Blue Collar Space

A nice set of stories all focused on people working through environmental or physical challenges in lunar, martian or space settings. The stories are filled with characters that many longtime sci-fi readers imagine themselves to be. That is folks who work hard and generally have an analytical approa......more

I really like Martin Shoemaker's books. This is perhaps my least favorite. I call his writing "old fashioned science fiction", with a mixture of good story telling, suspense, character development (so you CARE about the characters, even the not-so-nice ones), geeky technobabble, and broad vision of......more

As with most short story collections, there are a couple that don't appeal to the reader, but I enjoyed the majority of these stories. I really like the theme of "blue collar" which told me from the outset the stories would be more about the working crew, rather than featuring a dashing captain who......more

Enjoyable escapist near-future science fiction. As the title suggests, Shoemaker delivers a work-a-day reality. However, blue collar he may see it, the stories are laden with science. Plot points depend on metallic, orbital, and closed system properties. Although he sketches the future in solar system......more

Finally! A sci-fi book that tells the stories of the folks who really do all the work! If that weren't enough, the stories themselves are all solid and with many that are exceptional. They're organized into chapters dealing with different spaces/places/situations. I really enjoyed this one tremendou......more