Author Kim Stanley Robinson Talks China and Lunar Settlement in Novel 'Red Moon'

"Red Moon," Kim Stanley Robinson's newest novel, reveals the true perils of human habitation on the moon. (Image credit: Courtesy of Hachette Book Group)

Buzz Aldrin in front of the Apollo 11 lunar module. Kim Stanley Robinson drew some inspiration from the Apollo missions for his new book, "Red Moon."  (Image credit: Neil Armstrong/NASA)

Space.com: What do you hope readers take away from "Red Moon"?

I think the main thing I want them to take away from my book "Red Moon" is that China is really interesting and important and nobody understands it — and I mean not just Americans, who definitely don't understand it, but even the Chinese people themselves.

It's a big, powerful society in rapid flux. It's unstable and dynamic and it's super interesting.

That's the first thing. … The moon itself — I think people will come away with the same sort of feeling I did, that it's small, dangerous, interesting but not important in human affairs.

This interview has been edited for length. You can buy "Red Moon" on Amazon.com.

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Chelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea "Foxanne" Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd and @foxannemusic.