A Fall of Moondust

By: Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Time is running out for the passengers and crew of the tourist cruiser Selene, incarcerated in a sea of choking lunar dust. On the surface, her rescuers find their resources stretched to the limit by the mercilessly unpredictable conditions of a totally alien environment. A brilliantly imagined story of human ingenuity and survival, A Fall of Moondust is a tour-de-force of psychological suspense and sustained dramatic tension by the field's foremost author.

©1961 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Old Fashioned Science Fiction

No aliens in this one. No ancient artifacts.

This is as if we actually had people living on the Moon. There is nothing far fetched about it. You actually feel like we could live on other planets. In this story we see what that would take. AC takes no easy ways out. It is a fast paced story with chapters that end with teasers. It totally captured my attention.

No one writes science fiction like this these days. Bova and Baxter come close. It is probably harder to write stuff that could be true, that is well researched then to make up stuff. AC keeps you entertained without the bells and whistles of modern day authors. There is no character development here. There is a small attempt at romance, but it is basically science and at eight hours it is the right size.

A couple of small problems, like the first time the boat sinks it stays horizontal (what are the chances of that?). And we never hear how bad it must smell in a enclosed area with lots of people for days and no shower. And I am pretty sure there is no dust deep enough for a boat to sink in, but ??

If you like science fiction with lots of science then you will love this book. It is also a great adventure.

Clarke Does It Again!!!

What made the experience of listening to A Fall of Moondust the most enjoyable?

First of all, Clarke has alway thought out the 'facts' of his worlds and his storylines. Who would have thought of sand behaving like a liquid? But then, Clarke was and is, foremost, a scientist and physicist who worked with NASA for many years and is one of the smartest people on this planet. I abosolutely love everything he writes, and a Fall of Moondust is imaginative,shows good character development as well as some suspense.

What did you like best about this story?

The tour guide service, where they were actually taking passengers on outings across the lunar surface on sightseeing tours!(ala Gilligans Island in this case)

Which scene was your favorite?

After the quake, the boat is sinking, and the Captain, not wanting to alarm his passengers, says, "I don't believe there's anything wrong yet, we can get out of this"

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Under the sands of Luna...nobody can hear you scream.

Maybe Clarke's most underrated work

Arthur C Clarke is, in my opinion, the greatest science fiction writer of all time. A Fall of Moondust is his most underappreciated work.

This hard science fiction story fits into another genre that I love. The near impossible survival story. Think 127 Hours, or The Martian, Endurance: Shackleton's Voyage, etc.

If either hard science fiction of stories of incredible survival appeal to you then you should absolutely give this one a shot. This is a master writer at the height of his powers.

Nail Biting

Gripping, spell bounding, nail biting story. Excellent story. Thought it would be boring but after the first chapter I stayed up to get to the end.

Lunar Poseidon adventure

Arthur C Clarke's A Fall of Moondust is a creative disaster tale on the moon. Clarke imagines a region of the lunar surface covered in so fine a dust and of such depth that it takes on the features of liquid resulting in a maritime environment. Into this mix he adds a tourist cruise that encounter a lunar geologic event that "sinks" the vessel and requires a rescue mission. Switching back and forth between the surface and the sunken ship, the tension rises as more and more problems emerge to hamper the rescue efforts.

While imagining so fine a dust as to behave like a liquid is the focal point of the tale, Clarke adds subtle, realistic details from the finding of the vessel to eventual mechanical breakdowns that utilize solid scientific principles to craft a believable story. The touch of media interest adds to the feel of breaking news. The injection of personal touches with the various main characters is a bit crude, but serves to round out the tale.

The narration is first rate with a respectable range of character distinction, although the females are strained. Pacing is aligned with the plot, although the tone doesn't always reflect the action.

for old science fiction, it is still relevant.

great performance with character voices that helped to keep the story alive. The tension during the suspenseful portions was nail biting!

old story that is yet to come

well written many years ago at rewrites see anticipated space explorations of mankind. It time when we inhabit, the moon, didn’t happen. But the story is really about the perseverance of man, so sacrifice for one’s neighbor, even though they just met. And, of course, love, Self-giving , self-sacrificing

A worthless story from a legendary author.

What would have made A Fall of Moondust better?

Nothing could have made this story better. I deleted the book after several chapters.

What was most disappointing about Arthur C. Clarke’s story?

Example: "everyone take their clothes off...". A consistent theme starting ten seconds into the book. It's a shame you can't have a book that is just good clean fun.

What three words best describe Oliver Wyman’s performance?

Good.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from A Fall of Moondust?

Too many to list, see "disappointing".

Any additional comments?

Audible should employ a credible rating system. This would help to avoid a purchase of a book that is unusable, a waste of time and money. By the way, this book did not actually qualify for the one "star" I had to give it.