Moonrise

By: Ben Bova

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

A 21st century U.S. aerospace company has developed the first permanent human settlement on the Moon, made possible by major scientific breakthroughs, particularly in the practical use of nanotechnology (microscopic machines which can build structures on the moon using lunar raw materials as well as correct damage done to the human body by illness and injury.) But conflict within the company's founding family and growing protests against the technology from radical environmentalists and religious fundamentalists on Earth put Moonbase in danger of closure. Former astronaut and brilliant visionary Paul Stavenger must prevent the project from falling into the wrong hands as a power struggle leads to murder and the near destruction of Moonbase.

©1996 Ben Bova (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This exciting, realistic near-future tale is an essential purchase for sf collections." ( Library Journal)
"Bova's picture of life on the moon and the technology necessary to sustain it is highly believable." - ( Publishers Weekly)

Gripping Story

This was my first Ben Bova book! Generally I am not a fan of Science Fiction but this author knows how to make the story gripping! I recommend him!
I will be listening to the next Moon Book.

An Unexpected Surprise!

I don't usually go for this type of genre and was pleasantly surprised by realism of the content. It is almost futuristic-ally believable. The narration was deep, soft yet peaked my continued interest in the story line.

Another masterpiece of Ben Bova

Another book in the "grand tour" series is now done - And it was the Moonrise book.

This book in the series is the first book about the expanding solar system and the humans expansion.

The plot starts of with a murder.

The head of mastersons industies, Gregory Masterson commits what looks like a suicide. His son Greg with his wife Joanna blames Joannas new love, Paul to be the blame for the suicide if not the killer. Ths ongoing plot continues through the hole book and infests the relation between Greg and Joannas new son Doug.

In between this major plot is small subplots. The startup problems of Moonbase, a base at the Alphonsus crater at the moon.

The struggling and problematic use of nanotechnology when the "nano"-luddites make the use almost forbidden on the earth.

In this, Ben Bova also give a hash slap at "New Morality". A fundamental rise of all religious principles, Jew, Muslim, Christian, etc, that forms this new group and makes demands of all universities and people and demands more morality and fosters censorship. A bit of scary predictions of what can happens if we don't keep free speech open.

As usual Stefan Rudnicki makes and excellent narration of the book and his different voices of the different characters in the books make for a very easy and enjoyable read.

A plus 5 read for sure.

Loved it, and NOPE, I didn't ruin it for myself!

I listened to the second Moonbase book, MoonWar, first. Bova did an excellent job of filling in the backstory of this book, so I really didn't think I was missing too much. However, it kept bugging me not knowing the full story of how MoonBase got started.

Well, I finally got around to listening to MoonRise, and it is more than what I was expecting! Alot more! The drama in this one is thick. This first MoonBase book is extremely emotional. It seems that every other character has some kind of personality disorder: schizophrenia, physchosis, delusions of grandeur, oedopis complex, bipolar, separation anxiety, and megalomania, just to name a few!

Don't get me wrong, all of the characters are developed with precision, and cunning, and all of the personality disorders makes for some wicked drama! This story really completed the mental picture of the Masterson corporation, the Stavengers, and all of the lunatics up at MoonBase.

It's ironic now, because I will have to listen to MoonWar again, to fully appreciate what I was missing the first time around.

Stephan Rudnicki does a superb job in this one. He nails pretty much all of the characters. I like it when he narrates in the voice of the character at times when that particular character is deep in thought, especially in a high stress situation. There is something quite profound in this type of narration, and I've never realized it before in an Audiobook. It truly places you in the mind of that character, getting you to rationalize hypothetical scenarios, as if you the listener, had a real stake in the output of the reasoning going on in a fictitious character's mind!

In aggregate, MoonRise is a winner, you won't regret it, even though it is very lengthy.

Typical Ben Bova Awesomeness

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely yes, certainly if you like deep character development intertwined with interesting science. Ben Bova's writing is stellar, deep and loaded with descriptive detail. Get this book if this is your thing.

What did you like best about this story?

I noticed that this book was actually tied into the Mars series by Bova. In Mars 1 or 2, I can't really remember, Moonbase and the Stavenger-family were mentioned, which made it extra interesting for me to check it out. And I wasn't disappointed, because Moonrise is very similar to Mars, in the sense that Bova forges a bond between the reader and his characters, whilst going out of his way to describe the futuristic world that surrounds his aforementioned characters.

I'll be sure to get back to this book in a couple of years.

What about Stefan Rudnicki???s performance did you like?

Stefan Rudnicki is one of the best Audible narrators around. His deep, rich voice makes any story interesting. It's fascinating how he can differentiate between characters without falling into over-acting. I'll listen to any book by Rudnicki.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole book was just a great experience. I can't really pinpoint a particular passage, I just loved everything about it. As a side note, you'll notice that this book is slightly dated technology-wise, but it's easily disregarded. Particularly funny are his mentions of

Any additional comments?

It's a pity there aren't any other reviews for this book (so far), it certainly deserves more praise. If you've read the Mars series by Ben Bova, Moonrise is a logical continuation. Bova has developed an interesting universe with Mars, the Moon and just about every other planet in our solar system. I'll be sure to pay them all a visit.

Action packed Narrator poor

Great on intrigue and action. Appreciate what seems like real conditions to mange for living on the moon. The narrator is terrible at making various distinguishing voices. All you know is whether a female or male is speaking. There are many better performers to make these great Ben Bova stories really come to life.

I loved it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would, it was a great read.

What about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance did you like?

I liked everything about his performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was

Very good listening book kept you wondering

You kind of knew what was going to happen but the way to get there was good

Familial corporate shenanigans on the moon

Ben Bova's Moonrise is a solid sci-fi tale of settling the moon by a corporation against the backdrop of societal resistance to nanotechnology. Moonbase is the fledgling attempt to eke out profits via industry on the moon. Although there a long setup, eventually the plot comes down to two half-brothers with very different visions for the moon in their corporation's future. One brother (with a dark secret) has mental issues, while the other is overly idealistic. This all unfolds within a corporation dominated by their mother and a world turning its back on the emerging field of nanotechnology.

Bova crafts a respectable sci-fi plot creatively weaving in the emerging technology of nanofabrication as well as a global backlash against this new science. While the moon scenes are quite good, his view of the corporate world dominated by its board seems a bit naive as the assumption is that executive success leads to a board seat. At the same time, the global resistance to nanotechnology may have been topical for its time (the 90's), but it hard to imagine every country lining up against it so solidly.

The narration is excellent with very good character distinction and smooth pacing.

Moon Rise

As always Mr. Bova has done a wonderful job in this story.
Splendid characterizing and story line, with enough real science to keep a cranky old geek like me hooked.
Sleep well Mr. Bova.