Near Space Series by Allen M. Steele

Winner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel: At work aboard a battered space station, a team of blue-collar laborers stumbles upon a surveillance plot of unprecedented scopePopeye Hooker knows that space isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A former fisherman who takes a job building low orbital stations to escape a failed relationship, he finds that in space, construction work is still a grind... moreWinner of the Locus Award for Best First Novel: At work aboard a battered space station, a team of blue-collar laborers stumbles upon a surveillance plot of unprecedented scopePopeye Hooker knows that space isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A former fisherman who takes a job building low orbital stations to escape a failed relationship, he finds that in space, construction work is still a grind. And when they aren’t building the space stations that will usher humanity into the stars, Sam Sloane and the rest of the beamjacks get high, blast the Grateful Dead, and stare through telescopes at the world they left behind. But life in orbit is about to get much more interesting.Nestled among the life support equipment that keeps them alive and the entertainment systems that keep them happy, the beamjacks find something astonishing. Turns out, their home isn’t just a space station—it’s a giant antenna designed to spy on every inhabitant of Earth. It’s the greatest privacy invasion ever perpetrated, and the beamjacks won’t stand for it. They may not be pioneers, but these roughnecks are about to become revolutionaries. less

Trouble has come to Clarke County, trouble in the delectable shape of Macy Westmoreland, gangster's moll on the run from the Mafia. Then there's the Golem, the ultimate killing machine, and Macy's his latest contract.More than enough problems for John Bighorn. Sheriff by day, shaman by night, he knew better than to mess with Jenny Schoor, wife of the leader of the 'New Ark' cult... moreTrouble has come to Clarke County, trouble in the delectable shape of Macy Westmoreland, gangster's moll on the run from the Mafia. Then there's the Golem, the ultimate killing machine, and Macy's his latest contract.More than enough problems for John Bighorn. Sheriff by day, shaman by night, he knew better than to mess with Jenny Schoor, wife of the leader of the 'New Ark' cult. So why did he?Add to that a ghost in the machine that thinks it's Bob Dylan, not to mention a reincarnation of Elvis Presley, and you could be in New York on atypical day.Except that Clarke County is 200,000 miles from Earth and someone's just launched a nuclear missile at it. less

Explosive science fiction-forged in Steele. The moondogs are responsible for maintaining Skycorp's most important off-world projects-and now they're going on strike.

On Mars, a research team encounters an ancient puzzle that only a guitarist can solveIn 2029, an American research team ventures to Mars to investigate an astounding find: a labyrinth older than humanity itself, whose maze of rooms conceals the deepest secrets of the red planet. In the final chamber, strange music plays, as chilling as it is beautiful. It will be the last thing the scientist who discovers it ever hears... moreOn Mars, a research team encounters an ancient puzzle that only a guitarist can solveIn 2029, an American research team ventures to Mars to investigate an astounding find: a labyrinth older than humanity itself, whose maze of rooms conceals the deepest secrets of the red planet. In the final chamber, strange music plays, as chilling as it is beautiful. It will be the last thing the scientist who discovers it ever hears. As the music rises to a climax, the chamber door closes, leaving him to die in the pitch dark.Where one explorer has failed, Ben Cassidy must not. An internationally famous guitarist, his music is the closest thing on Earth to Mars’s deadly hymn. The government sends him into space to solve a planetary mystery, but what Cassidy encounters is a team of researchers whose jealous competition is every bit as dangerous as the secrets of Mars. less

Shady deals and forcible cryogenics keep the tension mounting in this hip new near-future novel from the Hugo Award-winning author of Tranquility Alternative and Orbital Decay. With its near-space setting, techno-adventure theme, and rock'n'roll style, it will appeal to both science fiction and mainstream readers. It Was One Hell of a Blackout... moreShady deals and forcible cryogenics keep the tension mounting in this hip new near-future novel from the Hugo Award-winning author of Tranquility Alternative and Orbital Decay. With its near-space setting, techno-adventure theme, and rock'n'roll style, it will appeal to both science fiction and mainstream readers. It Was One Hell of a Blackout. William Alec Tucker III was living the high life, spending Daddy's money on all the sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll a spoiled rich kid like himself can get his hands on. Then one little DUI-type miscalculation behind the wheel and BAM! He's knocked into the middle of the next century, literally. Waking up a hundred years later in a space colony owned by an extremely wealthy developer, Tucker suffers from total amnesia. As he fights for each shred of memory of his previous life, he stumbles upon a top-secret operation aimed at bringing more deadheads from the past century to the space colony. He may have been irresponsible and undisciplined in his last life, but he will need all the resourcefulness and courage he can muster to thwart the schemes afoot in this one. less