Hot Moon

One of the most critically acclaimed hard science fiction novels from a two-time Sidewise Award winning author.

"A nail-biting thriller."Publishers Weekly

"I loved it. Great 'hard' science fiction with convincing space battles. "Larry Niven

"Will delight and enthrall."Library Journal

"A provocative science fiction novel."Foreword Reviews

Hot Moon, the first book in the highly acclaimed Apollo Rising Series, is set in an alternate 1979, where the United States and the Soviet Union have permanent Moon bases, orbiting space stations, and crewed spy satellites-all supported by frequent rocket launches. In this thrilling, hard science fiction novel, the near future of the Cold War extends beyond Earth, creating a tense and action-packed space rivalry.

Commanded by career astronaut Vivian Carter, Apollo 32 embarks on a NASA fiction mission to dock at Columbia, a NASA space station, before heading to the volcanic Marius Hills region of the Moon. But when four Soviet Soyuz craft suddenly appear and attack the station, Vivian is caught in the crossfire. In a desperate move, she spacewalks through the hard vacuum back to her Lunar Module just in time to escape, as the station falls into Soviet hands.

With their original mission canceled, Vivian and her crew are redirected to Hadley Base, a NASA scientific outpost on the Moon. Soon, this unarmed base, home to eighteen astronauts, also comes under attack, forcing Vivian and her colleagues into a series of daring acts of ingenuity and improvisation as they face the full brunt of the Soviet threat.

With multiple viewpoints shifting from American to Soviet perspectives, Hot Moon tells the gripping story of a near-future alternate history filled with high-stakes space rivalry, hard science fiction, and NASA fiction adventures. If you love hard science fiction novels that blend real-world technology with alternate history scenarios, Hot Moon will keep you on the edge of your seat.

"Alan Smale is one of the brightest stars in the hard-SF firmament, and Hot Moon is his best novel yet. "-Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author.

"Intriguing, adrenaline-fueled, and engaging, author Alan Smale's Hot Moon is the perfect sci-fi meets political thriller."-Anthony Avina's Blog.

"A frightening glimpse into what the future may hold. This unforgettable journey takes readers to the very edge of reality, and possibly, our future."-Mostly Mysteries' and Other Books Too.

"A superb mind-expanding sci-fi novel!"Grady Harp (Amazon Hall of Fame Top100 Reviewer).

Hot Moon is a stunning alternate history novel where space rivalry takes center stage, ideal for fans of NASA fiction books, near-future adventures, and hard science fiction series

With breathtaking accuracy from a retired NASA director and an immersive look at a possible untold stories of space rivalry, Hot Moon brings hard science fiction alive, capturing the imagination and the thrill of space exploration.

“"The pace is headlong... the perfect balance of danger andcourage wrapped around science details that remind us that we're in the handsof a writer who has the facts right. Masterful work." Rick Wilber,award-winning author of Alien Morning and Alien Day.”

"Set in an alternate timeline where Soviet cosmonauts beat the U.S. to the moon, this novel by Sidewise Award winner Smale (Tales from Alternate Earths Volume III) picks up at the end of the 1970s with Vivian Carter, the commander of Apollo 32, taking fire in what will become the opening shots in a war for the moon. Smale writes about NASA procedures, space history, lunar geology, and orbital mechanics with stunning detail and familiarity, while sending the reader on a fast-paced, well-plotted adventure aboard claustrophobic lunar modules, inside fragile habitats, and across inhospitable landscapes. Commander Carter becomes a tough-as-nails protagonist who’s impossible not to root for as she navigates political intrigue, space combat, and the realistic, moment-by-moment requirements of surviving in a vacuum. The storytelling is extremely well done, the ideas are thoroughly researched, and both combine in a satisfying work of fiction.VERDICT For astronaut wonks and fans of realistic science fiction, Smale’s latest will delight and enthrall."−Library Journal (starred review)

