Industry and commerce dominate the space routes, and a tug from Mars lands on schedule at the Lunar Base with Martian leather goods for sale. From the first page of LUNAR DUST, MARTIAN SANDS I could tell that I was in for some fine SF. The quality of writing leaps off the page while the industrial environment, then the touristy press of people, resound with realism.
Ed Ferald is the tug pilot, used to shuttling between the planets and asteroid mines, charming enough to market the leatherwear and smart enough to keep his mouth shut when asked to ferry a passenger back to Mars. Faizah Westerhof isn't chatty and doesn't supply a reason for sneaking on board under the guise of being crew. But it's okay with Ed's boss, so this passenger will be keeping him company for the next month. That's if they survive that long. Politics concerning the space industries are hotting up on Earth and someone might not want Faizah to arrive on Mars.
Meanwhile on Mars, we see red adobe farmhouses under giant agri-domes, with Sagan Boulevard, Burroughs Street, Edgar's Rice takeout and Barsoom Cafe reminding us of the red planet's heroes. Dogs are adapted to the lighter gravity and rain mostly falls by night. Next tourist season, sign me up for the trip.
Details of interplanetary transportation and colonisation are well thought out and author Tom Chmielewski has researched thoroughly. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. Following a space disaster the story develops into a murder investigation, with many facets of the situation to be understood before blame can be assigned. The tone engagingly becomes reminiscent of a crime noir in this exotic setting. We meet a good spread of characters who grow stronger as they face crises.
While not written for young adults, this expertly-paced story could be read by adults or teens with an interest in space exploration and high tech equipment. I'm sorry that LUNAR DUST, MARTIAN SANDS is Tom Chmielewski's first book, because that means that I'll have to wait a while to read more. Write faster, Tom!
Ed Ferald, pilot of the tug Cydonia Zach on the Martian-
Lunar run, receives orders from his uncle and boss to take
an enigmatic woman as his sole passenger on the return to
Mars. When an explosion destroys the passenger ship on
which the woman originally booked passage, Ed races
against time to rescue the survivors. But he soon finds
himself ensnared in plots fed by Earth politics and
corporations fighting to preserve their profits even if it
means putting the survival of the Martian colony at risk.
Edβs passenger is at the center of the fight, though on
what side he canβt tell. He only knows he has to uncover
the plotβs conspirators to preserve his Martian home β and
to keep from being the next one killed
No excerpt available.
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