Where the Golden Apples Grow(2006)

Patrick Nielsen HaydenDavid G. Hartwell

Growing up anywhere is hard, but it may be hardest of all on Mars. Bill is twelve Earth years old. He was the third boy born on the red planet. Ford is six Mars years old. He was the second.

Alternate ways of tracking time are just one of the differences between their family lives. Bill lives with his dad in the cab of a Hauler, making endless runs between the colonies at Olympus Mons and the polar ice caps, bringing back desperately needed water. Ford spends his days mucking out stalls on his family’s farm allotment beneath the tented red sky. Though they’ve never met, the boys envy each other’s lives. Bill longs for stability. Ford wants adventure.

Neither gets exactly what they’re looking for when an unexpected turn of events finds Ford taking refuge with Bill and his dad on one of their long-distance trips. When tragedy strikes, the boys must find a way to work together, thousands of miles from help and challenged by faulty equipment, savage storms, and untrustworthy adults. Even if they survive, they still have the biggest challenge of all ahead of the future.

This novella from the pen of the late Nebula-award winning, master storyteller Kage Baker, author of the beloved Company series, offers a rousing and poignant exploration of work and family. Where the Golden Apples Grow creates a futuristic backdrop impossible not to believe in.