The Oxygen Farmer - by Colin Holmes (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A cranky old oxygen farmer on the Moon stumbles onto a century old secret that threatens to derail the first mission to Mars, destroy the Luna colony, and maybe even life on Earth"--

Book Synopsis

A 2024 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Medal Winner

A 2024 IPPY Award Silver Medal Winner

"Holmes crafts a twisty thriller with conspiracies to spare . . ." --Shelf Awareness

"An action-packed thriller perfect for fans of Andy Weir and Jack McDevitt." --Kirkus Reviews

Sabotage, murder, cover-ups. Just another day on the Moon.

After 35 years of living on the Moon, cranky old oxygen farmer Millennium Harrison has stumbled onto a hidden facility in the shadows of the Slayton Ridge Exclusion Zone with a radiation leak and a deadly secret. Mil's discovery leads to the death of a young astronaut, sabotage, murder, and cover-ups that may go all the way to the Chief Administrator of the space agency. Unfortunately, she happens to be Mil's estranged daughter, busy trying to secure her own legacy--the first international mission to Mars.

With time ticking down to a limited launch window, enemies, friends, and even family may do anything to ensure the truth doesn't come out. Or will history finally catch up with a deadly scheme that has the potential to destroy the moon and eradicate all life on Earth? It seems the planet's only hope is a cantankerous guy who never really liked those people in the first place.

For readers who enjoy 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, Artemis by Andy Weir, and MoonFall by Jack McDevitt.

Review Quotes

"Holmes crafts a twisty thriller with conspiracies to spare . . . a rollicking science-fiction thriller that will please fans of Andy Weir." --Shelf Awareness

About the Author

Before the pandemic, Colin Holmes toiled in a beige cubical as a mid-level marketing and advertising manager for an international electronics firm. A recovering advertising creative director, he spent far too long at ad agencies and freelancing as a hired gun in the war for capitalism.

As an adman, Holmes has written newspaper classifieds, TV commercials, radio spots, trade journal articles and tweets. His ads have sold cowboy boots and cheeseburgers, 72-ounce steaks, and hazardous waste site clean-up services. He's encountered fascinating characters at every turn.

Now he writes novels, short stories and screenplays in an effort to stay out of the way and not drive his far too patient wife completely crazy. He is an honors graduate of the UCLA Writers Program, a former board member of the DFW Writers Workshop and serves on the steering committee of the DFW Writers Conference. He's a fan of baseball, barbeque, fine automobiles and unpretentious scotch.