Gunpowder Moon

Starred review from November 6, 2017
Former journalist Pedreira’s debut novel is an excellent sci-fi thriller set on the moon during a seething international crisis. Caden Dechert, chief of a U.S. mining station on the moon, just cares about doing his job and keeping his crew alive in Luna’s unforgiving environment; the commander of a rival Chinese base feels the same way. Governments back on Earth, however, are edging toward war, and Dechert watches as minor poaching and sabotage escalate into murder. Many begin to question whether humans can learn to control themselves well enough to survive in space. As more people die violently, Dechert tries to find the murderer and talk sense to the people in power. Pedreira is very good at drawing characters and showing the terrible limits within which they must function. The tension is especially strong in the novel’s last pages, leading to a conclusion that manages to be simultaneously cynical and hopeful. This is an exciting story with an unexpected depth—a solid winner. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary.

February 1, 2018
An ex-soldier tries to solve a murder that threatens to both plunge the Moon's mining colonies into war and destroy tentative international peace in Pedreira's debut novel, set in 2072.Caden Dechert hoped to leave war behind when he abandoned an Earth ravaged by climate change and violence over dwindling resources. In the Moon's new mining colonies, he finds escape from the ghosts of the past and a camaraderie that transcends national rivalries. Russian, Chinese, or American: everyone is an equal and an ally in the struggle to survive the Moon's extremes. But peace can't last forever, and tensions back on Earth will have ramifications on the lunar surface. As incidents of sabotage escalate to lethal levels, Dechert struggles to try to stop the gears of war from grinding shut on his mining station and the small crew that has become his surrogate family. To succeed, he and his team will be pitted against hardened military minds, black ops technology, the machinations of politicians...and the unforgiving and deadly setting of the Moon itself. The lunar environment is the star of the story; its stark extremes of heat and cold, light and dark are a constant presence threatening the struggling miners, soldiers, and bureaucrats...and sometimes awing them with its beauty. Occasionally the Moon overshadows Dechert and his crew, who drift near one-note characterization. But a tight plot and evocative technical writing drive the story to a satisfying conclusion, culminating with a bittersweet reflection on humanity's taste for war and how no cease-fire really does last forever.Memorable visuals and well-executed action sequences mark this exciting foray into near-future hard sci-fi, which is at its best when framing the poignancy of the desire for peace.

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January 1, 2018
It's 2072, and the moon is being mined for fuel by all the world powers. This fuel is the answer to the energy crisis and environmental collapse of Earth. At America's mining site, a person is killed in what, at first, looks like an accident, but a murder investigation is quickly launched. Because the accident can be connected back to another world power, politics threaten to derail the investigation. But Caden Dechert, a veteran, just wants to know why and how his friend died, without the complications of diplomacy and backroom dealings. His loyalty, ingenuity, and cynical point of view are refreshing to read as the situation gets messier. It's not just politicsthis is the first murder on the moon, and there are no rules and procedures for how it should be handled. Dechert combines his intelligence and emotions to work toward a solution. While the setting is entertaining, it does not eclipse the true nature of Pedreira's debut: an intriguing murder mystery with a great lead that just happens to take place on the moon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 1, 2018

DEBUT In 2072, mining on the moon has become commonplace and necessary for survival. Without the lunar helium-3, earth cannot recover from the environmental disaster it has created over the decades. Former marine Caden Dechert is the chief of the U.S. mining operation on the edge of the Sea of Serenity. When a bomb kills one of his diggers on Mare Serenitatis, the veteran races to solve the first murder on the moon. As Caden and his team uncover the truth, they realize that the struggle for economic control of the lunar material between two global powers can make lives on the moon expendable. Interesting quirks and divided loyalties flesh out this first novel in which sf and mystery intersect in a well-crafted plot. VERDICT Pedreira's science thriller powerfully highlights the human politics and economics from the seemingly desolate expanse of the moon. It will attract readers who enjoyed Andy Weir's lunar crime caper Artemis.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., South Deerfield

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