"Perhaps death awaited her outside and she would go to the dark world where neither sadness or jealousy would cause her pain."
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Crescent by Homer Hickam Thomas Nelson
book review by Michael Radon
In this second book in the Helium-3 series, moon-born Crater Trueblood continues his workingman's life in the lunar mining village of Moontown. Laboring in the service of the Colonel, Crater is required to fight off the deadly crowhoppers that have been genetically engineered for combat and hired to disrupt the Colonel's monopoly on the valuable "heel" gas. During one of these skirmishes, Crater takes a young female crowhopper hostage and brings her back to town, despite the resistance he meets from his neighbors, law enforcement, and the Colonel himself. Grappling with exactly where the value of a life begins and ends, Crater holds himself accountable for protecting the life of Crescent, his adopted charge, and the prejudice everyone around seems to put before them.
Fans of the series will be excited to read more about the characters that were introduced in the previous book like Crater and Maria Medaris, granddaughter of the Colonel. Those new to the series will be able to jump in at the start of this title, which does a great job of establishing the story's history without getting bogged down in lore and mythology. The action is near-constant with the kind of pacing that makes the book difficult to put down while still giving adequate spotlight to character development and the many emotional issues tackled by the book. This is a sizzling adventure in sci-fi clothes. Blending classic action, romance, and intrigue with modern science-fiction informed by the author's background in spacecraft design and engineering, this title is great for any reader looking to go on a unique story beyond Earth's atmosphere.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review