Red Moon (novel)
A 2018 sci-fi novel set in China and on the Moon.
Red Moon is a 2018 science fiction novel by American author Kim Stanley Robinson. Its setting includes both China and the Moon, and it received mixed reviews from several US media outlets.
In the story, set in 2047, a man named Fred Fredericks travels to the Moon to deliver a quantum communications device. Shortly after arriving, he is nearly killed during the handover and loses his memory of the event. He is then suspected of murdering the official he was meant to meet. A journalist helps Fredericks and a dissident leader named Qi, who is close to giving birth, escape to Earth. Chinese authorities pursue them, believing Qi will lead a revolution of disaffected workers and migrants against the Party. After a series of chases, Fredericks and Qi return to the Moon, where they encounter a wealthy Chinese businessman building his own colony and free settlers creating an independent lunar city. One faction of Chinese leadership orders missile strikes on the Moon to eliminate them, but the pair receives a warning and flees to a remote shelter, where Qi gives birth as millions of workers gather in Beijing to begin the revolution.
Critics were divided. Jason Sheehan of NPR faulted the book for its focus on exposition and digressions into topics like politics and orbital mechanics, calling it "no way to tell a story." In *The Guardian*, Chris Beckett praised the relationship between Fredericks and Qi as "a delightful and touching depiction of two people who would normally have nothing to do with each other." *The Times* noted "great indigestible tracts of expository dialogue" and "horrible doldrum of narrative drift," but concluded that the novel "confirms its author's status as a sci-fi master."
- author
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- publication_year
- 2018
- nationality
- American
- genre
- Science fiction
- setting
- China and the Moon
- reception
- Mixed
Lore & Background
The plot follows Fred Fredericks, who is sent to the Moon in 2047 to deliver a quantum communications device. He is nearly killed during the handover and is held on suspicion of murdering the official to whom he was delivering the device. A journalist helps Fredericks and the dissident leader Qi, who is due to give birth soon, escape back to Earth. They are pursued by Chinese authorities who believe Qi will lead a revolution of disaffected workers and displaced migrants to overthrow the Party leadership. After chases and escapes, Fredericks and Qi return to the Moon, where they encounter a wealthy Chinese businessman building his own ideal colony and free settlers creating a lunar city outside government control. One faction of the Chinese leadership orders missile strikes on the Moon to kill them, but they receive advance warning and flee to a remote lunar shelter, where Qi gives birth as millions of Chinese workers gather in Beijing to start the revolution.
Reader's Guide
Red Moon received mixed reception in US media. Jason Sheehan of NPR criticized the book's emphasis on exposition and digressions into discussions of the environment, politics, and orbital mechanics, suggesting that Robinson's approach was 'no way to tell a story'. Writing for The Guardian, Chris Beckett praised Robinson's depiction of the relationship between Fredericks and Qi, calling it 'a delightful and touching depiction of two people who would normally have nothing to do with each other, finding a way of getting along'. The Times criticized the 'great indigestible tracts of expository dialogue' and 'horrible doldrum of narrative drift', but concluded that Red Moon 'confirms its author's status as a sci-fi master'. The novel's significance lies in its exploration of political revolution, lunar colonization, and human relationships within a near-future setting, though its narrative style divided critics.
Did You Know?
- The novel is set in the year 2047.
- The protagonist Fred Fredericks is sent to the Moon to deliver a quantum communications device.
- The dissident leader Qi gives birth in a remote lunar shelter.
- The Times review concluded that the novel 'confirms its author's status as a sci-fi master'.
More in Novels by Kim Stanley Robinson 1-22
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