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172 Hours on the Moon
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172 Hours on the Moon
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172 Hours on the Moon
Audiobook8 hours

172 Hours on the Moon

Written by Johan Harstad

Narrated by Casey Holloway

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A terrifying thriller for young adult fans of The Martian and paranormal space adventure that will be devoured in one heart-pounding sitting.

It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space–and change their lives forever. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space...no one is coming to save them.
In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 17, 2012
ISBN9781611134094
Unavailable
172 Hours on the Moon
Author

Johan Harstad

Johan Harstad is a Norwegian author, graphic designer, playwright, drummer, and international sensation. He is the winner of the 2008 Brage Award (Brageprisen), previously won by Per Petterson, and his books have been published in over eleven countries. In 2009, he was named the first ever in-house playwright at the National Theatre in Oslo. His first novel Buzz Aldrin, What Happened To You In All The Confusion, originally published in Norway by Gyldendal in 2005, was made into a TV series in 2009 starring The Wire’s Chad Coleman. Harstad lives in Oslo.

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Reviews for 172 Hours on the Moon

Rating: 3.5056179966292134 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

178 ratings30 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It had been 50 years since someone walked on the moon. Time to get people excited and interested in returning. So what better way to pump up the excitement than to include three teenagers, chosen by lottery, to be part of the crew. Mia, a girl from Norway, Midori, from Japan, and Antoine, a young man from France were the 'lucky' winners. After some intensive training they were off. The story opened with a sinister chapter of the planning meeting of this mission. The idea to incorporate teenagers on a mission ostensibly to search for rare minerals, apparently disguised a more dangerous mission to try and solve a mystery from the first landing.Half of the book was for introducing the teens and depicting their being chosen and their training at NASA. The rest of the book took place on their trip to the moon and events that happened there. Lots of excitement!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I was hoping for an interesting sci-fi, but it turned out to be badly written horror.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book really creeped me out. The author builds up the tension really well when the characters are on the moon. Once I'd finished the book I was scared to look out of the window or in the mirror at night. Although as I was reading the book I thought it was fantastic, a day later I'm still thinking about it and I still have questions. I like endings that tie up all the loose ends, but this one didn't. There were things mentioned early on in the book that didn't really contribute anything later on. One example is when Mia's little brother writes her a letter which she promises to read once she's on the moon. Later in the book she looks for it in her bag and realises that she left it behind on Earth so we never find out what it said. Not sure if I'm missing something there but it seemed kind of pointless to include that in the story. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes creepy stories. It doesn't matter if you're not interested in the sci-fi genre (I'm not) the book is still enjoyable regardless.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Definitely spooky and unsettling, though the ending was...weird - I feel like I missed something, as it didn't quite makes sense, but that could have been me.Mia and two other teens are chosen for a trip of a lifetime: they get to go to the Moon for 7 days, experiencing life as astronauts do. But when they get there, they discover something terrifying...that doesn't want anyone one there.While not literary excellence (though I got the impression that this won some awards in the original language), it is VERY scary and will terrify your teens looking for a space-themed horror story!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Well, that was one of the most horrifying things I've ever been through.

