I already knew I was going to love Luna:Wolf Moon since the moment I requested it on Netgalley – and not, or not only, because I am a longtime fan of Ian McDonald (whom I had the pleasure to meet in person last year in Manchester Eastercon where he was a GoH). But I enjoyed so much the first instalment of this story that I was, in a way, ready to take whatever was coming next. Which, I can say now, it’s not what I had expected – but it was damn good nonetheless.
In case you’re wondering what all the story is about, here it is, straight from Amazon webpage: “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.”
Difficult not to give spoilers here – and I’ll try not to. But I can easily say that this novel, certainly slower than the first one and somehow more difficult to digest, to me was a real treat. One of the reason is that I was since the beginning a fan of the not-so-good-but-still-charming Lucas, a complex character, not one you can easily like but somebody you respect nonetheless. I had the feeling he was the one the author wanted us to keep in mind: I see now I was not mistaken.
On top of that, Ian McDonald writes so well that you can lose track of time – and his worldbuilding is truly amazing. While I can’t say I share his political views of the future of humanity in space, the portrait he makes in this novel is powerful and worth a long discussion.
Luna:Wolf Moon by Ian McDonald 2017. Where I got it: Netgalley, as ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review (thank you!)
I’m loving this series so far, though I was surprised when I found out it was not to be a duology like I’d heard (not that I’m complaining of course, I’ll always say yes to more Ian McDonald!) It’s so cool that you got to meet the author!
I didn’t actually talk to him (I’m too shy to approach people directly). I attended his reading and the presentation he made at Eastercon last year, but I chickened out the moment I was going to say hello… 😀
I loved this one – and am thrilled there are going to be more books – yippee:)).
Yes!! Can’t wait 🙂
I read his “River of Gods” a couple years ago and enjoyed it. This Luna series intrigues me.
I found it great so far! Can’t wait for the rest.
It’s hard to find a character you can truly like in these novels, because they are all more or less flawed, but the fact that we can still remain glued to the pages to know what happens to them shows the author’s skill in creating them. And I must say that in the end I even had some warm feelings for Lucasinho, whom I cordially hated from page one 🙂
I absolutely agree- I didn’t like that brat, but he has changed in this book (like Lucas).