Customer Reviews

Moongate A Novel

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

 

 

Surprisingly, Moongate was easier to follow than I had originally anticipated. It was a real page turner for me with its fast paced, explosive plot and wonderful twists-and-turns.

My advice: a must read on any summer list.

Authors William Proctor and David J. Weldon's novel, MOONGATE, takes place on two settings - the earth and moon. The year is 2017. Scott Andrews, U.S. Representative and Chairman of the House Space Committee, heads a special mission to the moon. The group consists of an international (Russia, Israel, Australia, Japan and Russia) team of scientist-astronauts that will set up a nuclear fusion plant to resolve the earth's energy crises. On the moon, the scientists create a wormhole and mysteriously receive powerful information from an unknown source. It is information that advances human knowledge ten-fold on how to eradicate illnesses, prolong life and enhance genetic engineering. This is a wonderful discovery except that this data in the wrong hands would cause more harm than help. The entire human race could change with unknown consequences. The main characters have to make a decision about what to do with the information. Meanwhile, on earth, several covert activities affecting the moon venture take place. Certain country leaders have a deeper agenda than that of the special energy project and particular people want Andrews out of the way. Colleen Barker, the congressman's chief of staff and Michael James (one of the main characters from Proctor's earlier novel, THE LAST STAR) help investigate.

MOONGATE is a dynamic science fiction, political thriller with Christian themes that add an extra special quality to the book. Each chapter is full of surprises. The storyline gradually unfolds so that all the characters and their actions are believable and hold your attention. The suspense is laid out so well that you can't wait to get to the next chapter. If you choose to read MOONGATE before bedtime, like I did, you may find it hard to get some sleep. You'll be sorely tempted to stay up all night to finish the book. I kept saying to myself, "Just one more chapter, then I'll put the book down. Just one more chapter." I always enjoy reading Proctor's books because they are not only entertaining but also educational.

Publishers Weekly comments that Proctor "shows promise of becoming the Christian Tom Clancy." That's no lie. I look forward to reading more of his books like MOONGATE.

Fafa Demasio

Moongate is an interesting and enlightening novel that blends elements of science fiction and faith.

The larger-than-life characters in the novel include scheming politicians, brilliant scientists, and diabolical terrorists.

When I embarked on this against-all-odds, high-stakes adventure I found intrigue and suspense, well-written dialogue, along with a well-explained tour of the miracles of science.

Mankind makes a revolutionary discovery in the novel that offers many answers. This scientific breakthrough suggests the possibility of a time when medical technology conquers death, cold fusion eliminates our energy crisis, and theoretical physics enables humanity to touch the edges of our universe.

The benefits of this discovery are obvious--maybe too obvious. The genius of the novel lies in its presentation of the moral and ethical questions that this revolutionary discovery raises. This modern day Tower of Babel's compelling view of the power of prayer offers a refreshing perspective

Moongate took me to a setting I can't wait to visit again. I plan to read Proctor's previous novel, The Last Star, and I hope for a sequel.

Just got done reading it.

Pros

1) The writing itself (prose, structure, etc.) is pretty good.

2) Many "cliffhanger" chapter breaks make it a page turner.

3) Good mix of international thriller and science fiction.

4) Some intriguing and exciting moments.

5) This book is somewhat billed as "Christian Sci-Fi". I was wondering how they would pull that off, and I thought they pulled it off pretty well.

Cons

1) If you haven't already read the description for this book, don't. It talks about stuff that happens past halfway in the book and you will find yourself wondering when you will get to that part. (If you haven't read a description, here is one that doesn't give too much away: A multi-national team travels to the moon in hopes of starting a fusion reactor that should supply all of mankind's power needs. However, some members of the team have a side experiment in mind as well, and some of those in power back on Earth are very interested in the results!)

2) I won't go into detail so an not to spoil the plot, but some of what the book talks about regarding data storage is illogical/inconsistent.

3) The ending is somewhat anti-climatic and leaves you hanging.

Moongate by William Proctor and David J. Weldon, M. D. is a novel for the science-minded individual.

The novel is set a few years into the future and presents some realistic predictions of technology that could conceivably develop by then, if some of it is not already here. Moongate is heavy with technology and suspense.

Scott Andrews is the central character. His job is to coordinate the construction of a laser-based fusion generator on the moon that will produce enough energy to allow Earth to forgo its dependency on fossil fuels for electricity.

An international team of scientists is headed for final training in Houston. Before all of them can arrive one of the members is killed in a car accident. His substitute is a Russian scientist with some suspicious philosophies. Andrews is unhappy with the new member and his associate, but there is nothing that can be done at that point without delaying the mission.

A series of accidents casts doubt on the success of the venture as the book unfolds. Scott Andrews receives information from his assistant back on Earth that exposes a secret, secondary experiment some of the team is planning. Can Andrews stop the experiment in order to focus on the primary mission in time? Then the group receives a mysterious message. What does it mean? Who sent it? What impact will it have on the final outcome of the mission?

Though the writing in Moongate was a little stiff and technical, I enjoyed the story.

While story kept my attention, I must complain that the book is not much like the blurb on the back cover. The worm hole piece of the story only comes into play on page 200, 2/3 of the way through the book. Save for the last hundred pages, the book is otherwise a standard spy thriller adventure.

I was moderately impressed by Proctor's previous novel, "The Last Star", and so looked forward to this collaborative effort. It turns out to be a sequel of sorts to the earlier work, with the protagonist from "The Last Star" appearing in a supporting role here. The book also leaves itself wide open for a third installment. And that is part of its problem.

The writing quality is definitely improved, but the hook of the novel is delayed until very late, and then left hanging. The idea of the human race coming into possession of information that would result in perfect health and indefinite lifespans is interesting, but not new - it is much better developed in Donald Moffitt's "Genesis Quest" and "Second Genesis" (and the means of getting the information is very similar in Moffitt too). However, the moral and ethical issues deserve close examination and Proctor and Weldon attempt to do this, but fail. Because the introduction of the information comes late in the book, the opportunity to investigate this aspect is limited to a brief discussion between a Christian Russian physicist and an agnostic American doctor on a moon station. Presumably, the ethical issues will be developed further in a third book. Given that the information is left, at the end of the book, in the hands of the Russian Mafia, this seems likely.

Additionally, a miraculous (literally) escape from a shootout at Kennedy Space Center in the closing chapters also rings untrue. It comes over as a very convenient deus ex machina device to get the main character out of a tough situation.

If this book was finished, I'd give it 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately, it ends right in the middle of the story, with the majority of the plotlines left unfinished and hardly any loose ends tied. And that's a shame, because up until the last few pages it's a really good book that is hard to put down (other reviewers have done a good job reviewing the actual story, so I won't repeat them here). But the authors either ran out of time in the middle of their story and had to hand something over to the publisher or think it's OK for a story to depend on a sequel rather than building the foundation for one. My recommendation is to wait until the sequel is published then buy both books together so you have a complete story.