Brenda Cooper (1) (1960–)

The emphasis is all on the central character and her friends, and how they fit in (or don't) with the world around them. It's mostly about relationships, with the action a minor throw in here and there.
Think Anne McCaffery with a somewhat harder sci-fi background setting.

Other reviews mention it's hard to figure out the motivations of some of the characters. To me that's actually a plus. It puts you in the main character, trying to figure out the best thing to do.

It didn't thrill me, but I didn't hate it either, and the premise has lots of promise. It might have tipped into a four star if it wasn't such an obvious lead in for a series. It just barely stands alone.

All in all, a quick, OK read.… (more)

This was my first scifi novel featuring terraforming and thousands of years of time. (Although the main plot is shorter, the idea of more-time-than-a-normal-lifespan is throughout.) I found the idea stimulating and enjoyed watching the moon slowly come to life. Even more, the characters, especially Rachel, come to life over the course of the book. Rachel is a well-developed protagonist and grows to become a capable leader. She slowly realizes that the earth-born's plan to create antimatter and leave the moon will effectively be a death sentence to the moon-born, and has to figure out how to reconcile everyone's needs. I definitely found myself rooting for the main characters' success, while also understanding the earth-born characters' need to finish their mission and leave for their destination planet. The tension between the two parties is logical and well-developed, and the results were reasonable, without giving them away. I quite enjoyed this book.… (more)