One of my goals this year is to read more recently written science fiction than Ender’s Game, which was originally published in the 1980s. Thanks to this pledge, I was excited to be able to read Crater Trueblood through the BookLook blogger program. Is it worth the read? Find out below!
Book: Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company
Author: Homer Hickam (of October Sky fame)
Genre: YA sci-fi
Source: Free from publisher Thomas Nelson through BookLook Bloggers
Readability Rating: 3 stars
Morality Rating: PG
Target Audience: Teens and science-fiction lovers
Buy the Books on Amazon (affiliate links): Book 1, Book 2
, Book 3
Crater Trueblood and the Lunar Rescue Company Book Summary (From Amazon)
Crater Trueblood has to rescue his ex-girlfriend . . . and the entire human race.
Crater and the Lunar Rescue Company must rescue Maria before she joins forces with the lunatics who have taken her hostage and aim to make her queen.
Turns out more than Maria is at stake: the planet Earth, majestically hanging over the lunar horizon, is in the crosshairs of an asteroid engineered by Maria’s abductors. If Crater can’t stop it, humanity on Earth will be destroyed.
The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance . . . and the clock is ticking.
Quick Review
I at once loved the nod to classic “golden age” themes of sci-fi and was confused by the love triangle. Personally, I wish romance would stay far away from science fiction novels, or at least remain at the edges, so I was sad to see it such a heavy aspect of The Lunar Rescue Company. Overall, however, the book offers a fast-paced, solid science fiction adventure that will round out any collection.
Extended Review
Plot: In the third book in the series, the themes started in book 1 and book 2 were nicely wrapped up, but in such a way as to feel a little too completed. I tend to like books that allow a little more room for interpretation at the end, but that is mainly just a personal preference.
Characters: The characters never quite gelled. Crater seemed a little flat and boring, and Maria got on my nerves a bit. Other than that, I loved the interaction between the characters and their development through the story.
Setting: I liked the setting for the Lunar Rescue Company. It offered the same feeling as the classic Star Wars books I used to read (Aside: why is the Star Wars universe the only place you can monetize fan fiction?) with plenty of space travel, strange new worlds, and a sort of seedy feel to the universe that are the hallmarks of the genre.
Writing: The writing was solid, but failed to really pull me into the story. I read about the first 1/3 of the book just waiting to be pulled in enough to continue reading. On occasion, the dialogue seemed on the corny side, but nothing that is entirely unexpected from a YA book.
Overall Thoughts
The Crater Trueblood series is a fun, engaging science fiction series that is perfect for readers who like their stories on the cleaner side. Many science fiction novels involve a lot of swearing or mature themes that parents may not want younger readers exposed to. The Crater Trueblood series allows readers to explore classic sci-fi themes without the inclusion of adult content.
Who should buy this book: Anyone who loves classic science fiction and adventure or who loved the book Rocket Boys.