Moontown is like any other American mining town, full of long shifts and kids dreaming about the outside world. Except, of course, it’s on the moon. Sixteen year old Crater Trueblood is one of the few who seem happy working helium-3 mines, unlike his best friend Pedro. But Crater is a rare, honest man in a world full of people running from their pasts, and the Colonel has a job it seems only Crater is qualified for – a job that becomes more and more like a quest the further Crater gets from Moontown. The clock is ticking, genetically modified warriors are hunting him, and the Colonel’s granddaughter has caught his eye, and those are only the beginning of the problems Crater will face as he crosses the moon.

I am probably not the most impartial reviewer for this book. As a teenager, I watched October Sky, a movie based on Homer Hickam’s life, and it remains my favorite movie. The story of a young man doing what seemed impossible to follow his dream was deeply inspiring. I have read all Mr. Hickam’s Coalwood books and several of his novels and jumped at the chance to give his new YA book a try. Many of his other books contain language or situations that make them questionable for younger readers, and I had high hopes that Crater would prove to be a book more accessible for younger fans of his life and works.

It turned out that Crater lived up to those hopes as well as the precedents for well rounded characters and exciting plots that Mr. Hickam’s other books have set. Despite the fact that Crater was intended for a younger audience, I found it a compelling read. It raised deep questions about the definitions of “living” and “human” and about what bravery really looks like.  I loved the numerous nods to real people and events from the space race.  But what was truly astounding was the amount of detail that went into the settings. On one hand, we’ve all seen pictures of the moon, but on the other hand, I doubt many people really understand what setting up a colony on the moon would entail. Despite the old western town feel of the setting, it is made abundantly clear that very little is standing between the characters and death.

Despite the bucket load of information weaved naturally into the narrative, I did find myself wishing for more explanations occasionally. One of the great things about the story is that Crater actually doesn’t know all that much about the moon outside Moontown, so the reader can discover it along with him. But I still felt like there was a great deal more to know about gillies, Umlaps, and especially the crowhoppers. However, since Crater is the first book in the series, it’s quite plausible that more answers await in future books. I know that I for one will be eager to return to the world of Crater Trueblood and to the Moon.

My thanks to BookSneeze for sending me a review copy of Crater, in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.