Customer Reviews

Moonseed Mm

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Moonseed is a SF drama documenting the release on Earth of a planet-devouring nanovirus. The "Moonseed" infection starts in Scotland and induces an extremely ancient volcano to erupt again. Then the Moonseed continues spreading, apparently unstoppable as it heads down through the Earth's crust and towards the mantle where it would wreak complete havoc. So begins the desperate race to save humanity.

The geology and space travel aspects of this novel are thoroughly grounded in research, allowing Baxter to achieve tenability on top of the entertainment, unlike other sci-fi authors who are merely entertaining. Or even worse, unbelievable AND unentertaining (*cough* The Millennial Project *cough)! It's a hefty novel at over 650 pages, but it seemed much shorter to me due to the quick and continuous plot development. Being an engineer and amateur astronomer, my attention didn't wander during the more technical passages. In fact, I was captivated during Baxter's description of the voyage to the Moon and the sojourn there. If you're not technically inclined, perhaps 5-10% of the book may be heavy going. Fortunately, the other 90-95% is easily understood and enjoyed by the layman.

Thanks to the novel's level of science, I somewhat believe now that we could return to the Moon for under $2 billion if need be. I have a much better grasp now of the power of "Act of God" disasters like volcanoes and earthquakes. Areas that did not seem convincing to me: politics (funding without adequate explanations), speed of infrastructure failure (far too rapid), harenodynamics (wacky alternate method of landing on the Moon), Henry's solution (I won't spoil it here), and a few others. Also the Moonseed itself is not satisfactorily researched during the course of the book, although the ending implies that humanity is on its way to discovering its secrets.

The overall tone of the novel is somewhat pessimistic. I think the gloominess adds to the prose and makes it more believable; previous reviewers have construed it as evidence of Baxter's nihilism. Whether you appreciate the dark mood or not, there certainly are quite a few morbid scenes in the novel that are more for dramatic effect than enriching the plot. Characterization of the main players is decent (I really got to like Henry!) but there seems to be a bit of unnecessary quarreling. Geena seems to be in perpetual PMS. Minor characters are generally flat and underdeveloped.

Overall, recommended for sci-fi buffs and readers with an interest in end-of-the-world scenarios.

I am an avid fan of "hard" science fiction - stories where accurate, highly detailed science is so integral to the plot that the book would not function without it. Moonseed places well in this category. Baxter is very adept at creating a boogeyman out of cutting-edge scientific theory, and his characters use science and modern technology in a complex, intellectual manner to solve the problem. His choice of a geologist as protagonist was interesting, and it worked; this is the first hard-SF novel I have read where an intimate knowledge of geology provided the key to resolving the plot's main conflicts. Baxter's handling of science reminds me of decorated hard-SF veteran Gregory Benford - and that is high praise.

An even better point was Baxter's description of Earth-Moon travel. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever daydreamed of a successor to the Apollo program or of going back in time to plant a moon-boot in the regolith next to Neil Armstrong. I would venture to say that this book is really *about* returning to the moon, and that the Moonseed is merely there to provide an excuse to do so. Regardless, it is a fun vicarious journey.

With all the above traits to recommend it, this book should have qualified for five stars. But it didn't. Baxter clearly loves and knows his science, but whenever he strays from it - say, into character development, or the more mundane details of life - his writing suffers. Characters sometimes do things that don't seem consistent with their personalities. Details are dropped or glossed over. For example, a man with badly cracked ribs can barely move in one scene, but only hours later is walking around with little hinderance. Astronauts forget some fairly basic elements of mission planning in a manner that is too obviously a plot device to set up a later scene. And too many characters decide to give up their lives in various suicidal endeavors, with no real development of _why_ the person no longer wishes to live.

I don't advise you to avoid this book, because it has some unique good qualities. But limit your expectations.

Moonseed was a great book. The science is right, the theories are excellent and well written. This was the first Stephen Baxter book I read, and I now own almost all his books. He is that good. He is very intelligent, and he does his homework. The plot is a little far out, but the way he writes it, it could be happening right now. I loved this book, and if you are into good sci-fi with real science, you will, too!

Found the geology knowledge interesting sicne
I'm not that familiar with geology!

Book a bit long but still got through the book
since was interested in figuring the whole
moon subject.

I have currently read two of Baxter's books, Ring and Moonseed. Moonseed is currently rated in my top 10 books ever read and I highly recommend it. It tells the story from so many points of view, making it wonderful and it grips you into the story. You feel like you really get a chance to know the characters..

