The Dark Side by Anthony O'Neill

Published by Simon & Schuster on June 28, 2016

The dark side of the moon is sort of like the legendary Old West: lawless, wild, and free, a haven for criminals and outcasts. It even has a town named Purgatory, which isn’t too far from Sin. Its newest resident is Justus, a lawman who has been forced to abandon Earth because he ruffled the wrong feathers. So there’s a new Sheriff in town, but is he willing to take on the moon’s leading developer, Fletcher Brass?

Bass, with the help of QT, his daughter, runs the town of Purgatory on the dark side of the moon. Justus’ first case involves the assassination of Bass’ advisor, Otto Decker. Of course, Fletcher and QT are both suspects, but so are nearly all the other inhabitants of Purgatory.

The moon also has an experimental program to house dangerous prisoners. A robot is wandering from hut to hut, engaging the prisoners in a way that does not contribute to their health. The robot, who frequently tells people that he is traveling to Oz, seems to be a bit demented. An ordinary guy, with not much to lose, decides to stop him. How that storyline relates to Justus’ attempt to solve a murder is not apparent until a good bit of the story has unfolded.

Three words that start with O best describe The Dark Side: odd, offbeat, and original. It’s sort of a tongue-in-cheek mystery novel in a western setting, but it should appeal to fans of action-oriented science fiction. The protagonist is likable, but so is the mad robot who manages to kill a few dozen people before the novel’s end. Well, none of us are responsible for our programming, aren’t we?

To its credit, the story isn’t even slightly predictable, and it’s consistently amusing. If you’re looking for serious sf, look elsewhere, but if you just want to have a good time with an old fashioned western married to a goofy sf novel, The Dark Side is a fun choice.

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