Dragon on the Far Side of the Moon

In the near future, the United States finds itself losing the space race to China. The Chinese rocket Dragon, with her crew of eight taikonauts, makes a successful landing on the far side of the moon. Not wanting to lose in space, the U.S. employs private, profit-driven actors to place boots on the moon. With all that is happening with space exploration right now, I had high hopes for this novel because Wood’s technical aspects are spot on.

It’s evident that Wood did his research on space travel and the plausibility of establishing a human colony on the moon. The downside is that only a third of the novel takes place in space or on the moon. Wood’s approach may be a bit wonky for die-hard sci-fi fans. In quite a departure from action-oriented narratives, much of the novel takes place in meetings, with characters discussing and debating decisions. There’s also quite a bit of anti-Chinese rhetoric, as well as other political commentary. Some of the dialog can be uninspired and, at times, downright awkward.

If you are a fan of space travel novels, particularly moon-based novels, you’ll appreciate Wood’s detailed descriptions of space travel and life on the moon. With our current knowledge about advances in space flight and exploration, readers may recognize possible future scenarios for a moon colony.