Book Review: The Relentless Moon

The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC's goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.

Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.

Relentless is too bloody right! This book is almost Dickensian in the way each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger.

This is a smart and zeitgeisty book. Filled with reactions to sexism, racism, and how people cope with pandemics. It's a little too on the nose at times but, hey, these are strange days indeed.

There are some cute historical references as Easter Eggs - the start of chapter 43, for instance. And there are a couple of simple puzzles for the reader to work out.

It's the perfect mix of speculative history, sci-fi, and spy novel.

It isn't essential that you read the first two books - The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky - but I thoroughly recommend them.