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© 2004 by Baen Books Previously appeared in Analog (September – December 2003) and
Nowa Fantasyka (Winter 2003 Literary Supplement) Order today
from Amazon.com “This is a terrific book by an emerging
talent.” “Edward M. Lerner has given us a book that
strikes not only at the heart of each of us, but reflects the best and
worst of the human race while not once dipping into the clichéd,
goofy or 'shock for shock sake' story telling of a lesser writer.” “… Every time you think you
have a handle on what is happening, Lerner shifts the story in a
direction you just can't guess. … Much of the joy of this book are the
changes that Lerner rings, and the changes he puts us through. Buy this
book. It is fun, and well worth your time and money.” “In his
novel Moonstruck, physicist Edward M. Lerner operates proudly in the
classic hard-SF tradition of John W. Campbell and Robert A. Heinlein.
Lerner’s science is rigorously extrapolated, never sacrificing
plausibility for dramatic effect. SF fans weary of tech-moronic
Hollywood movies will find much to enjoy and admire in Moonstruck’s
hard-SF evocation of what might really happen if Earth made first
contact with an alien intelligence.” “… Political thriller/action reading at its
best.” |
A New Golden Age … or the
Apocalypse?
The moon has suddenly acquired its own satellite: a two-mile-across starship that represents a hitherto unsuspected Galactic Commonwealth. The F’thk, a vaguely centaur-like member species for whom Earth’s ecology is hospitable, have been sent to evaluate humanity for prospective membership. The F’thk are overtly friendly but very private – “Information is a trade good.” As Earth’s scientists struggle to understand their secretive appraisers, odd inconsistencies emerge. As troubling as those anomalies is the re-emergence of a bit of insanity humanity thought it had outgrown: Cold War and nuclear saber-rattling. The Galactics’ arrival may signify the start of a glorious new era, or it may presage the cataclysmic end of human civilization. Which outcome do the aliens really desire ... And what will they do if humanity refuses to play its assigned role? Reviewers comments: David Brin Winner of Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for best novel author of the Uplift series “Moonstruck
is inventive,
original and
ingenious, filled with well-thought-out detail which gives it
scientific credibility and political plausibility. The plot pulls you
in and the writing keeps you hooked right to the end.” “A great,
classic
first-encounter novel
for
the 21st century: think Childhood’s End, The Day the Earth Stood Still,
and
To Serve Man, served up with the cutting-edge media savvy of The
Apprentice. Lerner writes with grace, surety, humor, and political
wisdom that draws on sources ranging from Damocles to Churchill. I
snapped up this novel
on Cape Cod Bay, and learned anew why I relish science fiction.” “Moonstruck
is a rapid fire
technothriller
that puts fresh thrills into the first contact tale. Fast, original,
and will keep you guessing to the very last page.” “With
MOONSTRUCK, Ed Lerner
has presented
alien contact the way it most likely will happen; not with benevolent
super-beings who save us from ourselves in the nick of time, nor with
super-conquerors who enslave us all. No, Lerner’s aliens are deceptive,
conniving manipulators with their own agendas and their own
self-serving definition of right and wrong. In other words, they’re a
lot like us. Be very afraid.” “Take one
part Tom Clancy,
one part Hal
Clement, and one part Larry Niven, shake well, and you’ve got Edward
Lerner’s edge-of-your-seat day-after-tomorrow just-what-ARE-the-aliens
up to thriller, MOONSTRUCK. “An alien
invasion tale
like none you’ve
ever read, yet chillingly relevant to our times.”
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