172 Hours on the Moon--Another Lottery Story

Here is a book I reviewed awhile ago for a local magazine. I have been thinking about it lately and plan to reread it soon.

172 Hours on the Moon
By Johan Harstad
New York: Little Brown & Co.
First US Edition 2012
351 pages



172 Hours on the Moon by Norwegian author Johan Harstad is an intense science fiction/horror book. We begin this story by learning that before the end of the last manned space flight to the moon in 1972, a lunar base named Darlah 2 was built for future space exploration and the possible excavation of the moon's mineral resources. The base was abandoned and never used, without explanation, and all knowledge of it was locked away in secret files. Now, years later, scientists at NASA have found out about the unused moon base and want to use it to house scientists and excavators of tantalum seventy-three, a material needed for most modern technology and found on the moon in large supply. Their biggest problem: how to get funding for lunar exploration in a time of insufficient budgets and low public interest. They decide to hold a worldwide lottery to select three fortunate teenagers to accompany them on the mission. Interest, both among the public and large investors, will surely follow.

The main portion of this story is about the three lottery winners, especially Norwegian Mia Nomeland. The author is very good at describing their lives before and after the lottery and their fears about going to the moon. This is not a typical science fiction story, however. When the teens and scientists reach the moon, we are rocketed into a situation that starts out bad and soon reaches horrifying. Why was the moon base built but immediately abandoned? We are about to find out.

For those who like horror, this book will be difficult to put down. Johan Harstad builds tension slowly, but as soon as the astronauts arrive on the moon, the situation quickly deteriorates into absolute terror for the teens. The reader will not really understand the meaning of what is wrong with Lunar Base Darlah 2 until nearly the very end of this well-crafted story.

Recommended for readers 13 and up. This book is on the 2013 YALSA Teens' Top Ten Nomination List--I think it is a winner!

Youtube has some video press conferences with the teenagers who won the lottery, as well as last transmissions from the moon. Here is a link to the main page of clips:
172 Hours on the Moon Clips.

I am including here the last transmission of Midori Yoshida from Yokohama, Japan. Everything is NOT going well.