...more

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Oct 01, 2014 Mason rated it did not like it

The book takes place on a mining colony called Helium-3. The mining colony is on the moon in outer space.
Crater Trueblood (title character) is a 16 year old boy who saves a life and goes on a space adventure (he does not leave the moon) to multiple moon colonies to save more lives. This book connects to ANY dystopian novel you can possibly imagine minus the obvious and annoying love triangle. You know, Hunger Games, Divergent, The host, The Maze Runner, or some other hunger games knock off witho ...more

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Dec 14, 2016 Missy Wilson rated it did not like it

This book fell so flat. Crater is a horribly developed character with no depth. He's so naive and never really does anything to actually move the plot along. He'd never get out of things if someone else didn't dig him out of the situation. He's supposedly smart, but it's not actually shown through his thoughts or actions. It's just told to the reader, but not really ever proved. None of the other characters are consistent either. The narrative style doesn't help either. Instead of focusing on on ...more

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Jan 04, 2014 Crystal rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, for-rickey

Homer Hickam's adventure into YA literature is a success. I listened to this book to see if it would be good to pass along to my 12 year old nephew. Yes, it is a good one for him.

If the reader knows anything about Mr. Hickam, then there are very obvious connections throughout this book to the threads of Mr. Hickam's life.

My husband has loved Hickam's other novels and hasn't missed reading any. I've read his memoirs and have been thrilled with them. A profound writer is not what Mr. Hickam is try ...more

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May 31, 2014 Kathy rated it it was ok

The writing was wooden. I was expecting so much more, given the fact that this author wrote "Rocket Boys" - which was not just a terrific story, it was so well written. This story had the potential to be awesome but it was taken down by its simplistic writing style - maybe this is a story meant for youngsters, who don't need a lot of sophistication. But telling a tale of settlements on the Moon, how technology has advanced, and how society itself changes because of being on the Moon -- there's s ...more

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Aug 13, 2013 Jerry rated it really liked it

A Quickie Review

The author of the beloved book Rocket Boys, which later became the movie October Sky, now is trying his hand at fiction, and the end result is actually very good. A fun, kid-friendly interstellar adventure, Crater is well-written and enjoyable.

Content Concerns: Mild violence, a scant few instances of implied profanity, some intensity...about as innocent as what you are likely to see on the Disney Channel.

Score: 4.5/5

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Feb 07, 2020 sarah. rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-2020, for-school, trashy-books

really disliked the writing style, felt it was super choppy and bland. crater's character in the book was so boring. overall, extremely disappointing ending. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 12, 2019 Jambush rated it liked it

Interesting idea, but not well developed. I finished the book, but didn’t keep it. The characters did not have much depth, and the story felt rushed and shallow. It seemed more like an outline of what could’ve been more of a story.

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Sep 26, 2019 Elliot P rated it it was amazing

good book

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Oct 25, 2017 Braeden Cairns rated it it was ok

Braeden Cairns

Crater is a young adult novel in which we follow 16 year old Crater Trueblood. Crater is a helium-3 miner on the moon and has a knack for adventure. Crater often finds himself in sticky situations, because he likes to go and explore. This story is set in 2143 when Earth needs helium-3 to produce energy for a war-torn Earth. Crater’s boss needs him to set off on a mission across the moon to pick up a secret object, along with him goes Maria, his boss’s daughter, and his gillie whic Braeden Cairns

Crater is a young adult novel in which we follow 16 year old Crater Trueblood. Crater is a helium-3 miner on the moon and has a knack for adventure. Crater often finds himself in sticky situations, because he likes to go and explore. This story is set in 2143 when Earth needs helium-3 to produce energy for a war-torn Earth. Crater’s boss needs him to set off on a mission across the moon to pick up a secret object, along with him goes Maria, his boss’s daughter, and his gillie which is a sentient clump of slime. Crater must battle his way through both human and non-human enemies as he tries to recover the item that will change lives forever. Crater and Maria set off on their adventure hopefully but comprehensive of the danger and challenges they will face. Crater understands how his life is at danger but still wants to complete the mission because he will spend time with Maria, who he’s in love with. Do you think Crater and Maria will make it out or succumb to the pressure and dial?
I did not personally love this book. I believed that this book was very slow and predictable. There was not much that went against the grain of your average adventure and Crater did not run into the tougher challenges and he easily overcame everything. The story was all over the place with a lot of jumping around and not a lot of smooth transitions as if the author needed to write this for a deadline and forgot about it until that weekend. The concept of the book and the story isn’t all that bad but it could’ve been written better. As someone who isn’t the biggest science fiction fan I liked the concept but I wish it was completed better. The character Crater almost has no flaws and never does anything wrong it’s not realistic. Homer Hickman illustrates, "Crater's tunic was a careful gray, his legging the standard black, his boots an ordinary beige" (Hickman 7). This quote describes the book, very standard, very boring. Maria, the girl, was also very basic and we did not go in depth into most characters which made me lack interest as we did not understand our main characters. To me, the best part of this book is some of the action scenes, however, there are too many of them. I think the universe is set up well but the execution was very stereotypical and almost to easy for the author. All in all, I would give Crater a 4 out of 10, because the book isn’t dreadful but it’s almost too watered down and too for kids that it gets in the way of enjoying this book. ...more