    Review to come.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love the concept! The prologue of the book reminded me of the typical government secret meeting. So secretive and amazing!The characters had their pros and cons. Mia seems like an actually normal teen. She had real teenager emotions. She acts kind of like me, a little hot headed. I also love Midori! There is something about her that I just cannot hate. and as for Antoine, he is smart, and thoughtful. I love how Johan wrote the characters. Each one if them are unique and none of them made me hate them. No particular character got a spotlight. That is basically their pros but for some reason, the characters seemed to dull as the book went on. It seemed their colours faded. That is the completely opposite to the plot, as I kind of expected.The first three chapters or so were pretty good, but as the story went on, it got boring. The first half of the book basically talked about the teens getting picked. Everything basically repeated 3 times. Mia gets the letter, Midori gets it, then Antoine gets it. It got real boring fast. The first part of the story didn't provide a lot of descriptions and that meant it didn't provoke emotions within me. BUT!Everything got more exciting when they arrive in the moon base (as expected). There were moments that made my heart beat faster but it didn't made me go breathless, (not sure if you know what I mean).It was nice to see how the teenagers stood up for themselves. As the story "leak" out more secrets, the more you want to see how the book end. It became a book that was hard to put down! And for that reason, I am giving this book 4 fires out of 5. Great job Johan! PS: I love the pictures in the book! I wish it was more drawing though. Sketches make me squeal more, especially when I see "rough" sketches. Okay, yeah, you might think I am weird. :P
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reason for Reading: I'll admit the cover caught my attention first, then simply the plot intrigued me and finally the fact that the author was Scandinavian sealed the deal.I love YA science fiction, but never seem to read much of the genre. I was totally enthralled with this book. An intriguing and unique premise makes for an exciting read. The characters are perhaps not fully fleshed out and I would have liked to know them better as people but the main character (I won't tell you who that ends up being) does get the most attention developmentally. The book does focus more on plot than character development. This is not a problem though as the plot is totally engaging! At first, I thought it was going in a typical direction but things took a strange twist and threw me for a loop. The science fiction plot takes a turn towards horror as the unknown element lurks in the background and then confronts those who journeyed to the moon. The ending is unpredictable and a shocker. It's not all spelled out for you and I had to think back about how events went down at the end to realize just what exactly happened. Some readers may find this frustrating, while others, including me, will find this exhilaratingly clever. A well-written and eerie sci-fi/horror for older teens who can handle the tension and some slightly violent scenes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A wonderful novel! Philosophical, exciting, fun and a tribute to this genre. Lots of references with a nice afterword with goodie suggestions (at least in the swedish edition)
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book is a crazy sci-fi romp that I would have eaten with a spoon when I was 13. It's not great literature, but it is unputdownable and thrilling. Reminded me of my childhood favorite, Christopher Pike.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Exciting conceptually, but lacking in execution. If the plot hadn't devolved into absurdity in the last chapter this would be a favorite of mine, reflecting my belief in government complicity in all facets of our lives..
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    OMG! is what I thought when I finished it. This book has gotten very good reviews in newspapers, so I wanted to give it a shot. At first I had trouble getting into it, because I didn't like the personal stories of the three teenagers who would eventually be chosen to travel to the moon.But after 70 pages or so, the story comes to life. And OMG is the only thing I'm going to say about the rest of the story, because I don't want to give anything away. It is absolutely thrilling and scary.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Welllll.....that terrified me. It did its job. I just wish the beginning was a little more fast-paced.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I am still indecisive of the 2 star rating.Maybe a one star rating? I want to think there are some salvageble stuff but nothing comes to mind at thr moment. I like alien stories, so maybe that could be it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    OMG this book was insane!! I would recommend it!! crazy!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Im a little confused by some of the goings on in this book, but it was very effective as a horror story. Creepy AF. I listened to it while staying somewhere with a full length mirror in the hall opposite the bedroom door and would freak myself out whenever I walked out into the hall and saw myself standing there in the dark.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I only grabbed this book because I thought cover looked interesting. I didn’t put two and two together until I finished the book. Creepy and at the same time a good horror sci fi in the YA section. To be fair, the pace of the book starts off a little slow at first. Think of it as a very slow introduction to the characters and establishing the setting, and where they’re going to be headed to on their space journey. Then hell breaks loose when they’re on the moonAnd wow, the pace picks up considerably and it instantly becomes a page turner. Now I understand there needs to be a mystery aspect to the novel - whether that’s necessary to establish the plot or not, that I’m not too sure. I welcomed it regardless because everything starting coming together and you find yourself racing through the novel to find out what’s going to happen next. Considering this is a YA sci fi novel, you’re not going to come across anything astronomically complicated when it comes to the science aspect of it all. No physics lessons or rocket science (literally.) It’s not meant to be a complex read so it’s ideal when one doesn’t want to bother with NASA lingo. Be prepared for a twist at the end. I was completely floored and it made the read incredibly enjoyable. Greatly recommended and well worth the read. We need more like this in the YA section! (and if you do find one, please let me know! I’m open to reading more of this!)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’ve been hearing a lot of people talking about how scary this book is since it came out. I hate to say it, but I was pretty disappointed. I think that’s why I felt like I couldn’t give it five stars. It’s a super good book and I can see how it could creep some people out but I didn’t find it creepy at all. I actually held off reading it until I was home alone at night. It still didn’t freak me out which made me a bit sad. Other than it not being scary, this book was great. I really enjoyed it. Maybe if you get scared real easy you will enjoy it even more than I did.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’ve been hearing a lot of people talking about how scary this book is since it came out. I hate to say it, but I was pretty disappointed. I think that’s why I felt like I couldn’t give it five stars. It’s a super good book and I can see how it could creep some people out but I didn’t find it creepy at all. I actually held off reading it until I was home alone at night. It still didn’t freak me out which made me a bit sad. Other than it not being scary, this book was great. I really enjoyed it. Maybe if you get scared real easy you will enjoy it even more than I did.Note: This is an older review. So I don’t feel like I can get more into what I liked and disliked about it. Maybe someday I will re-read 172 Hours on the Moon and do another review. Better reviews (hopefully) in the future.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    So, I heard a lot about 172 Hours on the Moon before it came out. And I was intrigued. Teenagers on the moon? Secret government base? Sign me up.

