by John Brunner
First published 1977
The colonies stretching across Mars and the outer planets simmer with political tension. Corporate interests clash with colonial independence movements while Earth maintains its grip on interplanetary trade routes. Agents work in shadows, passing secrets between worlds as competing factions maneuver for advantage. Trust becomes a luxury no one can afford when every transmission might be intercepted and every ally could switch sides. The protagonist navigates this web of competing loyalties, where a single miscalculation could trigger conflict across multiple worlds. Personal relationships strain under the weight of political necessity. Brunner crafts a future where human nature drives the same power struggles that have always existed, now played out against the backdrop of space colonization. The story explores how political intrigue adapts to an interplanetary scale.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, space-opera, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, political-machinations
Setting: Mars, Outer Planets
Period: Future
157 pages · Paperback · Ace Books