Day Moon by Brett Armstrong is a rather ambitious novel that creates a futuristic world in which all knowledge is codified in a central data bank for the good of all mankind. At least that’s what the government is professing. In actuality Project Alexandria has a sinister side that the reader soon comes to suspect is subverting knowledge rather than making it available to all who seek it. The future is not so far away as the action takes place in 2039. Technology is pretty advanced, but not unbelievable — cars are all self-driving and consumers have had all their social and financial needs anticipated by commercial entities. It’s rather unsettling to see the world Armstrong envisions; it is just that plausible. But the insidiousness of control goes further in Project Alexander as all written word is digitalized causing the need for source materials to cease to exist. And cease to exist they become as all physical copies are destroyed. Main character Elliott is made aware of discrepancies through clues left by his deceased grandfather. As he and other friends and family embark on an adventure to uncover the truth, danger occurs around every corner. And no one can be trusted.

Day Moon explores the issue of what constitutes truth — what is given by God or dictated by humans. The danger of corruption of that truth is the main focus of this novel. The chillingly possible reality of Elliott’s world is very credible. The novel is carefully crafted and exhibits Armstrong’s knowledge of both technology and literature. While it is an action-adventure novel, it is a bit slow to develop and the language is a bit more formal than needed. I wished for a bit more activity and less thinking by the characters. Suspense is maintained throughout the novel — Elliott and the reader are continuously kept off balance. The book is the first in the series, so while some things are resolved, Elliott’s quest is not concluded. A strong Christian message is woven throughout the novel, a welcome addition to YA speculative fiction.

All in all, Day Moon is an interesting novel. Although a bit slow, it is nevertheless worth a look by those who like this genre.

Audience: older teens and adults.

(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

The concept of the story was interesting. Thus the reason I wanted to read this book. This book started out fine. The author did a good job of laying out the premise for the story. The book that Elliott's grandpa left him had me intrigued. I wanted to know more about Project Alexandria. Who won't be intrigued by the idea of a book of Shakespeare's work that was ever changing.

Ok, so here is the deal. While, I did want to like this book more than I ended up doing so; it turned out that I really struggled with this book. This is because it felt like the story was taking a long time to pick up any speed. Additionally, Elliott was alright but there was nothing too captivating about him that kept me grounded into the story. In fact, I skipped ahead to the middle of the story and proceeded to start reading again. It still felt as if the story hadn't really begun. I won't be proceeding with the next book in this series. Although, I might try reading something else from this author in the future. ( )