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May 14, 2017 Ryan Mihm rated it really liked it

What if you were the one chosen to go on a dangerous moon mission? That's exactly what a young man faced in the story Crater, by Homer Hickam. Crater Trueblood is a 17 year old that is a Helium miner on the moon. This book is set about 100 years in the future, where moon life is common.
While working on the scrapes, Crater is able to save one of his fellow miners, and the Colonel of the city admires his bravery. He is sent on a mission to travel around the moon to gather the remains of Yuri Gaga ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Reuben H. rated it really liked it

Crater was written by Homer Hickam, the author of the autobiography Rocket Boys that was adapted in 1999 as the film October Sky. I saw the film years ago and loved it, and that's how I instantly became interested in this novel when I heard that Homer wrote it. The story of October Sky was about Homer's life as a young man: his father was a coal miner and wanted him to become one as well, but Homer saw his future along a different path, and eventually became a NASA engineer. Many years later, af Crater was written by Homer Hickam, the author of the autobiography Rocket Boys that was adapted in 1999 as the film October Sky. I saw the film years ago and loved it, and that's how I instantly became interested in this novel when I heard that Homer wrote it. The story of October Sky was about Homer's life as a young man: his father was a coal miner and wanted him to become one as well, but Homer saw his future along a different path, and eventually became a NASA engineer. Many years later, after the events of his autobiography, Homer retired and became a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Though at this current time I've only read this one that he's penned, the book descriptions of many of his books imply that he uses much of his knowledge from both his life as a coal miner's son and his life as a NASA engineer when writing his stories. This is definitely one such story.

Crater is of a lower reading level than I have read in a while—young adult, for sure—and sometimes it just seemed childish or cheesy. The narration would often mention some key piece of technology but would fail to even hint at what it actually looked like or how it worked. Sometimes it would fail to mention what certain things even did. A lot of the main character's mission that was assigned near the very beginning of the book doesn't make complete sense until you know what exactly a cycler is and how a works—and that's something you don't find out until you have about fifty pages left in the entire book. These aren't details that would be considered plot spoilers; these are details that the narration seems to think readers should already know from the beginning but can't, because it's usually referring to technology that the author himself created.

In addition, several parts of the story were cliché. Early in the book the protagonist, Crater Trueblood, enters a sort of futuristic race, and his main opponent is one that everyone knows will win. The opponent is the type that uses as many forms of "foul play" as they can while making sure not to officially break any rules. With the help of his gillie and some ridiculous luck, Crater barely crosses the finish before his opponent. By that time they'd been the only two competitors still in the race. Does that sound familiar? Also, the main character is just a teenager, but he's extremely smart and can think of (and design) improvements for almost everything man-made he comes across. I suppose in the next book it will be revealed that General Caesar Augustus Nero—a character who, as you can obviously tell from his name, will turn out to be evil—is actually his father, long thought dead. (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

Crater is full of inconsistencies, clichés, and sometimes just ridiculousness, but in all honesty, it was the first book I've read in a long time that I've actually enjoyed reading. I read a lot of books recently that I loved, but it was the story or characters or ideas or setting or author's writing ability that I loved, not the actual reading part. For nearly a year and a half now reading has been a chore for me. I've grown to hate it, but I press on anyway to enjoy the wonderful worlds and tales that I fall in love with. My ability to read left entirely with my ability to focus, so even reading a little bit takes an excruciating amount of effort and time. Crater, though at times it was difficult to get through, (to an average person it could be probably read easily in a weekend) is a super easy read. I enjoyed reading it like I haven't for any other book I've read in a very long time.

The book had its faults, but enjoying the reading part of it really helped me to enjoy the rest, and the faults weren't nearly bad enough to ruin the book. The story and setting, when you look past the thin outer skin, is actually incredibly cool. Sometimes the book seemed a little bit like an Isaac Asimov novel, though of course on a far less mature level. The main character, Crater Trueblood, changed a lot throughout the story. He sometimes really surprises the reader, either with his level of immaturity or his level of maturity.

The author, Homer Hickam, harnessed loads of his scientific knowledge into the novel. Putting a bunch of techno-babble into a book geared toward the reading level of Crater is absolutely ridiculous, but for those of us who enjoy reading books at this level and also know a decent bit about science (so we can barely grasp what some of the techno-babble is about), this book a very enjoyable experience. Homer is a wise man, and I often felt myself wanting to save entire paragraphs or conversations as quotes, rather than just a character's line or two, as is traditional for quotes.