    At the end of the day, 172 Hours has pros and cons (as all books do) and I almost liked it in theory better than in practice. This book had one important thing going for it: I couldn't put it down. I read it on the train, on the bus, at work, at home, and I blazed through it, because I very badly wanted to know the crazy plot twist at the end.

    As many people have said, 172 Hours is more of a horror story than straight up science fiction. The problem is that after a lot of buildup, and some interesting plot devices, the ending seemed sort of hurried. After they get to the moon, everything happens very quickly. I feel that it would have been better, even possibly scarier, if the second half had been drawn out a bit more, with some more suspense.

    Another issue is that the characters didn't seem very fleshed out to me. While I enjoyed them, and liked what glimpses I got into personalities, I wanted to get to know them better. It would have been fascinating to hear about the kids' time in training, and their interactions with the adult astronauts, etc.

    The biggest problem is that when I finished the book I was confused. I like it when a story ties up loose ends, and I like having questions answered. But at the ending, there was a part which didn't seem right, and I kept re-reading to see if maybe I missed something. Unfortunately, I hadn't, which bothered me quite a bit.

    The last thing I will say is that I also appreciate the fact that it is a foreign book translated. Americans don't generally get the opportunities to read books from elsewhere in the world (especially if they have to be translated into English) and so I really liked that aspect of it as well, even if it didn't have that much bearing on the plot.

    Like I said, I couldn't put this book down. The plot was fun and quick and not similar to other science fiction type books I've read in the past. As a whole though, I wouldn't say that I liked this book, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to most people, but if you like scary, you will most likely enjoy the experience.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    READ IN DUTCH

    I wanted to read this book for ages. The story seemed so promising, but for me it was a big disappointment. Really, I wanted to like it, but I couldn’t. For multiple reasons. It may contains spoilers from here on.
    First, and there is unfortunately no chance for me to check out the original Norwegian book, but the Dutch translation was just rubbish. Seldom I’ve seen books with more grammatical errors, sentences even an 8-year-old would not construct (because he would know it wasn’t correct) and sometimes words or even verbs were missing. Besides all things that were obviously wrong and really annoying, the correct sentences tended to be staccato, which I don’t really like to read either. But I know that that is more personal.
    Second, the story is weak. Okay, they decide to send CHILDREN to the moon without any realistic or simply good reason. I don’t mind, I’m willing to go along with that. After all, people do stupid things and I don’t mind a little mad/dystopian twist. Then the children who – surprise, surprise – happen to be the chosen ones, although it is obvious from the start that Norwegian Mia is the most important of the three. Just before take-off, she asks her parents not to come and look when they send her into space, while at first her parents were the ones who wanted her to go… (And wouldn’t you mind the fact that you hadn’t seen your 16-years-old child for 3 months by then?) And last, when ‘Mia’ returns, why is she doing it? There hasn’t been a reason why the doppelgängers would like to take over the world or anything? I don’t need a story to answer all the questions but now it just looked like a bad horror movie I once saw but can’t remember what it was called. Anyways, in the end, all the characters had died and the doppelgängers were ready to take over planet Earth. Sounds familiar, huh?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    That was...intense!

    Not normally a scifi reader but I saw the book recommended on a few blogs Halloween scary reads recs last year so I got it from iBooks.

    Stated off kind of slow, but interesting enough even with NASA and space jargon to keep going and a few unsettling incidents happening to the teens before they arrived together.

    Once they got too the Moon was when the plot really picked up. Not going into details as it would be really spoilery but it got almost claustrophobic and intensely freaky.

    Left at an extremely unsettling ending. I'm a horror fan but not much freaks me out anymore but this book was out if my comfort zone and left
    me with a chill.

