172 Hours on the Moon - Johan Harstad

Title: 172 Hours on the Moon
Author: Johan Harstad
Genre: YA, Sci-fi
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 368
Date read: January, 2015

Three teenagers are going on the trip of a lifetime. Only one is coming back.

It's been more than forty years since NASA sent the first men to the moon, and to grab some much-needed funding and attention, they decide to launch an historic international lottery in which three lucky teenagers can win a week-long trip to moon base DARLAH 2.


You definitely have to suspend your disbelief in order to read this book. Three teenagers are given the opportunity to go on an expedition to the moon. Why? Simply to ensure that there's enough interest in the mission that NASA is certain of the funding.

Yeah, right.

But the reason for the mission is never fully explained - even in hindsight. And certainly not in a way that justifies bringing three kids along.

And that is just the beginning of the MANY questions that are left unanswered. Such as:
- What was in Sander's letter?
- What happened to Simone?
- Who on earth was responsible for the log?
- What is Priority DP7?

... and that's just the ones I can mention without including any spoilers!

The book was billed as horror, but while I certainly agree that parts of it were creepy as anything, as a whole it was entirely too unrealistic to be all that spooky. And due to the many unanswered questions (see above) I was left with a feeling of frustration rather than suspense. But it certainly tried really hard (too hard, perhaps?), and I have a feeling that if I was less annoyed with threads left hanging and open endings, I might have gotten more caught up in the creepiness of the novel.

The Running Man - Stephen King

Title: The Running Man
Author: Stephen King AS Richard Bachman
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 239
Date read: January, 2015

The Running Man is set within a dystopian future in which the poor are seen more by the government as worrisome rodents than actual human beings. The protagonist of The Running Man, Ben Richards, is quick to realize this as he watches his daughter, Cathy, grow more sick by the day and tread closer and closer to death. Desperate for money to pay Cathy’s medical bills, Ben enlists himself in a true reality style game show where the objective is to merely stay alive.


Pretty run-of-the-mill action novel. I was neither impressed nor disappointed by it. But it's not a book I expect will stay with me for very long, nor one that I think I will reread.

I am slightly curious to rewatch the movie now, because as far as I remember it, it has very little to do with the plot of the novel, other than the very basic premise and that the main character holds the same name.

I will say in its favour though, that I had not seen the end coming, but it seemed rather fitting... even if slightly futile.