About We Were Here First: An Alternative History Space Race Novella
1981. Four astronauts. A prestigious lunar mission. A crash landing on the Moon. A discovery that could rewrite history.
For fans of The Martian and The Apollo Murders, this alternative history space thriller blends edge-of-your-seat survival, high-stakes tension, and raw human emotion.
Commander Evelyn Meyers finally got her big break after a tragic accident years earlier. She leads the Artemis II mission, sent to establish humanity’s first permanent lunar outpost. The journey is fraught with malfunctions and unexpected hazards, culminating in a crash landing that strands them miles from New Tranquility Base. Haunted by her past, Evelyn faces more than technical failure. With a stricken lander, she must find an escape route—and fast. Under pressure, she makes a risky decision that could alter everything she thought she knew.
We Were Here First is Book One of the From Apollo’s Ashes series—a hard-science thriller steeped in Cold War conspiracy and alternative history. Full of technical immediacy and claustrophobic tension, it balances realistic science with human drama.
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Author Bio:
Quintin Engelbrecht is a programmer, freelance writer, and English teacher. An unapologetic space-nerd since childhood, he turned a lifelong fascination with the Space Race and the “what-ifs” of exploration into his debut novella, We Were Here First.
His debut novella, We Were Here First (Book One of the From Apollo’s Ashes series), grew out of years spent imagining alternate histories of lunar exploration inspired by shows like For All Mankind and the modern race back to the Moon. Quintin holds a BSc in Computer Programming. When he’s not writing or teaching, he’s deep-diving into hardware specs, reading classic sci-fi, or supporting other indie authors.
Reach out to me on info@mozquitomusings.com for any questions!