172 Hours on the Moon

The premise of this book is actually quite good. The execution of the writing struggled at points.The first part of the book moved S L O W. Like painfully slow. 115/351 pages just to develop the main plot and 3 main characters - basically a third of the book. And the characters aren't deep - here's an overview of the first 115 pages (spoilers, but not spoiling anything after page 115...):NASA built a base on the moon but didn't tell anyone. Now they want to go back, and they want to send 3 lucky kids along for the ride. In the NASA meetings you find out something bad happened on the moon in the past, but you don't know what.There's a Japanese girl who loves her family and friends but wants to travel the world and experience life abroad as soon as she's old enough.The girl from Norway is really unpleasant, is a gothy rebellious teenager who thinks her band is going to make it big - she doesn't want to go to the moon, but her parents make her - she feels controlled and hates them for that, even though she deep down loves her family.There's also a French dude who thinks he understands every deep meaning of love because he fell for the first girl who (you know...). He's kind of (very) stalkerish - spies on her, etc... Wants to use the moon trip to get away from her/get her to notice him.All three of the teenagers have some exceedingly vague vision/sign/etc... that they think might be some kind of sign that there's a chance they should consider not taking the trip. But they have no clue about what it is because they each only get a third it.And seriously, that's 115 pages. Start on page 116 "The Crew."No more spoilers...It would have been great to have cut the first 115 pages down to, I don't know..., Maybe 20? Then use the extra 90-100 pages to not rush the ending so dang much. There was a lot that could have happened near the end of this book, as that was where the REALLY good storytelling should have happened - time should have been spent there developing that story instead of spending a third of the book "developing" 3 pretty simple/basic characters who just weren't that interesting at all. This story could have involved literally ANY 3 teenagers and played out the same - the good stuff floundered at the end because of WAY TOO MUCH TIME spent at the beginning.

Actual rating 3.5 starsI’d seen this title bouncing about on friends reviews and it has popped up on my recommendations, it’s sci-fi, horror and YA, so there was no reason not to add this to my reading list. With no prior knowledge, other than some teens getting the chance to visit the moon, I cracked the spine expecting a momentous space adventure fraught with peril. Well it was that, but just not in a way I expected.‘172 Hours on the Moon’ is a much sinister read. Less on the science fiction, and more on the scare factor.There is a lot of switching of perspective in this book, which was interesting in learning about the cast and their backgrounds and culture. But I wasn’t sure what that had to do with the actual plot…Additionally some of the more interesting facts and parts of space travel and being on the moon were glossed over or intentionally omitted. I feel some more of the technical aspects of the setting would have added credence to what they faced on the lunar surface. It is a stark and dangerous landscape and just how vulnerable to the elements and death was right there, but the author missed so much of it. Although, what was included really helped set the tone of being alone and helpless in the vastness of space and the lunar landscape… but with an added threat. If the continual worry of something going wrong and suffocating by vacuum wasn’t enough.There were several parts in the novel where the hairs on my arms stood up… and not many books do that. It wasn’t an outright fear response, but rather that creepy feeling that you know something is not quite right and should be used as a portent for real evil.The characters were likable, although the insta-love between Etienne and Mia felt irrelevant to the story.I read this on and off over a week while travelling… only near the end did I wish I had more time to indulge as the pacing was slow in the first half. The narrative is interesting though.Love the desolate picture that this book portrays of the landscape – it could have been used to escalate the bleakness and justify some of the characters attitudes towards the conclusion.On the whole, this felt like a fable – a story you tell children at bed time or around the campfire to give them a little scare. It story fell a little flat. I wanted more of that creep factor. Maybe some of the issues could have been put down to the fact it was translated from Norwegian, but the big thing that got to me was the amount of information we were given that did not drive the plot forward, and the amount of information which should have been included to add dimension to the story that was omitted.Cool concept, great creep factor, a so-so read…

Johan Harstad’s 172 Hours on the Moon, originally published in Norwegian as DARLAH: 172 timer på månen, is set across 2010-2019. The basic premise of the story is that NASA want to send a mission to the Moon and, to reinvigorate interest in space travel, they hold a worldwide lottery which teenagers, aged between 14 and 18, can enter to be selected to go on the next mission, where they will spend 172 hours on the Moon.This book pushes the willing suspension of disbelief to its absolute limits (even just the little bit I’ve described should be enough to tell you that - as if NASA would put teenagers in space!) but if you can run with it, then it flies by quickly enough and culminates in some fast-paced, exciting action. The build up is a little slow and the characters lack depth. Midori, especially, got my back up as she’s just so irritating! But it was entertaining enough for a quick read.

