The Tranquility Alternative by Allen Steele

An Alternate History Hard Sci-Fi Thriller of Lunar Silos, Private Spaceflight, and Cold War Secrets

In an alternate 1995, a financially bankrupt NASA is selling off its space hardware to private corporations, ordering the permanent closure of America's Tranquility Base on the Moon. Retired astronaut Gene Kelly is recruited for a final covert commercial mission aboard the space shuttle Sovereign to dismantle six nuclear missile silos secretly installed on the lunar surface during the Cold War.

Upon arriving at Tranquility Base, the crew discovers a rogue mercenary group working for a private defense contractor has infiltrated the site to hijack the lunar nuclear arsenal. Trapped on the far side of the Moon, Gene Kelly and his crew must engage in a zero-gravity tactical fight to secure the missiles before a strike is launched against Earth.

Why You’ll Love This Book

Hugo Award-winner Allen Steele delivers a fast-paced hard science fiction thriller packed with realistic space shuttle logistics, Cold War alternate history, and lunar combat. Essential reading for fans of Ben Bova, Stephen Baxter, and Kim Stanley Robinson.