    Highly recommended for at atmospheric horror with a difference.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 stars. it started out with a lot of details about each of the MCs and then jumped forward to the launch. I was expecting a little more of a happy ending, or at least one not as disturbing. It would make an excellent horror movie.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Oh my god. How incredible. Scary. Creepy. Fantastic. Sad. Review coming soon.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Review from ARC from publisher

    Predictable, and yet they completely leave out a huge chunk of the ending so it's a surprise later on? Huh? Plus, the translater missed changing a year or age with one of the characters at one point. It's noticable if you do the math.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Oh my god what.
    I think maybe this was actually written by an alien rather than a Norwegian. At first I just assumed the peculiarly flavorless dialogue was a result of the translation process, but the way that no character at any time behaves the way an actual human would--there's just no other explanation.
    Alien wrote this.
    The end.

    (the end, by the way, I did enjoy since everyone dies. Yay!)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a translated novel, in english from the original norwegian. Horror is a genre I very rarely read, and usually only when done by an author I already like. I happened upon this book by chance when I was looking for something else and it looked interesting enough to give it a try. I didn't realize it was a horror story and it reads like a rather young adult science fiction adventure novel about a new expedition to the moon for the first half, although we are telegraphed some clues that there is a big danger lurking on the moon. That isn't the problem though. The horror part is actually pretty good. Unfortunately it takes half the book before much of anything happens. The story idea is also a little (a lot?) lame - three teenagers get picked in a lottery to go to the moon nearly 50 years after the last moon mission. In theory this is supposed to inspire a new generation of space age supporters and dreamers. However, knowing what the big whigs know, it is an astoundingly stupid idea. At a minimum I'd say they should be deploying some starship troopers and who knows what else.The payoff for the story is pretty good, tho it is a bit of a slog getting there. Some slightly creepy stuff is thrown in along the way, but it gets quite scary for the final third of the novel. To the credit of the author the three chosen teenagers came across very much like teenagers, but each fairly unique, although I did mix the girls up a couple times. All in all the second half of the book redeems some of the shortcomings and I found myself enjoying this well enough.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: Creepy! A science fiction novel turned horror film with stereotypical, helpless characters, incomplete plot development, and long dry spells, but some pulse-pounding action that still makes it a worthwhile read for the horror fan.Opening Sentence: “Gentlemen, it’s time,” Dr. _______ said, eyeing the seven men in suits sitting around the large conference table.The Review:This book totally freaked me out while reading it, perhaps because I read it on a windy, creepy night when I couldn’t sleep because there just happened to be a full moon shining through my window! If that was the goal of the author, than he succeeded, however, I feel the intention was more of a science fiction novel and I feel that it missed the mark entirely in that regard. I could go on and on with the problematic elements of this book, but I will try to list the things that I liked about the book as well, because there may be an audience for it that can appreciate the horror elements without relying so much on the characters or if everything makes sense as a whole. This seemed like a pretty cool idea for a plot, which is the reason I picked it up in the first place. If the author would have veered toward the science fiction side of things and made the book a little more believable, it would have made 172 Hours on the Moon both more enjoyable, and yes, even scarier as well.This book starts out well, building suspense for the first chapter, and then nothing happens for the first half of the book, except some character introduction and development. The book is not too long, and the fast-paced second half of the book almost makes up for the first half, so it is still worth reading if you like to get goosebumps. The characters aren’t especially engaging in any way, they are more teen stereotypes trying to be individuals and not really succeeding. Mia is a Norwegian creative band type who cares more about music than anything, but whose band could live with or without her, Antoine is a heart-broken French teen who spies on his ex-girlfriend, and Midori is a Japanese teen who shops a lot for accessories to impress her new individualist friends. There is hope that with such a huge amount of the book devoted to character development, all of that will be important later in the story, but it turns out that nothing comes of it and a short chapter on each one would have been sufficient. The most interesting character, Mia’s little brother, could be used much more effectively. Like the rest of the characters, he is introduced and built up, and then underutilized.There are some ominous happenings about halfway through the story, which are totally awesome and dramatic, and then we have another long lag before any action begins. These happenings are never really explained adequately, and as the most interesting part of the book, there would have been benefit to building them up even more throughout the novel. The adult characters that are introduced at this point are not even fully introduced, and turn out to be not just underwhelming, but as astronauts, completely helpless, which makes them totally unbelievable. The training and selection that an astronaut must go through does not make for an adult that just would give up at the first sign of defeat. We don’t just have one weak character, we have a full rocket of them.Usually science fiction novels seem to have a superior grasp of science and fact. Although many elements are imagined, they still seem somewhat plausible with the setting, characters, time period etc. This novel has far too many totally unlikely events to keep up with the few facts that try to hold it all together. Without the plot or characters being somewhat believable, we are left with a horror element that is definitely creepy and even well thought out, but with no base to support it. Not only are minor details explained inadequately, but huge elements of the plot are just never explained enough to make the book realistic enough to be as scary as it could be. As a short read, despite the drawbacks, this book still has some value just because of its thought-provoking, what’s hiding in the shadows somewhat redeeming qualities.Notable Scene:“Are you dreading it?” Midori asked.Mia paused. “I’m not really sure. Are you?”“I think so. How about you, Antoine?”Antoine nodded his head slowly a few times. “Yes. A lot.”“Look at it this way,” Mia began. “We go. We hang out for a little while. We come back again. That’s all it is. The only difference is we’re going a little farther than usual.”FTC Advisory: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette provided me with a copy of 172 Hours on the Moon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Well, that was one of the most horrifying things I've ever been through.

