Retro Review of "Comet's Burial" (1953) by Raymond Z. Gallun

"Retro Review

of

'Comet's Burial'

(c) 1953

by

Raymond Z. Gallun"

(c) 2013

by

Jordan S. Bassior

Synopsis

Sometime in the future (given the backstory, it's probably around the mid-21st century), the Moon has been opened to mining.  However, the future of human settlement on Luna is limited by the lack of readily-available water.  There is believed to be plenty of water and other volatiles deep under the surface, but they are too deep for humans to access:  two hundred miles down.

Arne Copeland, age 19, has come to the Moon to make his fortune as a prospector and then come back to Iowa to marry his girl Frances.  Arne meets Jess Brinker, a "big, swaggering" man in his thirties.  Jess was the son of Tom Brinker, a promoter who dreamed of large-scale Lunar settlement but failed owing to the lack of resources.  Tom was recently murdered -- Jess believes by Tom's own ex-partner,

Because of his parentage and own eccentric nature, Jess Brinker has a bad reputation.  Nevertheless, Arne is drawn to the older man and decides to become his partner.