"Smale (the Clash of Eagles trilogy), a NASA astrophysicist and data archive manager, cleverly uses his insider knowledge of the American space program to craft a nail-biting thriller set in a plausible alternate 1979. The Cold War is heating up in space. The Soviet Union’s desire to beat the U.S. has led to a reckless approach to its cosmonaut program, which has cost Russian lives, but also enabled the Soviets to land the first man on the Moon. For NASA astronaut Vivian Carter, however, there’s been an upside to the competition; because the third Russian cosmonaut on the Moon was female, NASA responded by bolstering the roles of American women within its own program. Now Carter heads the Apollo 32 mission—but her planned lunar landing is jeopardized when the space station she’s docked at comes under attack from a Soviet craft. Carter scrambles to keep herself and her crew safe—but this attack is just the opening salvo to what soon becomes all-out war. Smale makes the most of this conceit, coupling suspenseful plot developments with fully realized characters. Fans of Chris Hadfield’s thematically similar The Apollo Murders will be hooked. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Assoc. (July)"−Publishers Weekly

"I loved it. Great 'hard' science fiction with convincing space battles."−Hugo and Nebula-wining Grandmaster, Larry Niven (author of Ringworld)

“The pace is headlong… the perfect balance of danger andcourage wrapped around science details that remind us that we’re in the handsof a writer who has the facts right. Masterful work.”−Rick Wilber,award-winning author of Alien Morning and Alien Day

"In the exciting alternate timeline of Alan Smale’s Hot Moon:the Soviet Union beat the United States to the Moon; the Cold War went hot; theconflict spread to the Moon. This sets the foundation for a gripping tale ofspace warfare.

In 1979, Ronald Reagan is the president, and the Soviet Moonlanding has energized the US’s part in the space race. A planned, routinephotographic opportunity becomes life-threatening following an unprovokedattack on an Apollo spacecraft. Its mission commander, Vivian, makes adeath-defying spacewalk with no life support and no way to guide herself,except for a gas gun. The crew manages to escape to a Moon base, from wherethey defend themselves against a Soviet siege.

The book alternates between the viewpoints of the Russiansand the Americans. Theirs is a cat-and-mouse game of strategy. Vivian is braveand resourceful, and it is easy to get caught up in the suspense when sheencounters one challenge after another. One harrowing scene sees Viviancaptured and interrogated by Russian space soldiers, too.

The American characters are the best fleshed out, includinga commander, Sandoval, who puts up a fierce front, but who secretly isterrified of the lifeless void of the lunar surface. The book’s Russiancharacters are more often stereotyped.

While the story is straightforward, there are twists and turnsthat keep it interesting. The battles are realistic, reflecting the realitiesof the environments on the Moon and in space. Illustrations of the Apollo andSoyuz spacecrafts, and of what Moon bases could have looked like, further fleshthe book’s environments out. An appendix discusses the plausibility of the plotfrom technical, political, and historical perspectives.

Hot Moon is a provocative science fiction novel set in analternative but plausible reality. It follows a war in space with original, imaginativeflourishes."−Foreword Reviews

"I loved it. Great 'hard' science fiction with convincing space battles."−Larry Niven, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author of Ringworld

“Alan Smale is one of the brightest stars in the hard-SF firmament, and Hot Moon is his best novel yet. Enjoy!”−Robert J. Sawyer, Nebular and Hugo Award-winning author of The Oppenheimer Alternative

"As the well depicted and conceived military action unfolds, the conspiracy that pits astronauts and cosmonauts against each other begins to surface. Not all enemies are actually enemies--and some friends and allies are anything but that."−Eric Flint, author of 1632

Alan Smale is an award-winning science fiction (hard SF and alternate history) and fantasy author who has sold over fifty pieces of short fiction to Asimov's, Galaxy's Edge, Abyss & Apex, and other magazines and anthologies. His short story "Gunpowder Treason" earned him a second Sidewise Award in 2022. His non-fiction essays have appeared in Lightspeed, Journey Planet, and Galaxy's Edge. Alan grew up in England, and received degrees in Physics and Astrophysics from Oxford University. Until recently he performed research into Galactic neutron star and black hole binary systems at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and served as the Director of one of NASA's big-three astrophysical data archives.

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