Staking A Claim

by Travis J.I. Corcoran

In the early days of the Aristillus moon colony a lone geologist uses a small inheritance to do what the universities and government won't - fund basic research. Alone on the north face of the central peak in the Aristillus crater, equipped with just a small rover, a Quonset hut, and a small research lab, he finds pyrite - fool's gold. Except - perhaps it's not what he assumes after all. Of what use money to someone who cares about science, not lucre? In an anarcho-capitalist border town on the moon with no police and no courts, who enforces property rights? Will Mike ever stop Darcy from whimsical purchases? From the two time PROMETHEUS AWARD WINNER Travis Corcoran (Best Novel 2018, Best Novel 2019), a prequel story set in the Aristillus universe.

Genres: Space

42 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2019

About the author

Travis J I Corcoran is a Catholic anarcho-capitalist, a software engineer, and a business owner. He is an amateur at farming, wood turning, blacksmithing, cooking, throwing ceramic pots, and a few other things.

He lives on a 50 acre farm in New Hampshire with his wife, dogs, livestock, and a variety of lathes and milling machines.

Travis has had non-fiction articles published in several national magazines including Dragon, Make, and Fine Homebuilding.

The Powers of the Earth is his first novel.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story in Travis J. Corcoran's "Aristillus" series, a libertarian SF series set on the moon which is basically alternate universe fanfiction of Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

The story is about a PhD student who's a character in the main series and how he initially discovered a big deposit of gold on the moon and staked a claim to it. A claim jumper tries to steal it from him by bushwhacking him and leaving him stranded far from the lunar colony of Aristillus, so he must figure out how to gear up his suit with enough oxygen to hike for over 24 hours across the lunar surface, getting there just in time to defend his claim.

Basically just filler for the series, but it's a decent read for those who like Heinleinesque characters and hard SF.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, Short Story (Indeed!)

OK, I’m still not 100% sure of the correlation between the 1st short story, this one (though, there was a [very] little cross-referencing), and the ‘main’ Aristillus books ... but, I’m willing to accept that these 2 short stories will have a bearing in the near future.
The good news is that ‘Staking A Claim’ was at least based on SciFi, space travel, a Lunar base, and maybe even medical issues.
The bad news is it was only a short story, and perhaps even a bit unbelievable (as was the entire premise of the 1st short story).

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short prequel to a great series

This is basically what is good about Weir’s The Martian condensed to a short story set on the moon as a prequel to the Aristillus series. Entertaining and worked in engineering, lathework, and politics while not being too heavy handed.

[Eric F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet

Loved it just like I loved both books of the Aristillus serie, can’t wait for the next one to come out.
Nice pace, fun story, 10/10 highly recommend

[Kevin Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short read

Short and enjoyable, with a lovable geek who wins using his brain and an outsized dose of stubbornness. Try it.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a great series.

This book is a great start to a great series.

I really can't wait for more books to come out.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story

This is a nice background story for Corcoran's Aristillus series. I'm ready for book number three, but it's been a while. I'm afraid he gave up.