I just LOVE cheeky girls. But I also learned why they can be in short supply. They get killed off so fast being so curious! But then, anyone who cooks award-winning chili is not about to be a bland personality, right? Still, for the poor girl to be knocked out and dragged to the future and then have a crew trying to keep her hidden among other things from the rest of the ship. All because, well, apparently in the future, as shown in Walking On the Moon no one really knows how to write cooking programs and they all get nutritional glop. All together now: Ewwwwwww.

Our cheeky heroine Claudia, through no fault of her own (well, maybe some of it) gets into all sorts of trouble out of sheer boredom and intellectual curiosity that borders on mania! Remember, she makes Chili! So that's it? Walking On the Moon is just about a woman that gets stuck in the future like a fish out of water and gets in trouble all the time? Oh please--don’t be such a skeptic. Of course not. Like any good cooking, there are levels of flavors and textures to enjoy. So dig in!

But I gave this an eight and not a ten, so there must be a reason. Being an old hand at science fiction, I like my characters to be a bit smarter than silly. I love silly slapstick and all that. But I love smart more. The guys here seem honestly clueless, as if they were boys brought up without any influence by adult males on how to act around women. Sure, they’re polite. Not apes, but, do they have to be so dumb? Maybe that is part of the whole humor set-up. But how much funnier would it have been if she really could pull the rug out from under some smart guys?

Oh, and there is romance. Woo, steaming hot romance. This book would be a good introduction to science fiction for someone who'd never been into it before. It has elements of familiarity of other more popular genres, such as romance, spy thriller flavor and other fun things. Take a taste. It won’t burn you, but it could leave you hungry for more.

Reviewed by Nancy Louise
© December 2006