A Fall of Moondust

Arthur C. Clarke

This is a well done Poseidon Adventure on the Moon. Pat Harris, skipper, and Sue Wilkins, guide, take 20 tourists in the small moon boat Selene for a routine tour of the moon. This group is lucky. It is still nighttime for their tour, which makes their views more spectacular.

Though rare, moonquakes do happen. The Selene was not near the quake. They were over a sea of powdery fine dust, the aptly named Sea of Thirst. The quake releases a bubble that comes through the dust. The bubble bursts as Selene is going over it. The tiny boat is caught in the suction and buried in moondust.

At Port Roris, the boat is realized missing when it fails to make its hourly contact. The people at the base fear the Selene is trapped underneath the mountain rocks that fell during the quake. A newsman is travelling to his new post on the Moon when his spaceship is diverted to Port Roris. He smells a story and stays.

Although this novel was written in the late 1950's before much was truly known about the surface of the moon, it still holds its own. The dustbowls described do not exist on the explored surface, but are still possible, though not likely. And this is a saga. The passengers must learn to tolerate each other and cooperate. There are many unexpected obstables. The rescuers have to find a solution to rescue the group without drowning them in dust. The newsmen want to get their story, preferably with a happy ending.

I was well satisfied with this book. Although it is currently out of print, it is worth finding at the library or a used book store.

Moonrise by Ben Bova