If this were a Hollywood movie, Lawrence would be a deadbeat dad. He’d have beef with Davis who’s now dating his ex-wife. The ex-wife would be on Selene with their daughter who now hates Lawrence. They’d probably have their dog with them.

There’s none of that bullshit here. It’s written like a mystery, but in place of clues we have a series of challenges, physical or psychological, which must be solved. Tense ending. It’d been so long since I read it I couldn’t remember if they lived or died. ( )

Simple story but really nicely done. ( )

Originally published in 1961 this novel is now published in the science fiction Masterwork series. I have not been disappointed by Clarke's earlier science fiction novels and this one was another good solid read. It may lack that sense of wonder of some of his novels, but this one shows that Clarke could do characters as well as ratcheting up the tension in an escape from disaster scenario. There is enough hard science and mechanical engineering to satisfy those reader who want to be convinced that they are on solid ground with their science fiction reading, however it is the lack of solid ground that provides the excitement in this novel.

Captain Pat Harris earns a living on the moon by shuttling tourists over one of the moon's seas in a craft named the Selene. The Sea of Thirst is actually made up of very fine dust and the Selene skims along the surface. In the middle of the sea are the inaccessible mountains and Pat Harris provides some thrills for the tourists by hurtling the Selene through a narrow gorge. Coming out of the gorge and back on the sea there is a moonquake and the Selene sinks beneath the dust. There are 20 passengers on board as well as Captain Harris and a stewardess. They have lost all radio contact and are 20 metres below the surface and cannot move under they're own power. They have enough air and provisions to last a week. The story is a rescue attempt against the clock to get everybody out of the stricken vehicle. The moondust flows like a liquid making it impossible for individuals to reach the surface and threatens to encase the stationary vehicle.

Captain Pat Harris is a competent pilot of the Selene, but lacks ambition to become a space pilot, he is falling in love with the stewardess. He is fortunate that his passengers include a range of scientists as well as a celebrated, but retired spaceman. They must work together to keep their spirits raised while waiting to be found. Clarke's story alternates between the efforts of the passengers to survive the catastrophe and the efforts of the scientists and engineers to find the Selene and then launch a rescue mission.
Clarke does a good job in bringing his characters to life and the dialogue between them is well handled, tempers get frayed, but also friendships form. It is to Clarkes credit that life in the stricken craft is as interesting as the rescue mission.

The story takes place in 2042 and from snapshots of the conversation in the Selene we learn bits of the history that has enabled man to conquer the solar system. Unfortunately money still controls all men's actions and male chauvinism is similar to what it was in 1961. On the more positive side there is recognition of the destruction of ethnic people on earth, as one of the passengers a scientist and an aborigine tells moon born Pat Harris of the attempted elimination of his people and their culture. This is a good disaster novel whose moon setting creates additional and unforeseen problems. It is well written and a 4 star read. ( )

Vědeckofantastický román anglického spisovatele (nar. 1917), jenž má za sebou už na třináct prozaických knih. V této poslední z r. 1961 přenáší čtenáře do 21. století a na Měsíc, kde lidé už normálně žijí i kam podnikají výlety ze Země. Vypráví o cestě skupiny turistů měsíčním autobusem, jeho postižení přírodní katastrofou, pádu do hlubiny a zavalení měsíčním prachem a o složité a důmyslné záchraně cestujících.

It's fun reading hard science fiction novels from earlier times. This one is from 1960, before Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space, and long before his most famous novel, "2001: A Space Odyssey" and before Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon...

It's a standard disaster and rescue story. In this case a boat that's sunk beneath the surface of a sea of dust on the moon.

The plot is very linear, with only one problem being dealt with at a time and only one disaster at a time. Each time a problem happens (the boat sinking further, the temperature rising, etc.) it's fixed before the next occurs.

Clarke mostly glosses over the too-technical details involved, though he does give us readers a quick lecture on the difference between weight and mass and how that affects (or doesn't, in this case) a construction worker in low gravity.

Most of the characters take things easy enough and any psychological problems are solved quickly so the tension never builds to nail biting or edge-of-the-seat levels. ( )