Customer Reviews

Blood Moon

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was happily surprised at the high level of hard science incorporated into this novel. The descriptions of the lunar base and NASA operations are well researched, and spoken with a voice of authority. The plot and characters are tightly woven into a seamless and credible whole. The story moves along briskly and asks the reader to explore myths in search of the underlying science-just as the characters do the same. Not everything is laid out with pat explanations, instead the answers lie within the collective theories presented by the individual participants. An intelligent and entertaining read. Highly Recommended.

Definitely a good read. It was good technically believable science fiction with many aspects of a good thriller and mystery as well. There were even some good ghost story elements that make the story quite exciting. Good writing and good editing, I really liked the novel and had difficulty putting it down.

I recommend this one highly.

I liked this one right up until the last 40 or so pages. It just kind of fizzels out, unfortunetly. Without spoiling things for those who haven't read it yet, I'll just say that I felt that the author made some promises about resolving some mysteries she sets up in the novel, but sadly many of the most striking and intriguing elements of the mystery mearly dangle unresolved at the rather abrupt ending. However, the idea alone made the whole thing worth while, and the science was understandable and relevant to the plot. I will be on the look out for DiVono's next and I hope it may be a sequel that addresses some of the issues I alude to.

This is a very good book. Besides combining the genres of mystery and SF, DiVono's understanding of near-term technology and ability a character development are very solid. The characters are 3-dimensional and "human," without the necessity to resort to a "whiz kid" who solves the entire puzzle. The technology is interesting and familiar enough to keep the reader engaged. It's not a short book, but should keep a reader entertained over a long, winter weekend at the beach.

Most of the reviews of this book seem to be gripes about the historical inaccuracy or sterile feel of this book. These are both valid considerations but I REALLY enjoyed this book as it is an awsome ghost story, space story, satanic cult story, and murder mystery all in one.

An intelligent reader will find much more to chew on in this text than what is on the page and will probably be pondering the details of the plot and mystery days after the last page.

My favorite aspect was the in-depth discussion amongst the characters about the nature of the soul and its connection to the physical world, as well as the possibilies that exist of explaining the human spirit within the realm of science. It struck me as a very sophisticated and humble approach to both spirituality and science, although the discusssion between the characters seemed somewhat artificial and out of context to the situation; it was merely DiVono's vehicle for communicating these meditations.

Like I said, this book will please fans of many genres, and it is pretty darn scary too. It's like a space disaster movie mixed up with the Excorcist and Columbo. Very cool stuff.

It takes a rather special person to sit and watch a full spacewalk on NASATV. Similarly, it takes a rather special person to sit and read Blood Moon in its entirety.

This may seem like an odd comparison, but both are full of techno-speak, incredible detail, and - to the average person - a lot of boredom. However, Blood Moon is different in that it revolves around a most bizarre mystery on the Moon. The FS-6 crew has been sent to Far Side Base, Earth's first fully-inhabitable long-term scientific research outpost, to discover what happened following the loss of communication with the FS-5 crew. However, the search-and-rescue mission largely becomes a recovery mission, with some FS-5 crew members missing and obvious signs of occult activity, the latter extremely unusual for NASA-trained astronauts.

While Blood Moon is certainly interesting for its overall storyline, it is also interesting for its great glimpse into the inner workings of Mission Control in times of crisis. Author Sharman DiVono demonstrates an excellent understanding of media coverage and police investigation terminology and procedures and weaves them into the story in a manner which is both natural and integral to the reader's understanding of the events and their timeline. The absolute depth of technical and scientific knowledge demonstrated in this excellent novel causes Blood Moon to truly rise high in the ranks of science-fiction based in our near-future reality.

With the unusual title and distinctive cover image, one can expect many passersby to inquire about Blood Moon.

What at read! I CONSUMED this book in two very short days.... less time than FS-6 had to rescue FS-5 before the nasty Terminator arrived! Well.... It is a good book... I don't know what book Mr. Haschka read -- must have been the Classic Comix version.... by the way, did you really have to go in to soooo much of the plot to say you hated the book? good grief! there are some people who want to READ a book and not a SKIM a synopsis! I found the female characters particularly well drawn -- even down to the "scool girl crush" that Bianco had -- whatsamatta, you think middle-age women are exempt from crushes? I also don't feel like I need to tell the author that s/he needed 5 rescuers when s/he did quite well with 7 (that I did care about BTW)... Just because this isn't your "typical" hard science fiction (I mean... it has SEX in it! ooohhh!) doesn't mean that it isn't a good book... I found the ruminations on the "supernatural" as explainable by quantum physics fascinating.... Hope DiVono writes another soon! If you haven't found your great summer read, this one may well be it....

Farside Base is the US base of operations on the moon, and, as its name suggests, it is on the far side. Now, something is terribly wrong at Farside Base. There have been five missions so far in the new century, and the fifth one has failed. All communications have been lost and the crew is presumed dead. A sixth mission is hastily put together for a rescue mission, but what the sixth mission crew finds is horrendously ominous. No one can figure out what happened at Farside Base, and the only surviving member of the fifth mission team isn't talking. He's insane.

Colonel Tseng has been sent to bring back information, and that's what she tries to do. But there is a threat looming, and she can't figure out how and why the crew died, where the threat originates, or when it will strike again, and she can't decipher the meaning of the awful graffiti left on Farside Base. After all, how would one interpret the words "Food for the Moon?"

Sharman DiVono has combined two divergent and compelling story forms, the science fiction story and the mystery. Her deft touch with description and narrative strikes an excellent balance between suspense and science. Add to that excellent characterization and a suspenseful story, and you have a fine example of a science fiction suspense novel.

Rickey R. Mallory

Farside Base is the US base of operations on the moon, and, as its name suggests, it is on the far side. Now, something is terribly wrong at Farside Base. There have been five missions so far in the new century, and the fifth one has failed. All communications have been lost and the crew is presumed dead. A sixth mission is hastily put together for a rescue mission, but what the sixth mission crew finds is horrendously ominous. No one can figure out what happened at Farside Base, and the only surviving member of the fifth mission team isn't talking. He's insane.

Colonel Tseng has been sent to bring back information, and that's what she tries to do. But there is a threat looming, and she can't figure out how and why the crew died, where the threat originates, or when it will strike again, and she can't decipher the meaning of the awful graffiti left on Farside Base. After all, how would one interpret the words "Food for the Moon?"

Sharman DiVono has combined two divergent and compelling story forms, the science fiction story and the mystery. Her deft touch with description and narrative strikes an excellent balance between suspense and science. Add to that excellent characterization and a suspenseful story, and you have a fine example of a science fiction suspense novel.

Rickey R. Mallory

What a super story! Full of suspense, tension. Mind/electricity/moon. Exciting.