Minnie and Earl are a contented old couple who live in a small oasis of old-fashioned normality on the Moon. You can only find them if you need them, if your air is running out as you trudge across the lunar landscape in the early days of the first permanent lunar colony. There are not many places on the Moon where you can breathe outside air, rock on the porch, and drink a cool glass of lemonade. The three novellas in this collection were originally published between 2002 and 2020.

Is the gimmick totally original? Well, no. Star Trek and The Twilight Zone have done something similar, and, of course, there is Spider Robinson's Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon and Gloria Naylor’s Bailey’s Café. Nevertheless, the Minnie and Earl stories have a pleasing near-future vibe. ( )