Up Against It

Up Against It is the first book by author M.J. Locke. Set on an asteroid colony in the not too distant future, the novel is considered “hard science fiction,” meaning it includes scientific detail and scenarios that could logically occur.

On the colony, Phocaea, a low gee outpost, live many thousands of people, including Geoff Agre, a teenager who rides rocket bikes with his friends to salvage the methane ice crystals that power the colony. Earth has become a refugee camp after an ecological breakdown. Life in the colonies is televised by small mobile cameras that are everywhere. The resulting ‘reality show’ is then sold for vast amounts of money to support the colony.

Geoff’s brother Carl is killed in an act of sabotage that may have been caused by the Martian mafia. The mafia is trying to gain a monopoly of the colony’s business. Jane Navio is Phocaea’s resource manager, a 100-year-old who looks and acts about 50. Most people take medication to extend their lives. Jane has to investigate Carl’s death and the sabotage of the methane plant. This is a good science fiction read where the characters keep you interested.