In the end, through its faults that I have probably made sound far worse than they actually are, Crater was a fun novel with a great story, cast and setting. If you enjoy young adult fiction and science fiction, check it out. I was expecting a lot from the author, so for a while into the reading I can't deny that I was disappointed. By the end, however, I was wondering when Hollywood will get enough sense to make this into a movie. I definitely can't now deny the awesomeness of the story and setting. Homer Hickam might not be an expert at converting his knowledge into all the correct words for a novel everyone will love, but his knowledge of space and the moon makes the technology he created seem all the more believable. I look forward very much to the next novel in the Helium-3 saga.

Crater: A Helium-3 Novel was published on April 10, 2012.
This book was sent to me for free from Thomas Nelson Publishing. ...more

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Jul 19, 2018 Isaac rated it really liked it

As a futuristic YA novel, Crater is actually pretty good. There's some shoddy characterization, some cheesy action, some too-easy conflict resolution, and all, but there's a good story at the core of it. I appreciated the creative technologies and the attention to the difficulties of living on the moon. Lots of implausible stuff, but that's part of the fun of the genre.

Also worth noting that the story is very clean and has a non-pushy theism throughout. There is peril and death, but nothing is ...more

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Nov 17, 2017 Devin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

I wanted to read this being a fan of Homer Hickam from Rocket Boys/October Sky. I think that I had I been a young adult reader that I would have enjoyed this a lot more, so in that sense that I feel like it would rate much better.

I'm sorry that he didn't hit a mark that made the book more enjoyable for me, but it's a decent enough read that I can't say it's terrible.

Probably not going to go on to read the two followup novels though, I'm going to try some other f his fiction. ...more

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Jun 27, 2018 Timothy rated it liked it

This was a fun book that was a quick and easy read. I felt there were some inconsistencies in the book as characters and types of characters were being developed. There are definitely aspects of the book I feel were inspired by other sci-fi stories. Some of the elements seemed a bit far-fetched, but then I thought about it and I could see someone doing that...after all there's a Tesla in orbit now, right? The book was entertaining and I did enjoy it! ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Ben Seamons rated it it was amazing

Crater is a great book with lots of action and adventure with lots of space stuff and the story takes place on the moon. Crater the main character is chosen to do a special mission and has to journey across the moon to try to get a special artifact. If you like to read science fiction books this is a good book for you!

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Jun 15, 2018 Ben Newman rated it it was amazing

I love science fiction books, and this one was really good. It wasn't too hard too believe, and made me want to live on the moon. Crater, the main character lives on the moon as a lowly miner, but he is clearly destined for more. He eventually leaves his old life (temporarily) behind and joins a convoy for the settlement on the moon's leader. ...more

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Jan 31, 2020 Rachel rated it really liked it

Crater reminds me of an old-school sci-fi. I loved the writing style. Anyone who knows Homer Hickman knows that he knows about space and mining. His knowledge may make the story a little dry in the beginning because he's very detailed. However I appreciated the realism his knowledge brought to the story.

Overall it was an interesting story about what life would be like on the moon. ...more

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Jun 16, 2020 Julie Gárate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-twice

*5 Stars*

Crater Trueblood is a 16 year old orphan on the moon. He's a sweet, kind boy, who genuinely cares about everyone. Content as a Heel-3 minor (short for Heelium-3), Crater is happy in his home of Moontown and despite his best friend Petro's requests for him to look at the bigger opportunities that lay ahead, he loves where he is and what he does. When asked by the Colonel one day to be assigned to a dangerous mission to receive a package at Armstrong City, the biggest city on the moon, an ...more

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Sep 15, 2020 Shelly Kelly rated it it was amazing

Creative realistic sci-fi reminiscent of Heinlein storytelling style. 16-year old Crater is the intelligent yet naive orphan of Moontown, a lunar mining colony chosen to accompany a “Smokey and the Bandit” style truck convoy across the lunar desert to Armstrong City. I really liked the characters, setting, storyline, and style.

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Madison Mega-Mara...: Crater: Helium-3 series, Book 1	1	3	Jun 26, 2012 08:26PM
Space Elevator – ...: Week 2 Crater, Homer Hickman	4	11	May 28, 2012 05:51PM

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About Homer Hickam

Homer Hickam

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Homer Hickam (also known as Homer H. Hickam, Jr.) is the author of many best-sellers including his latest, Carrying Albert Home. An eclectic writer, he wrote the "Coalwood Series," which includes the # 1 New York Times best-selling memoir Rocket Boys, the popular World War II-era "Josh Thurlow" series, the juvenile sci-fi "Crater" series, the adult thriller The Dinosaur Hunter, the romantic Red He ...more