Walking on the Moon

Shift Officer Denys Duchamp of the mining ship Hatton was bored and hungry – hungry not only for decent-tasting food, but also for some female companionship. Unfortunately, this was not like other missions, where the crew could just land on a planet and take some R&R. This was a super-secret mission into the past that was being guided by The Book. In order to save their worlds in the present, they had to go to the past and mine a deposit of a rare ore only found on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. And they definitely couldn’t let anyone from 21st century Earth know of their presence in their time. It was quite a problem, then, that six of the men under Duchamp’s command, accidentally – sort of – kidnapped an American tourist and brought her back to the ship. What was Mr. Duchamp going to do with Claudia Cameron, TV chef and caterer, and how was he going to keep the dreaded Captain Andrews from pushing her out of the airlock to protect their mission?

I think Sizemore is one of the best writers in the time travel genre, and I have always enjoyed her books. This one is no exception! Most of the time travel novels that I have read deal with a modern hero or heroine transporting from the 21st century to the Middle Ages or earlier. That’s why this one involving a spaceship and crew coming from our future to the 21st century struck me as unusual. The characters are very realistically drawn, with a great sense of humor. Duchamp is a likeable, earnest officer desperately trying to do the right thing. Claudia Cameron is a strong, smart woman who keeps Duchamp on his toes. Even the secondary characters have distinct personalities. I particularly liked the six crew members reporting to Duchamp, who would give the Keystone Kops a run for their money as the comic relief. While this novel is sensual, and includes somewhat explicit love scenes, it is primarily a science fiction novel with romantic elements. Sizemore skillfully combines the genres into a seamless whole, resulting in a book that I just couldn’t put down!

Reviewed by: Jean