If I sleep this week I'll be doing well, I have been making the school boy error of reading books that are a little on the creepy side and this has been one of them.172 hours on the Moon is a book of two parts, let us talk about first, the not too creepy start of the book.The basis of the book is that NASA are going back to the Moon, they have a hidden agenda but that agenda is disguised in the form of a lottery that chooses three people to go with the astronauts to the lunar surface.The three people are to be picked from the world's 14 - 18 years olds and NASA is whipping up a media frenzy to get everyone excited, from London to Berlin, from Paris to New York, the NASA marketing machine is everywhere, who will be the lucky winners?Now one of the things I loved about this book was the choice of teens that were picked to go on this journey of a lifetime, they are not American - now before my American readers shout and scream at me, I love America and all who sail in her but it is so nice to read a sci fi book where some other countries get a shout out.The countries in question are Japan - Represented by Midori, France - Represented by Antoine and Norway which is represented by the teen we hear the most from Mia.These three "lucky" teens are from very different backgrounds and we do learn a little about them before they become media darlings. They all have different opinions on what they are about to do and the book follows them as they travel to NASA to train for their mission.So what do you think?, it all sounds quite nice and normal, well it is to a point but that is where this book lures you in to the false sense of security. Obviously going to the Moon is not normal but the book reads like a nice normal YA book full of angsty teens full of hormones.But then it stops.They head to the Moon, with them are a group of proper Astronauts (thankfully, well they aren't just going to let a group of teenagers fly a rocket) and on the moon is DARLAH 2, a moon base built in secret in the 70's, this is going to be their home for 172 hours.Life in space is everything they imagined and more, but they can't believe what they are seeing when they finally land on the lunar surface, it is spectacular, quite literally out of this world. They quickly settle in to their new surroundings but very, very quickly things go wrong.The power goes out. With no need to panic (PANIC!!!) just yet, they start to get organised to go to the second super secret base DARLAH 1 where another power source is located. With the power gone, NASA will think all is lost so it is imperative that contact is made. They discover that the power has been tampered with and this where things start to go very, very wrong.Two are sent to DARLAH 1 leaving the rest to wait in DARLAH 2, as they wait one of the girls is looking outside. What she sees looking back at her isn't her reflection, something is looking back at her, something that looks like her and that something (or should I say someone?) should not be outside on the lunar surface wearing normal clothes. It gave me the total creeps and it gets worse (good worse!!!).To avoid spoilers what happens next is genuinely creepy as hell, what is up there, what do they want and most importantly who will survive?As I said up to a point this is a YA book then all of a sudden, WHAM!, it kicks it up a million notches and all manner of crazy, scary Moon happenings go on. I love it! What I also love was the pictures and diagrams peppered through out the book giving you an idea of the layout of the habitat on the moon to the advert luring you to apply to go to the Moon in the first place.The ending is worth waiting for and will have you asking a lot of questions!

I have just finished reading this and I think I'm still in shock, processing the book in its entirety. It's a book that made me think and talk about the moon and the moon landing with my dad. I have now passed it onto him to read in the hope that he will enjoy it too. And it will be a book I will recommend. Highly.I initially bought this because of the title. It was a very intriguing title and I'm disappointed (in myself) that it has taken me so long to get around to reading it. I have seen a couple different versions of the cover and both reveal quite a significant clue about the book. Only now do both covers I've seen, make sense.I like the fact its a YA book, which is about something that most teenagers will have only learned through history classes at school. Or an episode of Friends. Anything that puzzled me about this book or I needed clarifying, I asked my dad, as he watched this on the tv when it first happened.Although I did find it a slow beginning, I soon found myself warming to the characters and I sped through it in less than 24 hours. The finale of the book is the weakest point I reckon. I kind of knew how it was going to end but I just got the wrong person. The lead up to the finale was definitely the part where you will find yourself whipping through the pages and I was actually holding my breath in places.This book is also well researched with interesting facts and diagrams and photos strewn throughout the book about the moon. I didn't find any of them intrusive although I did skip a couple of them. Some of the facts I didn't know about previously (footprints), although there is one "fact" which could not have happened but is fictionalised, and is brought up later in the book. There is a second twist towards the end, without giving too much away, I googled and discovered it was true and I found it very interesting. I would like to read more about Emilie Sagee, as I loved the idea.The characters are very well written, and although there is your standard romance included, it doesn't feel deliberate, or tacked on to satisfy readers, it happens quite naturally.I will be highly recommending this book and I will be thinking about it for quite a while.

