Crater (A Helium-3 Novel)

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Crater never wanted to do anything but scrape his way through the dust on the moon, searching out stockpiles of helium-3 -- a valuable resource for powering the Earth. But when he saves the lives of several dust miners, Colonel Medaris wants him for a special mission. Crater is to retrieve a strange package coming from across space. A package that might just change the future of the entire moon. But with a convoy of truckers, the hard-headed granddaughter of the Colonel, and hundreds of miles to cover -- danger is bound to find him. And it does. Because someone else wants the package. Someone who will kill to get it.Homer Hickam brings his world of hard and technical science fiction to the young adult realm in CRATER, the first in a planned trilogy. The story comes across as part coming-of-age, part science fiction, part old-time western, and part political intrigue. It's a very strange brand, but on the whole, Hickam manages to pull it all off.Colorful, western-type characters fill the pages, from the Sheriff of Moontown, to the roadside inn operators along what is known as the "Dustway" -- a sprawling highway across the moon. But, Hickam has managed to throw in some interesting twists as well -- with genetically engineered races of people, who have seemed to reject their purpose and embrace far more sinister roles. From the warrior-like crowhoppers to the strange mining Umlaps, and something called Demons near the end, Crater definitely has his hands full facing off from one moment to the next.Crater himself seems a bit emotionless at times, and at several key moments, he seems a little bit numb to what is happening around him. He's not exactly a character that changes along the course of the book either, unless you consider seeing the world and realizing there is more to it a sense of character development.The whole book comes across a bit episodic, with only a slightly overarching storyline. Random events occur along the Dustway, as Crater and the truckers travel to meet the ship that will bring the mysterious package. Sometimes this dragged the book down a little, but other times, helped to break the monotony of what could have been a truly boring trek across the empty moonscape. Hickam seems to miss the mark here and there when it comes to the action sequences, telling readers straight up in a simplistic way what is happening, instead of drawing out the tension. He also seems to jump "heads" quite a bit, telling the story from multiple points of view in the same chapter.But even with a few bumps along the way, the story was still able to keep me interested throughout. The ending does come a little abruptly, and definitely leaves some open questions to be answered in the next two books. Overall, Hickam has delivered a hard science fiction novel that, while technical at points, will certainly fascinate readers who wonder exactly what life on the moon might look like.

Crater Trueblood is a bright kid, but very naive. On the Moon, naivete' is not an asset, but like the foolish brother in the fairy tales, Crater makes his way across the moon in a most unlikely series of adventures. How about a horse on the moon? A cat? Genetically engineered variations of humans, too, and spacesuits that are alive.Crater's constant companion is a gillie: a biological machine made of slime mold cells that is smarter than it looks. In some ways, the story reminds me of Robert A. Heinlein's Red Planet, but it's no ripoff. The style is light and amusing, and it is written for a juvenile audience while charming any adult readers (like me) who love a good example of juvenile fiction. I really enjoyed this a lot.The story does end a bit abruptly, but it's just obvious that a sequel is in the offing. I'll be happy to read that one, too. In fact, Homer Hickam will be on my list for pleasant reading from now on.

I am a huge fan of "Rocket Boys," and though it's been years since I read it, I remember the writing was so thoughtful and thought-provoking. I was really expecting a lot from this book, and the basic subject matter is terrific. The kind of wild west world created by different settlements on the Moon, and the vantage point of someone growing up there (Crater), who liked his life on the Moon, and who was an innocent but good person, sets up all kinds of possibilities for a great story. So I was surprised that the depictions of the characters were so simply formed and that the story itself didn't give a lot of depth. I expected a lot more sophistication from this writer -- clearly a lot of thought was given to the complexity of life on the Moon, the advances of technology, and how society evolved, but a lot of it is not clearly explained (I thought maybe I mistakenly jumped into the middle of a series rather than the beginning). For example, other reviewers have mentioned how important the Gillie is to the story, but it's really not described clearly what it is; in addition,the use of other slang and words for weapons, weaponry, and technology is used that the reader has to figure out - is that something analogous to something we have today, or its it something invented in this story? If this is a series geared towards younger readers, given the writing style, I probably won't continue.

It is a amazing book over all. The only reason I didn’t add another star is because it gets boring in a few parts but it keep you on the edge of your seat most of the time.

Science, math, and English teachers are going to love this book. "CRATER" is wild romp across vast stretches of the lunar landscape that is reminiscent of the Wild, Wild West. Just as California minors used to push 20 mule-team borax conveys across the Mohave Desert, teen Crater joins a future and very modern Helium 3, or Hel-3,convoy across the Moon's vast empty stretches. Homer Hickam keeps the reader guessing and in suspense as the story twists and turns between Luna and Earth. Hickam's many years as a NASA engineer bring science and realism to the world he masterfully creates. Although by no means a text book, Homer's descriptions of the 22d century tech embody the best ideas coming out of NASA - Marshall Space Flight Center. CRATER is a page turner that is impossible to put down. It is well written, informative, and provocative, without gratuitous sex, violence, or foul language. Take note librarians: CRATER is a must for inclusion on summer reading lists . Keep writing Homer your fans await the upcoming sequels.  Back to the Moon: A Novel   Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1)   Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space (Kindle Single)   October Sky (Special Edition)

The idea is interesting, the setting amazing but the story is cheese and soft as a super hero naive tale.

This is my first book I have read from Homer Hickman and although the beginning was a little slow, the character Crater was enjoyable. He showed courage, strength, and love for even his enemies. I look forward to his next book and have already down loaded it.

Good