Celestial: An alternative history set at the height of the space race

Description

1977. THE SPACERACE IS FAR FROM OVER. Ziggy Da Luca is a linguist recruited by NASA for reasons she can't quite fathom. After seeing the video they've intercepted, it becomes clear her work is far more central to their plans than she realised. Sent to the moon to investigate a hatch discovered by the Russians, Ziggy faces challenges she's never trained for. Seen by some as a liability, she must contend with her own crew as well as the Russian cosmonauts, as everyone races to uncover the hatch's mystery. What she finds there is beyond anything she could imagine. The future of humankind could be changed for ever. The only question is whether she'll make it home to tell her story.

M.D. Lachlan is the pseudonym of a successful mainstream fiction and non-fiction writer. A one-time stand-up comedian, he also writes for the Guardian. He was born in Coventry and now lives with his wife and children in Brighton.

I loved Celestial . . . addictively readable: good central mystery, cleverly extended; well-drawn characters, a brisk exciting narration . . . taut and tense and absorbing all the way through * Adam Roberts, author of The This * Fast-paced, exciting and full of mystery, this lunar-based novel explores deep questions regarding religion, meaning, and the nature of reality itself * Liz Williams, author of Banner of Souls * For a science fiction reader looking for a modern feeling novel, but with a nod to some classic sci fi pondering, Celestial is a book that will scratch that itch * SF Book * Enter a brilliantly conceived extraterrestial wonderland . . . Celestial is a visionary escapade redolant of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama * The Times * A first-contact story with more than just a cold war twist . . . all plot threads are pulled together to a satisfying and enlightening conclusion * SciFiNow *