Vice President Charlie Haskell, who will travel anywhere for a photo op, is about to cut the ribbon for the just-completed American Moonbase. The first Mars voyage is about to leave high orbit, with a woman at the helm. Below, the world is marveling at a rare solar eclipse.

But all that is right is about to go disastrously wrong when an amateur astronomer discovers a new comet. Named for its discover, Tomikois a "sun-grazer,"an interstellar wanderer with a hundred times the mass and ten times the speed of other comets. And it is headed straight for our moon.

In less than five days, if scientists' predictions are right, Tomiko will crash into the moon, shattering it into a cloud of superheated gas, dust, and huge chunks of rock that will rain down on the earth, causing chaos and killer storms, possibly tidal waves inundating entire cities...or worse: a single apocalyptic worldwide "extinction event."

In the meantime, the population of Moonbase must be evacuated by a hastily assembled fleet of shuttle rockets. There isn't room, or time enough, for everyone. And the vice president, who rashly promised to be last off ("I will lock the door and turn off the lights"), is trying to figure out how to get away without eating his words.

In Moonfall,McDevitt has created a disaster thriller of truly epic proportions, featuring a cast of unforgettable characters: the reluctant Russian rocket jockey entrusted with the lives of squabbling refugees; the woman chosen to be first on the moon; the scientist who must deflect the "possum" (POSSible IMpactors) knocked from orbit or witness the end science itself. And at the center of it all is Charlie Haskell, the career politician who discovers his own unexpected reserves of only himself and his country, but for all humankind.

Moonfall,is a spellbinding tale of heroism and hope, cowardice and passion played against the awesome spectacle of human history's darkest night.

Amazon.com Review
Over the last few years, Jack McDevitt has quietly been producing an outstanding collection of science fiction novels. Earlier works such as The Engines of God and Ancient Shores had a thoughtful, archeological-exploration bent, but with Moonfall he takes off the gloves to create a splashy, near-future science fiction thriller with a big cast of characters and a do-or-die attitude. At the center of the story is Charlie Haskell, the U.S. vice president, who in 2024--an election year--has arrived at the American Moonbase to cut the ribbon and declare it operational. But there's a problem, and it's a doozy: a "sun-grazer" comet, with immense mass and speed, is on a collision course with the moon. Haskell, with an eye to his public image, puts himself at the bottom of the evacuation list. But time grows critically short, and soon more than his political future is in jeopardy--broken chunks of moon will begin exploding outwards. If they reach Earth, some of the chunks are big enough to cause an extinction event. McDevitt pays attention to his science while revving the action, and the stakes couldn't be higher: Haskell's choices will decide who lives and who dies--if anyone survives at all. --Blaise Selby

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 41 reviews)

Good Read, Better Than Expected

First let me say that I am a huge fan of Sci-Fi and have been reading this genre for over 30 years. This is the first book by Jack Mcdevitt I have read and was shocked that this writer had slipped under my radar for all of that time! This will not be the last Mcdevitt book on my shelf.

Moonfall is a well written and well thought out book that kept me interested from start to finish. There ARE a lot characters to keep track of, but the main plot is well focused and moves at a good pace.

Highly recommended.
July 18, 2008

Too many characters, but I've always liked his inclusiveness

I have read many of McDevitt's books. I salute him for placing humans of various races in his books who are just people, no more no less.

As I deal with the insults against black women by prominent idiots in the popular culture, black and white alike, it is nice to know that there are artists out there who are giving strong roles to women of color in their stories, not to mention roles to women of character, period.

I cannot say I liked this story much, however. Too many characters! Too many displays of cranks and opportunists, just like those in "Ancient Shores." I prefer not to have to deal with the vast displays of human stupidity in my science fiction.

I prefer some of his other efforts and will continue to go back into his collection to read those I haven't gotten to as yet.

I found myself skimming most of the book, but reading all of the Haskell and Evelyn scenes, along with the Saber and Lee scenes.

Nevertheless, I say, keep them coming!
July 05, 2007

Big book but worth the time.

Its the year 2024, and the situation of the world could not be better. the opening of Moonbase is about to take place, and opening it is Vice President Charlie Haskell, the first ever manned mission to Mars is about to launch, and a rare solar eclipse is taking place.but as the eclipse passes by, an amateur astronomer discovers a comet. But this is no ordanary comet. At 100 times the mass and 10 times the speed of regular comets, this is the worst threat ever. It's about to hit the moon. As chaos ensues all over the planet, the population of Moonbase must be evacuated. every shuttle must be used, they must plan the rotation down to the minute, and it still may not be enough. The government must try to keep the nation calm while the people scramble to higher ground, scared to death of tidal waves caused by debris. The military starts to plan evacuations of major cities. Meanwhile, Moonbase realizes that it must leave behind 6 people. In those 6 is Vice President Haskell. The Mars shuttle prepares to launch them, but it will leave 20 minutes before impact. Every single person is trying to prepare for the catastrophy about to occur. The Mars shuttle gets ready to launch while its occupants prepare for the ride of their life. Finally, they launch 20 minutes before the impact. Will the shuttle survive the trip? Will the debris destroy everything Earth loves? Will we survive? Read the Book to find out. Personally, I enjoyed this book very much. it kept me in suspense, it showed what people really think about people in power, and has a very gppd plot. This is a great story, if you dont mind the length. Moonfall, by Jack McDevvit, is a great read.
September 19, 2006

first time for mcdevitt

first time i have read a mcdevitt novel, it was exceptional.
I enjoyed everything about this book, the characters, the story, etc. the authors ability to describe space travel was terrific, I strongly recommend this book to others.
June 17, 2005

A Must read!!

this book should have been made into a movie. Instead, they made Armaggedon and Deep Impact which are entirely forgettable. Moonfall has it all-a disaster that threatens Earth, people who are trying to fix it, fruitcakes crawling out of woodwork and of course, the Moon exploding(or breaking into pieces, to be exact). Oh, if only you could see something like that on the big screen I'd be first in line. I couldn't put it down. Fantastic book!
October 03, 2004

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Ancient Shores
by Jack Mcdevitt

The Engines of God
by Jack McDevitt

A Talent For War
by Jack McDevitt

Eternity Road
by Jack Mcdevitt

Infinity Beach
by Jack Mcdevitt