Very good sequel to Moonrise as Earth rises up to declare war on the Moonbase.

Bova, Ben. Moonwar. Harper, 1997. Grand Tour 6.
Over time I have read many of Ben Bova’s Grand Tour novels, but I have read them out of order with lots of gaps. So now, I am picking up the loose ends of Bova’s future history of the space age. Moonwar, the sixth stop on the tour, is a close sequel to Moonrise (1996). Moonbase is now a successful colony with an economy based on nanotechnology that is banned on Earth. Trouble is afoot when the secretary general of the United Nations and a fanatical Luddite cult attack the base, either because they want the technology for themselves or because they want to destroy it all. Can a colony that has no purpose-made weapons defend itself? Moonwar is a page-turner with all the strengths and weaknesses of Bova’s work, which is always good but never quite as good as one hopes. Still, worth a read. 4 stars. ( )

[b:Moonwar|267298|Moonwar (The Grand Tour, #6; Moonbase Saga, #2)|Ben Bova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388458682s/267298.jpg|2457689] finishes the story of [b:Moonrise|267287|Moonrise (The Grand Tour, #5; Moonbase Saga, #1)|Ben Bova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388458689s/267287.jpg|1932646], really establishing Moonbase as a power in the solar system in its own right and a refuge from the growing New Morality movements on Earth--especially when it comes to developing nano-technology.

There are certainly parts of the story that are hard to believe--particularly just how much control the UN has over ... well, anything, but especially the media. It's just... strange and feels like a manufactured threat. On the other hand, the idea of a religious far right growing to power and working to completely ban 'unnatural' technology (like nanomachines) feels altogether too prescient.

Really, the best part of the book is the action, especially towards the end, where the people of Moonbase have to fend off a far, far more powerful adversary without having any weapons of their own and without releasing the one weapon they know they could never use directly: the nanomachines. And with that comes worldbuilding that I only expect is really going to lead the way towards conflict throughout the solar system in books to come.

Because it bears mentioning: This book and Bova in general really could still do better in terms of writing minorities and women. At this point though, that's really not something I'm expecting to see better from Bova, but perhaps some day... ( )

Ben Bova tells a very good story - and is wonderful showing the actions and reactions of humans in the face of greed, dis/misinformation, and fear of the unknown. Human nature doesn't change even in the face of future "science fiction" advancements. ( )

Picking up fairly recently after the events of Moonrise, the citizens of Moonbase continue to live and operate their colony while fighting (politically and ultimately physically) the forces of the U.N. back on Earth, which is trying desperately to shutdown their base due to their fear of nanotechnology, among other motivations. This is an excellent tale of how the people of Moonbase use their wits and courage to repel the bigger and stronger forces of the U.N. Peacekeeping soldiers to survive and eventually live on their own on the moon as an independent nation. The conclusions of this book ultimately set in motion many of the future tales of Bova's Grand Tour, which makes this book a real critical pivot point in this saga. ( )