An excellent yarn and susprisingly good point of view narrative that doesn't jump so much, and sticks to the main chap pretty well. If you read the later Manifold Time/Space books this will seem a little familiar in places, with ongoing Baxter themes (the world uniting to get into space to avert disaster, terraforming the moon, earth travelogue, weird stuff going on in the solar system, big alien stuff that 'might not be evil'). Still, if you like hard SF, mixed with the geo-political intrigue, conflict, and will he/won't she ... along with all that quantum what's up ... it's great stuff. Baxter is really doing some great stuff, but his next hard SF books are going to have to come up with some new plot devices :)

I picked this book up when the local Crown Books was going bankrupt and closing their doors. It took me a little while to get into the book, but once the seed started to grow in Scotland, I was hooked. The ending seemed a little abrupt and I'm not sure I can believe that with what happens to the Earth, the Moon would be unaffected.

Overall, though, a fun read.

This is my fourth foray into Baxterland (previous reads Voyage, Titan, Manifold: Time, in descending order). For the first 120-odd pages, I was extremely hopeful Baxter had conquered his biggest bugaboo-- creating characters we can really CARE about. His main man, geologist Henry Meacher, showed dangerous signs of HUMANITY early on. True to form, however, by mid-book, he had reverted to form as an emotionless scientific wonk viewing the destruction of the world and everything in it with clinical detachment (indeed, with a kind of perverse glee). Other annoying Baxterisms include his tendancy to essentially plaigerize his research materials, lifting long passages of books like "Diary of a Cosmonaut" (yes, I'm one of the eight or so other folks who read the English language version) and "To A Rocky Moon" almost verbatim (as he did in the otherwise excellent "Voyage" with the "Angle of Attack"). Other reviewers have noted his fundamental nihilsim: It becomes evident fairly early on that Baxter hates humanity and thinks it deserves destruction, a theme that also runs strongly through "Titan" and the awful "Manifold: Time." This might be a valid view to hold, but it's certainly not my cup of tea. Another infuriating trademark is his tendency to set up a situation in painstaking detail, then seemingly get bored with the whole idea (or suddenly realize, "cripes--I've wasted 140,000 words on what should be the first third of the book--got to end it NOW!")and launch into "and ten years later... and another ten years..." mode. Finally, for a guy who seems to understand the basic mechanics of spaceflight so well, he takes some incredibly wild leaps into "Abbot And Costello Go To Mars" land. You mean to tell me Henry Meacher has not been briefed on the basic flight profile of the moon mission HE CREATED before he's blasted into space? How can a lunar geologist who's spent his entire career with NASA be so CLUELESS about space flight 101?

Why do I keep reading Baxter? I keep thinking he'll surprise me by turning out another space epic like "Voyage," something that mixes nuts-and-bolts-and-turbopump mechanics with real HUMAN characters, something with a basically upbeat vision of mankind's future. So far, no good.

I'm giving MOONSEED three stars because there's no "two and a half stars" rating. It's a ... sight better than his more recent "Manifold: Time" (indeed, Baxter's books seem to get worse as time goes on), but maybe a tad behind "Titan" and nowhere near as good as "Voyage."

By page fifty I was considering putting this book down out of frustration at waiting for something to happen. But I decided to skim for a bit, give it another 25 pages, and I am very glad I did. The first portion of the book builds slowly, emphasizing character development, and starting around page 74, the whole thing takes off (ahem) like a rocket: the next 580 pages or so flew by.

I was surprised into laughter when I saw that some recent reviews here complain about the book's "fantasy," unsympathetic characters, and "hard science nihilism." None of those accusations have any connection with this novel. The science is detailed and constant without being tedious, the characters are sympathetic without being sappy, and in retrospect the overall tone of the book is remarkably hopeful.

Read this book. If you like hard, human science fiction, you'll enjoy it.

Forget the high-minded "great science" reviews. The story goes, quite literally, nowhere. This is not the return of "hard science" science fiction... it's the birth of hard science nihilism. All human effort not only comes to naught, but is "ironically" self-defeating. The noblest human efforts contain the "seeds" (wink-wink) of destruction. And not just destruction, but the implosion of both earth, humankind, and hope itself. There are no real characters here, only wind-up self-destruct dolls programming to either destroy, screw-up, or surrender in the paralysis of ennui. Why is it that the science journals and others rave about this so much? I doubt that very many who purchase the book on the basis of the rave cover blurbs actually make it more than halfway through.