Space Case

Garth Grisan, who has been portrayed as a quiet and helpful character all along, changes his demeanor dramatically when his identity as the killer is revealed. This transition is marked by both a noticeable change in appearance as well as a lengthy argumentative discussion of his motivation for killing Dr. Holtz. Garth explains that he not only works for the Pentagon but also fundamentally believes that humankind is not ready to hear about the existence of intelligent alien life forms. Gibbs includes an interesting example in this monologue, in which Garth references Orson Welles’s 1938 fake broadcast about Martians attacking Earth, which caused widespread panic. This interesting moment somewhat breaks the fourth wall of the book, so to speak, bringing together a commentary about the ways that science fiction, and fiction in general, affect the movement of real political and scientific changes in human history. While Welles’ broadcast was intended to be entertaining, it had a real impact on the people who believed Martians were attacking, and the event later affected narratives about alien life forms in general. Gibbs’s nod to this moment in history supports his novel as an entry in a larger genre of work about alien life forms and their intersection with humans on Earth.

The dynamics of the community on the moon base change several times over the course of the novel, especially in terms of how Dash perceives others. Since Dash is, at the novel’s start, the only person who remains convinced that someone murdered Dr. Holtz, Dash is set apart from the larger group of lunarnauts. Kira’s arrival shifts this dynamic, since she is invested both in her friendship with Dash and in solving the case with him. Through their relationship, Dash slowly learns that he can be more trusting, and he begins to get to know other people in more meaningful ways, like Chang. Over time, Dash is more able to be in connection with others, showing his personal growth and allowing him to solve the mystery with the help of his family, Kira’s family, Chang, and Nina, despite any previously negative interactions. This kind of internal shift is an important part of an adolescent protagonist’s journey in a young adult novel. Critically, Dash is still alone in one particular part of his understanding in the conclusion: He is the only person who can know about Zan Perfonic. This isolation also reflects his growth, as he is now able to discern between healthy and unhealthy secrets, as well as to build his own identity without needing to involve other people.

The end of Space Case leaves several clues that there will be an intended sequel to the novel. Gibbs hints over the course of the novel that the plot might have threads that don’t end with the resolution. One of the core ways that Gibbs creates these hints is through the Lunar Day numbers that precede each of Dash’s narrative chapters. The story both begins in the middle of Dash’s three-year stay on Moon Base Alpha and concludes only a few days later, suggesting that there is more that might happen while Dash is on the moon. Additionally, the conclusion of the novel doesn’t fall when Garth is discovered and arrested. Rather, the resolution occurs when Dash talks to Zan and develops his connection with her. Readers can assume that Gibbs might write a subsequent book showing what happens when Dash and Zan begin their ongoing relationship to learn about their two species. In the Simon & Schuster paperback publication, readers can preview a chapter from the sequel, Spaced Out, which was published in 2016.