The Moon Maid

Last week we looked into Pulp Fiction writing. I was really excited for this week because I am a sucker for the over-the-top fantasy/scifi genre stories. I definitely skimmed that list and picked the one that had the most interesting and bizarre name, and I didn't want to have any prior knowledge to the novel I chose before I read it. My attention was instantly caught by the Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

It was a whirlwind of science fiction, action and romance. I really enjoyed this book! I was hooked when the team of space explorers landed on the moon and began to describe their surroundings. The descriptions had tons of detail that gave me a really clear mental picture of the soft greyish lavender vegetation, the thick murky water, and the bizarre creatures.

I found it funny though that in this world of great space exploration and travels to Mars, that no one decided to investigate the moon- the closest to Earth. I suppose what was meant to be implied was that it was a common assumption between the scientists that the moon was a dead planet. Either way, I'm glad that the team made their emergency landing onto the moon. The whole idea of this extensive world thriving beneath the moon's craters was really fascinating. I loved how there was always this perpetual foggy daytime atmosphere. You could see Burroughs took great care in developing a convincing but eccentric world.

The creatures were also pretty terrifying, mainly the centaur like beings with human faces that were cannibals. Actually, practically every race that existed on the moon ate each other in some horrific fashion- which Julian is horrified by because of the races having human like faces and intelligence. I was getting the vibe there was some pro-vegetarian undertones to this book!

The Moon Maid was a really great read, and I'd be interested in checking out the sequels when I get a chance.