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The Tranquillity Alternative

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The Tranquillity Alternative
The Tranquillity Alternative
Apollo 12
AuthorAllen Steele
Cover artistBob Eggleton
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
PublisherAce Books
Publication date
1996
Pages320 pag.
ISBN0-441-00433-4
OCLC857715616
Preceded byThe Jericho Iteration 
Followed byA King of Infinite Space 

The Tranquility Alternative is a science fiction and space drama novel written by Allen Steele published by Ace Books in 1996.[1] The author's sixth novel, it tells an Alternate history in which the United States placed nuclear missiles on the Moon in 1960. The country then loses interest in the Space Race and decides to send astronauts to destroy the missiles. That is when North Korea decides to steal the missiles.

Context[edit]

The original idea for this work is already seen in the author's early writings, as seen in his short novel 'Operation Blue Horizon' published in Worcester Monthly magazine in September 1988. The published text did not completely satisfy the author and he republished it as 'Goddard's People' (1991) in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. This, together with the short story 'John Harper Wilson' (1989); inspired by Willy Ley's novel The Conquest of Space, its film adaptation and Chesley Bonestell's astronomical art, were the source material for the writing of the novel.

Steele wanted to do a novel that would merge near-future science fiction with a mystery thriller set in space, one that did not resemble techno-thrillers like Payne Harrison's Storming Intrepid or Dale Brown's Silver Tower. Unlike the baby boomers who grew up with Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and the movie Destination Moon, the author's cultural references were Cornelius Ryan's Across the Space Frontier (1952), as well as Star Trek and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Composition[edit]

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) logo.

The book consists of 22 untitled chapters and an Epilogue and an Afterword, interspersed with material that gives a broader view of the world being described; such as the transcript of President Harry S. Truman's radio address to the nation reporting the successful interception of the Amerikabomber.[2]

Plot[edit]

The Conquest of Space of Willy Ley, inspired the author to write stories set in near space.

The Tranquillity Alternative is a uchronia set in 1995, where space travel developed earlier as a result of hypersonic bomber technology. At the height of the Cold War, the United States placed six missiles with nuclear warheads as the ultimate deterrent to a Soviet stealth attack. The idea was that if the Soviets attempted to deliver a knockout blow to U.S. ground assets, the lunar missiles would still be there to strike back.

Due to lack of funding and public interest, NASA is forced to sell the lunar outpost, Tranquility Base, to a German conglomerate.7 But before the Germans can take possession to turn it into a toxic waste dump, the United States has one last mission: to destroy the nuclear missiles placed there two decades ago, to ensure that they never fall into enemy hands and to show that the United States has given up on the Militarisation of space. The latest mission to Tranquility Base is to dismantle the missiles.

Characters[edit]

Astronomical art by Chesley Bonestell, source of inspiration for the author.
  • Paul Dooley: computer genius. Fan of pizza with pepperoni, olives and extra cheese.[3]
  • Mike Momphrey: called Mister Mom, bodyguard assigned to Paul Dooley.
  • Gene Parnell: pilot. Old white man given to nostalgia. Leads the last US mission to the Moon.[4] Met his wife in 1961 after graduating from Annapolis. Although he jogged two or three miles every morning he had a pot belly. His buzz cut was graying and the short beard he had grown was as white as beach sand.[5]
  • Judith Parnell: wife of Gene Parell. She studied at Wellesley. Her hair was completely gray. She was 34 years old and married to Gene.[5]
  • Helen Parnell: daughter of Gene and Judith.[5]
  • Gene Jr. Parnell: son of Gene and Judith.[6] Spike's boyfriend. Constant source of concern for his parents. Expelled from two private schools and dropped out of college. Arrested for selling marijuana. Finally settles in Los Angeles after hitchhiking hitchhiking across the country. Managed a retro boutique shop.[7]
  • Spike: lead singer of a Los Angeles band called The Doggy Position. He had interesting tattoos and was interested in quitting his job to open a sex shop in Hollywood.[7]
  • Joe Clark: launch room technician. Former member of the Moon Project.[4]
  • Keit Baldini: launch room technician. Former member of the Moon Project.[4]
  • Cristine Ryer: astronaut.[8] Mission co-pilot.[9] Resentful lesbian. Despised by her colleagues.[8]
  • Jay Lewitt: flight engineer for the Conestoga.[8]
  • Lisa: wife of Jay Lewitt.

Legacy[edit]

In 1994 Steele published V-S Day: A Novel of Alternate History, a novella that functions as a prequel to The Tranquillity Alternative.[10] This story was nominated for the 2015 Sidewise Award for Alternate History in the Best Long Story category.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "THE TRANQUILLITY ALTERNATIVE". Kirkus Review. Kirkus Media. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. ^ Steele 1996, pp. 1–2.
  3. ^ Steele 1996, p. 6.
  4. ^ a b c Steele 1996, p. 18.
  5. ^ a b c Steele 1996, p. 20.
  6. ^ Steele 1996, p. 23.
  7. ^ a b Steele 1996, p. 24.
  8. ^ a b c Steele 1996, p. 19.
  9. ^ Steele 1996, p. 21.
  10. ^ Rambraut 2015.
  11. ^ Kelly.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Kelly, Mark R. "Sidewise Awards 2015". science fiction awards database. The Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  • Rambraut, Dag (9 July 2015). "Allen Steele Interview". SFFWorld. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  • Steele, Alen (1996). The Tranquillity Alternative. New York: Ace Books. ISBN 0-441-00433-4.

External links[edit]

Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tranquillity_Alternative
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