EXTINCTION

In Simon’s SF thriller, a military officer butts heads with politicians as a moon colony faces a full-blown crisis.

Lt. Ryan Braeder joins a small staff of fleet officers on the colonized Jupiter moon of Europa. It’s a chance to salvage his military career; back on his home world of Earth, in Africa, Ryan made a decision that cost the lives of everyone under his command. (“Lieutenant, the last time you followed protocol, a lot of people got dead”). The fleet’s job is protecting and overseeing the colony, much to the chagrin of Europa’s Governor Bordeaux and the administrative Board, who want full control of the food supply. At first, they simply yearn for more exotic victuals, but when Europa is hit with food shortages, the Board may incite the colonists into an uprising. Meanwhile, a biological attack on Earth leads to a catastrophic plague; when a transport ship suddenly shows up looking to land, Ryan and his fellow soldiers can’t be sure if it’s someone in need of help or a band of infected passengers. Simon develops a vividly-detailed future while smartly concentrating on what’s happening on Europa (Ryan gets wind of trouble on colonized Mars as well as on an outpost on a Saturn moon). The multilayered hero is wracked with residual guilt over the African incident and worries about battlefield decisions he may be forced to make; the equally dynamic supporting cast includes members of the Board (some of whom are chillingly cold-blooded) and veteran engineer Gunner McInnis, who, despite his male chauvinism, proves to be a capable, dependable soldier. Abundant scenes of dialogue perfectly suit a story teeming with heated discourse as the Board threatens Ryan or tries to sway colonists to their favor and the Fleet persistently debates the best course of action. It’s not all talk—there are intense bursts of action, and the final act ramps up the intensity to an exhilarating degree.

An interstellar yarn wrought with suspense and indelible characters.