A mining colony on the moon. A teen sent on a deadly mission. And a secret bigger than two worlds.
It’s the 22nd Century. A tough, pioneering people mine the moon for Helium-3 to produce energy for a desperate, war-torn Earth.
Sixteen-year-old Crater Trueblood loves his job as a Helium-3 miner. But when he saves a fellow miner, his life changes forever. Impressed by his heroism, the owner of the mine orders Crater to undertake a dangerous mission. Crater doubts himself, but has no choice. He must go.
With the help of Maria, the mine owner’s frustrating but gorgeous granddaughter, and his gillie—a sentient and sometimes insubordinate clump of slime mold cells—Crater must fight both human and subhuman enemies. He’ll battle his way across a thousand miles of deadly lunar terrain and face genetically altered super warriors in his quest to recover an astonishing object that will alter the lives of everyone on the moon.
“Crater shows what is would be like to live on the Moon: to work there, to struggle, and to triumph. A fine piece of work.” —Ben Bova, author of Leviathans of Jupiter
“Classic science-fiction storytelling in the style of early Heinlein, humor, and grand adventure permeate every page of this first book in a trilogy. Boys in particular may be inspired to bring back the time-honored tradition of reading by flashlight under the covers.” —School Library Journal
“Illuminates the age-old impulses of human nature against the backdrop of a strange new way of life on the moon. Crater’s unwavering honesty sometimes obscures his fierce intelligence; both qualities serve him well. Written in tight prose with evocative descriptions of life on the moon, the story … concludes with enough resolution to satisfy readers and enough foreshadowing to make them eager for more.”—Publishers Weekly