Gunpowder Moon

Industry has come to the moon, as the Chinese and Americans are both mining for helium-3, the next great energy source. But that peaceful coexistence is shattered when an American miner is murdered. Now both governments back on Earth are gearing up for war, and the miners on the moon are stuck in the middle of a conflict they never asked for. The only chance to avert the first lunar war in history? Solve the murder before it’s too late.

Gunpowder Moon manages to be a lot of different novels all at once. It’s a murder mystery, a dystopian tale, a utopian dream, and hard sci-fi with plenty of heart. As both the readers and the miners try to solve the murder as events quickly escalate, difficult moral choices abound as idealism, pragmatism, and cold, hard reality all collide in an unforgiving environment.

And yet, for all the highfalutin ideas, at its crux, Gunpowder Moon is a story about humans trying to be humane in one of the most inhospitable places we’ve ever been. Whether you’re talking about that core idea or all of the hard questions and sci-fi trappings that come with it, you’ve got one hell of an impressive effort on your hands.