FREEDOM'S LAST GASP

In this second installment of a hard–SF series, a 23rd-century Earth government sends a brilliant student to spy on a secretive moon colony that may be planning a terrorist attack.

Priya Radcliffe is anxious about a military man’s requested meeting. But it turns out Col. Jenkins wants to recruit her on behalf of the governing United Nations’ First Council. The plan is to send Priya to Chrysalis, a moon orbiting the planet Epsilon. A “rogue element” on Chrysalis is supposedly responsible for two missile strikes against Earth, the latter of which killed Priya’s parents, with a third attack evidently in the works. Investigating won’t be easy, as previous U.N. spies to the moon’s mining colony haven’t returned. But Priya, traveling to Chrysalis under the guise of an intern, has the benefit of ancestry: Her many-times-great-grandparents helped save humanity during an event known as the Great Exodus. Unfortunately, the colony’s wary people, including head of Chrysalis security Terry Chapper, quickly have their eyes on Priya. With her “hidden companion” (an exceptional artificial intelligence named Harold) at her side, Priya tries accessing the mine’s level 12, where the U.N. anticipates a hefty secret. But learning more about Chrysalis may lead Priya to question her orders. Considering the dense backstory, Rothman’s novel is relatively short. But he astutely concentrates on Priya while hinting at myriad details, from the possibility of aliens to Harold’s murky origin. Some of these narrative components are mysteries with eventual answers, like the fate of other characters tied to the Great Exodus. At the same time, there’s a constant threat: If Priya can’t identify someone plotting an assault, the U.N. may simply obliterate the over 3 million people on Chrysalis. The story’s fact-based science doesn’t always serve the plot, such as Priya’s serving in the temporary role of a teacher to 10-year-old kids. But this scene, like most, is brief, aiding the book’s steady pace.

An interplanetary tale that’s both intelligent and entertaining.