What do you think?
Rate this book
The Long Way Home
Interstellar medic Melanie Mooney races against time to save her patients while unraveling cosmic mysteries and navigating the dangers of space, all while longing for the Earth she left behind.
Find a Way Home
Everything is relative. Einstein said so.
After years of crisscrossing the galaxy as an emergency medic, Melanie Mooney is learning this in a personal way. Each run to a far-flung star system takes Melanie ever farther from her former life, and the incomprehensible distances are the least of her problems.
The penalty for zipping through space at light speed means time is moving slower for her than it is back home. If Melanie ever hopes to return, she must do so before the Earth she knew becomes as unrecognizable as the alien worlds of the Galactic Union.
Interstellar travel is far beyond anything she can afford on Medical Corps pay, and finding a ride home that avoids the merciless effects of relativity is risky. Melanie will have to place her trust in unproven technology and some unsavory characters, one of whom happens to be the last person in the galaxy she wants to be caught dead with.
The trick will be not getting hopelessly lost in dimensions of the universe where no human or alien belongs. That’s a lot for someone who just wants to get back home.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Find a Way Home
Everything is relative. Einstein said so.
After years of crisscrossing the galaxy as an emergency medic, Melanie Mooney is learning this in a personal way. Each run to a far-flung star system takes Melanie ever farther from her former life, and the incomprehensible distances are the least of her problems.
The penalty for zipping through space at light speed means time is moving slower for her than it is back home. If Melanie ever hopes to return, she must do so before the Earth she knew becomes as unrecognizable as the alien worlds of the Galactic Union.
Interstellar travel is far beyond anything she can afford on Medical Corps pay, and finding a ride home that avoids the merciless effects of relativity is risky. Melanie will have to place her trust in unproven technology and some unsavory characters, one of whom happens to be the last person in the galaxy she wants to be caught dead with.
The trick will be not getting hopelessly lost in dimensions of the universe where no human or alien belongs. That’s a lot for someone who just wants to get back home.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2025
4 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Chiles
16 books118 followersPatrick Chiles began his writing career with the self-published novels PERIGEE and FARSIDE. His subsequent novels with Baen Books, FROZEN ORBIT, ESCAPE ORBIT, FRONTIER, and INTERSTELLAR MEDIC: THE LONG RUN have established him as a rising talent in adventurous, near-future science fiction. Born from the author’s fascination with practical space travel and love for Cold War technothrillers, his novels feature plausible technology that leverage his military and aviation experience to create stories with engaging, relatable characters on astonishing adventures: “ordinary people, doing extraordinary things.”
He also contributed to the 2021 anthology, WORLD BREAKERS, with Larry Correia and David Weber, the 2022 anthology, WORLDS LONG LOST, with Orson Scott Card and Christopher Ruocchio, and was the headline author of 2023’s THE ROSS 248 PROJECT.
Patrick graduated from The Citadel in 1986 and served in the Marine Corps until 1993. After a career in managing airline and business flight operations, he now works for an aviation safety consulting firm when he is not writing. He currently resides in central Ohio with his wife and a lethargic dachshund.
He also contributed to the 2021 anthology, WORLD BREAKERS, with Larry Correia and David Weber, the 2022 anthology, WORLDS LONG LOST, with Orson Scott Card and Christopher Ruocchio, and was the headline author of 2023’s THE ROSS 248 PROJECT.
Patrick graduated from The Citadel in 1986 and served in the Marine Corps until 1993. After a career in managing airline and business flight operations, he now works for an aviation safety consulting firm when he is not writing. He currently resides in central Ohio with his wife and a lethargic dachshund.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 24, 2025
Thank you Patrick Chiles for the first two Interstellar Medic books!
You mentioned on your Web site that Tonic Weisskopf (Baen) had agreed to publish your book IF you wrote an initial book introducing the character and doing solid worldbuilding.
I totally loved the first book Interstellar Medic: the Long Run. I enjoyed the second book as well but I was really excited that you left the door slightly ajar to a third book.
Here is a heartfelt plea to write a third book! I want more adventures with the GU Medical Corps and its alien race members!
Thanks especially for letting us know that there will be a Melanie Mooney short story in a Baen anthology set for release in summer 2026!
You mentioned on your Web site that Tonic Weisskopf (Baen) had agreed to publish your book IF you wrote an initial book introducing the character and doing solid worldbuilding.
I totally loved the first book Interstellar Medic: the Long Run. I enjoyed the second book as well but I was really excited that you left the door slightly ajar to a third book.
Here is a heartfelt plea to write a third book! I want more adventures with the GU Medical Corps and its alien race members!
Thanks especially for letting us know that there will be a Melanie Mooney short story in a Baen anthology set for release in summer 2026!
September 25, 2025
Chiles writes great (cutting edge) science fiction.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews