edited by Robert B. Marks (2026)
(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)
This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.
I left the following review on the Library Thing website:
Moonbase Armstrong started off well enough, introducing the characters at a lunar base as a ship is landing on the Moon. The ship explodes, which sets up the rest of the book.
After that, it fell apart for me. I found it hard to believe that this was a NASA installation or that any of these people possibly worked for NASA. There was no contingency plan for a disaster. Okay, but then you think that every on the Moon and back on Earth would be working around the clock to form a plan, and then present it clearly.
The narrative wasn't going anywhere and little things were starting to bother me. I read about 25-30% of the book before giving up, which is longer than I usually stay with a book that I DNF.
More of a breakdown of the stories, which doesn't belong on Library Thing:
Actually, there isn't much more to breakdown. It wasn't good. It didn't hold my interest. And the recovery plan took forever to formulate and at 30% of the way through the book, they haven't set out yet, despite the ship blowing up in the initial pages.
I mention the words "around the clock", and I chose those carefully, instead of Day and Night. Why? Because day and night each last about two weeks each on the Moon. This is, of course, acknowledge. The author isn't a moron. But the characters do keep saying this like "tonight" and "first thing in the morning", which don't make sense, particularly in a NASA setting.
Also, an important mission wouldn't happen "first thing in the morning". It would happen at, say, 0600 hours. This is another thing -- there is no reference (so far as I got) to military time despite it being a government orgazination site. It's little things like this I notice, particularly when the author goes out of the way to mention other little things to let us know that he knows them (and you wonder if the characters did when they get informed, because they should.)
One thing that bothered me was the overuse of the words "Three seconds passed" during every exchange with video calls from the Moon to Earth. Every. Time. And yet --
The head of the moonbase, whose wife just died back on Earth, decides to stay on until the investigation is over. He says, "Just take 'yes' for an answer."
"Three seconds passed. Jim said nothing."
Seriously? Here was a great writing opportunity -- He could've written. "Three seconds passed. Four. Five. Six... Ten. Jim said nothing."
At least then, all the repetition would've had a payoff.
The only other note I'll make (because I stopped soon after this) was there was a very odd medical checkup for two people who are being sent to the Moon. One of them (the non-POV character) is named Ike. I think Ike is male since Ike wasn't asked about pregnancy. Then, the very next section has a POV character named AIKO, who I initially assumed was the same Ike, except this Aiko was definitely female, and was already on the Moon. Not the same character, check.
Also Aiko is introduced in the middle of a ridiculous, almost embarrassly so, sex scene that served no purpose and was a differnt tone from the rent of the book, so far. Not how you want to introduce this character. Also, if you can't write these scenes, DON'T TRY. Gloss over it the way you gloss over so many other things.
I'll have to make a note not to request any more of Robert Marks in the same way that I don't request any more bigfoot. They might think I have a problem with them with poor reviews. Marks also wrote The Fairy Godmother's Tale, which I'd forgotten about when I requested this one. I asked for this one simple for the lunar base story, not that I saw much of the base.
If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.
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