Customer Reviews

Hurricane Moon

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's difficult to classify Hurricane Moon - a story about the escapades of the colony ship Aeon in its epic journey in search of a habitable world, and the trials that the colonists must face once they actually reach an "ideal" planet.

The science throughout the novel is both sound and intriguing, and in many areas is the star of the novel. Parts of the book were reminiscent of Sir Arthur C. Clarke, capturing that spirit of enlightened scientific wonder.

And yet, amidst the hard science fiction in an interesting clash of genre, is a romantic plot. Also done very well through interesting characters, if it does contribute to a bit of a book identity crisis.

Indeed, the only flaws of the book are some rather two-dimensional secondary characters and a few abrupt, awkward transitions and changes in focus. That said, a very impressive debut novel for Latner - an author definitely worth watching out for in the future.

The first third of this book is very good. The characters are interesting and the premise hooks you in from the beginning. The theoretical and scientific ideas are very intriguing, enough to make you stop for a few minutes and think about them. But the book takes a turn for the worse when the ship stops at the planet that it is going to colonize. All the momentum from the story is lost at this point; the characters lose something from their personalities and turn bland. Too much of the story at this point is told by worrying, nagging characters, and not enough action happens to counteract that. By the end of the book, I didn't even care if the potentially catastrophic effects of the long space-flight were solved or not.

Don't read this book if you like your space operas with a lot of action and complex plots! But if you like character introspection and interesting scientific ideas, give this book a try.

Hurricane Moon is a thinking person's sci-fi read. The characters are complex, multi-dimensional people. They make you think. Their universe is interesting and challenging.

You won't stub your mental toe on the science, either. For once, I didn't have to lock my inner engineer in the closet to enjoy a sci-fi book with well-developed characters and meaning. Ms. Latner combines real science and real people in an imaginative future adventure very, very well.

You can read and enjoy it as a space adventure novel, but it's much more than that.

Hurricane Moon tops the list as one of the best SciFi I've read in years. Unlike other stories that deal with terraforming planets, Latner makes her story believable. The message is that it doesn't matter how thorough scientists try to be, there will always be surprises and those surprises can be deadly.

Latner has created a cast of characters that the reader will love. Characters with realistic emotions - like passion and desire, who long to create an earth-like planet and yet realize that in doing so, they're harming Planet Green in the process.

Latner's exceptional descriptions of new worlds also reminds the reader of how foreign and difficult a new environment might be for humans - both physically and mentally.

Latner is an gifted writer - one who will reach the stars in Science Fiction. She's off to a great start with Hurricane Moon and I expect more great books from her in the future.

Diana L. Driver

Planet Earth is ridden with religious wars, overpopulation, and disease, its end near. From Earth the starship Aeon hurtles toward a distant planet, its mission to establish a new civilization there. Crewed by Dr. Catharin Gault and other experts, Aeon finds the destination world unsuitable for colonization. The ship must set a new course, toward an unknown star in the Milky Way. It's due to arrive a millennia after leaving Earth. Will the crew and the ten thousand colonists aboard Aeon survive cyrostasis, a cold suspended animation, without suffering stasis-induced DNA changes? Some colonists have already perished in stasis. Finally, the ship reaches its new destination, Planet Green, where constant hurricanes swirl around its ocean moon. Catastrophe beckons.

Award-winning science fiction writer and aviator Alexis Glynn Latner blends ethics, mystery, and human interest in this highly entertaining story of interstellar adventure.

Especially after reading the positive reviews of this book, I keep wondering what I'm missing. I enjoy science fiction - both the science parts and the fiction parts of the genre - and I've liked the majority of science fiction books I've read written by females, AND I am fascinated with space and its travel. So I should like this book, but while I don't truly dislike it, I do find it very easy to put down. When I truly like a book I struggle to not read it straight through, when I'm not quite as enthralled in a book I can pick it up, read a chapter or two, and put it down for a week or two or four. This book is that kind of book - easy to put down. I wish I could like it...I just cannot quite get there.

The premise is amazing. I just think about a ship knocking around in space, bouncing against asteroids, going along for over 1000 years, like a piece of space trash and the whole time all these human beings are inside in stasis waiting to find a planet with a moon. The author gives us a great sense of time and place. Strong, fleshed out characters and the author's knowledge of science and humanity is what makes it all so real. So well written. Hurricane Moon is a great book.

In the late 21st century an Earth affected by a series of crises launches a starship to find a new world - a ship containing a scientist, an astronaut, and a molecular biologist, each with his own agenda for discovery. But the starship's programming discovers not one but two worlds locked around each other - and a millennium of suspended animation takes its toll which requires an untrustworthy maverick to help save humanity in the face of an impossible romance and mystery. Fast-paced action lends an outstanding, gripping drama to this intense story.

Near the end of the twenty-first century man's reign is through as "judgment day" has come to the dying earth after two horrendous centuries of abuse and neglect. Realizing that government had its chance but chose to ignore the problems for short term economic gain, the far thinking Aeon Foundation has been planning for escape velocity for quite some time; their objective to find a hospitable planet to colonize. Thus interstellar spaceship Aeon is filled with people of vision and hope seek a brave new world leaving the Earth to its final death.

However, the planners envisioned a relatively short trek, but instead over a millennium passed while everyone for the most part remained in a stasis state. When the Aeon finds two acceptable orbs near a moon; Planet Green abundant with plants but few animals and Planet Blue an oceanic stormy world, lead medical practitioner Catharin Gault realizes problems limit their choice; over time cocooning in stasis has altered the molecular structure of the colonists making the Planet Green unusable. The only hope resides with the last addition to the journey, a person she dislikes and distrusts molecular biologist Joseph Devreze, but chances of fulfilling the vision of the Aeon Foundations seems impossible.

The incredible layers of science are easily understood without dumbing down which makes this a great outer space thriller. Catharin and Joe are a fine pairing of two enemies who must find a way to save humanity while also fighting their attraction to one another. Readers will appreciate the escapades of the Aeon, but once again it is the science that will have fans soaring through the stars trekking with Alexis Glynn Latner's excellent futuristic adventure.

Harriet Klausner

Book came quickly and in even better condition (it was used) than promised by seller. Highly recommended.