I picked up Space Tug expecting a dusty relic of ’50s sci-fi. What I got was a fast, lean thriller about a guy who drives a space–truck.

The Story

Joe Barrow pilots — you guessed it — a space tug. His job is to push cargo modules between Earth and the orbital stations. But something’s fishy on the Moon. A rival colony is building a secret plant to keep Earth’s oxygen monopoly (in space, oxygen is cash). When sabotage, strikes, and a weird fleet of ships turn up, Joe realizes it’s not just about money — it’s about saving lives. And him? He can’t shoot his way out. He’s just a guy with a ship and a problem: one wrong choice and everybody suffocates.

Why You Should Read It

This is not your typical laser-blast stuff. Leinster (a pro pulp writer who got AI long before ChatGPT) built this world around a logic puzzle: how do you move bulk payloads in space with fragile rockets that leak? It’s like phone, but for ore trips. And the bad guys? They feel real — petty corporate greed mixed with outright desperation. I honestly found myself googling the fuel equations because the hack makes real sense. Plus, there’s no one-line super-heroine; just competent folks doing hard work. Refreshing after a dozen plots about magical zombies In Stargates.

Final Verdict

If you loved The Martian for its engineering panic and The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield for the political squeeze in space, you’ll dig Space Tug. It’s also great for classic SF fans who want a blueprint story — think vintage Arthur C. Clarke at half-pace. Not for people who need explosions every three pages. It’s for the tinkerers, the mechanics, the ones who look at a futuristic machine and whisper: I’d drive that.