Plato’s Crater (Cities of the Moon) by Carlton Chinner is about a battle between the main city of the Moon and Earth. This is book 2 of the series. The Lady of the Moon had taken away Earth’s Helium-3 which made it hard for the humans to survive. Carlton Chinner has the characters of Earth use mind implants and the Lady’s main love was turned into some sort of superhuman. We find out if the Lady is able to save her people of the Moon and/or the man she loves. Along the way, we meet characters like Holly, who was a criminal, but tried to do whatever she could to make her dream as a restaurant owner come true.

I thought Plato’s Crater by Carlton Chinner was fascinating. I loved how he uses mind implants and has his characters wondering if they are still human because of them, and that seems to be a huge debate of late. I loved all the twists; you never knew exactly who the bad guys were, though it could be just your point of view as well. The story is full of hopes and dreams. Carlton Chinner's characters are such fun, and Holly is probably my favorite. I loved how she was trying not to do anything unethical, even though it would have been easier for her. Even the droids surprised you. What I really liked was that this is book 2, but you do not need to read book 1. Now I really want to so I can find out even more about the characters. The ending was really cool too, because it made me want more. I was sad when it was over. By far, the best novel I have read this year. I do hope there is more to come.

Plato Crater by Carleton Chinner is a sci-fi imagining of the early days of the colonization of the moon. This is part two in the Cities of the Moon series. I did not read the first one, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to jump right in or not. I found the story easy to catch up to and get fully involved in. The story follows four characters, all in very different circumstances, but all key players as the story unfolds. Jonah is the tough guy with a heart of gold who gets caught between political enemies. Yesha is the queen of the largest colony on the moon. Holly is a teenage runaway who end up on the moon by mistake, and Sean Fa is part of a group of powerful thinkers who are controlling things behind the scenes. The plot weaves the four stories together to create an intriguing narrative about the human experience on the moon. Some of the action also takes place on Earth, providing a good backstory for characters who get caught up in the draw to the moon.

Plato Crater is well crafted, enjoyable science fiction. Author Carleton Chinner has created a believable futuristic world where the more powerful countries of earth are migrating to the moon. His story is at its strongest when he’s describing the difficulties of making the new world habitable for humans. He’s also done a good job of giving us interesting characters. Although the story includes plenty of action, Plato Crater doesn’t depend on its action scenes to keep the reader involved. Instead, this book focuses on its four main characters and describes their various journeys in vivid detail. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a well-told science fiction tale. I am also glad to report that there are zero curse words in Plato Crater. The lack of salty language did not hurt the story at all. Instead, I feel that the story was stronger because Mr. Chinner found better writing techniques for showing the darker side of his characters.