Luna; New Moon by Ian McDonald

I can safely say that this book fits very snugly into the Space Opera category.  All the necessary elements are here - a tenacious main character determined to create their own dynasty, an appropriately malicious adversary, various stalwart friends and allies who come and go as the plot unfolds, numerous offspring and intermarriages that help to keep the rivalries and businesses alive and (just in case all of that is not enough) there are plenty of battles ranging from the boardroom to the bedroom to literal battle towards the end.

Ian McDonald has done a good job with 'Luna'. It is a great visualization of a more than plausible near-future for the human race.  The building of the culture is nicely accomplished with everything from a fully-fledged legal system to the alternative religions on offer - I especially liked the run that never ends purely for its originality and found myself wishing I could try it someday.  The incredibly bleak and hostile environment of the Moon is portrayed with such clarity that it almost becomes a character in its own right.  The constant struggle to obtain the vital elements for survival - Air, Food, Water, Data - is cleverly shown with the implant device idea.

In Adriana Corta, the family matriarch, the author has created a believably strong lead.  She is daring, fiercely protective of family and her empire and is definitely not to be crossed.  With the plot from her point of view being told in flashback as her confession, Mr McDonald has found a good way of integrating past and present without turning it into a twenty volume epic. Adriana's nemesis, Robert MacKenzie, is superb and, though not often seen, his presence is vividly felt and is paranoid and vicious in his need to be top of the pile.  The Corta children are all well developed characters as are the additional people and it is especially nice to see such strong female leads who are more than capable of holding their own.

'Luna' has everything it needs but, in my opinion, it falls a little short.  There is too much repetition especially when people meet their ends be they final or, at least for the moment, unknown.  When weak moments in the plot occur there is too much of a reliance on sexual scenarios to cover the gaps. These scenes are well written but are just too frequent and unnecessary and the story does suffer in places because of this.

The writing style is good, easily readable even when at its most technical and flows well.  Despite its flaws I am looking forward to reading the second book and am very keen to find out what happens to the Corta clan and its enemies.