I purchased this book by mistake, not realising it was intended for the young adult, but to be honest, that fact is completely irrelevant. It reads well enough from an adult perspective and you shouldn't let the target audience alone dissuade you from buying this if you're over 18 and happen to like the sound of it.I'm sure you'll have read the synopsis and at least have an understanding of what the story is about; NASA sends three teenagers to the Moon as part of a PR stunt (a ridiculous plot, as we all know this would never happen, but ok) for the opportunity of a lifetime, but things start going awry not long after they land. The youngsters soon find themselves face to face with a horror which has been hidden for decades since the first moon landings back in the late 60's and early 70's.On paper this sounds like it could be interesting, but the writer's execution is ultimately unsatisfying. Harstad is not the most talented of writers, that much is true, but he's far from the worst. His prose is more than sufficient to carry the plot and his writing style flows in such a way that it's just too easy to keep on turning pages. He keeps things interesting and at no point did I ever feel that reading this book was a chore.However, the characters were far too Hollywood cardboard cut out, stereotypical teenagers with little depth to them and - despite the fact that Midori, Antoine and Mia came from Japan, France and Norway respectively - far too "American" for my liking. There was no cultural divide between them whatsoever. The writer tried to flesh them out with varied back stories, but those, in themselves, were nothing we haven't seen before.I found the story far too fast paced. Everything happened so quickly that it felt like Harstad was just skimming over certain areas, which could have been interesting and which could have added to the story, but alas, ended up as more missed opportunities. Oh well.Also, I didn't appreciate the images throughout the book. As an adult I'm not a fan of illustrations in books anyway as I prefer to let my imagination create the pictures contained within the text. But I have been reading novels since I was eight years old and even as a young adult I would have found this slightly childish and, dare I say it, patronising? I wouldn't have needed a picture to show me what neon signs in Tokyo look like.Finally; the twist and ending. Without spoiling anything, this actually wasn't too bad and not at all what I was expecting. Plus there were some stories in the book reflected upon by some of the characters which were genuinely creepy. The overall feeling of horror though? No it wasn't there for me. It was just far too fast paced to create any kind of suspense or tension although the general idea was a good one and I'm sure Harstad could have crafted a much better piece of work had he aimed this towards adults.And this brings me to my final point as I realise I have critiqued this from an adult point of view. I suspect a lot of the things that bothered me about this book wouldn't bother a younger audience and to be fair to the author, I'm sure this is exactly what he had in mind whilst writing it. Reading it now as a grown man I would have to give it two stars. But I know for a fact that my younger self would probably slap me for that rating and say "No, it deserves 4". So a compromise then; 3 stars it is.I just hope John Harstad gets round to writing some sci-fi horror aimed towards an older audience, as he clearly has some good ideas.

Oh my. What to say about this book! I think I'll keep this short and sweet. This book is by far the creepiest most chilling story I've ever read. I mean it seriously messed with my head.I'm a huge star trek fan. And for some reason I'd got it into my head that this story would be kinda science fiction-y and all about the space travel and technical things and just one big adventure in space... But oh no, I got that soooo wrong.This is a very sinister thriller set on the moon (who would have thought the setting of the moon would have added to the horror?!?) And it's left me totally freaked out and unable to think of anything else.Now don't go thinking this is anything like, say, the film Alien for example, with blood and guts and gore, no - the horror in this book is much more more simple and subtle but more frightening for it!So even though I'm not a fan of scary books I have given this one 4 stars because I literally could not put it down. I HAD to know what happened to these teenagers who won a trip to the moon and who (if anyone) would make it back alive!And I took one star off because the first half of the book (before they get to the moon) is a little slow and because there was one thing about the ending that I didn't quite understand.Otherwise though I recommend this to anyone who likes a good bone tingling story!