Crescent
Crescent
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Paperback ©2013--
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Thomas Nelson
Just the Series: Helium-3 Vol. 2   

Series and Publisher: Helium-3   

Annotation: Crater Trueblood, doubting the justice of the war he fights and the evil of enemies he was trained to hate, brings Crescent, an apparently female Crowhopper, to Moontown as his prisoner but soon both are fugitives, fleeing prejudice and cruelty in hostile territory.
Genre: [Science fiction]
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #6567823
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Copyright Date: 2013
Edition Date: 2013 Release Date: 05/28/13
Pages: 328 pages
ISBN: 1-595-54663-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-595-54663-0
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2012051410
Dimensions: 22 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

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 served fore 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.

School Library Journal (Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 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

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)
School Library Journal (Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)
Word Count: 77,391
Reading Level: 5.4
Interest Level: 7-12
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.4 / points: 12.0 / quiz: 165640 / grade: Middle Grades+

She was born to kill, born to die. Crescent is a crowhopper--a genetically modified mercenary programmed for ruthless warfare. When she's taken prisoner by Crater Trueblood instead of being killed in battle, she thinks it's a disaster. Crater is weary of war. He's a miner, not a soldier. He'd rather be mining Helium-3 than battling the infernal crowhoppers. But after he captures Crescent and brings her to Moontown, he's surprised how much he enjoys her company. When she's falsely accused of murder, he becomes an outlaw to help her escape. The unlikely pair escapes into the "big suck" and wind up trekking with a caravan of mining pioneers toward a lunar ghost town called Endless Dust. To survive, they must do more than navigate the beautiful, desolate moonscape and battle a persistent band of crowhoppers sent to capture or kill them. They must decide what--and who--is truly worth fighting for. "Expertly blending space opera and hard sci-fi, romance, and even mystery . . . this is fast-paced, packed with intriguing ideas . . ." --Peter Gutierrez, Booklist Review "Classic Golden Age science fiction high-adventure. It brought back memories of reading Asimov . . . that same sense of wonder. I absolutely loved it." --Michael Scott, New York Times Best-selling Author, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series


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