An interconnected series of sci-fi stories set on Titan. There's no overall arc here, and no follow-up to some of the stories, but that's something I genuinely don't mind as nearly every story is, if not contained, then possessing of its own arc, which makes for a satisfying read - or at least it does for me. As you would expect from the premise, these stories are hard sci-fi, and while I'm not an expert in the field (my own science background is in biology) Petrie is, and his introduction offers up credentials and researched sources that gives the collection a real sense of accuracy - or as accurate as one can get under the circumstances. Of course I'm mostly accepting his word here, but it seems to me that someone with Petrie's background isn't likely to stuff his stories full of flat-out wrong, which I appreciate. The stories themselves, these little interwoven narratives, are touching and sometimes uncompromising, but I think the very realistic danger of colonist life on Titan is at times over-emphasised by the very high death count. I mean, it's a difficult balance to strike and I think for the most part Petrie does it very successfully, but for me the most affecting story is the one not about death (or risk of) at all... "Emptying Roesler". Human stories remain that, whether they're on Titan or Earth, and the stakes don't have to be lethal to get me to care.

Full review to come in Strange Horizons, and I'll pop the link in here when it's up.