    Review to come.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Fifty years after the first man walked on the moon, we’re going back. What’s more, in honour of the occasion three teenagers will be chosen in a lottery to accompany the astronauts and become the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth people to set foot on the moon’s surface. Norwegian Mia, the Japanese Midori and Antoine, from France are three of millions of teens worldwide to register for the lottery, and chance or fate steps in – they’re going to be a part of man’s return to the moon!This incredible mission has the world in a frenzy of excitement, patriotism and optimism about man’s future. Everyone is watching to see the teenagers prepare and to see the trip come together. In what feels like no time at all to Mia, Midori and Antoine, they’ve blasted off and are on the moon, to spend 172 hours making history.Mia isn’t as giddy with excitement about the opportunity as the whole world seems to expect. There are too many questions that haven’t been answered. Why wait so long to go back? Why send teenagers along; just for the press coverage? What is this base that no-one has ever heard of since it was built in the ’70s, DARLAH 2? And, since it’s DARLAH 2, what happened to DARLAH 1, and why won’t anyone talk about it?This novel started off as a bit of an adventure story; three kids from different backgrounds finding themselves a part of a worldwide historical moment. But when the action moves to the moon, the tone abruptly became menacing, sinister – because those on the mission aren’t alone on the moon. The entire second half of the story is more horror than adventure, as it quickly becomes apparent that not everyone will make it safely back to Earth, and less clear what exactly they’ll be if they do.I read this book feeling like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book, because like a sci fi movie the novel focused more on the plot than the characters, leaving me disconnected. I also experienced Hunger Games deja vu; once people started dying those watching from Earth felt a lot like the masses tuning into the spectacle of the Capitol’s Hunger Games. The world was just waiting to see who would make it home.Creepy, atmospheric, and cinematic, an okay action novel, but not for people holding out for any happy ending.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In the not so distant future, in the year 2018, NASA has decided to rejuvenate the space program by returning to the moon. Back in the 60s when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong first set their feet on the moon’s surface, they were there to do more than what we earthings were informed of. They built a space station in hopes of further trips to explore the moon’s possibilities for mining and other scientific investigations. But something went terribly wrong, something happened. They returned to earth, mission not accomplished. Secrets were kept for decades. Wanting to return, NASA offers a chance to three teenagers around the globe to fulfill their dreams of space travel by sending them to the moon with three other astronauts. Two young women and one young man are chosen from the countries of Norway, Japan, and France. The three teens win the rare chance of a life time to join NASA, however, not told of the previous events that occurred when those famous words of “One Giant Step for Man” were spoken. Immediately upon their exciting moon landing, the team of teens and astronauts experience a strange phenomena and are haunted by an unseen deadly force that strikes at one team member after another until few are left gasping for air and struggling to survive the lunar terror around them.This reader who absolutely loves outer space science fictions stories, found 172 Hours on the Moon a bit lame. The first third of the book was extremely slow in starting. Too much time was spent on the lives of the three teenagers that will be chosen. I found myself impatient and irritated that it was taking so long to really get the main part of the story launched. I started to gain interest once the rocket left earth from Cape Canaveral and the thrills began, but it didn’t take long for me to realize the story was short on explanations of just what the phenomena was. Closing the book after reading the last page still left me wondering what it was because no real explanation is given and the reader must just go with the flow and realize that the answer would remain vague. It didn’t cut the mustard with me. I wanted to know more. The story does have it’s moments of terror and thrills, the book is not a complete dud. I also felt that the characters of the three kids, and their development needed some work. The ending...well it was a surprise, which I did love, but it reminded me of another ending of another book or movie so I didn’t feel it very creative or new. All in all the book is ok. Not great, but not fabulous by any means. I give it a big SO-SO!