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Moonwar
The U.N. threatens to take over Moonbase because it won't stop using
nanotechnology...
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Moonwar
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By Ben Bova
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Avon Books
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$23.00/$30.00 Canada
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Hardcover, March 1998
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ISBN 0-380-97303-0
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Review by Clinton Lawrence
 even years have passed since the events of Moonrise, the first novel of Ben Bova's Moonbase Saga. Doug Stavenger, who had to kill his brother Greg to prevent the destruction of Moonbase in the first novel, is now the base's leader. But Moonbase's existence is threatened again, this time by Georges Faure, the new Secretary General of the United Nations. Moonbase needs nanotechnology to extract elements from the lunar regolith to survive. But spurred by the New Morality movement, nanotechnology has been outlawed on Earth. Faure threatens to send a U.N. force to Moonbase to force it to comply with the nanotech ban. In response, Moonbase declares independence and files for membership in the U.N. with the World Court. As a sovereign nation, Moonbase wouldn't have to comply with the ban because it hasn't signed the treaty.
Meanwhile, an agent has been planted within Moonbase to assassinate Stavenger, his mother Joanna Brodny, and other leaders. Faure ignores Moonbase's declaration and sends troops to force a surrender. With the force arrives, Edith Elgin, a reporter for a major news network. But while Moonbase doesn't have conventional defenses, it uses its nanotechnology to create a barrier to entry, which the troops refuse to cross. The troop commander, frustrated, commits a blunder that results in his own death. Despite orders, Edith rushes into Moonbase. The troops, seeing no way out of the standoff, agree to leave. Edith, with Moonbase cooperation, sends reports back to Earth showing what really happened, and public opinion begins to swing toward Moonbase. But Faure and his New Morality backers are more determined than ever to take Moonbase, and the agent has not yet begun to act.
Great suspense, superficial politics...
As a suspense novel, Moonwar is a fine effort. Bova is precise and convincing with the tactical details of the war, and the novel is exciting throughout. Because no one in Moonbase has military experience (except the planted agent), and because there are no weapons, the crew of scientists has to improvise unconventional responses to threats. The brainstorms, and the creative solutions that arise from them, are a great deal of fun to read. While the everyday details of lunar life are more in the background in Moonwar than they were in Moonrise, Bova provides a number of scenes which bring out these details very effectively.
Unfortunately, the supporting details of the political issues at the heart of the conflict between the U.N. and Moonbase leave a lot to be desired. The leaders of Moonbase, once they decide to declare independence, never really even think about the kind of political structure they want to establish. Perhaps Bova has plans to explore this in another novel. Even more troubling is the rather simplistic portrayal of the conflict between the anti-science New Morality and the nanotechnology advocates. Bova has several opportunities to give this debate some depth, but always shows those opposed to nanotechnology as either fanatical or pursuing selfish personal goals.
Flaws aside, Moonwar is still a novel well worth reading. If nothing else, Bova has certainly created what is, to date, probably the most realistic exploration of human settlement on the moon.
In case anyone's wondering, I don't disagree with Bova's political stance on nanotechnology as presented here. I just think that if you're not going to go beyond demonizing the opposition, your arguments are going to seem shallow unless you're writing a satire. And this isn't a satire.
-- Clint
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Commitment Hour
It's perfectly normal for the children of Tober Cove to spend half their
life as girls and half as boys
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Commitment Hour
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By James Alan Gardner
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Avon Books
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$5.99/$7.99 Canada
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Paperback, April 1998
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ISBN 0-380-79827-1
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Review by Susan Dunman
 he 25th century offers remarkable technological advances for everyone except those remaining on Earth. When extraterrestrials arrived during the 21st century to offer peace and advanced technology for anyone willing to leave Earth, most of the population made an easy decision to forsake their war-torn, polluted planet and head for the stars. Those left behind can't maintain their own technology and gradually migrate to isolated settlements scattered throughout the world. Tober Cove is one such community--a primitive village with its own unique customs and religion. Summer solstice is the most sacred day in the town's life, especially for 20-year-old Fullin, who undertakes a night-long vigil to prepare for his upcoming Commitment Day decision.
As with every adult in the village, Fullin alternates sexual identity each year, becoming female one year and changing to male the next. The gods decree that at the age of 20, individuals must evaluate their separate sexual selves and "commit" to permanently becoming male, female, or both. Because town law demands expulsion or execution of anyone choosing the "both" option, Fullin is shocked to have his Commitment Eve reverie broken by a hermaphrodite who had been exiled from Tober Cove 20 years earlier.
The "neut" is accompanied by Spark Lord Rashid, a member of the dynasty that rules over what's left of civilization. Having heard about Tober Cove's annual sex change ritual, Rashid asks to observe the town's Commitment Day celebration. Suspecting that the inhabitants are descendants of some long-deserted social experiment gone awry, the Spark Lord begins to unravel mysteries which will change Tober Cove forever.
"Battle of the sexes" takes on a whole new meaning
The search for sexual identity is definitely not a new topic in SF, but James Alan Gardner gives the subject an interesting twist by allowing readers to view gender roles through the eyes of the Tober Cove community. The village is full of attention-grabbing folk who calmly encourage their children to leave home for one day each year and come back as a member of the opposite sex.
Character development is not very deep, even for main character Fullin, who guides readers through a strange new world that's more medieval than modern. Fullin's casual explanations regarding customs of Tober Cove serve to pique curiosity about what really is going on in this town. Descriptions of Master Crow and Mistress Gull arriving each year to take children to Birds Home, where they receive new bodies, effectively sets the stage for a puzzling mystery just begging to be solved.
Science fiction has always provided an excellent lens through which to observe societal values and Gardner does an admirable job of exploring the impact of faith, tradition, and superstition on human behavior. The possible benefits, as well as distractions, inherent in a society where individuals have the opportunity to both father and give birth to a child are also explored. Just as the Patriarch's Man and Mocking Priestess insure both genders are given equal representation in Tober Cove, Gardner manages to give equal weight to the villagers' perceptions and actual circumstances in a way that maintains suspense and moves the story along to a surprising conclusion.
A fast, rainy-day read that's not too fluffy or profound. Made me wonder what choice I would make on Commitment Day.
-- Susan
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