Crescent

April 1, 2013
Hickam advances the plot of his war-on-the-moon Western Crater (2012), but not very far in this patchy sequel. Weary of the war with the Unified Countries of the World that has been dragging on now for three years, Crater Trueblood captures Crescent--a short, mouthy and thoroughly deadly genetically altered superwarrior from Earth. He is then faced with the tall task of keeping her from killing, or being killed by, the vengeful citizens of Moontown. Meanwhile, his estranged sweetheart, Maria, granddaughter of Moontown's kingpin Col. John High Eagle Medaris, barely blasts her way out of a UCW kidnap attempt. Switching among multiple points of view and genres, the author plunges Crater into a murder investigation after Crescent is framed and then abandons that for a flight through the "big suck" to a new life in Armstrong City. Following that, he reunites his protagonist with Maria in time to help her escape another explosive attack and finally has him guide a wagon train (complete with motorized "chuckwagon") of Mennonite-like settlers on a trek to Endless Dust, an abandoned lunar outpost rumored (accurately) to be haunted. A middle volume of entertaining but, at best, loosely knit set pieces; only for confirmed fans of the first. (Science fiction/fantasy. 11-14)

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January 1, 2014

Gr 6 Up-Crater Trueblood is no longer the naive, untested 16-year-old whom readers met in Crater (Thomas Nelson, 2013). Nearly three years of war have unfolded, with residents of Moontown conscripted to fight off endless waves of crowhoppers, leaving Crater battle-hardened and cynical. It seems inexplicable, then, when he captures rather than kills an enemy crowhopper. He brings it (or her, it turns out) back to Moontown, but Crescent, as she calls herself, is soon accused of a murder that Crater is sure she didn't commit. He sets out to find the killer and winds up a fugitive himself. Maria, Crater's former love interest, is nearly kidnapped, and a conspiracy seems to be building. In a structural departure from the first book, which was told largely from Crater's point of view, Crescent follows Crater, Crescent, and Maria in alternating chapters. While this allows readers to see both sides of Crater and Maria's romance and gives insight into Crescent's background and ideas, it also makes the narrative feel jumbled. More of the world that humans have created on the Moon is revealed, and the political and business intrigue is deepened. Crater's Wild West flavor has been traded in for a mystery vibe in Crescent. However, at their hearts, both novels are quintessential old-school science fiction, where the men are noble and logical, the women are emotional, and the geopolitical future rests on one savior's shoulders. Give this installation to fans of Orson Scott Card.-Gretchen Kolderup, New York Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2013
Grades 7-12 Readers don't need to have read Crater (2012) to enjoy the many pleasures of its sequel. And that's because the basic narrative parts Hickam uses are refreshingly straightforward; it's what he does with those parts that is so ingenious, fun, and, ultimately, heartwarming. There's a trio of 19-year-old main characters: soldier-scientist-pilot Crater Trueblood, an improbably named protagonist; the unforgettable title character, Crescent, who's the product of a Petri dish and trained to kill upon command; and Maria Medaris, self-described spoiled granddaughter of the richest man on the moon. Together, the three must survive an attack from the same mercenary forces in which Crescent once servedbefore Crater quasi adopted her, postbattle. Expertly blending space opera and hard sci-fi, romance, and even mystery (there's a detour for a nifty whodunit), this is fast paced, packed with intriguing ideas, and, in general, a mirror of the resourcefulness and multidimensionality of its hero.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)