Ian McDonald

The continuing saga of the Five Dragons, Ian McDonald's fast-paced, intricately plotted space opera pitched as Game of Thrones meets The Expanse A hundred years in the future, a war wages between the Five Dragons—five families that control the Moon’s leading industrial companies. Each clan does everything in their power to claw their way to the top of the food chain—marriages of convenience, corporate espionage, kidnapping, and mass assassinations. Through ingenious political manipulation and sheer force of will, Lucas Cortas rises from the ashes of corporate defeat and seizes control of the Moon. The only person who can stop him is a brilliant lunar lawyer, his sister, Ariel. Witness the Dragons' final battle for absolute sovereignty in Ian McDonald's heart-stopping finale to the Luna trilogy. Luna 1. Luna: New Moon 2. Luna: Wolf Moon 3. Luna: Moon Rising

Luna: Moon Rising

Luna is a gripping thriller about five corporate families caught in a bitter battle for supremacy in the harsh environment of the moon. It's very easy to die on the moon, but with its vast mineral wealth it's also easy to make your fortune. Following the fortunes of a handful of disparate characters, from one of the lowliest workers on the moon to the heads of one of the most powerful families, LUNA provides a vast mosaic of life on this airless and terrifying new home for humanity. This is SF that will be perfect for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson and Ken Macleod alike.

New Moon

Luna

Sheila

Hoooooooly crap, this was a super-detailed, extremely eloquent story that can be boiled down to The Godfather on the Moon. I loved the mish-mash of Earth cultures & languages, the details of Moon life, the harshness of the environment that you feel on every page. The Moon WILL kill you, unless the Five Dragons get you first.

I understand that this is the first book in a duology, so the way the ending was written is less disappointing with that knowledge. Still, it stops abruptly before the dust of the final insanity begins to settle! I had guessed the ~evil schemers~ of the plot quite a way in advance, but the semi-reveal was still fun & now I have to wait until the next book to see all the bastards DIE. (Oooh, that's another thing, McDonald isn't afraid to kill off main characters! It just takes him a while to do it.)

Definitely recommend this book, but maybe more so when the 2nd book is released. I feel like this story would benefit from being read back-to-back.

Overall, this was a fun trilogy to read. That said, I do remember with the release of the first book that this was initially planned to be a duology and I think the author should've stuck to that. This final book was the weakest but still managed to deliver some entertainment and a decent body count!

I'm glad that there was a tangible ending to the main Corta story line, but I was frustrated with the inclusion of Marina halfway in. She suddenly appears (view spoiler)[back on Earth with her family, recovering from her 2 years on the Moon (hide spoiler)], has the beginnings of a sub-plot, then never has anything resolved. Her presence was pointless and confusing.

I also noticed a number of spelling and grammatical mistakes in the hardcover which is a bit shocking really, but points to a real lack of detailed editing.

Ben Nathan

A very satisfying end to a very satisfying series. The characters were so crisp and clear. Most importantly, reading a writer who totally gets that they're writing for today is always a great feeling.

Phil James

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 from 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 a 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 between the families erupts.

Luna: Moon Rising

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