#49. A FALL OF MOONDUST By Arthur C Clarke

Published : 1961
Pages : 224
Overall Mark : 8/10

Time is running out for the passengers and crew of the tourist-cruiser Selene, incarcerated in a sea of choking lunar dust while, on the surface, her rescuers find their resources stretched to the limit by the mercilessly unpredictable conditions of a totally alien environment. A brilliantly imagined story of human ingenuity and survival, A Fall Of Moondust is a tour-de-force of psychological suspense and sustained dramatic tension.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE (1917-2008)
Born in Somerset in 1917, but a long-time resident of Sri Lanka, Sir Arthur Clarke is the world's most famous living SF writer: author of the scientific paper which established the principle of communications satellites, collaborator with Stanley Kubrick on 2001, and winner of numerous awards for his novels, including Childhood's End, The City And The Stars and Rendezvous With Rama.

VERDICT
This novel manages to keep the tension rising right up until the last page, and proves to be one of Clarke's most suspenseful books. Packed with enough action to make a Hollywood blockbuster jealous, this short yet detailed take is a must read for any SF or Clarke fan, and will not disappoint, though the epilogue did feel a little unnecessary.