This short sci-fi novel was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t know the author or anything about it coming in. The work did see nominations for awards in its genre when published in 1961 and has been included in whatever is the “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” collections but I was not familiar with it.
That said, what a fantastic little piece of writing. Its really only “sci-fi” in the sense that some of the story takes place on the moon and there is essentially a “matter transmitter” device at the heart of the action, facilitating the core focus of the work.
Its far more a discussion of what makes humans, human. What is the nature of our consciousness? What makes someone, “them”, and not someone else? What are we driven by? A fear of death? A need for power? The need to be desirable? What is it that we leave behind when we are gone?
These large existential questions are the core of what Budrys is getting after in placing his central characters tasked with handling the idea of human doppelgangers destined to die over and over again in search of answers surrounding an unknown object on the moon. The fact that this object is never detailed or resolved in any manner by the end of the book tells you all you need to know about where the true nature of the book lies. Its far more interested in exploring inside ourselves and trying to resolve much bigger questions than just another alien artifact.
Its a great piece and well worth your time. If you are looking for answers on what comes after death, what the nature of our existence is…Rogue Moon won’t provide you any answers…but it will get you asking the right questions.