Ratings16
Average rating3.9
Optioned for TV by CBS in a massive deal, Ian McDonald's Luna trilogy has already been acclaimed as one of the most exciting and important SF series of the decade. This is Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy for a new generation; perfect SF for fans of Gravity and The Martian looking for a wider canvas and large-scale thriller format. Akin to the mafia families of The Godfather, the families of the five Dragons who control the rich resources of the moon are locked in an endless and vicious struggle for supremacy and now the peace that reigned while the moon was colonised is breaking down. Which of the scions of the dragons will gain supremacy? Or will the moon, with its harsh vacuum, it's freezing dark and blazing, irradiated light be the final winner?
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Wolf Moon est le deuxième tome de la trilogie de science-fiction Luna de l'écrivain britannique Ian McDonald. La quatrième de couverture promettait les mêmes ingrédients qui m'avaient plu dans le premier volume :
A Dragon is dead. Corta Helio, one of the five family corporations that rule the Moon, has fallen. Its riches are divided up among its many enemies, its survivors scattered. Eighteen months have passed . The remaining Helio children, Lucasinho and Luna, are under the protection of the powerful Asamoahs, while Robson, still reeling from witnessing his parent's violent deaths, is now a ward–virtually a hostage– of Mackenzie Metals. And the last appointed heir, Lucas, has vanished of the surface of the moon. Only Lady Sun, dowager of Taiyang, suspects that Lucas Corta is not dead, and more to the point—that he is still a major player in the game. After all, Lucas always was the Schemer, and even in death, he would go to any lengths to take back everything and build a new Corta Helio, more powerful than before. But Corta Helio needs allies, and to find them, the fleeing son undertakes an audacious, impossible journey–to Earth. In an unstable lunar environment, the shifting loyalties and political machinations of each family reach the zenith of their most fertile plots as outright war erupts.
Le récit reprend dix-huit mois après la fin du premier volume ; les survivants de la famille Corta sont séparés, exilés ou cachés :
- Lucas, présumé mort par sa famille et ses ennemis, s'est réfugié in-extremis dans un vaisseau qui fait l'aller-retour entre la Terre et la Lune et cherche à rejoindre la Terre, au péril de sa vie, pour assouvir sa vengeance contre ceux qui ont provoqué la chute de sa famile
- Ariel, protégée par Marina dans les hauteurs de Meridian, tente de sauver sa carrière d'avocate à succès tout en navigant dans les hautes sphères politiques
- Wagner, le fils maudit, est réduit à travailler à la surface comme mercenaire au service des Sun
- Robson, le fils orphelin de Rafa, a treize ans et a été récupéré par les Mackenzie, la famille de sa mère
- Lucashino, désormais âgé de dix-neuf ans mais toujours aussi immature, est en exil à Twé, protégé par les Asamoahs, la famille de sa petite amie Abena
Ce deuxième volume est dans la lignée du premier, avec des intrigues, des complots, des histoires de famille, et de l'action spectaculaire. Les lignes bougent, les alliés d'hier peuvent devenir les ennemis de demain, au gré des surprises, des retournements de situation et des trahisons qui s'enchainent tout au long du roman. Par rapport au premier tome, le récit est un moins centré sur les Corta, nous découvrons un peu plus les entrailles des familles MacKenzie et Sun.
Il n'y a toutefois pas que des histoires de vengeance et de complots, l'auteur nous offre également des moments très forts dans d'autres registres. J'ai notamment été très marqué par le chapitre qui raconte le voyage de Lucas vers la Terre, avec tout l'entraînement indispensable et la souffrance que son corps, né sur la Lune, subit sous la gravité terrestre. J'ai également beaucoup aimé la relation entre Robson et son oncle Wagner, où comment deux solitaires se retrouvent et se lient tant bien que mal.
Globalement, j'ai beaucoup aimé ce deuxième volume, je crois même l'avoir lu un peu plus vite que le premier, tant j'ai été emporté par le récit haletant et finement écrit. Je vais évidemment enchainer directement avec le troisième et dernier tome, impatient de découvrir la conclusion de cette trilogie.
Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com
This book is a little like Game of Thrones, McDonald has created a plot that weaves and intercrosses each other. The power struggle between the Dragons is full of political scheming, each double crossing the other. The alliances between the character are just as full of intrigue, I think thats what makes this series so enjoyable to read. The characters feel fully formed, each having their own triumphs and flaws.
I think the thing I liked most about this book was the sense of scale. Everything feels epic. From the descriptions of the underground cities, to events like a massive foundry explosion and satellites raining down on the Moon. Then you have the more abstract things like a character born on the moon going to Earth despite this being technically impossible and describing what it's like to stand on another planet and look up at their home. That was cool.
I found it annoying that the first half of Luna: Wolf Moon is spent catching up with the main characters. Finding out what has happened in the two years since Luna: New Moon. It felt like the plot took a long time to get going. But I would still highly recommend this book. Also you should definitely start out with Luna: New Moon if you haven't read it yet.
Very good. I found the descriptions of different gravities and their effects on the human body very interesting. And the design of lunar society/culture along with it's physical structures, the sheer difficulty of living and working and building on the moon are all envisioned very well.
Some of the battle scenes are terrifying and I found Luna's journey with Lucasinho very compelling.
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5 primary books7 released booksLuna is a 8-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Ian McDonald, Wojciech M. Próchniewicz, and Maria Llovet.