A Fall of Moondust

Though it's a little low on deep thoughts, this is one of Arthur C. Clarke's more reliable and readable space operas. The themes aren't that compelling and the story is based on a now-discredited theory about seas of dust on the moon (note that it was published in 1961, before we ever saw the moon up close and personal). But this is an exciting and dependable disaster thriller, and for fans who are okay with this book's lack of Clarke's usual cosmological philosophy, all should be happy with the read. Clarke managed to avoid standard disaster clichés and delivered a strangely plausible tale of heroism and horror backed by real science (notwithstanding that weird old dust) and believable interactions amongst characters trapped in a mishap together for days with no guarantee of survival. While this book is not high on Clarke's list of immortal classics, and it doesn't reach his great philosophical heights, it also avoids over-reaching and provides more excitement and empathy than standard sci-fi thrillers. For fans wishing to dive into Clarke's more obscure and under-appreciated works, be sure to give this under-achiever a chance. [~doomsdayer520~]

great classic sci-fi deserves to be made into a movie someday much like the old airport movies.

This is an astounding book from the greatest Science Fiction writer of all time. Reading large scale "space operas", one would expect that the action in this novel is not as gripping since it revolves around a very confined area. Most SciFi writers are able to convey a story, but fall through on their deficiency in technology. Sir Arthur C. Clarke never misses a step when he describes the extremely thrilling story, and so skilfully describes the surrounding technologies and landscapes. What absolutely unbelievable is that this book was written even before the lunar landings in 1961, but all his observations of the moon, the computer technology, descriptions of plasma drives still holds to this day. This novel was one of his most successful, and Clarke has since been humoristically called the "prophet" since the manned and un-manned space flights seem to confirm his observations of space and our nearby planets. He never quantizes technologies, but describe how the story actually revolves in the future technology environment. Where Gibson in "Neuromancer" wrote about the main character "..stole 4Mb of hot ram..." one immediately sets the story to the 90'ties when 4 Mb of Ram was significant memory, even if it was supposed to be in the far future. Clarke never makes such mistakes, making this novel, written in 1960, as relevant today as it was then. In "A Fall of Moondust". Add to this the uncanny ability to explain the action so well it is almost as watching a movie whilst reading the story, this is one book that is highly recommended.

This is somewhat of an anamoly in Clarke's canon. At a contrast to his usual philosophical-tinged works, this is an honest-to-goodness thrill machine. Fortunately, Clarke's pen is as mighty as ever, and we are spared the usual, dime-a-dozen, run-of-the-mill action stories of this type that pollute the science fiction landscape. Here we have a suspenseful narrative that is both well and tightly written, while also being scientifically strict. While it is true that the "dust" that Clarke describes does not exist on the Moon-at least not that we know of-it is still very plausible, and there are no leaps of faith that need to be made during the course of this book, in terms of its climaxes and resolutions. This has all the intelligence that you would expect from Clarke. He also did something here that he has not always done, but which was fortunat here because it was essential to the story's being good, and that was including an interesting and believable cast of characters. These are not cardboard cut-outs, and they bring the human element into hard science fiction, which, unfortunately, is often all too lacking. This is a classic. If you are tired of the cornball, cliched type of SF "disaster" story that is all too prevalent and want something better, then look no further.

A genuine classic. As many twists and turns as a modern day action thriller, with the intelligence we expect from AC Clarke. In addition to interesting science facts, as with any great story, the characters are the key. This story has it all. It is a fun and exciting story that is hard to put down once you get started.